Category: 4. Technology

With less than a week until Prime Day kicks off, we’re already seeing some exciting early deals pop up. And now we can add two more great discounts to the list: the refurbished ad-supported Kindle Paperwhite is down to $106.99 ($37 off) at Amazon, while the refurbished Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is $126.99 ($53 off) at Amazon. Both discounts bring the like-new e-readers to all-time lows — just in time to read Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary before the movie adaptation hits theaters next year.

The Kindle Paperwhite is one of our favorite e-readers, especially for those who are already in the Kindle ecosystem. It offers a large 7-inch display, sharp 300ppi resolution, and an adjustable warm white front light, making it more comfortable to read in different environments. It’s also waterproof, so you can read while lounging by the pool, which I plan to do a lot of this summer. Meanwhile, the battery is rated to last for up to 12 weeks on a single charge, though your mileage may vary depending on your reading habits.

If you don’t want ads on your e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition offers an ad-free experience — plus a few other goodies that the standard Kindle Paperwhite doesn’t. For starters, the Signature Edition has double the storage, so you can download even more books, PDFs, and audiobooks, which you can listen to with Bluetooth headphones or speakers. It also features an auto-adjusting front light, so you don’t have to constantly adjust the brightness throughout the day. Finally, the Signature Edition supports wireless charging, a feature you don’t often see in this space.

Both models are faster than the last-gen iterations thanks to a dual-core processor, so turning pages, highlighting text, and looking up words is more responsive. Amazon says its refurbished products are thoroughly inspected, cleaned, and tested to ensure they’re fully functional, and you get the same one-year limited warranty as new products. If you need a break from games, movies, and podcasts, we have plenty of great book recommendations to check out.

An unreleased version of Cervélo’s R5 climbing bike has been spotted by BikeRadar at the 2025 Tour de France Grand Départ in Lille.

While much of the focus in recent weeks has been on what appears to be a new S5 aero bike, the American brand admits the new R5 was hiding in plain sight at this year’s Criterium du Dauphiné.

Claimed to be capable of hitting the UCI’s minimum bike weight limit of 6.8kg ready-to-ride, the new R5 doubles down on weight savings and ride quality.

Spotted at the Visma–Lease a Bike team hotel, ahead of the 2025 Tour de France, the bike we saw belonged to Matteo Jorgenson, the team’s American rising-star.

Let’s take a look at what’s changed for this latest version of Cervélo’s iconic climbing bike – and reveal how much a pro-spec build actually weighs.

Lighter everywhere

While we still believe aero bikes will dominate the opening part of the 2025 Tour de France, the second half of this year’s race is packed with climbing – including a mountain time trial on stage 13.

With this in mind, Cervélo has given the R5 an even purer focus on weight than before, aiming to have it hit the UCI’s 6.8kg limit with all the accessories needed to make it race-ready (such as pedals, bottle cages, bike computer mounts and so on).

The new R5 retains its classic silhouette and Cervélo’s signature squoval (square-oval) aero tube shapes – because unlike the Specialized S-Works Aethos, the R5 remains a designated ‘race bike’ – but the brand nevertheless says “every single piece [of the bike] has been changed”.

The tube shapes of the frame, fork and seatpost have all been slimmed down, for example.

According to the brand, the pencil-thin seat stays are designed to be slimmer than the UCI’s minimum tube thickness of 10mm when unpainted, with the knowledge a coat of lightweight paint will add the required extra millimetre on.

Up front, the R5’s fork no longer flows as smoothly into the down tube, as it did previously.

It’s possible there’s an aerodynamic penalty for this, but Cervélo said no stone was left unturned in the pursuit of cutting weight.

This included remodelling the fork brake mounting area, which now sees bolts go straight through the fork (from the front) and directly into the brake caliper. According to Cervélo, this change negates the need for a flat mount brake adaptor, and for a threaded insert inside the fork – which saves around 30g of weight.

The brand has also developed a new one-piece integrated handlebar for the new R5.

It features an aerodynamic profile but also contributes to the goal of saving weight, through the elimination of unnecessary hardware at the stem clamp and the use of a more traditional shape compared to the S5’s cockpit.

