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Understanding how bacteria respond to other bacteria could facilitate their ability to initiate and maintain their infectiousness. The phenomenon by which bacteria signal to each other via chemical signals is called quorum sensing, which could be targeted to deter bacterial infection in some cases if better understood. In this article, the authors study how a bacterium called V. fischeri uses quorum sensing to change bioluminescence, an easy readout that facilitates studying quorum sensing in this strain.

In​ the​ field​ of​ medicine,​ natural​ treatments​ are​ becoming ​increasingly ​vital ​towards ​the ​cure ​of ​cancer. Zhu et al. wanted to investigate the effects of lettuce extract on cancer cell survival and proliferation. They used an adenocarcinoma cell line, COLO320DM, to determine whether crude extract from a lettuce species called Niuli​ Lactucis Agrestibus​ would affect cancer cell survival, migration, and proliferation. They found that Niuli extract inhibited cancer cell survival, increased expression of cell cycle inhibitors p21 and p27, and inhibited migration. However, Niuli extract did not have these effects on healthy cells. This work reveals important findings about a potential new source of anti-colorectal cancer compounds.

In this study the author undertakes a careful characterization of a special type of chemical reaction, called an oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky (or B-Z) reaction, which has a number of existing applications in biomedical engineering as well as the potential to be useful in future developments in other fields of science and engineering. Specifically, she uses experimental measurements in combination with computational analysis to investigate whether the reaction is cohesive – that is, whether the oscillations between chemical states will remain consistent or change over time as the reaction progresses. Her results indicate that the reaction is not cohesive, providing an important foundation for the development of future technologies using B-Z reactions.

We developed new eco-friendly membranes enriched with natural nanomaterials to clean iron and manganese from drinking water. Some nanocomposite membranes achieved over 95% metal removal while maintaining water flux, suggesting improved performance compared to the undoped control group.

The authors studied the relationship between air quality and weather conditions (wind speed, precipitation, and temperature) in the Washington D.C. area.

In this article the authors looked at how temperature was impacted when alumnium was added in various forms to aqueous copper(II) solutions. Their study investigates the impact of surface area on chemical reactions.

In this study, the authors tested different approaches for removing arsenic from rice. Due to higher arsenic levels in water, some areas grow rice with higher levels as well. This is a health hazard and so developing methods to remove arsenic from the rice will be helpful to many. Using a rapid arsenic kit, the authors found that activated charcoal was the most effective at removing arsenic from rice.

In this study a student uses Daphnia magna, or water fleas, to assay the purity of local soil samples. Daphnia magna are a helpful organism to detect potentially harmful levels of toxins in water.

This paper develops a gelatin-based hydrogel dressing infused with bromothymol blue dye that visibly changes from yellow to blue as wound pH rises from 5.0 to 8.0, signaling possible infection. The color shift was visually detectable and statistically significant across all six Fitzpatrick skin tones, suggesting a low-cost ($0.40/dressing) tool for early infection monitoring in settings with limited access to care.

The authors test the effect of petroleum-based and bio-based microplastics on the growth of two microalgae species.