Science Highlights

Given our increasing dependence of rechargeable battery containing electronic devices, including electric cars, it is important to engineer these systems to mitigate potential for catastrophic battery failure. One possible source of lithium ion battery failure is over-discharge (over-lithiation) of the cathode, which can permanently damage the battery.

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are cofactors that are required for the function of proteins in many critical cellular processes.  All living organisms synthesize and distribute Fe-S clusters using complex biosynthetic pathways.

CRISPR, a powerful new tool that can target and change specific sequences of DNA, is based on a prokaryotic immune system response.

Bacterial cells have subcellular features that function as organelles called microcompartments. Bacterial microcompartments organize cellular metabolism. These compartments help increase reaction rates by colocalizing reaction components. They can also sequester sensitive or damaging reactants or products from the rest of the cell.

Molecular hydrogen (H₂) is a promising carrier of energy for a future that uses more sustainable sources of fuel. H₂ created from splitting H₂O using renewable energy methods could result in no carbon footprint energy use. While methods of water splitting are being developed, reverse reactions are a problem.

Diatoms, single-celled marine algae that create beautiful, symmetric cell walls composed of silica, are critical to ocean ecosystems. Responsible for up to 20% of photosynthesis in oceans, these phytoplankton are also an important part of Earth’s carbon cycles.

The radioactive element uranium is well-known for its role in nuclear energy. People mine naturally occurring uranium from deep sandstone deposits called roll fronts. Scientists have long thought that abiotic chemical reactions that occur over millions of years resulted in formation of crystalline uranium.

While scientists recognize that oxygen-free soil stores large amounts of carbon, knowledge about the processes that protect and preserve carbon-rich molecules in these environments is lacking. In oxygen-rich soil, microbes break down organic molecules through aerobic respiration, allowing carbon to escape the ground as carbon dioxide gas.

An intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts inside the brain and blood leaks into brain tissue. Secondary damage is caused by hemoglobin iron making free radicals that cause oxidative damage to brain cells.  While prompt rehabilitative therapies have been shown to limit damage, the mechanism for this is unknown.