Minerals News and Research

RSS

ETH Zurich Researchers Accelerate Bacterial Evolution for Enhanced Cellulose Production

Bacteria produce materials that are of interest to humans, such as cellulose, silk and minerals. The advantage of producing bacteria in this way is that it is sustainable, takes place at room temperature and in water.

1 Aug 2024

Simplified Proteomics Method Could Open the Door Toward Precision Medicine

Proteins are workhorses that carry out most of the biological functions in our cells.

12 Jun 2024

Unraveling the Molecular Landscape of Parietal Cell Development

Common conditions such as indigestion and heartburn as well as peptic ulcers, autoimmune gastritis and stomach and esophageal cancers have one thing in common – they involve disruptions of the normal activity of parietal cells (PCs) in the stomach, the only cells in the body that produce acid.

13 May 2024

Harnessing the Power of Vibrio natriegens for Eco-Friendly Rare Earth Element Processing

A minuscule and industrious bacterium, weighing just one-trillionth of a gram, is poised to significantly impact the eco-friendly processing of rare earth elements.

19 Dec 2023

Diversified Farms Can Support Forest-Dependent Bird Populations

Forests appear to provide better habitat for forest-dwelling wildlife than farms. Despite this, Stanford researchers discovered in one of the world’s longest-running studies of tropical wildlife populations that, over 18 years, smaller farms with widely different crop types interspersed with patches or ribbons of forest preserve many forest-dependent bird populations in Costa Rica, even as forest populations decline.

5 Sep 2023

Smart Agrochemical Delivery Platform Shows Promise for Precision Agriculture

Improvements in crop productivity and nutritional value are needed to meet increased global demand for food in terms of both quantity and quality.

1 Aug 2023

Establishing the Flour Reference Proteome for Five Wheat Species

The protein composition of the five types of wheat—einkorn, emmer, spelt, durum, and common wheat—and their varieties differ widely.

20 Jun 2023

Heat-Damaged DNA in Food Linked to Possible Genetic Risks

Researchers have newly discovered a surprising and potentially significant reason why eating foods frequently cooked at high temperatures, such as red meat and deep-fried fare, elevates cancer risk. The alleged culprit: DNA within the food that's been damaged by the cooking process.

14 Jun 2023

X-Ray Imaging Enables the Classification of Previously-Unidentified Marine Reptile Fossil From Svalbard

X-ray examination has enabled the classification of a previously-unidentified marine reptile fossil from Edgeøya, Svalbard, and the technique could provide future unique insights into ancient life here, according to a study published May 31, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Victoria S. Engelschiøn of the University of Oslo and colleagues.

1 Jun 2023

Heat-Loving Marine Bacteria can Help Reduce Asbestos' Toxicity

Asbestos materials were once widely used in homes, buildings, automobile brakes and many other built materials due to their strength and resistance to heat and fire, as well as to their low electrical conductivity.

16 May 2023

Common Food Additives may Have Negative Effects on Your Gut Health

Common food additives known as metal oxide nanoparticles may have negative effects on your gut health, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York and Cornell University.

10 May 2023

Zinc Biofortification in Microgreens Could Help to Mitigate Global Malnutrition

When the seeds of plants such as pea and sunflower are biofortified with zinc, the seedlings they quickly produce -; harvested as microgreens -; could both help to mitigate global malnutrition and boost the odds of people surviving a catastrophe.

5 May 2023

New Technique Uses Microbes for Reusing Mining Waste

Researchers have developed a new mining technique which uses microbes to recover metals and store carbon in the waste produced by mining.

28 Apr 2023

UMass Amherst Researcher Receives New Innovator Grant

Lutz Grossmann is on a scientific quest to develop tasty, animal-free protein that has a minimal carbon footprint and is generated without the use of agricultural land, which is a common and more stressed source of the world’s food supply.

27 Apr 2023

Danforth Center’s New Semi-Dwarf Teff Cleared by USDA

A pre-market regulatory status review conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has concluded that teff modified by genome editing to have a semi-dwarf stature is not subject to biotechnology regulation under USDA's SECURE Rule.

5 Apr 2023

Novel genetics tool for mining impact assessment and biomonitoring of endangered chimpanzees

The western chimpanzees of Guinea are threatened by mining activities. Using a novel genetic approach, UZH researchers and an international team have collected information on population size and community structure of the endangered species.

17 Mar 2023

Transforming the natural mineral shells of algae into functional perovskites

Perovskites are materials that are increasingly popular for a wide range of applications because of their remarkable electrical, optical, and photonic properties.

14 Mar 2023

New models provide better understanding of how life originated

The first signs of life emerged on Earth in the form of microbes about four billion years ago. While scientists are still determining exactly when and how these microbes appeared, it's clear that the emergence of life is intricately intertwined with the chemical and physical characteristics of early Earth.

13 Feb 2023

Novel means to prevent and treat gonorrhea

According to scientists from the Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences, producing a mutation that impedes the way the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmits gonorrhea might provide a novel means to prevent and treat the disease.

26 Sep 2022

Researchers identify a gene responsible for differential accumulation of cadmium in rice

Rice is a staple food for nearly half the world's population. However, it accumulates more cadmium from the soil than other cereals like barley and wheat.

1 Sep 2022