Science

Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed a more efficient method to produce medicines that are in development for the treatment of COVID-19, cancer and other diseases that affect many of the world’s population. New research published today, in Nature, describes a new family of enzymes (ligases) which can assemble the key chemical building blocks required

Scientists have for the first time captured the complex dynamics of particle movement in granular materials, helping to explain why mixed nuts often see the larger Brazil nuts gather at the top. The findings could have vital impact on industries struggling with the phenomenon, such as pharmaceuticals and mining. Many people will have the experience

A team of aerospace specialists has launched the world’s first in-flight emissions study using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a wide-body commercial passenger aircraft. Airbus, German research centre DLR, Rolls-Royce, SAF producer Neste and The University of Manchester, have teamed up to start the pioneering ‘Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels’ (ECLIF3) project looking into

New research from The University of Manchester suggests using a strategy linked to cooperative game playing known as ‘game theory’ in order to maximise the potential of finding intelligent alien life. If advanced alien civilisations exist in our galaxy and are trying to communicate with us, what’s the best way to find them? This is

A team of scientists from The University of Manchester have been honoured with the Guinness World Record for weaving threads of individual molecules together to create the ‘world’s finest fabric’, overtaking finest Egyptian linen. The weaving of threads having diameters ranging from several millimetres (reeds, plant fibres, etc.) to a few microns (wool, cotton, synthetic

Tuesday, 12 January saw a consortium led by The University of Manchester launch a new multimillion pound research and innovation institute that will build on Manchester’s academic strengths in digital health and advanced materials to discover innovative health and care solutions. Named the Christabel Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology and Innovation*, it is part of

Chemical engineers have successfully manipulated carbon nitride to use sunlight to synthesize fluorine-based molecules, which are key building blocks of pharmaceutical products in a breakthrough on the path to the ‘holy grail’ of zero waste industry manufacturing. Researchers from The University of Manchester have discovered that simple manipulations of carbon nitride, a metal-free, non-toxic solid,

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from The University of Manchester have developed a new graphene-based testing system for disease-related antibodies, initially targeting a kidney disease called membranous nephropathy. The new instrument, based on the principle of a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) combined with a graphene-based bio-interface, offers a cheap, fast, simple and sensitive alternative to currently

An international team of astronomers including UK scientists from Manchester and Cardiff, today announced the discovery of a rare molecule – phosphine – in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments. Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could