ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

A research team develops a radiative cooling material that is transparent under direct sunlight.

Protein design researchers have created a freely available method, RoseTTAFold, to provide access to highly accurate protein structure prediction. Scientists around the world are using it to build protein models to accelerate their research. The tool uses deep learning to quickly predict protein structures based on limited information, thereby compressing the time for what would have taken years of lab work on just one protein. Predicting intricate shapes of proteins vital to specific biological processes could speed treatment development for many diseases.

Scientist demonstrated a new way of observing atoms as they move in a tiny quantum electronic switch as it operates. Along the way, they discovered a new material state that could pave the way for faster, more energy-efficient computing.

Two-dimensional 'nanosheets' made of bonds between metal atoms and organic molecules are attractive candidates for photoelectric conversion, but get corroded easily. In a new study, scientists present a new nanosheet design using iron and benzene hexathiol that exhibits record stability to air exposure for 60 days, signaling the commercial optoelectronic applications of these 2D materials in the future.

To date, there are no effective antidotes against most virus infections. Scientists have now developed a new approach: they engulf and neutralize viruses with nano-capsules tailored from genetic material using the DNA origami method. The strategy has already been tested against hepatitis and adeno-associated viruses in cell cultures. It may also prove successful against corona viruses.

Scientists have developed a rapid, highly accurate test to detect antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in human serum, opening a new avenue for understanding the full extent of the pandemic and evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines.

Scientists have uncovered a way to control many genes in engineered yeast cells, opening the door to more efficient and sustainable production of bio-based products.

Shining a beam of light into potentially contaminated water samples may hold the key to real-time detection of hydrocarbons and pesticides in water. Researchers are testing the use of fluorescence to monitor water quality. The results, they say, show great promise.

Repairing complex electrical appliances is time consuming and rarely cost-effective. The working group has now developed a smart microparticle that enables defective components in these appliances to be identified more quickly and easily by using light signals. In the long-term, this could make repairs easier and extend the operating life of devices.

The quantum movements of a small glass sphere could be controlled for the first time in Vienna by combining microscopy with control engineering, setting the course for future quantum technologies.

A team of scientists has uncovered how heavy, motorized objects climb steep slopes -- a newly discovered mechanism that also mimics how rock climbers navigate inclines.