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Revealing the internal mechanics of an operating lithium battery via high...

High speed synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to capture the morphological evolution of active materials within a commercial Li/MnO2 battery during discharge. Temporal 3D strain...

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Rpf2-Rrs1 complex in the biogenesis of the ribosome

The biogenesis of ribosomes is a highly complex and hierarchical process mediated by more than 200 biogenesis factors. An important early step is the incorporation of the ribonucleoprotein 5S RNP (5S...

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Correlation between structural changes and atomic motion during physical...

Metallic glasses display outstanding thermal, mechanical and chemical properties, which make them forefront−materials for technological applications in many diverse fields such as medicine,...

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Nuclear resonance scattering clarifies the structure of a pharmacologically...

The LytB/IspH protein catalyses the last step of the biochemical MEP-pathway used by most pathogenic bacteria for the biosynthesis of essential terpenoids. Due to its absence in humans, the MEP pathway...

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Creating reactivity using unstable endmembers

A new synthetic approach was used to create a solid solution of Mg and Fe nitrides bringing together unreactive starting materials and using pressure to remove the barrier to reactivity. This approach...

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Discovery of new high pressure iron oxides points to a large oxygen source in...

Studies of iron oxides under extreme conditions reveal a possible novel mechanism of oxygen recycling in the Earth’s interior with potentially great impact on geochemical processes.

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Exposing the ‘Achilles heel’ of dengue virus serotypes

Candidate dengue disease vaccines have yet to offer protection against all four serotypes of dengue virus. Recently, human antibodies that neutralise all four serotypes have been isolated. Subsequent...

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Degradation of magnesium implants in bone: mechanisms of Mg storage and...

Advanced X-ray microbeam techniques at the ESRF have enabled a team of Austrian researchers to study the reaction of bone to biodegradable bone implants based on Mg. The study unveiled an impact of the...

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Element-selective measure of atomic polarisation by XANES in external...

The electrical properties of functional electric materials can be studied using a new technique involving X-ray absorption spectroscopy. External electric fields were found to produce shifts of XANES...

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Observation of superconductivity in H2S by nuclear resonant scattering

The Meissner effect is used as proof of the superconducting nature of a material and typically demonstrated by the levitation of a magnet as the material reaches its superconducting state. A new...

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Real-time X-ray imaging of silicon wafer fracture

Fracture and breakage of single crystal silicon wafers is a severe problem for the semiconductor industry leading to million dollar costs. This is a fast and multi-lengthscale process: a crack starts...

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X-rays enable a direct view inside biological cells

Structures within intact biological cells have been resolved quantitatively at the nanoscale using a combination of ptychography and scanning X-ray nanodiffraction. Employed sequentially, these...

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New type of charge-ordering transition in the novel iron oxide Fe4O5

Synthesis of new classes of compounds can lead to discoveries of novel physical phenomena as well as innovative applications. Fe4O5 is the first member of a very recently discovered family of iron...

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Experimental realisation of single-atom magnets

The existence of single-atom magnets has been proven by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Monodisperse holmium atoms adsorbed on a nonmagnetic MgO thin film display magnetic hysteresis up to a...

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Fate of silver nanoparticles in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge

Silver nanoparticles released from consumer products end up in waste water treatment plants and may then be transferred to agricultural soils through the use of sewage sludge as fertiliser. Results...

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3D structure sheds light on the mechanism of uromodulin self-polymerisation

Urinary tract infection is the most common non-epidemic bacterial infection in humans. The urinary tract lacks a mucus layer to shield it against infections and mammals produce a molecular net that...

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Iridescent flexible films see the light of day

Stacking microscopic marbles into regular layers produces intriguing materials that scatter light in such a way that they produce intense colours. A team led by the University of Cambridge and...

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Phonon-mediated passive transport in lipid membranes

Through an experiment at the ESRF, scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratory have found evidence for propagating in-plane transverse phonon modes in a DPPC lipid membrane. These transverse phonon...

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High-pressure cryocooling of protein crystals reveals gas transport channels...

Networks of hydrophobic tunnels transport substrate and inhibitory gases (i.e. oxygen) to/from the active sites of NiFe hydrogenases. Here, the tunnel network of an oxygen-tolerant NiFe hydrogenase has...

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New phenomenon in old material: giant spin-phonon interaction unveiled in EuO

A remarkably strong and anisotropic spin-phonon coupling was discovered for the ferromagnetic semiconductor europium monoxide through synchrotron experiments, inelastic X-ray scattering and nuclear...

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