Using a brace of the most modern tools of materials
research, a team from the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) and Northwestern University has shed new light on
one of mankinds older construction materials - cement. Their
refinements to our understanding of how cement and concrete actually
work, reported this week in Nature Materials, ultimately may make
possible improvements in the formulation and use of cement that could
save hundreds of millions of dollars in annual maintenance and repair
costs for concrete structures and the countrys infrastructure.
Scientists have discovered how an unusual protein helps a cell
bypass damage when making new DNA, thereby averting the cell's
self-destruction.
But they also discovered that this protein, an enzyme called
Dpo4, often makes errors when
copying the genomic DNA sequence that later might cause the cell to
become cancerous.
A sweet step toward new
cancer therapies
By recognizing sugars, a technique developed by University of Michigan
analytical chemist Kristina Hakansson sets the stage for new cancer
diagnosis and treatment options.
Traces of Nanobubbles
Determine Nano-boiling
Using a microscope and some extreme snapshot photography with
shutter speeds only a few nanoseconds long, researchers from NIST and
Cornell University have uncovered the traces of ephemeral
nanobubbles formed in boiling water on a microheater.
Cells selectively absorb short
nanotubes
DNA-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) shorter than about
200 nanometers readily enter into human lung cells and so may pose an
increased risk to health, according to scientists at NIST.
'Smart' sunglasses feature
lenses that change color on demand
Chemists at the University of Washington in Seattle say they are
developing smart sunglasses that will allow the wearer to instantly
change the color of their lenses to virtually any hue of the rainbow.
Solving a mystery that has puzzled scientists for
decades, MIT and Harvard researchers have discovered the final piece
of the synthesis pathway of vitamin B12 - the only vitamin synthesized
exclusively by microorganisms.
Researchers at UC San Diego have discovered that
iron-containing nanoparticles being tested for use in several
biomedical applications can be toxic to nerve cells and interfere with
the formation of their signal-transmitting extensions ...
Smart thin film
membranes adopt properties of guest molecules - Researchers
announced that they had created a nanostructured membrane that
incorporates DNA base pairs in order to impart molecular recognition
and binding ability to the synthetic material.
Producing three-dimensional polymer line structures
as small as 65 nanometers wide just became easier with new two-photon
absorbing molecules that are sensitive to laser light at short
wavelengths, allowing researchers to create them without highly
sophisticated fabrication methods.
Nanomechanical oscillators - tiny strips of
vibrating silicon only a few hundred atoms thick - are the subject of
extensive study by nanotechnology researchers. They could someday
replace bulky quartz crystals in electronic circuits or be used to
detect and identify bacteria and viruses ...
Study shows metabolic
strategy of stressed cell
Major St. Jude study of changes in gene activity and metabolic enzymes
show how cells respond to a sudden decrease in the levels of Coenzyme
A, a key player in the daily biochemical routines that support life.
Powerful new tool to track
carbon dioxide by source
Scientists from NOAAs Earth System Research Laboratory announced a
new tool to monitor changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases by region and source.
Fullerenes Store Hydrogen
Researchers believe that absorbing properties of fullerenes and
other nanostructures that include fullerenes have not been fully
investigated ...
New reagent delivers a
chemical breakthrough at FSU
A newly developed substance could make the jobs of scientists
throughout the world a little easier as they work to develop new drugs
and other chemicals that benefit humanity ...
Physicists tailor
magnetic pairings in nanoscale semiconductors
Observation of the two-channel Kondo effect: by applying voltages to
nanoscale electrodes, scientists can tune how strongly a magnetic atom
couples to one set of electrons, or channel, compared to the other set
...
First ozone and
nitrogen dioxide measurements from MetOp-A
The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) on board MetOp-A
launched in October 2006 and currently undergoing commissioning has
delivered the first geophysical products for monitoring the Earth's
ozone layer, and European and global air quality.
First new waterborne
aquaculture drug in 20 years approved
Twelve years of rigorous research by USGS scientists helped lead to
the approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the first
waterborne drug for fish diseases in more than 20 years.
A single-photon
server with just one atom
Physicists at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have succeeded in
turning a Rubidium atom into a single-photon server.
Studies force new view on
biology of flavonoids
Flavonoids, a group of compounds found in fruits and vegetables that
had been thought to be nutritionally important for their antioxidant
activity, actually have little or no value in that role, according to
an analysis by scientists in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon
State University.
Microscopic sea creatures provide foundation for
gas sensors and other devices.
The three-dimensional shells of tiny ocean
creatures could provide the foundation for novel electronic devices,
including gas sensors able to detect pollution faster and more
efficiently than conventional devices.
Using a chemical process that converts the shells
original silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) into the
semiconductor material silicon, researchers have created a new class
of gas sensors based on the unique and intricate three-dimensional
(3-D) shells produced by microscopic creatures known as diatoms.
Super small
nanoelectrodes can probe microscale environments
Investigating the composition and behavior of microscale environments,
including those within living cells, could become easier and more
precise with nanoelectrodes being developed at the University of
Illinois.
MIT
particles pave way for new bedside diagnostics
Researchers have created an inexpensive method to screen for millions
of different biomolecules (DNA, proteins, etc.) in a single sample-a
technology that could make possible the development of low-cost
clinical bedside diagnostics.
Protein sciences
- A novel assay allows simultaneous detection of individual proteins
and their interactions in living cells.
Unlocking the secrets
of high-temperature superconductors
Understanding the mechanism of superconductivity may one day help
scientists design superconductors able to function closer to room
temperature for applications such as more-efficient power
transmission.
At a depth of 2900 kilometres, the layer between
the Earth's mantle and its core has always intrigued geophysicists
because they are unable to explain the seismic data it generates.
Researchers have studied its deformation which influences convection
movements within the mantle or even those by tectonic plates ...
Finding could have medical, commercial applications.
Antifreeze or ice structuring proteins found in
some fish, insects, plants, fungi and bacteria attach to the surface
of ice crystals to inhibit their growth and keep the host organism
from freezing to death. Scientists have been puzzled, however, about
why some ice structuring proteins, such as those found in the spruce
budworm, are more active than others.
New nanoscale
engineering breakthrough points to hydrogen-powered vehicles
Researchers have developed an advanced concept in nanoscale catalyst
engineering a combination of experiments and simulations that will
bring polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for hydrogen-powered
vehicles closer to massive commercialization.
The first urine test to detect insulin doping in
athletes
Scientists in Germany are reporting development of
a urine test that finally can identify athletes who misuse certain
kinds of insulin in an illicit attempt to enhance performance.
