Scientists have unveiled a synthetic cell capable of performing several life-like functions, marking a major milestone in modern biology. The breakthrough does not mean researchers have created life from scratch, but it does bring science closer to understanding how living systems emerge from simple chemical components. The artificial cell, known as \.
Category: chemistry
Ultrasound-based approach may reduce harmful inflammation and support joint healing
As an aging population experiences joint pain and inflammation at an all-time high, researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, have published new findings suggesting continuous low-intensity ultrasound may help shift the body’s immune response from prolonged inflammation toward tissue repair, a discovery that could eventually contribute to novel treatments for joint injuries and post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of UAH researchers under the leadership of Dr. Anuradha Subramanian, a professor of chemical and materials engineering.
The work brought together biological experimentation conducted by Dr. Shahid Khan as part of his doctoral work with computational and statistical methods developed by Dr. Satyaki Roy, a professor of mathematical sciences, along with additional contributions from graduate student Owen Trippany.
Wet coffee grounds turned into high-grade solid fuel in just 90 seconds
A research team at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has developed a technology that converts wet spent coffee grounds directly into high-quality biochar in just 90 seconds, with no drying or oil removal required. The breakthrough offers a fast, energy-efficient path to turning high-moisture organic waste into valuable fuel and carbon materials. The study, led by Dr. Taejun Park in collaboration with GodTech Co., Ltd., was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, one of the world’s leading journals in chemical engineering.
Addressing a growing waste challenge Every year, global coffee consumption generates more than 10 million tons of spent coffee grounds, most of which end up in landfills or are incinerated, releasing greenhouse gases and polluting the environment.
Spent coffee grounds hold real energy potential, but their high moisture content has long been a barrier. Converting them into fuel or carbon products typically requires energy-intensive predrying, making large-scale resource recovery economically impractical.
Synchronized infrared lasers control molecular shape changes and expose hidden fingerprints
Researchers from the Molecular Physics and Physical Chemistry departments of the Fritz Haber Institute have shown how two highly synchronized infrared (IR) laser beams can control molecules as they switch between different structural conformations. Their study provides a new window into how molecules rearrange themselves during chemical reactions, offering fundamental insights into the microscopic processes that govern chemistry.
Chemical reactions are the foundation of all the processes that sustain life. Researchers around the world are working to develop precise physical descriptions of these processes to better understand, predict or specifically control them.
In chemical reactions, molecules undergo various structural transformations, changing their 3D shapes between different conformations. These changes can be visualized as movements across an energy landscape, where the shape of the terrain determines how fast a reaction proceeds. Similar to a ball rolling through a hilly landscape, a molecule must overcome energy barriers—the “mountains”—to settle into a new, stable state in the next “valley.”
MOF thin films reveal hidden dense packing, challenging decades of porous assumptions
Due to their high porosity, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as promising materials for innovative applications, which is why the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in 2025 for their discovery. They are used, for example, to store gases, to capture CO2 and for the targeted delivery of medicines.
While the structure of MOFs in the form of large crystals can be determined with relative ease, thin films have largely remained a mystery. Yet it is precisely the structure that is decisive for the properties and for potential applications.
A team led by Roland Resel and Egbert Zojer from the Institute of Solid State Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), together with colleagues from the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry (led by Paolo Falcaro) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (led by Christof Wöll), has now solved this puzzle.
Unlocking the ‘black box’ of carbon materials: Study reveals origins of defect peaks
Carbon materials, such as carbon fibers and activated carbons, are essential across a wide variety of fields, encompassing everything from aerospace engineering to fuel cells and thermal insulation. For decades, Raman, infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been the primary tools used to analyze carbon materials. However, because of their diverse structural conditions and inconsistencies in their interpretation, researchers have found it challenging to assign specific spectral peaks to exact, localized chemical structures.
The detailed origin and nature of these peaks, and their exact effect on important material characteristics, have often remained unclear.
To tackle this issue, a research team led by Associate Professor Yasuhiro Yamada from the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, Japan, used isotropic pitch-based carbon fiber—a cost-effective material widely used for high-temperature thermal insulation—as a general model to analyze carbon materials prepared at high temperatures of 1,473 K (1,200 °C) or higher.
Strange Things Are Happening in Quantum Computing
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Quantum computing is supposed to be one of the most exciting new technologies that humanity is working on, with companies promising it can be used in chemistry, material science, logistics, and finance. Over the years, those use cases have been slowly eroded, but investment in quantum tech has only increased. Why? Let’s take a look.
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Electrochemical research takes major strides towards harvesting a vital battery material
The supply of lithium—the battery material that keeps digital devices humming, EVs racing and renewable energy on the grid— will not meet even half the expected demand by 2040.
Ramping up production using old methods will create new problems, including environmental damage, pollution, cost and water scarcity. Unconventional ways must be found to fill this lithium gap.
One promising solution is electrochemical intercalation. Common in the world of batteries and supercapacitors, it’s when researchers apply electricity to insert ions between the layers of a different material.