Being cut off in traffic, giving a presentation or missing a meal can all trigger a suite of physiological changes that allow the body to react swiftly to stress or starvation. Critical to this "fight-or-flight" or stress response is a molecular cycle that results in the activation of protein kinase A (PKA), a protein involved in everything from metabolism to memory formation. Now, a study by researchers at Penn State has revealed how this cycle resets between stressful events, so the body is prepared to take on new challenges.

Metalenses represent a revolutionary advancement in optical technology. Unlike conventional microscope objectives that rely on curved glass surfaces, metalenses employ nanoscale structures to manipulate light at the subwavelength level. Thanks to their ultrathin, lightweight, and flat architectures, metalenses can overcome the bulkiness of traditional lenses, making them ideal candidates for integration in electronic devices and compact imaging systems.

Green hydrogen is set to play an important role in the future energy system: it can be used for storing chemical energy, as a raw material for the chemical industry, and for producing climate‑friendly fuels. Green hydrogen can be generated in a nearly climate‑neutral manner if the energy used for electrolysis—the process of splitting water into its elements—comes from solar or wind power. However, special catalysts are needed to speed up the formation of hydrogen and oxygen at the two electrodes.

In March 2022, Stellenbosch University (SU) student Rohan Barnard was out on a farm in the Swartberg Mountains between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn, flipping over rocks looking for ants, reptiles and other critters, when he stumbled upon the finding of a lifetime.

As coral reefs struggle to adapt to warming waters, high levels of pollution and sea-level rise, ballooning sea-urchin populations are threatening to push some reefs in Hawaii past the point of recovery.

Numbers have a funny way about them. Young math students are taught various strategies to make problem-solving easier. Comparing fractions? Find a common denominator or convert to decimals. The strategies get more complex when doing the kind of math used to describe the activities of DNA, RNA, or protein sequences.

Researchers from the Göttingen Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging (MBExC) have uncovered the 3D structure of the membrane proteins myoferlin and dysferlin using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy.

The butterfly effect suggests that small changes in a system can have a large impact on eventual outcomes. One metaphor used to illustrate this concept is a butterfly flapping its wings only to cause a hurricane across the ocean. While meteorologists' current cause-and-effect understanding of weather isn't this granular, researchers are actively investigating how changes in temperature, rainfall, wind patterns, etc. can impact weather phenomena halfway across the world.

Biomolecular condensates are distinct molecular communities made of DNA, RNA and proteins that "condense" molecules to key locations inside cells. Intense efforts have focused on uncovering the numerous ways in which condensation is controlled, modulated and regulated inside cells.

As fast as modern electronics have become, they could be much faster if their operations were based on light, rather than electricity. Fiber optic cables already transport information at the speed of light; to do computations on that information without translating it back to electric signals will require a host of new optical components.