Scores on the doors

While some Tour de France teams are cautious about letting us weigh their bikes, Visma-Lease a Bike was more than happy for us to do so.

All-in, including two (empty) water bottles, Jorgenson’s new Cervélo R5 weighed 7.03kg, according to our scales – just 200g more than the UCI weight limit.

The bike we saw was a size 58cm, set up with mid-depth Reserve 42/49 wheels and 29c Vittoria Corsa Pro ‘Wide Rim Optimised’ tubeless tyres.

Jorgenson’s bike featured a SRAM Red AXS groupset – the lightest electronic road bike groupset with disc brakes until recently (when Campagnolo launched it’s new Super Record 13 groupset) – in 2x form, with a 54/41t crankset and a wide-ranging 10-36t cassette out back.

Notably, the bike was also specced with 165mm cranks – an extremely short crank length for a rider as rangy as Jorgenson (the American is reportedly 190cm-tall).

In contrast, Jorgenson had a lengthy stem measuring around 150mm, paired with a relatively narrow, 380mm handlebar width (measured centre-to-centre at the brake hoods).

Jorgenson’s bike was completed with Tacx Ciro bottle cages, a Prologo Nago C3 saddle, Wahoo Speedplay Aero pedals and a tiny Garmin Edge 130 bike computer (clearly the weight weenie’s choice).

As at last year’s Tour, Jorgenson’s bike also had a waxed chain, for improved cleanliness and drivetrain efficiency.

Additional weight savings could doubtless be found with a 1x drivetrain or a shallower set of wheels, should Jorgenson wish the shed every last possible gram.

Even a simple swap to Vittoria’s time trial-specific Corsa Pro Speed TLR tyres would save around 90g (per pair of tyres) – which we’ve no doubt he’ll do if he uses this bike for the Tour’s mountain TT on stage 13.

Specs | Matteo Jorgenson’s new Cervélo R5 for the 2025 Tour de France

• Frameset: Cervélo R5
• Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
• Wheelset: Reserve 42/49
• Power meter: SRAM Red AXS
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR, 700x29c
• Handlebar: Cervélo integrated, 150x380mm
• Seatpost: Cervélo R5
• Saddle: Prologo Nago C3
• Bottle cages: Tacx Ciro
• Pedals: Wahoo Speedplay Aero
• Weight: 7.03kg

At iPX London, we caught up with impact.com’s Senior Director, AI and Marketplace Products, Alex Springer, to learn more about the platform’s product roadmap this year – before he got the chance to explore the rest of London’s Science Museum.

Springer relayed all of the new features coming to impact.com throughout a session earlier in the day.

There is a wealth of new additions. Some of the highlights include: a mobile app; a Chrome extension; an intuitive AI chatbot; deeper programme analysis; SPOT Commerce (a retail media booster); Real Time Search; and agentic AI tools.

Of the new features, Springer pinpoints advanced programme recommendations as the most revolutionary.

“The scale at which we can process data now has allowed us to start to understand some very unique things that we couldn’t before,” he says. “If I can deterministically tell you that an audience who reads about this stuff eventually goes and buys this stuff – that’s huge. That’s the Holy Grail. That’s what we’ve been looking for across the marketing industry.”

He continues, “It redefines demographic. I don’t care if you’re old or young, or from this country or that country. What we care about now is interest demographics. We’ve been using machine learning to be able to determine those links and surface them to people.”

We also discuss planning entire campaigns with natural language alone; scepticism and optimism around AI; and what impact.com has to offer affiliate marketers in today’s landscape. 

Watch the full interview below.

California Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app on July 7: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles. 

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We know just how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and Colombia.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.  

Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems. 

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification. 

There’s no word yet on when Face Check will move beyond California. 

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices. 

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The edgy cool of a rockstar-esque studded leather jacket on feet? That’s the promise of Vans’ LX Authentic 44.

There’s a tangible coolness associated with a fatigued leather jacket, all the more so when it’s studded. Vans’ premium sub-label, OTW, managed to capture this ineffable “It” factor and plaster it all over a Vans Authentic sneaker that’s darn-near too fly to skate in.

Vans’ LX Authentic 44 sneaker has the punked-out exuberance of a worn-out leather jacket thanks to its pebbled leather upper accented with metal studs throughout. The pre-scuffed outsole also adds to the skate shoe’s lived-in charm.

