Centuries-old planktonic shell mystery solved with discovery of self-assembling proteins

A research team at Mahidol University, Thailand, has discovered that tosyl groups, long regarded as routine synthetic handles, can actively guide the formation and behavior of pillararenes—a class of pillar-shaped macrocyclic molecules widely used in supramolecular chemistry. Their findings, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reveal that these groups can act as a hidden "instruction code" that influences the organization of molecular components before bond formation and e

What do wooden casks tell us about trade and everyday life between 1300 and 1800? Ph.D. candidate Jeroen Oosterbaan studied the life cycle of this shipping container and has shown how these everyday objects played a key role in the development of international trade networks.

Migratory birds such as the pied flycatcher typically have wintering locations in Africa close to others from the same breeding population. That means that birds breeding in the Netherlands run into each other again in Africa, while Spanish populations also end up close together. But how do they know where to go?

Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), in collaboration with researchers from the University of the Ryukyus and the University of Electro-Communications, have discovered that soil pH is a key factor in regulating the symbiotic relationship between pests and soil bacteria. The findings were published online in Microbiome.