Electrochemistry converts carbon to useful molecules

How the first life on Earth survived its biggest threat — water. Living things depend on water, but it breaks down DNA and other key molecules. So how did the earliest cells deal with the water paradox?

Researchers at UC San Francisco have engineered molecules that act like “cellular glue,” allowing them to direct in precise fashion how cells bond with each other. The discovery represents a major step toward building tissues and organs, a long-sought goal of regenerative medicine.

Molecules have an orientation, and scientists have a new way to measure it