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Molecules arranged in close proximity to a surface form molecular layers, exhibiting distinct properties. However, the creation of these layers is challenging. Here, the authors present a technique for generating molecular layers through crystallization induced by gas blowing onto a surface.

Advances in sequencing technology and tools for analysis are allowing researchers to unravel the environmental diversity of microbes faster and in greater detail than ever before. Nathan Blow reports.

With the number of stem-cell lines rapidly increasing, technology developers are working to improve systems for culturing and efficient differentiation — all with an eye on the clinic. Nathan Blow reports.

Until now, metabolomics researchers have had to adapt technology developed mainly for proteomics. But there are now solutions designed with them in mind. Nathan Blow reports.

In this work, authors demonstrate programmable nanostructures using two-dimensional materials for nanoscale liquid manipulation. The nanoswitches and capsules can hold zeptoliter liquid volumes, enabling active nanofluidics circuits and confined reactors.

Nathan Blow looks at some of the technologies used by cell biologists to unlock the mysteries of cell migration.

Mass spectrometry is more than ever at the forefront of functional proteomics research. The technology has come a long way, but what does the future hold? Nathan Blow gets perspectives, predictions and wishes from key developers.

Nathan Blow visits the Joint Center for Structural Genomics for a glimpse inside one of the large-scale production centers for the Protein Structure Initiative.

In less than five years the Nano/Bio Interface Center at the University of Pennsylvania has gone from an idea to a nationally funded nanotechnology center. A look inside reveals how they have taken a collaborative approach to technology development.

PCR—the workhorse of modern molecular biology—is charging forward using both conventional and digital methods to explore single cells and even single molecules. Nathan Blow reports.

A tweezer clock containing about 150 ⁸⁸Sr atoms achieves trapping and optical excited-state lifetimes exceeding 40 seconds, and shows relative fractional frequency stability similar to that of leading atomic clocks.

Researchers are finally reaping the rewards of large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screens in mammalian cells, obtaining insights into a wide range of biological questions. Nathan Blow takes a look at the technology advances spearheading this revolution.

The benefits of laboratory automation do not come without considerable effort and patience in setting up the systems. Nathan Blow talks with two groups at different stages on the road to automation.

Companies and academic researchers are developing more and more microfluidic devices. But what the technology stakeholders really want is an application that will trigger widespread adoption of microfluidics by biologists. Nathan Blow reports.

Emboldened by the success of next-generation sequencing, scientists are pursuing the holy grail of genomics—the '$1,000 genome'—with single-molecule approaches. Nathan Blow reports.

Scientists may have finally developed the techniques to reconstruct complete wiring diagrams for the neuronal circuitry of the human brain. Nathan Blow reports.

Millions of tissue samples have been collected and archived, but researchers wanting to explore them at the molecular level have found it tough going. Nathan Blow investigates the issues.

Researchers have identified thousands of macromolecular interactions within cells. But, as Nathan Blow finds out, joining them up in networks and figuring out how they work still poses a big challenge.

Proteomics is hungry for well-validated antibodies. Nathan Blow looks at the options and sees how researchers are redefining the way to generate an antibody.

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging are helping scientists learn more about the structure and function of the brain. Nathan Blow looks at how far the technology has developed and where it could go.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

The translation of perovskite solar cells to large-area devices fabricated by industry-relevant manufacturing methods remains a critical challenge. Here, authors report solar modules with serially-interconnected cells produced entirely by industrial roll-to-roll printing under ambient conditions.

Innovations in DNA sequencing and genotyping are opening doors for personal genomics. Nathan Blow explores these technological advances and their implications.

Drugs to treat diseases from cancer to AIDS could soon rely on short strands of RNA for their effects. But scientists must first work out how to navigate these fragments around the body. Nathan Blow reports.

Carbohydrates are important in many biological processes, but the full extent of their distribution and function remains unclear. Advances in technology are now reveal those secrets. Nathan Blow reports.

Next-generation sequencing is pushing gene-expression profiling further into the digital age. But analog methods still have plenty of wind left. Nathan Blow looks at the looming battle over the cell's transcriptome.

Advances in imaging are allowing researchers to gain better insights into the function of tissues, cells and even individual molecules. Nathan Blow examines the latest technologies lighting the way.

Sophisticated technologies can now explore nano-scale forces and interactions. But most biologists are staying on the sidelines, waiting to see if these technologies can really help them. Nathan Blow reports.

This overview of the ENCODE project outlines the data accumulated so far, revealing that 80% of the human genome now has at least one biochemical function assigned to it; the newly identified functional elements should aid the interpretation of results of genome-wide association studies, as many correspond to sites of association with human disease.

Boson sampling using ultracold atoms in a two-dimensional, tunnel-coupled optical lattice is enabled by high-fidelity programmable control with optical tweezers of a large number of atoms trapped in an optical lattice.

A GWAS of lifetime cannabis use reveals new risk loci, shows that cannabis use has genetic overlap with smoking and alcohol use, and indicates that the likelihood of initiating cannabis use is causally influenced by schizophrenia.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase CbpD, prevalent in clinical isolates, has been proposed to act as a virulence factor. Here, the authors combine structural work, in silico simulations, enzymatic activity and in vitro and in vivo experiments to further delineate the role of CbpD and show that its deletion renders P. aeruginosa unable to establish a lethal systemic infection, leading to enhanced bacterial clearance in a mouse model of infection.

Multi-year field experiments across six continents suggest that insects have an important contribution to decomposition and carbon release from forest deadwood.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Although many intricate microfluidic devices have been created in academic laboratories around the world, far fewer have been commercialized for wider use. But several efforts are underway to bridge this divide.

In a short period of time, in vivo molecular imaging systems have become indispensable research tools in many clinical and basic research laboratories. But developers are now pushing the technology further in the hopes of making a new generation of platforms with greater accuracy and sensitivity for a wider array of applications.

Small RNA discovery and profiling efforts are dramatically reshaping fundamental concepts of how genes are regulated and are leading to new tools for studying gene function.

Next-generation sequencing has made decoding entire genomes cheaper and faster. But what about those researchers who only want to sequence a small section of a genome or focus on a couple thousand specific exons? A wave of new technologies has recently emerged that should help these scientists target their sequencing efforts to sequences of interest.

With the realization that cells interact extensively with their surrounding microenvironments during growth and development, the challenge for researchers has become designing three-dimensional culture systems that more closely mimic those relationships.

Mass spectrometry instrumentation has made strides in recent years in terms of dynamic range and sensitivity, putting researchers in a better position to use the technology to tackle the challenges of disease biomarker discovery and validation.

Some researchers say an eighty-year-old statistical method can make setting up and analyzing high-throughput screens and large-scale experiments faster and more efficient. So why are more biologists not flocking to use this tool?

With increasing numbers of well-characterized stem cell lines and improved culture and differentiation technologies, more scientists are testing the waters of stem cell research.

From high-throughput electroporation platforms capable of transfecting thousands of different cells in a day, to nanowires that puncture and deliver DNA to just a single cell, new technology is emerging to help researchers with their changing gene delivery needs.