Mario Thevis and colleagues say that amateur and
elite athletes reportedly have used long-acting, as well as
rapid-acting, forms of insulin to gain an edge - although insulin
dopings actual ability to enhance performance remains uncertain.
Their article, scheduled for the April 1 edition of
ACS Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal, states that
scientists had not attempted to develop such a test in the past
because of the presumption that it was impossible to detect insulins
degradation products, the compounds formed as the body breaks down
insulin.
Using urine samples from volunteers, including
athletes with diabetes, the scientists were able to identify
degradation products from Lantus insulin, one commonly used form of
insulin. The test could not identify surreptitious use of two other
forms of long-duration insulin, but the study uncovered clues that
toward that goal. Determination of long-acting insulin analogues in
urine is of utmost interest for doping control purposes, the study
notes. The developed and validated procedure provides a fast and
reliable way to elucidate the potential misuse of the long-acting
insulin analogue LAN in regular doping control specimens.
Chemists working on tight budgets in developing
countries may be able to substitute extracts of potatoes, celery,
eggplant, carrot, cassava, horseradish or an array of inexpensive and
locally available vegetable products for the costly reagents
traditionally needed for chemical reactions, a new study suggests.
In a review scheduled for the March 23 issue of the
ACS Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication, Geoffrey A.
Cordell at the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues in
Brazil explain that the high cost of imported reagents - substances
used in chemical reactions - is a major problem for such academic,
chemical industry and pharmaceutical laboratories in developing
countries. Their report describes how some of the more than 7,000
vegetable crops grown throughout the world can be used as substitutes
for commercial reagents in laboratory work.
The evaluation of locally available vegetables,
fruits, common plants, and natural waste products for a selection of
standard organic chemical reactions of commercial significance could
prove to be a very valuable economic endeavor, the report notes. It
may well offer new opportunities to expand the role of natural
products as sustainable chemical reagents where high-cost,
nonrenewable reagents are presently used.
Elevated arsenic levels reported in rice grown
in South Central States
The largest market basket survey of the arsenic
content of rice grown in the United States has found elevated levels
of arsenic in rice produced in the South Central part of the country,
scientists report in an article scheduled for the April 1 issue of ACS
Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal. The
University of Aberdeens A. A. Meharg and colleagues did the study,
which involved analyses of rice purchased at U. S. supermarkets. A
previous study found that U. S. rice purchased in the United Kingdom
had higher arsenic levels than rice grown in Europe, India or
Bangladesh.
In the study, researchers compared arsenic levels
in rice from the two main rice-producing areas of the country - the
South Central States and California. They focused on inorganic arsenic,
which the report describes as a known human carcinogen and implicated
in several other diseases. Rice grown in the South Central States had
more arsenic than California rice. Rice in those states often is grown
in old cotton fields that previously were treated with arsenic
pesticides, the study states, adding that arsenic-tolerant strains of
rice often are grown in those fields.
When researchers modeled rice intake, they
concluded that certain population groups could get dietary exposure to
arsenic that exceeds Californias state exposure limits. Those groups
include low-income individuals who consume large amounts or rice as an
inexpensive food; people with celiac disease (who eat rice as part of
a gluten-free diet); Asian-Americans who consume a high-rice diet; and
Hispanic infants and toddlers, who also have a diet high in rice, the
study notes.
Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new
evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin - the natural
compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick - can reduce the
growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of
the ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly
publication.
In the report, Gow-Chin Yen and Chin-Lin Hsu cite
previous research suggesting that obesity can be reduced by preventing
immature fat cells (adipocytes) from developing into mature cells.
Past research also linked capsaicin to a decrease in the amount of fat
tissue and decreased blood-fat levels. With that knowledge, the
researchers tested capsaicins effects on pre-adipocytes and
adipocytes growing in laboratory cultures.
They found that capsaicin prevented pre-adipocytes
from filling with fat and becoming full-fledged fat cells. The effects
occurred at levels just slightly greater than those found in the
stomach fluid of an individual eating a typical Indian or Thai diet,
the researchers noted. Capsaicin worked by providing a biochemical
signal that made fat cells undergo apoptosis, a mechanism in which
cells self-destruct.
Chemical research is thriving in Israel - a tiny
country far away from major scientific centers and surrounded by
hostile neighbors. The country ranks third in the world in research
papers published per million population. Thats just one
characteristic detailed in the profile of science in the Holy Land
based on visits to 30 research groups by Chemical & Engineering News,
ACS weekly newsmagazine.
The odds of developing a successful chemical
research program in such a place and under such circumstances might
seem slim, and the task may seem daunting, reports C&EN senior editor
Mitch Jacoby, who wrote the cover story. Yet Israeli chemists dont
seem particularly fazed by the challenge. Kacha zen baarets, they
say in a matter-of-fact way - Thats just the way things are in
Israel.
In the article, Jacoby draws on interviews with
scientists at institutions throughout Israel to provide a sweeping
view of the kinds of research projects underway in Israel, and the
scientific life in the Holy Land. The article draws contrasts with
science in the West, noting, for instance that young Israeli
scientists begin their careers older, due to mandatory military
service, and work in a culture of usually-small research groups and
modest budgets.
Physicists reveal water's secrets
in journal 'Science'
It's essential to all life, and numerous research papers are published
about it every year. Yet there are still secrets to reveal about water,
that seemingly simple compound we know as H2O.
Computer-designed molecule
to clean up fluorocarbons?
In a powerful demonstration of the relatively new field of
computational chemistry, researchers have designed a wholly
theoretical molecule to pull the fluorine out of fluorocarbons.
Genome sequencing reveals key to
viable ethanol production
As the national push for alternative energy sources heats up,
researchers have for the first time identified how genes responsible
for biomass breakdown are turned on in a microorganism that produces
valuable ethanol from materials like grass and cornstalks.
Wanted: Research work
in chemoinformatics by young scientists
German-American prize "CINF Scholarship for Scientific Excellence" is
designed to reward outstanding research of young scientists and to
foster their contribution to chemical information.
Dubbed
'nano-piezotronics'
Researchers create new class of electronic components by bending zinc
oxide nanowires.
Fats into jet fuel - NC State
'green' technology licensed
New biofuels technology has the potential to turn virtually any fat
source vegetable oils, oils from animal fat and even oils from algae
into fuel to power jet airplanes.
February 2007
New insights into
high-temperature superconductors
Scientists have discovered that two different physical parameters -
pressure and the substitution of different isotopes of oxygen (isotopes
are different forms of an element) - have a similar effect on
electronic properties of mysterious materials called high-temperature
superconductors.