This unique mix of durability and luxury has become a hallmark of the OTW label, especially when it comes to the Vans Authentic sneaker, a true footwear muse.

Just take a look at how streetwear label Satoshi Nakamoto turned Vans’ Authentic sneaker into a pearled-out gem, toughened up with a scuffed outsole that actually looks a lot like what the Vans LX Authentic 44 has going on right now. If it ain’t broke, bejewel it.

Now, I know Vans is likely not top of mind when we think of nice leather sneakers. But believe it or not, OTW does full-grain leather really well. Consistently too. And this is not exclusive to the Authentic sneaker, either.

In fact, one of the best displays of Vans’ leather expertise comes in the form of Vans OTW’s recent red and black checkerboard Slip-On sneaker. To be fair, there is also an Authentic version of the sneaker, which looks equally delicious. But there is just something about a shiny slip-on that eats down.

Available later this year on OTW’s website this fall, the Vans’ LX Authentic 44 sneaker allows Vans to flex its rapidly developing leather muscle. 

And where other luxe Vans sneakers wear shiny patent leather uppers, Vans’ LX Authentic 44’s pebbled leather is almost more decadent in its beautiful bumpiness.

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The Infinix Hot 60i is slimmer than its predecessor, but has a bigger, faster charging battery and is made more durable to boot. Right now, the phone is available in Bangladesh and Kenya, we’ll let you know if we spot it anywhere else.

The Hot 60i, like the 50i before it, has a 6.7” IPS LCD with 120Hz refresh rate and a Helio G81 Ultimate chipset. The display is slightly brighter at 700 nits (up from 500 nits), but the resolution wasn’t upgraded, so it’s still a 720p+ panel. On the plus side, it has Always On display functionality.

The battery now has 5,160mAh capacity and it supports 45W charging – up from just 18W on the 50i. The extra power allows it to go from 1% to 50% charge in just 24 minutes. Infinix is promising a 5-year lifespan for the battery (1,800 cycles).

The four corners of the phone have been reinforced, allowing it to survive 1.5m drops. The phone is rated IP64, meaning that it’s dust tight and can survive getting splashed with water. The new frame measures 7.7mm thick and weighs 188g. It’s available in a wide variety of colors:

Titanium Silver • Sleek Black • Neon Red • Shadow Blue • Meadow Green • Soul Eye Purple

The Infinix Hot 60i is equipped with a Hard Gyro, which can be used for motion control in games – it’s also precise enough to navigate you through GPS dead zones (underground parking, dense forests, etc.).

If you do find yourself lost, the UltraLink feature enables calls and messaging outside of cell coverage (it can connect to other phones at a distance of 500m). NFC connectivity is available for close-by data sharing. And there’s an IR blaster for remote control apps. Additional connectivity includes dual-SIM 4G, Wi-Fi 5 (ac), Bluetooth 5.3, a 3.5mm headphone jack and even FM radio.

The Helio G81 chip is paired with 4/6/8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128/256GB eMMC 5.1 storage. The microSD slot allows you to add up to 1TB more.

There is a 50MP camera on the back with 1080p @ 30fps video recording, plus an 8MP selfie camera.

The Infinix Hot 60i arrives with XOS 15 based on Android 15. And it has AI, of course, which can be summoned instantly using the One-Tap AI button on the side.

The Infinix Hot 60i can already be found in stores with a price of BDT 14,000 (€98/$115) for the 6GB/128GB model and BDT 16,500 (€115/$135) for the 8GB/256GB model.

Source

Israeli IT company Wix, which has offices in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Lviv, recently announced the acquisition of startup Base44 for $80 million. This is a project for vibe coding — based on a text request, the service creates a full-fledged application with a database, storage, authentication, analytics, and integrations. In the 6 months of its existence, the startup for non-technical users has already gained almost 250,000 fans.

Wix, which has made website creation a simple process for millions, including through the active implementation of AI solutions, continues to grow both globally and in Ukraine. According to DOU, in the second half of 2024, Wix was one of the leaders in hiring in Ukraine, attracting more than 100 new specialists.

