molecular biology

The body uses protein-based molecular motors to perform functions essential to life. Now, researchers have created ‘The Lawnmower,’ the first synthetic motor that propels itself by harnessing the energy it creates as it cuts through fields of proteins.

We’ve all accidentally tied knots that we can’t untangle – but we don’t expect to win any world records. Now scientists have done exactly that, accidentally tying the world’s smallest and tightest knot in a tiny structure made of just 54 atoms.

For the first time, scientists have uncovered the precise molecular mechanism that gives the tardigrade, one of the toughest organisms on the planet, its ability to switch on a near-invincibility cloak when faced with life-threatening conditions.

A genetic mutation that triggers a 'molecular domino effect' causing hearing loss mirrors the same kind of noise- and age-related damage. Inhibiting a single molecular response has the potential to protect all ears from a common form of hearing loss.

Throughout 2023, researchers have looked at pain, especially chronic pain, and its molecular mechanisms, in an effort to find new, targeted ways to effectively resolve the complex condition. We present this year’s top discoveries in pain research.

Restoring damaged nerves caused by multiple sclerosis could be within reach, thanks to a breakthrough in small molecule drug research. Scientists say their new compound has a "stunning effect on rescuing myelin," which would be pivotal in reversing MS.

Implants and tiny machines could eventually help treat disease or monitor activity, but communication is tricky. Now scientists at EPFL have developed a system whereby devices can communicate by releasing molecules into a patient’s bloodstream.

You don't have to be a chemistry whiz to know that making a drug for $3 is a damn sight better than its current price tag of $3,200. The scientists behind this never-before-seen method centered around copper and oxygen say it's an industry game-changer.

For the first time, scientists have found how our internal body clocks that govern the brain and skeletal system sync up, and upsetting this balance might contribute to injury and accelerate age-related bone and joint decline and disease.

Scientists have found the molecular mechanism that causes a losing zebrafish to wave the white flag. While fighting fish in general may not spark a lot of interest, their shared neurobiology with humans means this could be a very significant discovery.

In an effort to find new treatments to halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, scientists have landed on a molecule that can dial down the process that produces brain inflammation – something believed to be inextricably linked to cognitive decline.

In what might be a surprise for some, the male sex chromosome is far more complex than its female counterpart. This is why it’s taken scientists so long to work out exactly what makes a male a male. Now, they've completed the elusive Y chromosome map.