New DNA is generated in human cells from nucleotides produced by an enzyme RNR. Until now, we have not fully understood how exactly the RNR rhythm and the presence of right amount of nucleotides are aligned with the pace of DNA replication. Now, researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen have mapped the flow and regulation of nucleotides. The flow follows the same rhythm as replication of DNA does – and when it does not, the cells regulate the process to align the two.

“We can see that these processes follow the same periodic rhythm...

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Reconstituted silk can be several times stronger than the natural fiber and made in different forms. When it comes to concocting the complex mix of molecules that makes up fibers of natural silk, nature beats human engineering hands down. Despite efforts to synthesize the material, artificial varieties still cannot match the natural fiber’s strength. But by starting with silk produced by silkworms, breaking it down chemically, and then reassembling it, engineers have found they can make a material that is more than twice as stiff as its natural counterpart and can be shaped into complex structures such as meshes and lattices...

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Electronics and light don’t go well together on a standard ‘CMOS’ chip. Researcher Satadal Dutta of the University of Twente succeeded in introducing a light connection into the heart of a semiconductor chip. In this way, two circuits can communicate. Or: the worlds of electronics and photonics are connected.

What is particularly attractive about Dutta’s solution is that no special materials or manufacturing processes are needed: the light comes from silicon. The light source, detector and the light channel can be made using the technology that is used to make the electronic circuits...

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Scientists use ALMA to explain aluminum oxide enrichment around AGB stars. Stars like our Sun eject large amounts of gas and dust into space, containing various elements and compounds. Asymptotic giant branch – AGB – phase stars, near their end of life, are particularly significant sources of such substances in our galaxy. Formation of dust around AGB stars has been considered to play an important role in triggering acceleration of stellar wind, but the detailed mechanism of this acceleration has not been well explained.

And there is yet anoth...

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