So we talked to Andriy Mokhovyk, the manager of the Wix front-end guild in Ukraine, about vibe coding, the nuances of implementing artificial intelligence and the AI future, as well as about hiring and funny interview incidents related to the same AI.

“Intellectual” beginning and development

Wix was founded in Tel Aviv by three technology enthusiasts, Avishai Abraham, Nadav Abraham, and Giora Kaplan, back in 2006. The Wix team believed that the Internet should be open to everyone for free expression, development, and interaction, so they decided to create a platform that would allow them to build professional websites and their mobile versions.

By April 2010, the company already had 3.5 million users, and two years later Wix launched a new HTML5 website editor. This allowed the company to attract 25 million users and earn $60 million in 2012. And the company’s initial public offering of shares on the NASDAQ exchange took place on November 5, 2013 and brought in $127 million.

In 2016, long before the AI boom, Wix launched Artificial Design Intelligence — an AI-powered solution for automatic website creation. It was the first solution on the market that could create a website in minutes by generating it based on the information entered — the algorithm was based on the depths of a database of 86 million+ users, collected content from social networks and the web, and formed a website from billions of combinations.

According to Andriy Mokhovyk, Frontend Guild Manager at Wix’s Ukrainian and Polish offices, the company has since continued to improve its products to help users grow their businesses and achieve success using the numerous opportunities provided by artificial intelligence.

Andriy Mokhovyk, Wix Frontend Guild Manager in Ukraine

“Today, ADI has evolved into a new generation of website building tool called Wix AI Website Builder. This technology uses a combination of deep learning and generative AI algorithms, such as large language models (LLMs), including our own proprietary models specifically adapted to the ecosystem, to provide users with personalized solutions that meet their needs. Most of our clients don’t want to spend hours writing copy, designing layouts, or paying for professional photography,” Andriy told us.

The company views artificial intelligence as a strategic tool that enables millions of entrepreneurs to accelerate the development of their businesses.

“Our AI platform combines the most advanced and sophisticated technologies with an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making advanced tools accessible to companies of any size, regardless of technical training. What used to take weeks can now be done in minutes,” the manager explained.

Photo from the Kyiv Wix office

In addition to creating websites, Wix also currently has a developed AI infrastructure:

▪️ Astro is a business assistant that is integrated into the administration panel for effective business management: from tracking site performance and SEO optimization to managing subscriptions and creating content; it provides real-world analytics and personalized recommendations through a simple chat interface;

▪️ AI Marketing Agent — an agent for creating marketing strategies based on site data that generates personalized marketing briefs and action plans, supports content creation, SEO, and multi-channel campaigns, helping users increase visibility and stay on track with their goals;

▪️ Wix Model Context Protocol — a server for developers and power users that provides integration between Wix’s business infrastructure and compatible AI clients; using natural language commands, users can generate code, manage business operations, and build solutions with tools like Claude and Cursor without complex setup or hand coding;

▪️ Wixel is a proprietary, self-contained AI visual design platform built to democratize professional design; with an intuitive interface and powerful AI models running in the background, users can create, edit, and customize high-quality visuals, from product photos to social media content, without any design experience.

The era of Artificial Intelligence has arrived

Recently, Microsoft announced that it wants to include the use of AI tools in employee performance evaluation criteria. Vice President Julia Lewson stated that AI is now a fundamental part of work: “Just like collaboration, data-drivenness, and effective communication, the use of AI is no longer an option — it is a foundation for every role and every level.”

According to Andriy Mokhovyk, the era of artificial intelligence is no longer a matter of the distant future – it has already arrived. “AI is rapidly integrating into all spheres of life, including the field of software development. Today, knowledge and skills to work with AI tools are a competitive advantage for a developer. But tomorrow it will become a basic market requirement. Developers who ignore these changes will find themselves in a less advantageous position, because the very approach to creating products is changing. Artificial intelligence not only optimizes work processes, but also forms a new development culture. As a result, not only tools are changing, but also the role of the developer himself,” the specialist said.

Photo from the Wix Kyiv office

According to him, the company launched the Wix AI Learning initiative, which aims to explore how artificial intelligence can actually improve workflows, decision-making, and the developer experience — from engineering and product to UX and content — to rethink the entire development pipeline — from idea to result.

