The nitrogen macrocycles family has welcomed a new member – tetraquinoline. Researchers in Japan have reported the first-ever synthesis of this porphyrin-like structure, which shows strong affinity to certain metals, despite its non-planar structure. Tetraquinoline complexes could find applications in catalysis, pH probes and sensors, based on preliminary studies. Nitrogen macrocycles consist of linked units […]

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A new super-resolution microscopy technique has allowed researchers to see features in materials and living organisms at resolutions far finer than the diffraction limit without the need for fluorescent labels. This makes it easier and less disruptive than previous techniques, and could have broad applications, especially in biochemistry. The wave nature of light limits the […]

AlphaFold, an AI program that has previously demonstrated that it can predict protein structure from an amino acid sequence, has been paired with two other AI routines to afford an end-to-end AI drug discovery process even when a protein structure is not known.1 This combination of machine learning processes was able to predict a novel […]

Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) US subsidiary, LTL Management, has filed a legal complaint claiming that research describing a link between mesothelioma and cosmetic talc is fraudulent and should be retracted and/or corrected. LTL was formed in 2021 to assume J&J’s liabilities in talc litigation, covering thousands of lawsuits asserting Johnsons Baby Powder and other talc […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly employed to support drug discovery over the last decade. Pioneering start-ups have worked to convince traditional firms that AI and machine learning can save time and money, while amplifying novelty. An estimated 86% of drug development programmes ended in failure between 2000 and 2015. Meanwhile estimates of the cost […]

The world faces risks ‘both wholly new and eerily familiar,’ the Global Risks Report 2023 warns. Dangers include geoeconomic confrontation, climate change and divisive competition for resources. The 2023 report from the World Economic Forum ranks risks on a two-year timescale and a longer term 10-year time horizon. It makes for grim reading. The report […]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo… This scream of pain delivered with the intensity of a banshee wail came from the poor, suffering HISTSCI_HULK upon reading an essay on The Conversation (Europe), A hymn to the stars: what happens when science puts the universe into music by the astronomer, Yaël Nazé.   The Conversations banner states, Academic rigour, journalistic flair. Apparently, that bit about academic […]

Researchers are calling for global action to address the complex mix of chemicals that go into plastics and for greater transparency on what they are. Identifying and managing chemicals in plastics is going to be key to tackling waste, they argue. Discussions got underway in December on a global plastics treaty to address the full […]

Stretchable films filled with liquid metal can protect flexible electronic devices from exposure to air and water. The finding could offer a potential way to improve the lifetime of future forms of wearable technology. Most stretchable materials are highly permeable to gases. This makes it challenging to fully protect flexible electronic devices from things like […]