One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the clumping of proteins called Tau, which form tangled fibrils in the brain. The more severe the clumping, the more advanced the disease is.

Coffee beans that pass through the digestive tracts of animals get their unique flavors from the activity of gut microbes, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo. The guts of Asian elephants that produce Black Ivory coffee (BIC) were rich in pectin-digesting bacteria. Heat-driven degradation of pectin during roasting makes coffee bitter. Bacterial activity that reduces the pectin content of BIC could be the source of its smoother, chocolaty, and less bitter flavor.

Fluorophores are chemical compounds or molecules that absorb light energy at one wavelength and re-emit it as light at a longer, lower-energy wavelength, acting as glowing tags or markers. The absorption process is known as excitation, and the re-emission is visible as fluorescent light, which makes these molecules crucial for biological imaging, diagnostics, and tracing cellular molecules like proteins or lipids under normal or various infectious conditions.

Researchers at Kumamoto University have discovered that a purely inorganic crystal grown from water solution can emit circularly polarized light, a special form of light whose "handedness" distinguishes left from right.

Scientists have successfully analyzed Charles Darwin's original specimens from his HMS Beagle voyage (1831 to 1836) to the Galapagos Islands.

A substance poisonous to humans—hydrogen cyanide—may have helped create the seeds of life on Earth. At cold temperatures, hydrogen cyanide forms crystals. And, according to computer models reported in ACS Central Science, some of the facets on these crystals are highly reactive, enabling chemical reactions that are otherwise not possible at low temperatures. The researchers say these reactions could have started a cascade that gave rise to several building blocks of life.

Most people are aware that plastic waste is a problem. Almost all types of plastics that we use in our everyday lives are derived from fossil sources. When they end up in the environment, they cause pollution for generations. When incinerated in a waste incineration plant, they release climate-warming CO₂ into the atmosphere. Recycling is therefore the better option: Used plastics provide the raw materials for new ones, closing the loop.

Researchers at National Taiwan University reveal that combined exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and the preservative butylparaben, at a level considered safe on their own, can cause heritable harm, disrupting reproduction across generations through epigenetic changes.

The mucosal surfaces that line the body are embedded with defensive molecules that help keep microbes from causing inflammation and infections. Among these molecules are lectins—proteins that recognize microbes and other cells by binding to sugars found on cell surfaces.

Microbubbles in the tap water you just poured into a plastic glass are strong enough to create tiny abrasions on the inner layer of the plastic—quietly adding to our growing microplastic problem.

By fine-tuning the surroundings of single cobalt atoms, researchers reveal how tiny design changes can steer oxygen reactions toward cleaner and more efficient hydrogen peroxide production.

The production of clean hydrogen through water electrolysis is a promising route toward emission-free and sustainable energy technologies. However, its efficiency is still constrained by the kinetically sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This reaction requires high potential energy input and operates under highly oxidative conditions, which often force a trade-off between catalytic activity and long-term stability.

At temperatures where most molecular movement ceases, certain organic crystals begin their self-healing journey.

Recent research published in Science introduces a promising solid electrolyte material that could improve the performance of next-generation lithium batteries, particularly at lower temperatures. Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) Research Professor of Chemistry James Kaduk, who co-authored the paper, contributed a key finding to the research: identifying where lithium atoms reside within the crystalline structure.

An international research team reveals new molecular mechanisms associated with pathogenic mutations in the protein transthyretin that cause transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR), a group of fatal progressive diseases. The results, obtained thanks to a new methodological approach, open the door to the development of drugs with higher therapeutic potential, designed specifically for the variants of the protein associated with the disease.

Using muon spin rotation spectroscopy, researchers from Japan and Canada have successfully captured the rapid conversion of an imidoyl radical into a quinoxalinyl radical occurring within nanoseconds. The technique enabled real-time detection of a highly reactive aromatic heterocyclic radical generated during the isocyanide insertion reaction, using muonium as a molecular tracker.

Using a blend of computer modeling, structural and cell-based studies, scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute have designed a group of potential diabetes drugs that reprogram insulin-resistant cells into a healthier state while limiting side effect risks of older medications.

A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has led the development of a new sensor capable of quickly and easily detecting scopolamine, one of the substances most commonly used in crimes of chemical submission, especially in sexual assaults. The sensor detects the presence of this drug in less than five minutes with high sensitivity. The research is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

A natural, superabsorbent material developed at the University of Waterloo could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of personal hygiene products like diapers, menstrual pads and tampons.

Chemistry deals with that most fundamental subject: matter. New drugs, materials and batteries all depend on our ability to make new molecules. But discovery of new substances is slow, expensive and fragile. Each molecule is treated as a bespoke craft project. If a synthesis works in one lab, it often fails in another.

Princeton researchers have developed a new tool to speed the discovery of advanced materials known as metal organic frameworks (MOFs).

The Anasazi, a once-flourishing tribe in the American Southwest, lived on bounties of corn, squash and beans. In 1276 A.D., however, a long, unforgiving drought made agriculture untenable, forcing them to migrate away from their settlements. Droughts, even the catastrophic ones, are not figments of the past. With changing weather patterns, droughts are predicted to become more frequent and intense, thereby exacerbating their impact on global agricultural systems.

UC Davis researchers have developed a new method that uses light to transform amino acids—the building blocks of proteins—into molecules that are similar in structure to psychedelics and mimic their interaction with the brain.

Technologies that underpin modern society, such as smartphones and automobiles, rely on a diverse range of functional materials. Materials scientists are therefore working to develop and improve new materials, but predicting material properties is no simple task. Data science is key to transforming this field, and new tools powered by artificial intelligence are expected to accelerate the exploration, collection, and management of materials property data worldwide.

Chlorine is a fundamental input to modern industry, yet most of today's supply still relies on energy-intensive electrolysis. In order to reduce energy consumption, researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) and the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, both affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have developed an alternative approach to producing chlorine—by harnessing the osmotic energy inherently stored in chloride-rich brine…

Cells have a remarkable housekeeping system: Proteins that are no longer needed, defective, or potentially harmful are labeled with a molecular "tag" and dismantled in the cellular recycling machinery. This process, known as the ubiquitin-proteasome system, is crucial for health and survival.

A Rice University-led team has unveiled how tiny molecular structures on industrial catalysts behave during the manufacture of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), a core ingredient in adhesives, paints, coatings, packaging, textiles and many other products people use every day.

Weight says a lot. In the kitchen, it could mean cooking with too little or too much of an ingredient. For scientists, a molecule's weight can help determine its makeup. This, in turn, can shed light on whether a potential drug is acting on the body or not working at all. Weight can even reveal what tumors are made of, potentially influencing treatment options. For measures like this and more, researchers turn to a technique called mass spectrometry.

Chemists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a single-atom photocatalytic strategy that enables oxidant-free cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reactions between ring-shaped aromatic molecules ((hetero)arenes) and nucleophiles.

Summer means sunshine, beach days, and afternoons by the pool … which means wearing swimwear and looking after it. But while we enjoy those carefree summer days, pool chemicals, UV rays from sunlight, sweat and salt water are quietly damaging the delicate fibers of our swimwear.