Already recognized as a source of healthful
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, coffee also contains
significantly higher levels of soluble dietary fiber than other
commonly consumed beverages, scientists in Spain report. Their study
is scheduled for publication in the March 21 issue of ACS' Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a biweekly journal.
Fulgencio Saura-Calixto and M. Elena Diaz-Rubio
point out that coffee is a complex chemical mixture that reportedly
contains more than 1,000 different compounds, some of which have been
linked to good and bad effects on human health. Scientists have known
that coffee beans are rich in soluble dietary fiber (SDF) that can
pass into brewed coffee, the researchers added, noting, however, that
little research has been done on the topic.
In the new study, researchers used a special
technique for measuring dietary fiber in beverages to show that brewed
coffee contains a significant amount of SDF 02.5 percent to 20.0
percent by weight of powdered coffee bean. "The dietary fiber content
in brewed coffee is higher than in other common beverages such as wine
or orange juice," the study states.
The findings mean that consumption of 1 cup (about
200 milliliters) of coffee per day represents a contribution of up to
1.8 grams of the recommended intake of 20-38 grams of this essential
nutrient, the researchers noted.
Toward tapping the potential of "stranded"
natural gas
Newly discovered chemical catalysts may be an
answer to the century-long search for economical ways of using natural
gas now burned or "flared" as waste in huge quantities, scientists in
the United States and Germany report. Their study is scheduled for the
March 7 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a
weekly publication.
Johannes A. Lercher and colleagues at the Technical
University of Munich and Dow Chemical Company explain that 30 percent
to 60 percent of the world's natural gas is classified as "stranded,"
meaning that it cannot be used locally or transported economically to
other markets. When produced in the course of pumping crude oil, such
gas is vented to the atmosphere or burned at the wellhead.
That wasted natural gas is mainly methane, a
compound in great demand as a chemical feedstock, a basic raw material
for making chemicals that are subsequently used to make hundreds of
medical, commercial and industrial products. No practical technology
has been available, however, for using the methane in natural gas as a
chemical feedstock. The new study describes research on
lanthanum-based catalysts that convert methane into a compound that
would be an ideal chemical feedstock.
Transforming "yellow grease" into therapeutic
cosmetics
Waste cooking oil from restaurant deep fryers could
become a much-sought inexpensive raw material for producing unusual
biosurfactants with uses ranging from therapeutic cosmetics that
regenerate damaged skin to controlling algae blooms in lakes and ponds,
according to researchers in New York.
In a report scheduled for the April 9 issue of the
ACS bimonthly journal Biotechnology Progress, Vishal Shah and
colleagues estimate that restaurants in the United States generate
about 25 billion gallons of waste cooking oil each week. The waste oil,
marketed as "yellow grease," long has been used in animal feed, with
researchers exploring new applications such as biodiesel fuel.
"We have successfully demonstrated the use of
restaurant waste oil as a potential low-cost lipid feedstock for
sophorolipid production," the report states. "This method of waste oil
disposal has the advantage of producing a value-added commercially
viable byproduct." Sophorolipids have a range of applications,
including naturally derived ingredients in therapeutic cosmetics;
germicidal solutions for washing fruits and vegetables; and anti-algal
agents for environmental cleanups, the report notes.
Toward powerful new anticancer drugs with new
ways of targeting tumors
The search for new anticancer drugs has led
scientists in Pittsburgh to synthesize a compound that works in a
different way than existing agents and is so potent that minute levels
of 10 parts per trillion block the growth of tumor cells in laboratory
experiments. Kazunori Koide and colleagues describe the compound as
one of the most potent of all anticancer agents in a report scheduled
for the March 7 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The parent compound, FR901464, inhibited the growth
of cancer cells implanted into laboratory mice. Because of structural
similarity between FR901464 and their analogue, called meayamycin, the
Koide group is cautiously optimistic that meayamycin also will be
effective against tumors in mice. The amount that the Koide employed
against cancer cells is equivalent to 10 seconds in 32,000 years or
one packet of sugar (5 grams) in a coffee cup the size of 400
Olympic-size pools.
In the article, researchers explain that existing
chemotherapy medications work by targeting only a handful of
vulnerable spots in a tumor, such as the DNA or hormone receptors.
That limited range of targets has led scientists to seek new
generations of medications that work in different ways.
A new family of potential anti-cancer drugs is
quietly causing excitement in the pharmaceutical industry as early
data from clinical trials shows promising responses in patients,
according to an article scheduled for the Feb. 26 issue of Chemical &
Engineering News (C&EN), the ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
In the article, C&EN associate editor Lisa Jarvis
explains that the new compounds may circumvent the long-standing
problem of drug resistance, in which anti-cancer drugs gradually loose
their effectiveness. The drugs focus on a new target in the war
against cancer a substance called heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90).
Heat shock proteins are most active when the cell is exposed to
elevated temperatures, infection, inflammation, toxins and other
stresses that can cause a protein to unfold. Like housekeepers, heat
shock proteins help those proteins including mutated, cancer-causing
proteins get back into their proper shape.
When Hsp90's effects are blocked in cancer cells,
those cancer-causing proteins cannot survive, potentially stopping the
disease in its track. When Hsp90's effects are blocked in cancer cells,
damaged proteins accumulate, and the cell dies. Jarvis explains that
cancer cells, with their horribly mutated proteins, seem to be
especially dependent on Hsp90, and more vulnerable than other body
cells when Hsp90's effects are blocked. The article describes how new
discoveries have changed heat shock proteins from laboratory
curiosities into some of today's most promising targets for developing
new drugs.
It's well-known that small systems are influenced
by randomness and noise more than large systems. Because of this,
Georgia Tech physicist Uzi Landman reasoned that modifying the
Navier-Stokes equations to include stochastic elements that is give
the probability that an event will occur would allow them to
accurately describe the behavior of liquids in the nanoscale regime
...
The mysterious case of
Columbus's silver ore
Silver-bearing ore found at the settlement founded by Christopher
Columbus's second expedition was not mined in the Americas, new
research reveals.
Under pressure, vanadium won't
turn down the volume
Scientists have discovered a new type of phase transition - a change
from one form to another - in vanadium, a metal that is commonly added
to steel to make it harder and more durable.
A new process for
making much-sought iron nanospheres
Using a process that creates bubbles as hot as the
surface of the sun, chemists are reporting development of a new method
for making hollow hematite (iron oxide) nanospheres. The University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Kenneth S. Suslick and Jin Ho Bang
describe the synthesis of these iron nanoparticles in a report
scheduled for the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of the American
Chemical Society, a weekly publication.
