Scientists from the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology at the Jagiellonian University, in collaboration with Durham University (UK), have developed a tiny DNA-based tool that can capture and position individual membrane proteins with remarkable precision. It may help study some of biology’s most important proteins and, in the future, support the design of synthetic cells and targeted bioengineering technologies.

A team of researchers from Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, the University of Ostrava, the POLYX beamline of SOLARIS, and collaborating institutions has published a study on new composite materials designed for carbon dioxide capture. The work focuses on UiO-66-NH₂ crystals grown inside nitrogen-modified hierarchically porous carbon monoliths.

In quantum materials research, forcing electrons to stop moving and interact with each other can unlock spectacular phenomena. Scientists achieve this by creating "flat bands"—specific conditions within a crystal where electrons lose their kinetic energy, forming a massive quantum “traffic jam” induced by electron correlations. However, capturing these elusive flat bands usually requires extreme conditions, such as ultra-low temperatures or fragile engineered structures. This has kept many of these quantum wonders confined to highly specialized laboratories and hindered their practical applications.

An international research consortium, led by Dr. Hab. Yusuke Azuma from the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology at Jagiellonian University has uncovered how bacteria package enzymes into nanoscale “cages” for efficient vitamin B2 production. The findings, published in Nature Communications, reveal an elegant mechanism underlying this highly specialized biochemical system.

In the latest issue of the weekly journal Science (June 4), an article entitled “Photocatalyzed oxidative cleavage of alkenes using CO₂ as an oxygen donor” was published, co-authored by prof. Piotr Kuśtrowski from the Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, and dr. Lulu Alluhaibi from the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS. The study presents a breakthrough approach to the use of CO₂ as an oxygen source in oxidation reactions, which constitute one of the fundamental pillars of chemical synthesis and are widely applied in the production of fuels, polymers, pharmaceuticals, and fragrance compounds.