Nov. 01, 2010

How Plants Keep Their Mouths Shut

Using intense beams of x-rays at the U.S. DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory, researchers have uncovered the atomic structure of a protein responsible for closing the "mouths," or stomata, of plants. These molecular photographs could help scientists understand how plants will respond to environmental changes facing our planet, such as drought and escalating levels of carbon dioxide and ozone. The study, led by researchers at Columbia University and the New York Structural Biology Center, is published in the October 28, 2010, issue of the journal Nature. moreMay. 17, 2010

To 'See' Atoms for First Time

UCLA researchers (USA) report in the journal Cell that they have imaged a virus structure at a resolution high enough to effectively "see" atoms, the first published instance of imaging biological complexes at such a resolution. The research team, led by Hong Zhou, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, used cryo-electron microscopy to image the structure at 3.3 angstroms. An angstrom is the smallest recognized division of a chemical element and is about the distance between the two hydrogen atoms in a water molecule. moreOct. 01, 2009

To Image the “Anatomy” of a Molecule

IBM scientists have been able to image the "anatomy"-or chemical structure-inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy (AFM).
The results push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at the smallest scale and could greatly impact the field of nanotechnology, which seeks to understand and control some of the smallest objects know to mankind. moreDec. 01, 2008

Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy

Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy: The atomic structure of nanomaterials and the energy needed for their function can be optimised by a fundamental understanding of catalytic behaviour of nanoparticles and of the physical, atomic-level properties of materials for solar cells, fuel cells and light sources. This requires advanced tools that can see down to the individual atoms and sense their chemical environment, show information in three dimensions and allow experiments in situ to follow specific reactions. more