Hollow nanospheres of metals and other inorganic
materials are generating great interest because of their unusual
properties and potential applications in drug delivery, electronic
components, catalysts and other products. "We believe that this
procedure will be easily extended to prepare other hollow inorganic
materials," the researchers note. In the past, production of hollow
hematite nanospheres required a time-consuming process and use of
toxic hydrofluoric acid.
The new process uses sonochemistry, in which
high-frequency sound waves are focused into a solution containing an
iron compound and carbon nanoparticles. Those sound waves create tiny
bubbles in the liquid. The collapse of those bubbles causes intense
local heating with temperatures estimated at 9,000 F, which is nearly
as hot as the surface of the sun. The sonochemical process forms iron
spheres around the carbon nanoparticles. On exposure to air, the iron
rapidly oxidizes, which burns away the carbon core, leaving hematite
spheres one thousandth the diameter of a red blood cell.
Recipe for healthy
garlic: Crush before cooking
"Stop and smell the garlic - that's all you have to
do," advised William Shatner, whose starring roles ranged from Captain
Kirk in Star Trek to himself in Iron Chef USA. New scientific research
is editing Shatner's advice for the millions of people seeking
garlic's fabulous flavor and its reputed health benefits. Make it read:
Stop and crush the garlic.
Claudio R. Galmarini and colleagues in Argentina
and the United States are reporting new evidence that crushing garlic
before cooking can reduce the loss of garlic's healthful properties.
In a report scheduled for the March 7 edition of ACS' Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication, they note
that many past studies of garlic and health used raw garlic. The new
study joins a handful or others to examine how the heat of cooking
affects the chemical compounds associated with garlic's beneficial
health effects.
The researchers found that even a few minutes of
cooking reduces levels of those compounds. The reduction is steepest
in whole garlic, and less pronounced in garlic that has been crushed
before cooking. Crushing or chopping garlic releases an enzyme,
alliinase, that catalyzes the formation of allicin, which then breaks
down to form a variety of healthful organosulfur compounds. The
researchers believe that crushing garlic before cooking may allow
alliinase to work before cooking inactivates the enzyme. Their report
notes that allowing crushed garlic to stand for 10 minutes before
cooking may further enhance formation of those compounds before heat
inactivates alliinase.
With megatons of obsolete personal computers, old
cell phones and other waste electrical and electronic equipment piling
up every year, scientists in China report development of a much-needed
new recycling and recovery technology for one of the most troublesome
components of e-waste - printed circuit boards (PCBs).
In a report scheduled for the Feb. 15 edition of
ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal,
Zhenming Xu and colleagues point out that PCBs are an ideal target for
recycling and reuse. PCBs are self-contained modules of interconnected
electronic components formed by a thin layer of conducting material
deposited, or "printed," on the surface of an insulating board. They
contain materials potentially toxic if released to the environment.
However, PCBs also are a rich potential source of valuable metals and
other materials that could be recovered and reused.
The researchers describe tests of their process on
almost a half-ton of scrap PCBs, which showed that it is efficient and
environmentally friendly. The technology involves special crushing of
scrap PCBs, followed by separation of the metallic and non-metallic
materials with an electric field. The technique has advantages over
other methods proposed for recycling PCBs, the researchers indicate.
DNA, perhaps the oldest data storage medium, could
become the newest as scientists report progress toward using DNA to
store text, images, music and other digital data inside the genomes of
living organisms. In a report scheduled for the April 9 issue of ACS'
Biotechnology Progress, a bi-monthly journal, Masaru Tomita and
colleagues in Japan point out that DNA has been attracting attention
as perhaps the ultimate in permanent data storage.
Data encoded in an organism's DNA, and inherited by
each new generation, could be safely archived for hundreds of
thousands of years, the researchers state. In contrast, CD-ROMs, flash
memory and hard disk drives can easily fall victim to accidents or
natural disasters.
In their report, the researchers describe a method
for copying and pasting data, encoded as artificial DNA, into the
genome of Bacillus subtilis, (B. subtilis) a common soil bacterium, "thus
acquiring versatile data storage and the robustness of data
inheritance." The researchers demonstrated the method by using a
strain of B. subtilis to store the message: "E=MC2 1905!" Albert
Einstein's famous 1905 energy-mass equivalence equation.
"We suggest that this simple, flexible and robust
method offers a practical solution to data storage and retrieval
challenges in combination with other, previously published techniques,"
the report states.
High-quality helium
crystals show supersolid behavior
High-quality, single-crystal, ultra-cold solid helium exhibits
supersolid behavior, suggesting that this frictionless solid flow is
not a consequence of defects and grain boundaries in poor-quality,
polycrystalline, solid helium, according to a team of Penn State
researchers.
Disorder may be in order for
'spintronic' devices
Physicists are using ultrashort pulses of laser light to reveal
precisely why some electrons, like ballet dancers, hold their spin
positions better than others ...
Strain has
major effect on high-temp superconductors
Just a little mechanical strain can cause a large drop in the maximum
current carried by high-temperature superconductors, according to
novel measurements carried out by NIST ...
It's not easy being
green
Ethanol production requires careful management for maximum
environmental benefits.
Successful development of
prototype assays
International medical diagnostics company Panbio Limited today
announced that it had developed two prototype immunoassays using their
proprietary panDA Homogeneous Assay technology.
Research confirms
Renaissance painting
Scientific analyses of paint from a Madonna and Child painting have
supported the attribution of the work to the Renaissance period.
Changing gold
Gold is more unstable than thought ...
Psychologist explains the
neurochemistry behind romance
The Beatles' George Harrison wondered in his famous love song about
the "something" that "attracts me like no other lover." A University
at Buffalo expert explains that that "something" is actually several
physical elements that ...
Max
Planck researchers incorporate odorant receptors into artificial
membranes.
An artificial nose could be a real
benefit at times: this kind of biosensor could sniff out poisons,
explosives or drugs, for instance. Researchers at the Max Planck
Institute for Polymer Research and the Max Planck Institute of
Biochemistry recently revealed a technique for integrating membrane
proteins into artificial structures. Membrane proteins have several
important functions in the cell, one of which is to act as receptors,
passing on signals from molecules in the air, for example, to the cell
interior ...
ACS News:
Biomacromolecules:
"The Future of Microbial Cellulose in Biomedical Applications"
Biotechnology's next high-value product could be
microbial cellulose, a form of cellulose produced naturally by
bacteria that already has found some successful applications in
medicine, according to an article in the current issue of ACS'
Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal.
