Fifty years after the term "pheromone" was coined by Peter Karlson and Martin Lüsher the search for these semiochemicals is still an elusive goal of chemical ecology and communication studies. Contrary to what appears in the popular press, the race is still on to capture and define human scents. Over the last several years, it became increasingly clear that pheromone-like chemical signals probably play a role in offspring identification and mother recognition. Recently, we analyzed the volatile compounds in sweat patch samples collected from the para-axillary and nipple-areola regions of women during pregnancy and after childbirth. We hypothesized that, at the time of birth and during the first weeks of life, the distinctive olfactory pattern of the para-axillary area is probably useful to newborns for recognizing and distinguishing their own mother, whereas the characteristic pattern of the nipple-areola region is probably useful as a guide to nourishment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/cib.2.3.8227 | DOI Listing |
Biochemistry
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
Coral reefs are hotspots of marine biodiversity, which results in the synthesis of a wide variety of compounds with unique molecular scaffolds, and bioactivities, rendering reefs an ecosystem of interest. The chemodiversity stems from the intricate relationships between inhabitants of the reef, as the chemistry produced partakes in intra- and interspecies communication, settlement, nutrient acquisition, and defense. However, the coral reefs are declining at an unprecedented rate due to climate change, pollution, and increased incidence of pathogenic diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
Cambridge Centre for Neuropsychiatric Research, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Background: Poor care experiences are reported for premenstrual disorders, which may result in negative outcomes such as distress, reduced healthcare engagement, and delays to diagnosis. This research aimed to explore healthcare experiences for premenstrual symptoms in the United Kingdom and identify areas for potential improvements based on participant responses.
Method: An online survey was delivered, with participants recruited via social media.
Adv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
Machine learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) promise quantum-level accuracy at classical force field speeds, but their performance hinges on the quality and diversity of training data. An efficient and fully automated approach to sample chemical reaction space without relying on human intuition, addressing a critical gap in MLIP development is presented. The method combines the speed of tight-binding calculations with selective high-level refinement, generating diverse datasets that capture both equilibrium and reactive regions of potential energy surfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNano Lett
January 2025
Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Hydrogen and Advanced Catalysis, College of Physics, Communication and Electronics, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Avenue, Nanchang 330022, Jiangxi, China.
studies of the relationship between surface spin configurations and spin-related electrocatalytic reactions are crucial for understanding how magnetic catalysts enhance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance under magnetic fields. In this work, 2D FeSe nanosheets with rich surface spin configurations are synthesized via chemical vapor deposition. magnetic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy reveal that a 200 mT magnetic field eliminates spin-disordered domain walls, forming a spin-ordered single-domain structure, which lowers the OER energy barrier, as confirmed by theoretical calculations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Commun (Camb)
January 2025
Chemical Engineering & Process Development, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory Pune, 411008, India.
In this communication, we have described a simple and efficient, catalyst free and solvent-free protocol for the continuous flow synthesis of rhodamine B dyes developed from 3-diethyl amino phenol and phthalic anhydride. Nearly 95% conversion was achieved within 12 min using a jacketed single screw reactor. This method is further used for the synthesis of six derivatives with 70-84% yield, which can be compared to 85% yield from a 1-hour long batch synthesis involving a catalyst.
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