From the biochemical point of view, we are a complex set of interconnected chemical reactions. The molecules that make up our bodies are in constant transformation, and this is what makes it possible for us to get energy from food, to regenerate damage to our tissues, and to synthesize the compounds necessary for life.

These modifications usually occur with the aid of other molecules called enzymes, which promote and accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed during the process.

A comprehensive understanding of the brain, its development, and eventual degeneration, depends on the assessment of neuronal number, spatial organization, and connectivity. However, the study of the brain architecture at the level of individual cells is still a major challenge in neuroscience.

Despite the recent advances in the production of electric vehicles, and the future prospect of hydrogen-powered engines, the replacement of the fleet will take several years. In the meantime, the number of vehicles continues to grow. For that reason, not only public policies must be appropriate to this reality, but also innovative technologies to reduce the release of pollutants into the atmosphere must be developed.

Infrared nanospectroscopy represents a major breakthrough in chemical analysis since it allows the identification of nanomaterials via their natural (label free) vibrational signatures. Classically powered by laser sources, the experiment called scattering Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) has become a standard tool for investigations of chemical and optical properties of materials beyond the diffraction limit of light.

One of the biggest challenges for the advancement of wearable devices, embedded to clothing and accessories, which would be capable, for example, of continuously measuring and transmitting vital sign data, is the availability of power without the need for large batteries.

Materials called ferroelectrics have the property of maintaining a spontaneous electric polarization, reversible by the application of an external electric field. These materials are additionally piezoelectric – inducing the accumulation of electrical charges by the application of mechanical stress – and pyroelectric – inducing a temporary voltage by heating or cooling. These properties make ferroelectric materials useful in a variety of applications, such as mechanical vibration sensors, medical ultrasound machines, or fire sensors.

The healing of a cutaneous wounds follows a rather complex process. A variety of conditions, including diseases such as diabetes, can cause some of the many factors involved in healing to not work properly. Because of that, the tissue is unable to regenerate and the wound becomes a chronic condition.

The development of faster and more efficient electronic devices involves the understanding of exotic properties of matter at the nanoscale. One of the classes of materials that present characteristics of interest for the electronics industry are the so-called topological insulators.

Topological insulators are materials only a few atoms thick that behave as insulators in the inner atomic layers, but as conductors in the surface. The electrical conductivity of these superficial layers is remarkably resistant to the atomic disorder caused by the presence of impurities, which is not the case in other materials.

For thousands of years humanity has used substances extracted from plants, insects, soil and rocks to give color to fabrics, ceramics and other products. However, the use of these natural dyes declined with the invention of synthetic dyes in the mid-nineteenth century. Nowadays, synthetic dyes are used in a variety of industries, from textiles to cosmetics, and both production use of these substances can lead to environmental problems if they are not properly degraded or removed from industrial effluents.

Vitiligo is a disease characterized by loss of skin pigmentation due to the death of cells called melanocytes, responsible for melanin production. This disease afflicts up to 1% of the world population and current treatments are not effective and exhibit several side effects.

According to the most accepted theory, the disease results from an autoimmune reaction. It is known that one of the proteins involved in melanin synthesis, called TyRP-1, also functions as a melanocyte differentiation antigen, marking the melanocytes to be attacked by the immune system. Therefore, a possible strategy to thwart the progression of the disease is to prevent the production of TyRP-1.