In their review of worldwide research on microbial
cellulose, the University of Texas' R. Malcolm Brown Jr. and
colleagues in Poland explain that it is chemically identical to the
more-familiar plant cellulose, source of paper and other commercial
products. However, cellulose produced by the bacterium Acetobacter
xylinum has a unique nanostructure of fibers that make it ideal as a
dressing to speed wound healing and for a range of other biomedical
applications.
Microbial cellulose already has been used
successfully in patients with severe burns, for instance, and as a
replacement for small-diameter blood vessels, the scientists point
out. Based on the review, they conclude that microbial cellulose is
poised for use in a wide variety of medical devices and consumer
products as soon as scientists develop a method to mass produce the
material.
In an advance in microfabrication technology,
scientists report development of a new method for rapidly engineering
complex micro-scale patterns and three-dimensional microstructures
from biocompatible protein.
Jason B. Shear and Bryan Kaehr describe using the
laser technique to fabricate detailed shapes such as the silhouette
of a housefly and the State of Texas by condensing (or crosslinking)
proteins in solution into a solid matrix. Their study is scheduled for
the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a
weekly publication. The researchers also used the process to fabricate
minute 3-D structures, including 1- and 2-story microcontainers that
were used to trap, incubate and grow as few as a single living
bacterium into colonies. Such traps could have a variety of uses,
including studying the formation of biofilms, which are the source of
human health concerns.
The technique, mask-directed multiphoton
lithography, is modeled after the photolithography processes widely
used to transfer electronic circuits onto a semiconductor wafer by
projecting light through a pattern or "mask." However, the new method
uses a special laser to scan objects or patterns printed on
transparency film with an ordinary desktop printer. The silhouette
ultimately is refocused into the protein solution using the objective
lens of a microscope. Because protein molecules must be extremely
close to the laser focus to undergo crosslinking into solid material,
this method allows structures to be created with complex 3-D shapes.
The process takes only minutes, researchers report.
New potential health benefit of olive oil for
peptic ulcer disease
Already fabled for an array of health benefits,
extra virgin olive oil a centerpiece of the Mediterranean Diet may
have a new role in helping to prevent and treat Helicobacter pylori
(H. pylori) infections, which cause millions of cases of gastritis and
peptic ulcer disease each year, researchers in Spain report.
Manuel Brenes and colleagues cite past studies
showing that green tea, cranberry juice and certain other natural
foods inhibit the growth of H. pylori (which infects the stomach
lining), leading researchers to recommend consumption of those foods.
None of the numerous studies on olive oil, however, has tested its
effects on H. pylori, they note in a study scheduled for the Feb. 21
issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a biweekly
publication.
Brenes and colleagues used laboratory experiments
to demonstrate that under simulated conditions the healthful phenolic
compounds in extra virgin olive oil remain stable in the acidic
environment of the stomach for hours. In laboratory cultures, those
substances had a strong antibacterial effect against eight strains of
H. pylori, including antibiotic-resistant strains.
"These results open the possibility of considering
extra virgin olive oil a chemoprotective agent for peptic ulcer or
gastric cancer, but this bioactivity must be confirmed in vivo in the
future," they conclude.
Toward a three-in-one airport passenger and
baggage security scanner
Scientists in California and Michigan report
development toward a "universal point detection system," a long sought
three-in-one machine that screens airline passengers and baggage for
explosive, chemical and biological threats at the same time. George R.
Farquar and colleagues describe latest tests on the device, which uses
a technology called single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS),
in an article scheduled for the March 15 issue of the ACS' Analytical
Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.
In previous research, the scientists developed and
tested effectiveness of a SPAMS system for the detection of chemical
and biological agents. The new research expands SPAMS' capabilities to
include several kinds of explosives that have been used worldwide in
improvised explosive devices and other terrorist attacks.
The study concludes that SPAMS has the potential to
detect the presence of explosives even if only one dust-speck-sized
particle weighing one trillionth of a gram, (one gram is
one-twenty-eighth of an ounce), is present on an individual's clothing
or baggage. "SPAMS is a sensitive, specific, reliable option for
airport and baggage screening," the report states. "The ability of the
SPAMS system to determine the identity of a single particle is a
valuable asset when the target analyte is dangerous in small
quantities or has no legal reason for being present in an environment."
Physicists set
'speed limit' for future superconducting magnet
A research team has identified a high-temperature superconductor -
Bi-2212 - as a material that might be suitable for the new wires
needed to one day build the most powerful superconducting magnet in
the world, a 30 Tesla magnet.
Loss of a universal tRNA feature
reported
Scientists report in the Journal of Bacteriology that two
alphaproteobacteria lack the universal extra guanylate nucleotide
typically found in the transfer RNA molecule tRNAHis ...
JILA measurements
recast usual view of elusive force
Physicists have demonstrated that the warmer a surface is, the
stronger its subtle ability to attract nearby atoms, a finding that
could affect the design of devices that rely on small-scale
interactions, such as atom chips, nanomachines, and
microelectromechanical systems.
Researchers have constructed a protein out of amino
acids not found in natural proteins, discovering that they can form a
complex, stable structure closely resembling a natural protein. Their
findings could help scientists design drugs that look and act like
real proteins but won't be degraded by enzymes or targeted by the
immune system, as natural proteins are.
The
researchers, led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) professor
Alanna Schepartz, report their findings in the February 14, 2007,
issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, published in
advance online on January 19, 2007...
Navigable
nanotransport
Direct synthesis of hollow nanoscopic spheres with tailored surfaces.
Universe contains more calcium
than expected
This conclusion was drawn by astronomers of the SRON Netherlands
Institute for Space Research, after observations with ESA's XMM-Newton
X-ray observatory.
University of
Delaware engineers receive grant for energy research
Researchers at the University of Delaware have received a $960,000
grant to identify low-cost, nano-sized catalysts - tiny amounts of
metal compounds - that can spur the chemical conversion of liquid
fuels into hydrogen for powering cars to heating homes.
Microprinting technique for patterning single molecules - A
new process for creating patterns of individual molecules on a surface
combines control of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and a
soft-lithography technique known as microcontact printing.
ACS News:
Tangerine Tomato
"Carotenoid Absorption in Humans Consuming Tomato Sauces Obtained from
Tangerine or High-beta-Carotene Varieties of Tomatoes"
Research involving tomato sauce made from an
heirloom tomato variety named the tangerine tomato has established
that a specific chemical form of lycopene is more effective in
increasing the levels of this much-heralded antioxidant in people's
blood. Ohio State University's Steven J. Schwartz and colleagues point
out that many deeply colored vegetables and fruits are rich in
lycopene, a carotenoid linked to health benefits. However, not all of
the lycopene is bioavailable - able to be absorbed into the blood
after consumption, they note in a report scheduled for the Feb. 7
issue of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a
bi-weekly journal.
