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Enzyme inhibitors are molecules that bind to enzymes and decrease their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. Inhibitor binding is either reversible or irreversible. Irreversible inhibitors usually react with the enzyme and change it chemically. These inhibitors modify key amino acid residues needed for enzymatic activity. In contrast, reversible inhibitors bind non-covalently and different types of inhibition are produced depending on whether these inhibitors bind the enzyme, the enzyme-substrate complex, or both. Their discovery and improvement is an active area of research in biochemistry and pharmacology. A medicinal enzyme inhibitor is often judged by its specificity (its lack of binding to other proteins) and its potency (its dissociation constant, which indicates the concentration needed to inhibit the enzyme). A high specificity and potency ensure that a drug will have few side effects and thus low toxicity. Enzyme inhibitors also occur naturally and are involved in the regulation of metabolism. (more...)

Recently featured: Mormon handcart pioneers – History of the board game Monopoly – and Fundamental Duties of India">Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties of India

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From Wikipedia's newest articles:

...that Abraham Bosse (work pictured) wrote the first Manual of Etching, and was forced in 1661 to resign from the French Royal Academy of Art and Sculpture in a row over methods of perspective?
...that and Zimbabwe">Zimbabwe is the only cricket team to not lose its first Test match since Australia won the very first Test in 1877?
...that the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 is a law passed by the United States Congress in December 2006 for the purpose of protecting the reputation and honor of US military heroism medals due to the larger number of fake military heroes in the USA?
...that the naval base at Key West, Florida was the last U.S. port to berth the USS Maine before an explosion on the ship precipitated the Spanish-American War?
...that Texas politician Maury Maverick, Jr. killed a bill to sentence convicted communists to death by adding a poison pill amendment to sentence suspected communists to life imprisonment?
...that, in addition to the seven-day week, the Javanese calendar incorporates a five-day week, which runs concurrently to produce a repeating cycle of 35 days?

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In the news

Police are investigating the murders of five female prostitutes in Ipswich, England.
A research expedition concludes that the Chinese River Dolphin (illustration pictured) is now likely extinct, marking the first extinction of a large mammal in recent decades.
Astronauts on mission STS-116 attempt to redeploy a new solar array on the International Space Station's Integrated Truss Structure.
Former President of Ethiopia Mengistu Haile Mariam is convicted of genocide in absentia by an Ethiopian court for his part in the so-called "Red Terror".
A conference aiming to "review the Holocaust" is held in Tehran, Iran.
In his final speech in office, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan encourages the United States to provide global leadership whilst respecting multilateralism.
A military funeral is held for former Chilean head of state Augusto Pinochet.

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On this day...

December 15: Hanukkah begins at sunset (Judaism, 2006); Zamenhof Day

1791 - The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution (pictured), collectively known as the United States Bill of Rights, were ratified.
1891 - James Naismith introduced the first version of basketball, with thirteen rules and nine players on each team.
1961 - Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
1994 - The web browser Netscape Navigator 1.0 was first released.
1995 - The European Court of Justice passes the Bosman ruling, allowing footballers in the European Union to freely transfer from one UEFA Federation to another at the end of their contracts.

Recent days: December 14 – December 13 – December 12

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Petrified wood, such as this sample found in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, United States, is a fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals, while retaining the original structure of the wood. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment. Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant's cells and as the lignin and cellulose decay, a stone cast forms in its place.

Photo credit: Daniel Schwen
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