A group of researchers from the University of São Paulo in São Carlos has just presented their findings from research indicating a new understanding of the maturation process and how inhibitors act upon the Mpro protein, an essential component in the life cycle of the Sars-CoV-2 virus and the target of various efforts to develop medications to treat Covid-19.

Cells conduct a series of interconnected biochemical reactions to obtain energy and respond to infections and different stressors. These reactions comprise what are known as metabolic pathways, which interact in complex networks and regulate various cellular processes. Understanding how these networks interconnect and work to regulate cellular processes is a challenge, because this signaling often depends on interactions between proteins and small molecules known as metabolites that involve low-affinity molecular bonds which are extremely difficult to identify. 

Originally published by CINE (Center for Innovation on New Energies)   A body of recent research is accelerating the development of perovskite solar cells. These studies monitored, in real time and in detail, the changes that occur in perovskite films during processes that influence their early degradation – one of the main obstacles to the commercialization of this emerging photovoltaic technology.

This text was originally published in Pesquisa FAPESP magazine in January 2023   A recent experiment at Sirius, the Brazilian synchrotron light source at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue 269) showed how a certain biological catalyst can more efficiently split water molecules (H₂O) using electrolysis. This reaction, an electrochemical process that uses electricity to break down water into the elements that comprise it, is very significant because it produces not only oxygen but also hydrogen, considered the fuel of the future by many specialists because it does not emit any polluting gases when it is utilized (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue 314).

In Brazil, about 7.5% of the electricity produced is lost in transmission and distribution. This happens because the materials that make up these systems are not perfect electrical conductors and dissipate part of the energy, for example, in the form of heat. Similarly, even though electric cars are much more efficient than combustion-engine vehicles, they can still lose up to 15 percent of their energy during the charging process.

The earth's crust consists mostly of minerals called silicates, rocks composed mainly of the chemical elements silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). This is the case of feldspar, whose erosion gives rise to clays; and quartz, the main component of sand, among others. Extremely abundant, silicates are used not only in the production of construction materials, glass, and ceramics, but also in agriculture, and in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical, and petrochemical industries.

A group of researchers from the Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), an organization supervised by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), has published in the journal Nature Communications a study that explores some of the most modern resources of current science to reveal unprecedented and valuable details of the capybara's digestive process.

The growing demand for renewable energy sources underscores the urgency of developing new energy storage devices. One example is metal-air batteries, which could be the key to large-scale energy storage. This type of battery is a promising technology for commercial energy storage, as it offers about 10 times the energy density of Li-ion batteries, current market leaders.

Sirius, the synchrotron light source of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, organization under the supervision of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), is one of the most advanced in the world. Its experimental stations, called beamlines, are designed to house advanced instrumentation capable of taking full advantage of the synchrotron light produced by state-of-the-art electron accelerators. Hence, the CNPEM teams are also dedicated to the development of new sample environments that allow the investigation at the molecular and atomic scale of different types of organic and inorganic materials to solve major scientific and technological challenges.

Wearable sensors (wearables) are increasingly present in the lives of people who use electronic devices to monitor heart rate during physical activities, sleep quality, among many other sensitive standards for human health. Similar devices are being designed to use knowledge and technology to further monitor plant health in search of useful applications for precision agriculture.