Red tomatoes, for instance, are very rich in
lycopene, but it is the so-called trans isomer, a chemical form
different from the cis isomer, that people absorb more efficiently
into the body. In their experiments, researchers fed volunteers tomato
sauce made from tangerine tomatoes, which have a bright orange color
and more of the cis lycopene isomer. Volunteers also ate tomato sauce
made from a different tomato variety especially rich in another
carotenoid, beta-carotene.
Volunteers absorbed large amounts of both
carotenoids. The researchers concluded that tomato sauce and other
tomato products made from such varieties of tomatoes could provide a
way to increase the bioavailability of carotenoids in the diet.
Tangerine Tomato
"A Simple Class of Photorheological Fluids: Surfactant Solutions with
Viscosity Tunable by Light"
In a discovery that may speed commercial and
industrial uses of a third family of "smart fluids," scientists in
Maryland are reporting development of new photorheological (PR) fluids
that can be made simply and inexpensively. Srinivasa R. Raghavan and
his students point out that electrorheological (ER) fluids and
magnetoreheological (MR) fluids have found wide application in devices
ranging from automobile shock absorbers and brakes to damping
technology to help stabilize buildings against earthquakes.
ER and MR fluids change instantly and reversibly
from a free-flowing liquid to a semi-solid with controllable strength
in response to an electric or magnetic field, respectively. PR fluids
are designed to accomplish the same feat using light as the trigger.
They are not widely used, however, either in the lab or in industry
because they are difficult and expensive to make, the researchers
report in an article scheduled for the Feb. 21 issue of the Journal of
the American Chemical Society.
The new PR fluids, in contrast, are based on
simple, inexpensive chemicals available in most labs, say the
researchers, who envision PR fluids as a technology that could enable
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Those much-discussed devices
would integrate mechanical elements, sensors, actuators and
electronics on chips that could revolutionize many different products.
Subsurface oil from 1989 Alaska spill may
persist for decades
Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill persists in an
only slightly weathered form below the surface at some beaches along
the Gulf of Alaska after 16 years and may persist for decades,
researchers have concluded in a new report. It is scheduled for
publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the ACS' Environmental Science &
Technology, a semi-monthly journal.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's Jeffrey W. Short and colleagues analyzed subsurface
oil at 10 beaches, selected at random from among oil-contaminated
areas included in their 2001 and 2005 studies. Earlier research
demonstrated that buried oil could retain toxic components for years
if buried in anoxic (oxygen-depleted) sediments where little
decomposition from weathering occurs. The new study identified a
different mechanism in which oil can be preserved in sediments that do
contain oxygen. The oil persists because it exists in a thick,
emulsified form sometimes termed "oil mousse" that resists weathering.
"Such persistence can pose a contact hazard to
inter-tidally foraging sea otters, sea ducks, and shorebirds, create a
chronic source of low-level contamination, discourage subsistence in a
region where use is heavy and degrade the wilderness character of
protected lands," the researchers conclude.
Amid growing excitement about experimental
superlenses that are "near-sighted," researchers in California are
reporting successful demonstration of a new "far-sighted" superlens
with important potential scientific and industrial applications. Xiang
Zhang and colleagues describe their far-field optical superlens (FSL)
in an article scheduled for the Feb. 14 issue of the ACS' Nano Letters,
a monthly journal.
"The far-field superlens optical imaging has great
potential for many exciting applications in optical imaging,
electronics manufacturing and biomedical sensing," the researchers
report.
Lenses in conventional optical microscopes can
produce images of objects roughly half the size of the wavelength of
the light used to illuminate the object. Superlenses break that
barrier, creating images of objects smaller than the wavelength of
light. For optical microscopes imaging biological samples, that could
mean imaging never-before-seen objects such as individual proteins
traveling along the microtubules that make up a cell's skeleton and
act as superhighways for molecular transport.
Zhang and colleagues point out that existing
superlenses, including one developed by his group in 2005, can form an
image at the near field. The new FSL image more distant objects by
capturing and amplifying "evanescent" light waves that are lost in
traditional lenses.
Electrons travel through
proteins like urban commuters
15 years of studying how electrons make their way through some
important protein molecules can be summed up with an analogy: how do
big city dwellers get from here to there?
Artificial atoms make
microwave photons countable
Using artificial atoms on a chip, Yale physicists have taken the next
step toward quantum computing by demonstrating that the particle
nature of microwave photons can now be detected.
Neutron probe
yields break in superconductor mystery
A major step toward solving a two-decades-old materials science
mystery and progress toward the ultimate goal of engineering materials
optimized for magnetic and electric properties.
Standardized house dust aids
health researchers
Chemists at NIST have created a standardized form of common house dust
to support environmental scientists studying our everyday exposure to
a catalog of potentially hazardous chemicals.
Cloning the smell of
the seaside
Scientists from the University of East Anglia have discovered exactly
what makes the seaside smell like the seaside and bottled it!
MIT develops nanoparticles to
battle cancer
On a quest to modernize cancer treatment and diagnosis, an MIT
professor and her colleagues have created new nanoparticles that mimic
blood platelets ...
Researchers probe health
and safety impacts of nanotechnology
University of Florida engineering student is working on nanotechnology,
but she's not seeking a better sunscreen, tougher golf club or other
product - the focus of many engineers in the field.
Diagnosis by
patterned paper
Reasonably priced, quick and practical: Photoprinted paper supports
simultaneous microscale diagnostic tests.
Nanoengineered concrete
could cut CO2 emissions
While government leaders argue about the practicality of reducing
world emissions of carbon dioxide, scientists and engineers are
seeking ways to make it happen.
Surprising transition observed
when flowing grains become too jam packed to move
Using color-shifting cylinders as substitutes for sand grains or coal
lumps, a team of physicists has pinpointed a critical density level
where granular materials suddenly cease flowing like a liquid and
instead congeal into a state of rigidity.
Scientists in Hong Kong are reporting synthesis and
early laboratory tests of a new nanostructure that they believe may
lead to the design of an anticancer nanomedicine. In a study scheduled
for publication in the Feb. 21 issue of the weekly Journal of the
American Chemical Society, Bing Xu and colleagues describe the
structure as an eggshell nanocrystal.
