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Latest news from laboratory, environment, chemistry, life science and quality control

• PFAS detection in 15 minutes: sensor system for rapid on-site analysis
  PFAS are forever chemicals that hardly degrade in the environment. They enter soil and water, accumulate in plants, animals, and humans, and can be harmful to health. The problem: Until now, detect...
• Multi-method approach makes nanomaterials safer
  The safe use of nanomaterials and their optimum performance depend largely on their surfaces. However, the reliable characterization of nanomaterial surfaces is still challenging. Two new studi...
• Observing synapses in action
  A team of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center has captured the fleeting moment a nerve cell releases its neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. ...
• Molecular fine tuning increases efficiency of tandem solar cells
  Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells are considered a key technology for photovoltaics. Because of their design, they use sunlight more efficiently than conventional silicon cells. While the u...
• Unseen allies: Symbiotic bacteria help clean wastewater, but there is a catch
  An international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology has uncovered a hidden world of tiny partnerships thriving in wastewater treatment plants worldwide. ...
• An enzyme neutralizes Pathogens by cleaving a bacterial toxin
  A research team at Leibniz-HKI describes a new enzyme in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition that renders the highly toxic molecule malleicyprol harmless. Malleicyprol is consid...
• Outdoor Bouldering as a Source of Microplastics? First Evidence from Vegetation Studies
  A research team at the University of Bayreuth has experimentally investigated how the popular climbing discipline of bouldering affects vegetation and the surface structure of natural rock formatio...
• Observing nanoscale dynamics with soft X-rays
  Scientists at the Max Born Institute have developed a new soft-X-ray instrument that can reveal dynamics of magnetic domains on nanometer length and picosecond time scales. By bringing capabil...
• Spotlight on Formic Acid: converting formate into formaldehyde efficiently
  For a carbon-neutral bioeconomy, processes are needed that can efficiently capture CO₂ and convert it into valuable products. Formic acid, or more specifically its salt, formate, is considered a pr...
• The chemical composition of the sea off Greenland
  As part of the EU project ECOTIP, an international team of researchers, including the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, has analyzed the sea off Greenland more comprehensively than ever before. The key que...
• Study reveals limitations of AI-based material prediction
  Computer simulations and artificial intelligence often make significant errors when predicting the properties of new, high-performance materials. This is the finding of an international study led b...
• New microscope can image an invisible 2D material
  Researchers from the Physical Chemistry and Theory departments at the Fritz Haber Institute have found a new way to image layers of boron nitride that are only a single atom thick. This material is...
• Bio-inspired filter for removing microplastics from washing machine wastewater
  Wastewater from washing machines is considered a major source of microplastics - tiny plastic particles that are suspected of harming human and animal health. Researchers at the University of Bonn ...
• Alternative production method für Cu-64 needed for medical applications
  The copper isotope Cu-64 plays an important role in medicine: it is used in imaging processes and also shows potential for cancer therapy. However, it does not occur naturally and must be produced ...
• Six criteria for the reliability of AI
  Language models based on artificial intelligence (AI) can answer any question, but not always correctly. It would be helpful for users to know how reliable an AI system is. A team at Ruhr Unive...
• Microscope imaging gets a smartphone boost
  Physicists from the University of Fribourg have developed a groundbreaking iteration of the fluorescence microscope using smartphone technology. Both highly affordable and portable, their device co...
• 24,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO₂: SF₆ gas emissions in Germany
  Using measurements and advanced computer models, an international team led by researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt has pinpointed an emission source for the climate-damaging gas sulfur hexa...
• Sustainable breakthrough: Lignin becomes valuable amides
  An international research team from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) and several Chinese universities, led by Prof. Jagadeesh Rajenahally and Prof. Matthias Beller, has developed a novel...
• Origin of toxic metals in wheat grains proven
  Plants absorb not only nutrients but also toxic metals such as cadmium through their roots. It was previously unclear whether the toxic metals came from the soil or the fertilisers applied. Und...
• Detect critical contaminants in biogas simultaneously
  Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed a new analytical method that can detect even tiny amounts of critical impurities in biogas. This procedure can be used even by small bi...
• Starting point for the development of new active substances against the hospital germ
  When the hospital germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa infects the body, it uses the sugar-binding protein LecA to attach itself to human cells, invade them, and form so-called biofilms. LecA thus plays a c...