Science Highlights

The electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide and water into useful chemicals and fuels is a promising way of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and of providing sources for renewable energy. Part of these processes is the oxidation of water (H₂O) into molecular oxygen (O₂), a reaction that requires a catalyst.

Filoviruses, such as Ebola virus, require host-cell receptors, endocytosis, proteolytic cleavage, and fusion with the endolysosomal membrane for release of viral material into the cytoplasm.

Current technologies of light emitting diodes (LEDs), photovoltaic systems (PVs), and other optical electronic devices typically use inorganic silicon-based semiconductors. However,  organic polymers could provide thinner, lighter and cheaper opto-electronic devices (like OLEDs and OPVs).

Mutation of the gene coding for the BRAF kinase, an important enzyme in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, can lead to melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer. The pharmaceutical company Plexxikon has developed drugs, like vemurafenib, that treat metastatic melanoma harboring BRAF mutations.

The practice of storing reclaimed or storm water by refilling an aquifer is called managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Advantages of MAR to regions vulnerable to drought or which have depleted aquifers include water storage for future use, reduced water loss of stored water from evaporation, and stabilization of the aquifers.

The list of mechanical and electronic uses for oxide materials is continuously growing, piquing researchers’ interest in how the microscopic properties of these materials affect their functionalities. Oxygen vacancies, which affect electron hopping, have long been identified as a defect in oxide compounds, but researchers now view them as a way to create new, potentially useful, behaviors.

The widespread adoption of renewable energy in many applications, such as electric cars, is dependent on the development of better batteries. A lithium ion battery can be made to have a higher capacity, better thermally stability, and lower cost by changing the cobalt component of the battery cathode (usually LiCoO₂) to a mixture of nickel, manganese, and cobalt.

Neurons in our brains communicate via neurotransmitter signaling molecules. When prompted by a calcium signal, the cells can release neurotransmitters at speeds of less than one-thousandth of a second. This lightening-fast process is carried out by a protein complex of synaptotagmin-1, which detects calcium, and SNARE, which provides energy for neurotransmitter release.