This molecule is called Cortisol.
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body and it is considered “the stress hormone” because it’s secreted in higher levels during the body’s “fight or flight” response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body.
Yeah, I pretty much have too much of this bad boy chemical.
For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units — adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life. Yet in recent history, scientists have expanded that list from four to six.
These last two bases — called 5-formylcytosine and 5 carboxylcytosine — are actually versions of cytosine that have been modified by Tet proteins, molecular entities thought to play a role in DNA demethylation and stem cell reprogramming.
Thus, the discovery could advance stem cell research by giving a glimpse into the DNA changes — such as the removal of chemical groups through demethylation — that could reprogram adult cells to make them act like stem cells.
“Before we can grasp the magnitude of this discovery, we have to figure out the function of these new bases,” said senior study author Yi Zhang, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “Because these bases represent an intermediate state in the demethylation process, they could be important for cell fate reprogramming and cancer, both of which involve DNA demethylation.”
At the end of each school year, my students do oral or written reports on a molecule of their choice. This is a visual aid given to me by a student, years ago, after she used it for her visual aid for a presentation on nicotine. I keep it in my classroom, to remind my students of what America’s most dangerous drug really is: tobacco.
A Double Ring Ceremony Prepares Telomerase RNA to Wed its Protein Partner
Few molecules are more interesting than DNA—except of course RNA. After two decades of research, that “other macromolecule” is no longer considered a mere messenger between glamorous DNA and protein-synthesizing machines. We now know that RNA has been leading a secret life, regulating gene expression and partnering with proteins to form catalytic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes.
One of those RNPs is telomerase, an enzyme that maintains chromosome integrity. In the March 25, 2012, advance online edition of Nature, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research report how the RNA TER1, a component of telomerase, is sculpted to favor interaction with its protein partner. Two ring-like proteins sequentially slip onto unprocessed TER1 RNA and hold it while it is clipped to the optimum size, folded, and capped.
That processing is essential: without it TER1 could not engage its protein partner to form the active telomerase RNP. The finding not only deepens our understanding of RNA biochemistry but also suggests novel pharmaceutical approaches to cancer and diseases of aging.
This ring is carved straight out of a diamond 150 carats $70 million
So basically, I’m going to need this ring :P
Wow. This thing is ONE molecule. O.O
Newly Discovered Molecule Will Make Rocket Fuel Super Efficient
Swedish scientists have just discovered a new molecule—one that has the potential of boosting future rocket fuel efficiency by 20 to 30% compared to the best fuels around today.
The discovery was made at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. The molecule is called trinitramid—chemical formula N(NO2)3. It’s the largest nitrogen-oxygen molecule so far, and the first discovered since the 18th century. Trinitramid was found by accident when the Swedish team was using quantum chemical computations to study the breakdown of a different compound—as part of a search for better alternatives to today’s solid rocket fuel.
