Spectroscopy News and Research

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Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between radiation (electromagnetic radiation, or light, as well as particle radiation) and matter.

Investigators Characterize and Name the Protein Domain that Governs Collagen Transport

Discovery of the MOTH domain offers insights into evolution. This is because both insects and vertebrates need collagen in their connective tissue.

23 May 2023

New Insights into the Final Step of Cell Death

Every day, millions of cells die in our body. Other than generally assumed, cells do not simply burst at the end of their lives but rather, a specific protein serves as a breaking point for cell membrane rupture. Researchers at the University of Basel have now been able to elucidate the exact mechanism at the atomic level. They have published their results in Nature.

23 May 2023

Using NIR Spectroscopy to Identify Three Common Allergens in Quinoa Flour

Food allergies pose a significant health risk, resulting in numerous hospitalizations every year, as even trace amounts of allergens can trigger severe reactions.

18 May 2023

Membrane-Remodeling Proteins in Cyanobacteria are Similar to Protein Found in Higher Organisms

The cells of living organisms are equipped with proteins that are involved in the shaping and remodeling of cellular membranes, thereby performing important tasks.

26 Apr 2023

Researchers Uncover a New, Direction-Dependent Friction in Proteins

An interdisciplinary research team of the Institutes of Physical Chemistry and Physics of the University of Freiburg and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt-am-Main has discovered a new, direction-dependent friction in proteins called anisotropic friction.

3 Apr 2023

Innovative method to quickly identify bacteria in fluids

Shine a laser on a drop of blood, mucus, or wastewater, and the light reflecting back can be used to positively identify bacteria in the sample.

3 Mar 2023

Scientists receive $2.5 million NIH grant to define the role of lipid droplets in muscle stem cell function

A team of Purdue University scientists led by Shihuan Kuang has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to define the role of lipid droplets in muscle stem cell function, a study with implications in both humans and livestock.

24 Feb 2023

Scientists unravel the secrets of polydopamine coatings

Dopamine is best known as a neurotransmitter. What is rather unknown, however, the underwater glue used by mussels contains large amounts of L-Dopa molecules, an analog of dopamine.

17 Feb 2023

Study explains why cancers stop responding to kinase inhibitors and come back stronger

More than 70 FDA-approved cancer drugs are kinase inhibitors, which work by blocking kinases-;enzymes that add phosphate groups to molecules in the cell-;and preventing the chemical activity necessary for signaling and growth in cancer cells.

14 Feb 2023

New method maps spontaneous formation of protein-rich droplets

Terahertz spectroscopy maps spontaneous formation of protein-rich droplets that may lead to neurodegenerative diseases.

13 Feb 2023

Identifying the molecular switch that regulates autophagy in plants

Autophagy, commonly known as “self-eating,” is a cellular quality control mechanism that relieves the cell of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. This system is inert under ordinary conditions and is only activated in the presence of persistent cellular stress.

13 Feb 2023

Technology development could help expand usefulness of Raman microscopy

Researchers have developed a Raman microscope that can acquire information hundreds of times faster than a conventional Raman microscope.

8 Feb 2023

RNA-G quadruplexes in living cells: A real-time study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes referred to as Stephen Hawking’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease is a neurological condition that causes the body’s muscles to gradually lose control.

2 Feb 2023

Innovative strategy for studying membrane proteins

Membrane proteins are vital therapeutic targets. They exist between the interior and exterior of human cells. Some of them, known as “transporters,” transport substances into and out of the cellular environment.

26 Oct 2022

Bacteria do engage in photosynthesis, research suggests

Knowing whether or not marine microbes engage in photosynthesis -; the use of sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into energy -; could help scientists to learn if ocean bacteria play a role in the global carbon cycle.

25 Oct 2022

A new holographic microscope developed to observe neural networks in brain

Scientists headed by Associate Director Wonshik Choi of the Center for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics in the Institute for Basic Science, Professor Kim Moonseok of The Catholic University of Korea, and Professor Myunghwan Choi of Seoul National University designed a new kind of holographic microscope.

19 Sep 2022