“Teams that use AI can move faster, build smarter, and deliver better experiences. Those that don’t risk being left behind. It’s not about replacing developers, it’s about empowering them to focus on what’s important, automate the rest, and navigate complexity with confidence. This requires not only tools, but also trust, understanding, and a new set of shared practices. We truly believe that AI is not a replacement for the developer, but their superpower. That’s why we’re exploring how to better integrate AI into our workflows, how to make decision-making more accurate, and how to make everyday work more comfortable. And we’re taking a holistic approach to this,” noted the head of the Wix Frontend Guild.

Regarding vibe coding, the manager also noted the acquisition of startup Base44, which should help the company expand its activities in this area: “This acquisition highlights Wix’s desire to push the boundaries of AI-based creation.”

Photo from the Wix Kyiv office

The specialist also shared tips that will help businesses integrate AI into their products:

▪️if your product is based on SaaS solutions, such as Wix, then you probably already have various AI tools available “out of the box” – this means that many artificial intelligence functions are already integrated and ready to use;

▪️if you develop the product yourself, the possibilities are wider – you can easily integrate modern AI models through public APIs such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini – these interfaces allow you to connect powerful artificial intelligence algorithms to your product, expanding its functionality and making it more intelligent and useful for users;

▪️at the same time, the best assistant in selecting relevant materials and resources for integration is artificial intelligence itself.

“The ability to use AI to learn how to use AI is the most important message of the entire interview, and this is where your mindset will begin to change,” said the manager of the Wix frontend guild in Ukraine.

AI tools, hiring, interviews

Andriy Mokhovyk himself also actively uses various AI tools, which, according to him, have become indispensable assistants. “ChatGPT helps me analyze information, edit texts, create short summaries of articles, and perform many other tasks. For writing, reviewing, and refactoring code, I use Claude Sonnet models via the Cursor platform. I also tried using Preplexity for Internet research, but after Google integrated its Gemini AI assistant into the search engine, I returned to the usual search. For creating and editing images, I use Wixel,” the IT professional told us.

Photo from the Kyiv Wix office

In his opinion, artificial intelligence is developing extremely quickly, and models, protocols, and tools are changing literally every week. “In the future, AI will become an indispensable assistant in many areas of human activity. Therefore, we need to change our thinking today to be ready for these changes and effectively use new opportunities,” Andriy Mokhovyk emphasized.

According to the manager, many of the company’s developers now use AI tools every day in environments such as Cursor or the GitHub Copilot extension.

They help with code writing, reviews, and refactoring. In these integrated development environments (IDEs), IT professionals have access to advanced AI models that can be used for a variety of tasks, from simple queries to complex engineering solutions. In addition, the company has its own assistant, Astra.

“We don’t just give tools and expect results. We want everyone to feel confident using AI. That’s why we launched the Engineering AI Weeks initiative. This is a series of practical sessions that help developers better understand how to effectively use AI in their daily work. The workshops were conducted by engineers themselves, who already have deep expertise and are actively applying AI in their tasks,” the specialist said.

Photo from the Kyiv Wix office

With the introduction of AI, the company has begun a global rethinking of approaches to the candidate search process. Currently, Wix is working here in two directions:

▪️analyzes the recruitment process and all types of professional assessment that currently exist for engineering positions; identifies what part of the assessment of experience and knowledge can be carried out using AI tools and consistently tests all available technologies; plans to begin implementation soon;

“What are we already doing? We ask candidates about their experience with AI tools, and their knowledge and work experience are now considered a significant advantage. We are open to using AI tools when completing homework, and in this case, part of the conversation is devoted to analyzing the tools and logic that the candidate used if he/she performed part of the work with the help of AI assistants. We believe in core engineering education, professional experience, and technical knowledge. For us, AI is an additional skill and tool that can make a talented engineer even more effective, but will not turn anyone into an engineering genius,” Andriy Mokhovyk told us.

According to the IT professional, AI has not only opened up new opportunities for development, but also created certain challenges – the company has increasingly encountered unscrupulous candidates who try to bypass the system during interviews, using AI assistants to receive answers in real time.

