news 2013

Scientists have taken an important step towards new malaria treatments by identifying a way to stop malaria parasites from multiplying. In a study published in Nature Chemistry , they show that blocking the activity of an enzyme called NMT in the most common malaria parasite prevents mice from showing symptoms and extends their lifespan.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Durham scientists win funding to work with industry to develop sustainable chemicals, energy, medicines and food Scientists at Durham University have won access to £45 million in Government funding to work with industry on new advances in biotechnology.

13 Dec 2013 University of Manchester scientists have helped demonstrate that long, structurally well-defined ribbons of graphene can be made. Writing , researchers used different characterisation techniques, including Raman spectroscopy – led by Dr Cinzia Casiraghi and her group – to confirm that these ribbons, called GNRs, are structurally well-defined and have excellent charge-carrier mobility.

A molecule containing a noble gas has been discovered in space by a team including astronomers from Cardiff University. The find was made using a Cardiff-led instrument aboard Europe's Herschel Space Observatory. The molecule, argon hydride, was seen in the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star that exploded 1,000 years ago.

Noble gas molecules have been detected in space for the first time in the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, by astronomers at UCL. Watch a video explaining the findings Led by Professor Mike Barlow (UCL Physics & Astronomy) the team used ESA's Herschel Space Observatory to observe the Crab Nebula in far infrared light.

Tiny bits of plastic trash could spell big trouble for some of the smallest and most crucial members of the marine ecosystem according to scientific findings released today. Research conducted by Plymouth University and the University of Exeter has revealed the unpalatable situation confronting the lugworm when it is exposed to high levels of microplastic in ocean sediments.

Professor Dan Shechtman celebrated crystallography's profound impact on modern science in the Bragg Centenary Lecture 2013 - and explained how he overturned one of the discipline's key principles. Professor Shechtman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011, spoke in the University’s Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre on November 21 at the culmination of a year of events marking the centenary of the development of X-ray crystallography by William Henry Bragg and William Lawrence Bragg at Leeds in 1912-13.

A process that could revolutionise solar energy harvesting has been efficiently demonstrated in solution for the first time. We are only beginning to understand how this process works, and as we learn more we expect improvements in the technology to follow Brian Walker Solar cells offer the opportunity to harvest abundant, renewable energy.

Playing pop and rock music improves the performance of solar cells, according to new research from scientists at Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London. The high frequencies and pitch found in pop and rock music cause vibrations that enhanced energy generation in solar cells containing a cluster of 'nanorods', leading to a 40 per cent increase in efficiency of the solar cells.

31 Oct 2013 BBSRC-funded researchers at the University of Manchester's Institute of Biotechnology have used the power of off-the-shelf computer gaming technology to capture previously unobservable atomic movements. The research is helping to chart one of nature's most complex entities known as 'glycomes' – the entire complement of carbohydrates within a cell.

Modified Botox could be used for the treatment of chronic pain and epilepsy A single injection could relieve pain for months Research could improve the quality of life for people who suffer from chronic pain conditions Scientists have manufactured a new bio-therapeutic molecule that could be used to treat neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.

Proteins which reside in the membrane of cells play a key role in many biological processes and provide targets for more than half of current drug treatments. These membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to study in their natural environment, but scientists at the University of Oxford have now developed a technique to do just that, combining the use of sophisticated nanodiscs and mass spectrometers.

A common blue pigment used in the £5 note could have an important role to play in the development of a quantum computer, according to a paper published today in the journal Nature . The pigment, copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), which is similar to the light harvesting section of the chlorophyll molecule, is a low-cost organic semiconductor that is found in many household products.

Research by scientists at the University of Sheffield has given new insight on how some plants adapt to extreme conditions which could help in the future development of efficient crops. The study was carried out on plants native to southern Africa known as "Living Stones", or Lithops. These little succulents survive in the blazing deserts and rocky ground of southern Africa by blending in with surrounding pebbles to avoid being eaten and by burying themselves underground.

Researchers have identified a potential way to manipulate the immune system to improve its ability to fight off tuberculosis (TB). TB is a major problem for both humans and cattle and the new findings could help scientists to create better drugs to combat the disease in both. The disease is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which infects the lungs.

What makes enzymes such fantastic catalysts? New research from the University of Bristol is significantly advancing our understanding of how these proteins increase the rate of chemical reaction. Using a combination of experimental approaches and multiscale computational methods, including the hybrid QM/MM (quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics) approach for which Karplus, Warshel and Levitt won this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry, the team of researchers from England, Wales and Spain studied the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase - an important target for anti-infective and anti-cancer drugs.

New research by the School of Chemistry has significantly advanced our understanding of how enzymes (proteins) increase the rate of chemical reaction. Now potentially able to achieve greater control of enzyme action, this will clear the way for scientists to design new enzymes with important implications in a range of industries, and to develop new anti-infective and anti-cancer drugs.

It took several years to develop all the computational tools to make this happen, but the structures we can now reconstruct from this high-quality data are quite striking. More importantly, this new approach is allowing us to study the variation in chromosome structure on a cell-by-cell basis. Tim Stevens Scientists have developed a novel approach to determine the 3D structures of chromosomes in single cells, using hundreds of measurements of where different parts of the DNA get close to one another.

The fossilised remains of a reptile closely related to lizards are the oldest yet to be discovered. Two new fossil jaws discovered in Vellberg, Germany provide the first direct evidence that the ancestors of lizards, snakes and tuatara (known collectively as lepidosaurs), were alive during the Middle Triassic period - around 240 million years ago.

A new free-to-access 'swap-shop', where scientists deposit and exchange data could reduce the cost of research and deliver a raft of new discoveries. The architects of such a service, say it could bring about new advances faster in all fields of science, medicine and engineering by bringing together results from different sources.