For decades, scientists have understood proteins primarily through two defining features: their amino acid sequence and their three-dimensional structure. This framework has driven major advances in biology, biotechnology, and medicine, culminating in recent artificial intelligence tools capable of predicting protein structures with remarkable accuracy. Yet a fundamental challenge remains: even when a protein's sequence and structure are known, predicting its function, interactions, and behavior often remains difficult. An international team of researchers from Japan, Finland, Italy, and the United States now reports evidence that part of this missing information may lie in an often-overlooked component of proteins: the highly organized water surrounding them. In a study accepted for publication in Nature Communications, the team provides the first direct three-dimensional visualization of sequence-dependent hydration architectures surrounding peptide assemblies at sub-nanometer resolution using advanced three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM). The findings reveal that water near peptide and protein surfaces is not simply a passive solvent. Instead, it forms highly organized, multilayered structures whose organization is dictated by the underlying amino acid sequence and surface chemistry. These hydration architectures extend multiple layers from the peptide surface and contain distinct structural signatures associated with hydrophobic, polar, aromatic, and charged amino acid residues. 

A dual-functional BSB-Me single-crystalline layer simultaneously serves as a stable hole-transporting layer and an efficient moisture/oxygen permeation barrier layer for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The approach yields record-high efficiencies among single-crystal OLEDs and extends the operational lifetime of blue OLEDs by more than 30 times relative to conventional amorphous counterparts.

A team of researchers from Penn State is trying to better understand the environmental impacts of energy extraction sites — specifically, if fracking is increasing radium content in local drinking water. According to a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology that examined water samples collected in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the answer is not a simple yes or no.

Study reveals that tapirs, peccaries, agoutis, and deer act as true ecosystem engineers by reducing soil acidity, increasing diversity, and accelerating the decomposition of organic matter in the forest. Living in groups of sometimes more than one hundred individuals, peccaries churn up the soil of tropical forests, altering its chemical properties.

A challenge in building scalable quantum networks is connecting different quantum systems that operate using photons at different frequencies. A study published in Advanced Photonics Nexus investigates four-wave mixing in gas-filled hollow-core fibers as a method for converting photons between frequency bands while preserving the quantum information they carry. The study demonstrates that this approach preserves the properties of light needed for quantum information transfer, providing a potential pathway toward large-scale quantum networks.

Researchers at UCSB and UT Austin describe the violent event that have shot a super-massive black hole into intergalactic space.

New research from the University of Colorado Boulder could lead to big advances in passenger jet aerodynamic performance and fuel economy

Researchers in Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy have developed and validated a novel series of small-molecule inhibitors that promote antitumor immunity and hold promise as novel anticancer agents.