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The worst of COVID-19 may have past, but new viral variants keep showing up. Developing new drugs that remain potent against the emerging variants is essential to stopping the spread of the deadly disease and protecting human health.After more than two years of studying SARS-CoV-2—the virus that c…

After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth. It’s the foundation to major structures all over the world and has been used for centuries – since the Roman Empire. But now, our oldest concrete-based infrastructure is approaching the end of its expected lifespan. Understanding the longevity of concrete is imperative for the safety of concrete buildings. We need to know when a co…

Insulin is a hormone that is rapidly secreted into the blood, following a meal, in order to control blood glucose levels. These pulses of insulin secretion enable the body to take up and store sugar and quickly return blood glucose to normal levels. Diabetes, which affects 1 in 10 people in Europe, occurs when this process goes wrong.The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a protein-producing compartment…

Radioactive isotopes offer excellent treatments for cancers that have spread. The ILL is working with other institutions to produce and test a potentially new clinical radioisotope, terbium-161, that promises to be more effective in killing cancer cells than similar radioisotopes currently in clinical use. Isotopes that emit short-range radiation in the form of electrons or alpha particles offer …

Tiny vortices in magnetic materials called skyrmions act like quantum particles. If able to be stabilised and then manipulated, they could lead the next-generation of electronic devices that exploit magnetic spin to transfer and store information. A new type of skyrmion discovered in an antiferromagnetic compound could wind up progress in the right direction.The study of complex magnetic behaviou…

Applying pressure to metal compounds with electronic and magnetic properties of technological interest provides a uniquely powerful way of tuning those properties so as to understand them better. Through record-breaking high-pressure measurements, we have been able to track the fascinating evolution of conductivity and magnetism in an interesting layered compound as the layers of atoms are pushed…

After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth. It’s the foundation to major structures all over the world and has been used for centuries – since the Roman Empire. But now, our oldest concrete-based infrastructure is approaching the end of its expected lifespan. Understanding the longevity of concrete is imperative for the safety of concrete buildings. We need to know when a co…

Neutron reflectometry reveals SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces lipid stripping from cell membrane, leading to a greater understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms and potential therapeutics. 22 July 2021Scientists at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), in …

An experimental-computational approach develops a structurally stable model of the KaiABC complex and reveals a hitherto elusive mechanism in cyanobacterial circadian regulationAn international research team, including Kyoto University, ExCELLS, QST (Japan), the Institut Laue-Langevin, ILL (France…

Internationally, researchers are hunting for ways to transport information via magnetic waves instead of electronsScientists have now discovered a circular wave motion in skyrmions, bringing us closer to these new technologiesMnSi, initially from cosmic dust, was studied as the closest model for t…

With great sadness, we have learnt that Hannu Mutka died on 25 February as a consequence of an earlier heart attack. Hannu passed away peacefully, surrounded by his close family.As a Finnish youth, Hannu practiced downhill skiing at a semi-professional level. Selected for the Finnish national team, he therefore had to choose between a sports career and continuing his studies. He chose the latter,…