Chemists have devised a greatly improved technique for making amino acids not found in nature. These “unnatural” amino acids traditionally have been very difficult to synthesize, but are sought after ...

Although the myriad proteins found in all life are largely built from a set of 20 amino acids, many other amino acids exist in nature, and it remains a curiosity as to why some were ultimately ...

Glass made from amino acids could be used for optical devices implanted in the body that dissolve away after use. Many glass materials use compounds that aren’t easily recyclable and can be toxic for ...

What does body building, anti-aging cream and Bleomycin (a cancer drug) have in common? Peptides of course! Peptides are large molecules that are vital to life. If you were to take a protein and break ...

Nearly seven years ago, MIT scientists mapped the molecular structure of proteins in spider silk threads onto musical theory to produce the "sound" of silk in hopes of establishing a radical new way ...

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins that keep our cells alive and well. Unfortunately, these molecules are also giving life to cancerous cells that invade our bodies. Now, scientists ...