Like a chickens egg, the structure has an outer
shell that encloses a "yolk" that can be released from the shell. In
their experiments, the researchers used a yolk consisting of iron and
platinum, the metal responsible for the activity of the widely used
chemotherapeutic drug, cisplatin. Cultures of human cancer cells took
up the nanostructures and the nanostructures released their yolks,
which proved to have "exceptionally high toxicity" for the cancer
cells.
"This type of yolk-shell nanostructures may lead to
novel nanomedicine for treating cancers," the researchers state,
describing nanostructures that may be coated with antibodies that
specifically target cancer cells and thus reduce body-wide side
effects that occur with traditional chemotherapeutic drugs.
Smooth as silk. Warm as wool; ... as wheat
gluten. Marketing specialists may be challenged to fill in that blank
in the future, now that scientists in Nebraska report the first
successful production of high-quality fibers from wheat gluten, that
grains major protein. In an article scheduled for the Feb. 12, issue
of ACS Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal, they describe the new
fibers as having mechanical properties similar to wool. Some of the
properties of wheat gluten fibers also are superior to soy protein and
casein materials intended for biomedical applications, the report
states.
Wheat gluten fibers would have a major cost
advantage over both wool and silk, the two existing commercial natural
protein fibers, according to the researchers. While wool sells for
about $5-$8 per pound, and silk for $10-$14 per pound, wheat gluten
fetches less than 50 cents per pound and huge quantities are available
worldwide.
The report describes recent efforts to produce
commercial quantities of fiber from milk, corn, peanut and other
proteins. "Unfortunately, none of these attempts have been
commercially successful to produce 100 percent protein fibers mainly
due to the high cost and poor quality of the fibers," the report adds.
It includes a description of the properties of wheat gluten fibers and
images of fiber strands.
With sale of counterfeit drugs causing major
problems around the world, scientists in the United Kingdom are
reporting development of a new way of identifying fake pills and
capsules without opening the product package. In a report scheduled
for the March 1 issue of ACS Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly
journal, Pavel Matousek and Charlotte Eliasson describe the growing
need for non-invasive verification of the authenticity of
pharmaceutical products.
The report notes, for instance, that large
quantities of counterfeit drugs have been withdrawn from the market in
recent years in the United States and the U. K., with fake
anti-malaria drugs causing a major crisis in eastern Asia.
Verification can be difficult, the researchers explain, because
medications must be analyzed without opening the product package. Once
a drug package is open, the product usually cannot be marketed.
The investigators describe development of a new
form of Raman spectroscopy, a mainstay tool for identifying molecules,
which can probe deep layers of material that are well beyond the reach
of conventional Raman spectroscopy. The method, spatially offset Raman
spectroscopy, can analyze through paper packaging, plastic containers,
capsule shells, and tablet coatings to verify the ingredients in a
pharmaceutical product, the researchers state.
Scientists studying the health benefits of
flavonoids those disease-preventing compounds in fruits, vegetables,
wine, dark chocolate and other foods finally have comprehensive data
on flavonoid levels in foods consumers buy in the United States. The
U. S. Department of Agricultures James M. Harnly and colleagues are
unveiling new flavonoid data collected from the first systematic
sampling of foods designed specifically to characterize flavonoids.
The report appeared in the Jan. 10 issue of the ACS Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
The report notes that interest in the flavonoid
content of foods dates to the early 1980s. Since then, two databases
had been compiled on levels of these compounds in common foods; the
first based on a critical evaluation of flavonoid data in the
literature and the second based on the analysis of proanthocyanidins
found in selected foods. The reported data have been combined with the
literature database.
For the latest report, researchers determined
levels of 20 flavonoids in more than 60 fresh fruits, vegetables and
nuts collected at two different times of the year from commercial
markets in four regions of the United States. Researchers analyzed an
average of five samples for each food. Complete results are included
in the article. They found flavonoid levels that compared well with
the literature database, but the catechins were generally lower in
fruits and nuts than the figures reported in the proanthocyanidin
database. The new study found a high variability in the flavonoid
content of food samples.
Novel laboratory technique nudges
genes into activity
A new technique that employs RNA, a tiny chemical cousin of DNA, to
turn on genes could lead to therapeutics for conditions in which
nudging a gene awake would help alleviate disease.
A boost for hydrogen fuel
cell research
The development of hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles, the ultimate
green dream in transportation energy, is another step closer ...
Chemists report
important step toward building molecular computers
A team of UCLA and California Institute of Technology chemists reports
in the Jan. 25 issue of the journal Nature the successful
demonstration of a large-scale, "ultra-dense" memory device that
stores information using reconfigurable molecular switches.
UIC receives grant to
find new drugs for bipolar disorder
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have been awarded
a three-year $2.1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental
Health to develop a new drug to treat bipolar disorder.
Nano world off the radar
for most
Sunscreens contain nano particles, carbon and titania nanotubes show
promise and nano structures are the rage in engineering schools. While
the proliferation of nano research may signal a mini revolution,
outside the realms of business and science, this insurgency may be no
more than a whisper, according to an international team of researchers.
The search for ways to protect polymer-based medical implants - used
in devices ranging from contact lenses to artificial hearts, as well
as surgical devices and operating room equipment - from bacterial
infections has led scientists in Mississippi to develop a
penicillin-coated version of a key polymer biomaterial ...
Birds use them to reduce the weight of their feathers. Polar bears
rely on them to keep warm in the Arctic cold. Now scientists in China
report what they believe to be the first easy, straightforward method
for making the kind of multi-channel microtubes found in birds, polar
bears and other animals.
Lei Jiang, Xinyu Cao and
Yong Zhao describe the new electrojet spinning technique in an article
scheduled for the Feb. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical
Society, a weekly publication. The advance in biomimic materials - a
field that aims to copy useful features found in nature - could be
used to produce super-lightweight and extraordinarily warm textiles,
multi-component drug deliver devices, highly efficient catalysts and
other commercial products, according to the scientists.
"We have developed a very simple and powerful
multifluidic compound-jet electrospinning technique for fabricating
biomimic multichannel microtubes that have been seldom obtained with
other methods," they note. The researchers used the new spinning
process to make tubes with 2, 3, 4 and 5 separate interior channels.
In addition to offering multiple channels in one tube, the structures
promise to be stronger with other advantages over single-channel
microtubes, the report indicates.
New drugs awaiting discovery in Chinese herbs?
The first large-scale computer screenings of Chinese herbs - commonly
used in traditional Chinese medicine - has revealed a wide variety of
compounds with potential for use in treating HIV/AIDS, cancer,
Alzheimer's Disease, arthritis and other diseases, according to
scientists in London.
