Neural Nets and the Future of Chemistry
While anxieties about the roles of humans in easily automated processes have been festering for some time, the startling boom in artificial intelligence’s ability and accuracy must compel us to recognize...
X-rays, electron beams, and the future of structural biology
On October 4, 2017, an emerging technique for structural visualization was brought to the world’s attention by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science. Developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard...
Molecular Machines
What’s the smallest machine you’ve seen? Can you imagine machines so small that you can’t even see them, complete with movable parts, motors, and switches? They do, in fact,...
Coral Bleaching: Warning Sign or Death Certificate?
If you’re like me, you may have found yourself scrolling down Facebook one day when you came across headlines exclaiming that “The Great Barrier Reef is Dead.” And if you’re like me you probably...
DNA Machines On a Roll
Machines, motors, mechanization — what comes to mind when you hear these terms? Maybe something big and clunky; maybe something powerful and sleek. But my guess would be that your mind doesn’t jump to a...
Cage Molecules
Designing a Liquid That Can Swallow Gas Have you ever driven by an oil refinery or a really large power plant and wondered, “Gee, there’s a lot of carbon dioxide and other bad stuff entering the air?”...
Batteries Without the Boom
Designing a Safer Lithium Battery In the world of batteries, lithium-ion batteries are like the Golden State Warriors: powerful, trendy, and highly explosive. Like all batteries, lithium-ion batteries...
Chirality
Mirror Molecules and Medications If someone asked you to explain the difference between your left and right hand, what would you say? On the surface, your hands aren’t so different: they are both made...
Chemical Co-option: Using Nature
How is it that humans are able to turn milk into so many different foods, from butter and ice cream to yogurt and cheese? In the case of yogurt and cheese, we actually have a fair amount of help. These foods...
Changing the Language of Nature
Farren Isaacs’ Recoding of the Genetic Code and the Future of GMOs Yale Professor Farren Isaacs’ big moment on late night TV came on October 24, 2013. After a night out with the lab celebrating their...