Chemistry

The molecule behind the glow of fireflies and plankton breaks apart in an unexpected order under force – a discovery that could lead to better stress sensors and help illuminate some mysteries of the natural world.

The Stanford researcher views plants as nature’s ultimate chemists. Her work has the potential to innovate everything from food allergies to cancer treatment.

A counterintuitive finding could lead to more powerful catalysts for clean hydrogen energy.

Research shows how regulatory T cells recognize safe foods by scanning for specific protein signals, opening new paths to prevent and treat food allergies.

A one-of-a-kind instrument can show cell structures interacting in real time at high resolution without fluorescent labels, potentially enabling breakthroughs in a range of life science fields.

A new study led by Stanford chemist Richard Zare reveals that water droplets trigger a chemical cascade that signals plants to bloom.

A database of lysosomal proteins is already guiding researchers in studying how brain cells’ waste and recycling systems work – or don’t – in Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.

Stanford chemical biologist Carolyn Bertozzi studies sugars on the surface of cells to better understand their involvement in diseases, including cancer.

A groundbreaking new system paves the way for advances in synthetic biology and carbon recycling.

Scientists have discovered that wintertime seismic activity around Antarctica controls summer phytoplankton growth, fueling marine life and absorbing carbon.