Egyptian blue is considered the first synthetic pigment, dating back to the 3rd millennium BC¹. It is a layered calcium copper silicate material with the chemical composition CaCuSi₄O₁₀. Later, a related family of these layered silicates were discovered— Han blue (BaCuSi₄O₁₀), and Han Purple (BaCuSi₂O₆)².

In 2020, Greaves et al. concluded from two independent data sources that phosphine is present in the cloud decks of Venus. Their study focused on the fundamental first rotational transition (J = 1-0) of PH₃ and their detection of phosphine is solely based on this single transition. Given the importance of phosphine as a possible biosignature and our current understanding of the chemistry of Venus, multiple studies reanalyzed the data of Greaves et al.

Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM, aka ‘black carbon’) generated via the incomplete combustion of biomass or fossil fuels is an important component in soil, atmospheric, sedimentary, and aquatic environments. In particular, the condensed aromatic compounds (ConAC) in PyOM are slow-cycling rendering them important to global carbon cycles and the sequestration of carbon in soils.

The functional role of a biological molecule hinges on its unique structure. The context by which structure impacts function is a vital piece of information that can provide insight into underlying biological processes. One set of biological molecules that have received renewed interest for their biological significance and potential role as markers of cellular dysfunction are lipids.

The Center for Applied Isotope Studies (CAIS) is a multidisciplinary scientific research unit and core service facility within the UGA Office of Research that specializes in the quantification of isotope ratios using mass spectrometry.

Significant scientific attention has been spent on the elucidation of protein’s structure to explain its function. Lots of proteins stay around cell membrane or vesicles to facilitate cellular metabolism. These proteins usually form monolayer structure around cell membrane/vesicles and therefore cause challenges for the measurements of X-ray crystallography and NMR, which cannot provide high resolution results for proteins in monolayer.

Glycation is an important post-translational modification that is linked to diabetes, cataract, Alzheimer’s, Rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinson’s disease.¹ This reaction occurs between a reducing sugar and a primary amine at the N-terminus of protein or the sidechain of Lysine residues.  Ultimately this interaction leads to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that are associated with several disease complications.² Glycation could also occur during the manufacturing and storage of therapeutic proteins,

Exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics throughout daily life is inevitable, yet still poses a variety of unknowns and concerns in biological and environmental systems. Microplastics are defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) as all plastic particles <5mm in size; either produced to be that size (primary) or via degradation of larger particles (secondary). Ubiquitous in nature, microplastics have successfully infiltrated marine systems, foodstuffs, soil/sediments, and biological systems.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is formed in the atmosphere through the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and represents a significant portion of global submicron-sized atmospheric organic aerosol. SOA plays a crucial role in multiple processes that impact climate and human health.

Nuclear power has broad application prospects as a kind of clean energy. One of the biggest controversies in the development of nuclear energy has been the potential environmental impact of spent fuel (SNF), which is the raw material of incomplete reactions and toxic byproducts.  At present, people still use landfills to deal with SNF residues, whether for low-level radioactive wastes or high-radioactive wastes after separation and transmutation.  Effective monitoring methods will greatly reduce the environmental hazards of these landfil