Fascinating findings of 2024

Electric attraction When two people meet, some chemistry and a “spark” between them often leads to a deep connection. The same is apparently true for some metals and foods. Chemists found that applying an electric current at the interface between certain metals and various meats, vegetables, and fruits creates bonds that glue together the hard and soft materials ( ACS Cent. Sci. 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c01593 ). They remained stuck when the researchers turned the current off. Reversing the polarity of the current broke the bonds. Listening to proteins fold Sound helps us visualize things we cannot see. Scientists applied this principle to get a unique glimpse into the process of protein folding, which is key to understanding biological function. The researchers assigned a pitch to each hydrogen bond that forms during a simulation of a protein folding into a complex 3D structure. The simulation revealed the various routes—some slower than