Biochemistry

The first women chemists at Cal

February 5, 2018

Early Women Chemistry Scientists at Cal The College salutes the pioneer women chemistry faculty at Cal. Both as scientists, and as early faculty members at the University, they helped to pave the way for the next generations of women faculty and students.

Chemistry Nobelist Carolyn Bertozzi’s years at UC Berkeley

October 5, 2022

Professor Bertozzi standing at whiteboard.

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...

First natural enzyme creates azides from scratch

September 30, 2024
A team of researchers reported the discovery of the first natural enzyme capable of creating complex molecules, azides, from simpler molecules, which could lead to safer drug development and biological research.

Peidong Yang and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announce research partnership

August 19, 2022
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.

Can fungi turn food waste into the next culinary sensation?

September 3, 2024
UC Berkeley microbiologist makes the case for Neurospora-laced oat pulp and cheesy moldy bread.

Rethinking the Tree of Life with new tools

January 17, 2022

Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park

Finding Archaea: Archaeans inhabit some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Woese and Fox’s genetic analysis led them to redraw the Tree of Life, incorporating this third domain. (Photo: Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park; Jim Peaco; March 2015; Catalog #20008d.)

Professor Sung-Hou Kim and his colleagues...

Scientists find trigger that sets off metastasis in pancreatic cancer

July 5, 2022

Illustration of Healthy pancreas (left) and metastatic tumors on the liver (right)

Scientists have found that cancers in the pancreas (left) readily metastasize because these tumors suppress levels of an enzyme, MSRA, that pulls oxygen atoms off amino acids called methionine. As MSRA levels decrease, methionines on proteins become more oxidized. This causes one particular protein to rev up energy production in...

David Schaffer: Research that takes risks must be supported

August 22, 2022

David Schaffer

Bakar Fellows Program Director and UC Berkeley professor David Schaffer reflects on the reasons why he sees Berkeley as a leader in world-changing research, innovation and entrepreneurship. (UC Berkeley photo by Mark Joseph Hanson)

The Berkeley Changemaker is a Berkeley News series highlighting innovative members of the campus community engaged in work and research that...

Bacteria for blastoff: Using microbes to make supercharged new rocket fuel

July 1, 2022

Illustration of rocket fuel from bacteria

Scientists turned to an oddball bacterial molecule that looks like a jaw full of sharp teeth to create a new type of fuel that could be used for all types of vehicles, including rockets. (Credit: Jenny Nuss/Berkeley Lab)

Converting petroleum into fuels involves crude chemistry first invented by humans in the 1800s. Meanwhile, bacteria have been...

New therapy breakthrough changes the shape of treatment for undruggable diseases

February 24, 2022

Illustration of DUBTAC target

DUBTAC in action against a target. (Courtesy Nomura Lab)

For some time, scientists have been working on the major challenge of developing new therapies against many human diseases. Many of these diseases are caused by the abberant action of certain proteins in our cells that are considered “undruggable”, or difficult to therapeutically target using classical drug...