In an article scheduled for
the March 26 issue of the ACS' Journal of Chemical Information and
Modeling, a bi-monthly publication, David J. Barlow and colleagues
note that such in silico research is becoming increasingly effective
in identifying promising compounds that could be candidates for drug
development. In silico ("in silicon") means research done on computers
or via computer simulation and has joined the in vivo and in vitro
experiments traditionally used in the life sciences.
The researchers screened a database of chemical
structures of Chinese herbal constituents from 240 species of plants
for possible activity against various diseases. About 62 percent of
the species were found to contain chemicals with characteristics
required for activity against at least one disease and 53 percent
against two or more diseases. The study also describes corroborative
evidence from the scientific literature that supported many of the
computer predictions. In a companion article in the journal, the
researchers describe the herbal databases.
A new study raises questions about the safety of the growing trend
toward equipping carbon canister protective breathing devices with a
blower device to enable personnel to breathe easier ...
New quartz references
for workplace safety
Chemists at NIST have developed a new set of reference materials that
could contribute to significant improvements in workplace safety
through more accurate measurement of the amount of quartz dust in the
air.
Rotting leaf litter study
could lead to more accurate climate models
Bags of decomposing organic matter have allowed a research team to
produce an elegant and simple set of equations to calculate the
nitrogen released into the soil during decomposition, which in turn
could significantly improve the accuracy of global climate change
models.
New miniaturized
device for lab-on-a-chip separations
Researchers have developed an elegantly simple, miniaturized technique
for rapidly separating minute samples of proteins, amino acids and
other chemical mixtures. A low-cost prototype device can run up to
eight separations simultaneously in a space about the size of a
quarter, highlighting the technique's potential for use in
microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" systems.
A team of researchers from the Hollings Marine
Laboratory in Charleston, S.C., has uncovered a subtle chemical
pathway by which a normally inoffensive algae, Pfiesteria piscicida,
can suddenly start producing a lethal toxin. The discovery, reported
last week in Environmental Science and Technology, could resolve a
long-standing mystery surrounding occasional mass fish kills on the
East Coast.
Prussian Blue for
information storage
In the family of Prussian blue, there is a compound that can act as a
switch: it is not magnetic at the outset, but it can become magnetized
by the effect of light and return to its initial state by heating ...
A new generation of
medicinal products
The team led by Didier Bourissou has managed to develop a novel
synthetic process for materials which significantly increases their
diversity.
Using different experimental techniques, two
separate and independent research groups in collaboration with a team
from the Center for Computational Materials Science (CCMS) at the
Georgia Institute of Technology, have unveiled the size-dependent
evolution of structural and electronic structural motifs of gold
nanoclusters ranging in size from 11 to 24 atoms. The experiments, in
conjunction with the theoretical analysis performed by the Georgia
Tech team, show near perfect agreement pertaining to the cluster
structures occurring in the experiments.
New
Function of Cardiac Sodium Pump
Scientists at the Max Delbrόck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)
Berlin-Buch have discovered a new function of the sodium pump.
Destructive Enzyme Shows A
Benevolent Side
New research shows that a recently discovered enzyme that destroys the
messenger RNA (mRNA) for some proteins can also help to protect the
mRNA during times of stress.
ACS News:
Mixing it up with E. coli Poetry in motion may seem like an odd way to describe swimming
bacteria, but that's what researchers at Drexel University got when
they enlisted Escherichia coli (E. coli) in an effort to tackle a
major problem in developing lab-on-a-chip technology ...
Closing a loophole in the RNA World Hypothesis
New scientific research may close a major loophole in the RNA world
hypothesis, the idea that ribonucleic acid - not the fabled DNA that
makes up genes in people and other animals - was the key to life's
emergence on Earth 4.6 billion years ago. That hypothesis states that
RNA catalyzed all the biochemical reactions necessary to produce
living organisms. Only later were those self-replicating RNA units
joined by organisms based on DNA, which evolved into more advanced
forms of life ...
Uncovering a new reason why patients respond differently to the same
drug dose Why does the standard dose of certain medications prove
dangerously high for some patients and too low to produce beneficial
effects in others? Scientists have added a previously unrecognized
factor to the list of explanations (such as age, gender, diet and
genetics) for this common problem of individual variability in
response to drugs ...
An ingenious new delivery system for antioxidant SOD
Scientists in Georgia are reporting successful lab tests of new
polymer microparticles that show promise as a long-sought way to
deliver drugs directly into the cell structures responsible for
inflammation. Those immune system structures, macrophages, devour and
destroy foreign substances such as invading bacteria and cellular
debris. However, they also release so-called reactive oxygen species
that help cause arthritis, acute liver failure and other inflammatory
diseases ...
Spanish scientists reveal
dynamic map of proteins
Scientists have published a provisional atlas of the dynamic
behaviour of proteins in the prestigious scientific journal,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
New study sheds light on 'dark
states' in DNA
Chemists at Ohio State University have probed an unusual high-energy
state produced in single nucleotides - the building blocks of DNA and
RNA - when they absorb ultraviolet (UV) light.
New wires could create better nanotube
interconnects and devices
A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute has created hybrid structures that combine the best
properties of carbon nanotubes and metal nanowires.
Turning green gunk to
gold, anti-cancer gold
Combining synthetic chemistry techniques with a knowledge of the
properties and actions of enzymes, scientists have been able to
produce an exciting class of anti-cancer drugs originally isolated
from blue-green algae.
ACS News:
The first molecular keypad lock How can defense or intelligence agencies safeguard the security of
top-secret data protected by a computation device the size of a single
molecule?
Inhalation of golf course pesticides in northeast poses "minimal"
health risk
When golfers in the northeastern United States dream of returning to
those greens and fairways next spring, they can have some reassurance
that inhaling pesticides applied to the turf does not pose a serious
human health threat, a new study suggests.
A New Family of Lead-Free Optical Glasses
With environmental regulations forbidding the use of lead in consumer
products, scientists in Canada have developed, synthesized and tested
a new family of special optical glasses that contain no lead but
perform like traditional lead-based optical glass.
Joining forces
Weizmann Institute scientists use peptides and lipopeptides to fight
bacteria
-
Subject category: Chemistry news archive 2007
-
The author- or copyrights of the listed Internet pages
are held by the respective authors or site operators, who are also responsible
for the content of the presentations.
-
To add your commercial site to this index use
the advertising order
form. To suggest a non-profit site (scientific information)
use the add-url-form.
