Chemistry

DNA–protein Hydrogels could enable adaptive smart materials

A crystalline uranium Fischer-type carbyne

Ultrafast X-rays reveal how the light-responsive molecular switch azobenzene changes shape

Azobenzene is one of the best-known molecules that can be switched between two forms by light. However, the question of how the molecule moves in the first few picoseconds (trillionths of a second) after it absorbs light has remained unresolved for nearly 50 years.

Fluorescent test speeds screening of thousands of enzyme variants that modify plant compounds

Many natural plant compounds have promising health-related properties, but their poor water solubility can limit how effectively they are absorbed and used. In previous work, researchers discovered an enzyme from Bacillus subtilis, called phenolic phosphate synthetase (BsPPS), that can attach phosphate groups to a…