Beyond the DNA double helix: From twofold to fourfold DNA
Watson and Crick proposed the DNA double-helix structure over 60 years ago, but DNA is not always arranged in a double helix, also forming other structures. One such structure is fourfold DNA, which is found near DNA-encoded genes that are key in causing cancer. By...
How to peel a bug: Engineering fast and effective antimicrobial killers
Scientists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have engineered a new way to kill bacteria, and subsequently visualised in real time how the bacteria under attack were stripped of their protective membranes and died....
Electrically accessing complex magnetism in rare earth atoms
A new way to electrically access the magnetic properties of rare earth atoms, which are of crucial importance in many modern technologies, has been revealed by a team of researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology at UCL, the University of Stuttgart, the...
Seeing polarons at a metal oxide surface
Polarons in metal oxides play a key role in processes such as catalysis, high temperature superconductivity, and dielectric breakdown in nanoscale electronics. For this reason, numerous studies have been conducted on technologically relevant oxide materials in which...