Science Highlights

A research team involving Arizona State University, University of California Davis, and Washington State University/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists grafted isolated and defective cerium oxide (CeO_x) “nanoglue” islands onto high-surface-area silicon dioxide (SiO₂). The nanoglue islands host an average of one platinum (Pt) atom each.

Autoimmune diseases are caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the body’s cells. In people with multiple sclerosis (MS), lymphocytes and antibodies attack cells in the central nervous system (CNS). The reasons for immune system malfunction in MS are unknown, but may be related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection.

An unconventional new class of superconducting materials discovered 35 years ago was met with much excitement.  These materials, known as copper oxides or cuprates, conducted electricity with no resistance or loss when chilled below a certain point – but at much higher temperatures than scientists had thought possible.

In the ongoing quest for a room-temperature superconductor, scientists are examining the normal, or ground, state of the highest temperature superconductors currently known.

A collection of native Australian plant resins sampled over one hundred years ago serves as a time capsule for scientists to study using modern techniques. The well-annotated and well-preserved samples by unknown collectors feature four species important to Aboriginal Australian technology and culture going back tens of thousands of years.

Polyketides are a diverse and important category of molecules with various functions including antibiotic, immunosuppressant, and antitumor. Some polyketides have great medical and economic value. One type of polyketide synthase (PKS), the enzymes that make polyketides, is called type I modular PKS.

Junctophilins (JPHs) are protein molecules that initiate junctions between the endoplasmic reticulum or sarcoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, enabling communication. Humans make four isoforms of JPH, which are expressed in different cell types.

An ongoing quest to engineer superconducting materials that work at near ambient temperature and pressure continues.

In the Pocket: RNA Binding Discovery Supports ‘RNA World’ Theory of Early Life on Earth

Increasing the power density of reusable batteries will allow electric vehicles to travel farther and cell phones and portable electronics to be used longer on a single charge. Scientists are interested in using higher power density lithium alloy materials as the battery anode instead of the commonly used graphite.