An artist’s reconstruction of the Milky Way galaxy showing the locations of the various spiral arms. Astronomers have detected massive young stars forming in the outer part of the Scutum-Centarus Arm, the outermost portions of the galaxy. Credit: NASA

The sun is located inside one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy, roughly 2/3 of the way from the galactic center to the outer regions. Because we are inside the galaxy, obscuration by dust and the confusion of sources along our lines-of-sight make mapping the galaxy a difficult task...

Marc Aurel Busche at the two-photon microscope, which allows to visualize nerve cells with high temporal and spatial resolution in the intact brain. Credit: Copyrighted image: Kurt Bauer / Technical University of Munich

BACE inhibitor successfully tested in Alzheimer’s animal model. The protein amyloid beta is believed to be the major cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Substances that reduce the production of amyloid beta, such as BACE inhibitors, are therefore promising candidates for new drug treatments. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has recently demonstrated that one such BACE inhibitor reduces the amount of amyloid beta in the brain. By doing so, it can restore the normal function of nerve cells and significantly improve memory performance.

Around 50 million people worl...

Synthesis schemes of (a) conventional carbonaceous catalysts and (b) this work for ordered carbonaceous frameworks. Credit: Copyright: Hirotomo Nishihara

Researchers have developed a new synthesis route for alternative catalysts of noble metals for versatile chemical reactions that could help address environmental concerns. Noble metals such as platinum are useful as catalysts for versatile chemical reactions including fuel cell vehicles and reduction of CO2 emission. However, they are too costly to be used for these purposes.

As inexpensive alternatives, organic-based catalysts and carbonaceous catalysts were explored, but were ultimately found to be impractical...

Archival ALMA data have confirmed that molecules of vinyl cyanide reside in the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Titan is shown in an optical (atmosphere) infrared (surface) composite from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. In a liquid methane environment, vinyl cyanide may form membranes. Credit: B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF); NASA

Saturn’s moon offers glimpse of Earth’s primordial past. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is one of our solar system’s most intriguing and Earth-like bodies. It is nearly as large as Mars and has a hazy atmosphere made up mostly of nitrogen with a smattering of organic, carbon-based molecules, including methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6). Planetary scientists theorize that this chemical make-up is similar to Earth’s primordial atmosphere.

The conditions on Ti...