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Articles on Mass spectrometry

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Water microdroplets provide a unique interface that can significantly speed up chemical reactions. Marianna Armata/Moment via Getty Images

Water was both essential and a barrier to early life on Earth – microdroplets are one potential solution to this paradox

The chemical reaction that forms essential biomolecules like proteins and DNA normally doesn’t occur in the presence of water. Microdroplets provide a unique environment that make it possible.
SARS-CoV-2 turns on a cellular switch to build the tubes in this photo – called filopodia – that might help viral particles – the little spheres – spread more easily. Dr Elizabeth Fischer, NIAID NIH / Bouhaddou et al. Elsevier 2020

Coronavirus and cancer hijack the same parts in human cells to spread – and our team identified existing cancer drugs that could fight COVID-19

Kinases are cellular control switches. When they malfunction, they can cause cancer. The coronavirus hijacks these kinases to replicate, and cancer drugs that target them could fight COVID-19.
The hormone irisin is one of the things that makes exercise good for us. will ockenden/Flickr

The verdict is in: feel-good exercise hormone irisin is real

Scientists in the US have found that a feel-good exercise hormone called irisin does indeed exist in humans, putting to bed long-disputed claims that it is a myth.
Mass spectrometry will identify those explosive molecules. Marcia Cirillo/Flickr

The science of airport bomb detection: mass spectrometry

You’ve probably had your hand luggage swabbed after walking through the metal detector at the airport. Whatever molecules were picked up by the swab have been separated using gas chromatography. So how…

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