Biochemistry

Tiny microbes could brew big benefits for green biomanufacturing

May 10, 2023

Green industrial illustration

A team of scientists from the College of Chemistry and Berkeley Lab find a new route in bacteria to decarbonize industry. The discovery could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing of fuels, drugs, and chemicals. Specifically, the team is looking at a metabolic process in bacteria that could be a sustainable source of carbon-based...

Can synthetic polymers replace the body’s natural proteins?

March 20, 2023

Illustration of biological fluids are made up of hundreds or thousands of different proteins

Biological fluids are made up of hundreds or thousands of different proteins (represented by space filling models above) that evolved to work together efficiently but flexibly. UC Berkeley polymer scientists are trying to...

Peidong Yang and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announce research partnership

August 19, 2022

Illustration of CO2 to sugar process

In a new partnership, The Peidong Yang research group will work with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) to develop technology that will convert air into sugar. (illustration courtesy CCEP)

CCEP Ventures to partner with Peidong Yang Research Group...

The future of biochemistry

January 12, 2018

ACS Biochemistry Issue CoverThe ACS January 2018 Special Biochemistry Issue has included College of Chemistry professors Ming Hammond, Evan Miller, and David Savage among the 44 early career scientists identified as representing the future of biochemistry. These scientists are noted by the publication for tackling problems of biological relevance.

For more detailed information read the ACS...

Discovery could lead to new fungicides to protect rice crops

February 13, 2023

healthy rice field

Blast disease destroys between 10% and 35% of the world’s rice harvest each year. A new discovery could lead to fungicides that block the pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, from entering the leaves. This photo of a healthy rice field was taken in Chengdu, China, in 2019. (Photo credit: Nicholas Talbot)

A fungus that plagues rice crops worldwide gains entry...

In Memoriam: John E. Hearst

October 25, 2022

John Hearst in his office -- undated photo

John Hearst in his office. Undated photo by Dennis Galloway. Collection of the College of Chemistry.

John E. Hearst, distinguished colleague and professor emeritus of chemistry, passed away this morning at the age of 87.

John was born in Vienna, Austria on July 2, 1935. He completed his B.E. in...

Chemistry Nobelist Carolyn Bertozzi’s years at UC Berkeley

October 5, 2022

Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi as a young professor at UC Berkeley. (Photo: courtesy of College of Chemistry)

Carolyn Bertozzi, a professor at Stanford University who today shared the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, spent her formative and most creative years at UC Berkeley.

After graduating from Harvard University in 1988, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry...

Sanjay Kumar named QB3-Berkeley director

September 5, 2022

Sanjay Kumar

Professor Kumar photographed at UC Berkeley. (Photo Annie Lin)

This week UC Berkeley’s office for the Vice Chancellor for Research announced that Professor Sanjay Kumar has been selected to serve as the next director of the...

Summer intern Arjun Garapaty designs microfluidic device

September 9, 2022

Arjun Garapaty at MRI Global

Arjun Garapaty during his summer internship at MRIGlobal. Photo courtesy of MRIGlobal.

Arjun Garapaty thinks big. It wasn’t that long ago that he earned a perfect score on his ACT test… as a sophomore in high school. Now a sophomore at University of California,...

Print, recycle, repeat: Scientists demonstrate a biodegradable printed circuit

September 1, 2022

A Berkeley Lab-led research team has developed a fully recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit. The research could divert wearable devices and other flexible electronics from landfill, and mitigate the health and environmental hazards posed by heavy metal waste. (Credit: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab)

According to the United Nations, less than a quarter of all U.S. electronic waste gets recycled. In 2021 alone, global e-waste surged at 57.4 million tons, and only 17.4% of that was...