Photo from the Wix Kyiv office

“Recently, a candidate couldn’t answer a fairly basic question, so we moved on to the next one. And suddenly he had an “epiphany”: he started giving an extremely detailed answer, almost verbatim from a textbook, including terms that would hardly be familiar without prior preparation. This situation looks suspicious and raises doubts about the candidate’s sincerity. We are positive about the use of AI tools in interviews, but it is important for us that it is open and honest. We are always ready to dive deeper into the experience of each AI engineer, to learn about what the candidate knows and is able to do in this context, and such experience can even become an advantage. Therefore, there is simply no point in tricks,” the specialist concluded.

It is also worth mentioning that at the end of May 2025, Wix acquired another Israeli startup, Hour One. This is a platform for generating videos with characters based on real people. This startup uses solutions for corporate training, marketing, and other business tasks where personalized video is required. Thus, Wix plans to further expand AI integrations, expanding the tools for creating professional AI videos.

Cornell researchers have found a new and potentially more accurate way to see what proteins are doing inside living cells – using the cells’ own components as built-in sensors.

This approach could help scientists study how molecules associate inside cells, including in viruses, and how proteins misfold in diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration.

The researchers discovered a novel way to use natural proteins produced by a cell as tiny sensors to report on their environment and interactions, without traditional invasive techniques that could interfere with a cell’s normal biology and skew research results. The study was published July 1 in Nature Communications.

The method is mainly useful for understanding new biological mechanisms, such as those that could be involved in disease states like cancer or during infection. For example, one could conceivably track the assembly of a virus using this method to understand how and where its components are built within cells.”

Brian Crane, the George W. and Grace L. Todd Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and corresponding author on the publication

Crane, who directs the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, and his colleagues focused on flavins, small, vitamin B2-derived molecules that can act like magnetic labels inside cells. This magnetic property makes them detectable by a technique called electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, which is like an MRI machine but measures extremely small changes and nanoscale distances. By tracking the behavior of proteins called flavoproteins, which carry flavins, researchers can detect how other molecules organize and move in living cells.

Because flavoproteins exist in many biological systems, the researchers saw a way to use them as built-in sensors. By triggering the flavin’s magnetic properties with light, they could use ESR to study protein structures directly inside cells – without synthetic chemicals.

“We were studying the properties of certain flavoproteins and discovered that their magnetic spin-states were more stable than expected in cells,” said Timothée Chauviré, a research associate within the Crane Lab at the Weill Institute and lead author on the study. “And from earlier work on light-sensitive proteins, we realized we could use light to trigger the signal we needed to detect these molecules using ESR.”

Forcing artificial tags into cells might interfere with cellular function, but cells naturally produce flavin-containing probes, so “if you can trick the cell into making them, that is much better,” Crane said.

To test their new method, the researchers studied a bacterial protein called Aer, which helps E. coli bacteria sense oxygen. Aer works with two other proteins, CheA and CheW, to transmit signals across the membrane. While these proteins have been studied before, this was the first time researchers were able to directly observe how the Aer receptor assembles inside a living cell.

“We learned that Aer forms higher-order assemblies, arrays of molecules in the membrane, that work together to amplify signals,” Crane said. “These architectures are unstable and won’t form outside of cells.”

With ESR, the team measured the distance between the two flavins in an Aer dimer – complexes of two identical protein molecules – with angstrom-level precision, confirming not only the dimer structure but also revealing larger assemblies that form inside cells.

The researchers also developed a small engineered flavoprotein called iLOV, which can be genetically fused to other proteins to make them visible with ESR. This tool acts like a molecular tag, enabling scientists to study the structure and positioning of nearly any protein inside a living cell.

The study also demonstrated that ESR, previously mainly limited to purified proteins in test tubes, can now be used in living systems with remarkable detail.

“ESR spectroscopy is not limited to just studying purified molecules or reconstituted systems,” Crane said.

The team is now adapting the method to other cell types, particularly mammalian cells, to see if they can track processes in more complex environments, he said.

Contributors to the study include Siddarth Chandrasekaran, Ph.D. ’17; Robert Dunleavy, M.S. ’19, Ph.D. ’23; and Jack H. Freed, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (A&S).

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technologies.