Acids

Meteorites, remnants of asteroids, are crucial for understanding our solar system’s history, acting as time capsules that preserve primordial material. Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Winchcombe meteorite, identifying key nitrogen compounds, including amino acids and hydrocarbons, without chemical treatments, using a novel detector design. This finding, significant for research into life’s origins on Earth, was facilitated by a high-resolution electron microscope at the SuperSTEM laboratory. This…

A major scientific breakthrough reveals that amino acids in the ice plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus can endure high-speed impacts, enhancing the prospects of finding life beyond Earth. Credit: SciTechDaily.comEnceladus’ ice plumes may hold the building blocks of life.As astrophysics technology and research continue to advance, one question persists: is there life elsewhere in the universe? The Milky Way galaxy alone has hundreds of billions of celestial bodies, but scientists often look for three crucial elements in…

A comprehensive study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests a positive relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and lung health. The research emphasizes the significance of omega-3 fatty acids in dietary intake, given the limited consumption by many Americans. The study, carried out in two parts, involved a large group of healthy adults and revealed that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in blood could be associated with a slower decline in lung function.Omega-3 fatty acids, prevalent in fish and fish…

Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart have been issued with notices by an Indian government body asking why dangerous acids are available on their sites after a schoolgirl became the victim of an acid attack.The Delhi Commission for Women, a local body that looks after women's issues, said in the notice that it had learned the accused in the acid attack had bought the material from Walmart's Flipkart.In a similarly worded notice issued to both Amazon and Flipkart, the commission asked both companies to explain the reasons for the…

Fish oil, krill oil, or cod liver oil supplements are one way to improve your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. One of the richest dietary sources of Omega-3 is from eating cold-water fatty fish such as salmon.People who eat more foods with omega-3 fatty acids in midlife may have superior thinking skills and even better brain structure than people who eat few foods containing the fatty acids. This is according to an exploratory study that was recently published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of…

If you’re one of the unlucky ones that seems to get ravaged by mosquitoes while others around you escape unscathed, a new study offers an explanation as to why. Scientists have examined what makes mosquitoes more attracted to some humans over others, and uncovered a strong association between being a so-called mosquito magnet and elevated levels of fatty acids on the skin.Mosquitos are known to track down their human victims through a range of sensory cues that include body heat, CO2 exhalation and body odor. Research in…

The effects a drug or chemical compound have on the body depend on how its atoms are arranged in space. Some compounds have a dark twin with the same molecular formula but different 3D structure – and this can have consequences for what they do or don't do in the body.  Consider the tragic story of thalidomide, a morning sickness drug that caused thousands of birth defects and miscarriages. While one form, or isomer, of thalidomide has a sedative effect, the other is thought to cause abnormal physiological…

Scientists experimenting on mice have found evidence that key parts of the modern human brain take more time to develop than those of our long extinct cousin, the Neanderthal.Like the hare and the tortoise, slow and steady is the winner here. The extra time is caused by protein differences that also appear to reduce chromosome errors, ultimately resulting in a healthier, more robust population.  The study's results imply that this step in the development of our neocortex (the wrinkled outer layer responsible for higher…

Once upon a time, when our planet Earth was very young and very new, there was not a single scrap of life on it to be found.Then, somewhere, somehow, some quirk of chemistry happened, and the molecular building blocks of our very first single-celled ancestors emerged: the amino acids and nucleic acids that came together in just the right way to continue a chain reaction that gave rise to life.  We're not entirely sure of the details of this emergence, which took place billions of years ago, and left no trace on the…

The search for life on Mars may have just gotten a whole lot more complicated.While rovers such as Curiosity and Perseverance scour the surface looking for traces of ancient life, new evidence reveals we may have to dig much deeper to find them. Any evidence of amino acids left over from a time when Mars may have been habitable are likely buried at least 2 meters (6.6 feet) under the ground.  That's because Mars, with its lack of magnetic field, and flimsy atmosphere, is subject to a much higher dose of cosmic radiation…