Biological Sciences
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Scientists Make the First Molecular Movie of One of Nature’s Most Widely Used Light Sensors
The X-ray laser movie shows what happens when light hits retinal, a key part of vision in animals and photosynthesis in microbes. The action takes place in a trillionth of an eye blink.
SLAC, Stanford Scientists Discover How a Hardy Microbe’s Crystalline Shell Helps it Reel in Food
Tiny pores in the shells of archaea microbes attract ammonium ions that are their sole source of energy, allowing them to thrive where this food is so scarce that scientists can’t even detect it.
X-Ray Laser Scientists Develop a New Way to Watch Bacteria Attack Antibiotics
The researchers observed how an enzyme from drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria damages an antibiotic molecule. The new technique provides a powerful tool to examine changes in biological molecules as they happen.
SLAC Will Open One of Three NIH National Service Centers for Cryo-Electron Microscopy
The National Institutes of Health center on the SLAC campus will make this revolutionary technology available to scientists nationwide and teach them how to use it to study 3D structures of biological machines and molecules.
SLAC’s X-ray Laser Opens New View on Proteins Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
By placing the tiniest strands of proteins on one-atom-thick graphene, scientists capture promising X-ray laser images of these elusive biomolecules that play a key role in neurodegenerative diseases.
SLAC and Stanford Open One of World's Most Advanced Facilities for Cryo-EM
The new facility provides revolutionary tools for exploring tiny biological machines, from viral particles to the interior of the cell.
Q&A: Sam Webb Teaches X-Ray Science from a Remote Classroom
The staff scientist at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource discusses his research and teaching, which includes training an international group of students to conduct geobiology experiments at the synchrotron from an island about 350 miles away.
Research Zooms in on Enzyme That Repairs DNA Damage from UV Rays
Biochemical 'action shots' with SLAC’s X-ray laser could help scientists develop synthetic enzymes for medicine and answer fundamental questions about how enzymes change during chemical reactions.
High-Speed Movie Aids Scientists Who Design Glowing Molecules
With SLAC’s X-ray laser, a research team captured ultrafast changes in fluorescent proteins between “dark” and “light” states. The insights allowed the scientists to design improved markers for biological imaging.
Kathryn Hastie Wins Spicer Award for Lassa Virus Work at SLAC’s X-ray Synchrotron
The Scripps researcher is honored for groundbreaking research at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource that accelerated the development of a vaccine for deadly Lassa fever.
