News tagged with sodium ions

Light now in sight: Control of a 'blind' neuroreceptor with an optical switch

When nerve cells communicate with one another, specialized receptor molecules on their surfaces play a central role in relaying signals between them. A collaborative venture involving teams of chemists based at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Jan 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Deciphering the mechanism of an ion pump

From an analysis of the sodium-transporting vacuolar ATPases (V-ATPases) of the bacterium Enterococcus hirae, Takeshi Murata of the RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama, and colleagues recently ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researcher develops model to foster new drug development to treat pain and epilepsy

Drawing on X-ray crystallography and experimental data, as well as a software suite for predicting and designing protein structures, a UC Davis School of Medicine researcher has developed an algorithm that predicts what has ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 12, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Making sodium-ion batteries that are worth their salt

(PhysOrg.com) -- Although lithium-ion technology dominates headlines in battery research and development, a new element is making its presence known as a potentially powerful alternative: sodium.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Oct 25, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

X-rays help advance the battle against heart disease

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from Imperial College London and Diamond Light Source have revealed the structure of a cholesterol-lowering-drug target. Published in the journal Nature, this finding could lead ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Oct 06, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Fluid equilibrium in prehistoric organisms sheds light on a turning point in evolution

Maintaining fluid balance in the body is essential to survival, from the tiniest protozoa to the mightiest of mammals. By researching recent genomic data, Swiss researchers have found genetic evidence that links this intricate ...

Biology / Evolution

created Sep 22, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

New material shows promise for trapping pollutants

(PhysOrg.com) -- Water softening techniques are very effective for removing minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which occur as positively-charged ions in "hard" water. But many heavy metals and other inorganic ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Sep 06, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

The heat is on for sodium-manganese oxide rechargeable batteries

(PhysOrg.com) -- By adding the right amount of heat, researchers have developed a method that improves the electrical capacity and recharging lifetime of sodium ion rechargeable batteries, which could be a ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Jun 07, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Molecular movements of neural transporters unveiled

A team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on the molecular workings of transporter proteins, molecular machines embedded in the cell ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Apr 24, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A common thread: No pain, no smell

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a recent study published in Nature by Jan Weiss and Frank Zufall of the University of Saarland, School of Medicine, a connection has been made between the inability to feel pain and anosmia - the inabil ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Mar 25, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Membrane molecule keeps nerve impulses hopping

New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine describes a key molecular mechanism in nerve fibers that ensures the rapid conductance of nervous system impulses. The findings ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Jan 26, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Cystic fibrosis gene typo is a double whammy

An imbalance of salt and water in patients with cystic fibrosis makes their lungs clog up with sticky mucus that is prone to infection. The cause of the offending imbalance is a well-known genetic error, one that blocks the ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 12, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sodium plays key role in tissue regeneration

Sodium gets a bad rap for contributing to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Now biologists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that sodium also plays a key role in initiating ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Sep 28, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (17) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Sodium MRI gives new insights into detecting osteoarthritis, researchers find

Researchers at New York University have developed an innovative way to look at the development of osteoarthritis in the knee joint—one that relies on the examination of sodium ions in cartilage. Their work, which appears ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Aug 27, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Nanotube transistor controlled by ATP could improve man-machine communication

Scientists have built a hybrid bionanoelectronic transistor that can be powered by ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, the energy currency in living cells. The researchers, Aleksandr Noy and colleagues from Lawrence Livermore ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created May 13, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (17) | comments 3 | with audio podcast weblog