In Germany, researchers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have developed a new strategy for the design of light-sensitive proteins. Such proteins, also called optogenetic tools, can be switched on and off by light pulses, thereby triggering targeted cellular processes. With their help, it is possible, for example, to study in living organisms and to control […]
In New Jersey, scientists have discovered how diatoms – a type of alga that produce 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen – harness solar energy for photosynthesis. The Rutgers University-led discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help lead to more efficient and affordable algae-based biofuels and combat climate […]
In Serbia, local press reports that after two years of work, researchers from the University of Belgrade’s Institute for Multidisciplinary Research have developed a way to boost lipid content in microalgae to around 30% by stressing the organisms. The increased oil content could have a major impact in the economic viability of algae as a […]
In Louisiana, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Tulane University, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Early Career Award. The $507,000 award will allow the researcher and his team of graduate students to continue their work on a type of bacteria with potentially important applications in biofuels, carbon capture and […]
In Japan, researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and colleagues investigated the conditions under which the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii produces more of the storage molecule triacylglycerol (TAG), found in microscopic algae. In an attempt to find conditions under which C. reinhardtii both produces more TAG and grows well, the team of researchers gave […]
In Lithuania, after 2.5 years of research, a new method reduces DNA testing costs by 90%. Scientists from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre (VU LSC) and the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (CPST) have jointly-developed an alternative approach, called the Fixed DNA Molecule Array method which makes DNA testing more cost-effective and simpler, […]
In North Carolina, sixteen high school science and career and technical education (CTE) teachers attended a four-day hands-on professional development workshop at NC State in July. The workshop was part of the USDA-funded Sustainable Bioproducts and Bioenergy Program (SBBP), a collaboration between NC State’s College of Natural Resources and College of Education. The high school […]
In Finland, a doctoral student used optical coherence tomography, an imaging technology commonly used in medical imaging of eye, to research the flow properties of aqueous microcellulose suspensions. The measurement methods developed in the doctoral thesis can also be utilized in developing the material properties of microfibrillated celluloses, e.g in textile innovations. Microfibrillated cellulose is […]
In Switzerland, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed the first fully functional biofuel cell whose biocatalysts (enzymes that play a critical role in power generation) directly self-assemble onto the electrodes. In about 5 minutes, enzyme-nanoparticle hybrids added to a biofuel cell solution selectively bind to either the anode or the cathode, and in doing so […]
In Arizona, with a $1.78 million grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, researchers at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health seek to determine the extent to which using alternative fuel mixtures can reduce exposure to hazardous components of diesel engine exhaust in underground mines to […]
