May 2004
Vol 1, no.5
News and analysis
French researchers hang up their placards
Scientists make peace with the government, but turn on each other.
Lack of new TB drugs, despite urgent requirement
The global pharmaceutical industry has only 22 compounds in development for treating tuberculosis (TB).
Rice straw: come hell or high water
Attempts to turn rice straw, the inedible remains of the rice crop, into a wood substitute are beginning to shed light on a host of properties that might exceed even those of humbl...
Fighting for the ozone layer
At an intergovernmental meeting in Montreal, Canada in March, participants from 114 countries voted to grant limited 'critical use exemptions' to 11 developed countries facing the ...
Termite troubles
Rapid termiticide development fails to stem insect swarm.
Getting personal with biotechnology
Personalised medicine, which promises to prevent, detect and cure diseases by linking the mechanisms and pathways of illnesses to individuals, will become a reality 'in our lifetim...
Cool reception for carbon cuts
Energy company executives are raising renewed concerns over the UK's ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions one year after publication of the government's Energy White Paper.
Voice of the future
The next major challenge facing UK researchers is to persuade society that scientific method should be at the core of scientific debate, and to diminish the influence of minority p...
UK government consults on Reach
Britain's views on EU chemical legislation released.
EU creates united policy to fight fake drugs
Around the world, counterfeit chemicals present a risk to the public.
Bernard Henbest (1924-2004)
Bernard Henbest took up the chair of organic chemistry at Queen's University Belfast in 1958 at the age of 33.
Sir John Pople (1925-2004)
Sir John Pople revolutionised the field of quantum chemistry.
Double beam dream
Researchers at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, UK, are developing what they claim to be the 'most intense laser in the world'.
Vernalis buys back migraine drug
Vernalis, the biotech company formed from the merger of British Biotech and the original Vernalis, has bought back the rights to its migraine drug from Irish biotech firm Elan.
In Brief
Gaussian; AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline; parallel trading of pharmaceuticals
Chemical science
Copycat chemistry disarms bugs
Researchers develop protein copies which make bacteria impotent.
Protein protection for genetic delivery
Microcapsules offer a novel route for DNA-based drugs.
Polychromic plastics: the magic starts here
Chemists open the doors to new applications for colour-changing polymers.
Ironing out rising CO2
Could adding iron to the ocean cut carbon dioxide levels?
Joining forces to understand ozone
Three different groups provide new insight into atmospheric reactions.
A fishy method of analysis
Artificial musks are causing scientists to look to new ways of detecting pollutants.
Capturing nutraceuticals on film
Chitosan carries vitamins and minerals to enrich fruit.
Build your own yeast cell
German researchers piece together biological jigsaw.
Ozone unfolds Alzheimer's mysteries
The brain chemistry of cholesterol metabolites.
Prions show the strain
US researchers suggest that a single protein gives different prion properties.
New sensor detects cholera toxin
Hope for cholera sufferers in developing countries.
Slicking the light fantastic
Using sunlight to remove oil from polluted beaches.
Chemists on a high
Molecular motors enter a new dimension.
Nanotube bolognaise, anyone?
Reinforcing polymers with carbon nanotubes; it's all on the surface.
Picking the bones of drug delivery
Supercritical CO2 offers a novel route to controlled protein release.
Cottoning on to flame resistance
Clay particles help prevent cotton from burning so readily.
Fine tuning cancer-killing molecules
New cancer-beating molecules may be a step closer, thanks to collaboration between chemists and biomedical scientists in Australia.
Physical chemistry helps biology
A new biolabel to help biologists monitor dynamic processes in biological systems is being developed by a team at Utrecht University in The Netherlands.
Technological advance from Nature's design
Letting Nature do the hard work in preparing complex structures for microdevices is looking more likely thanks to a team of materials scientists from Ohio State University and the ...
Nanomaterials to the core
Nanomaterials with a core and a shell made from the same material have been synthesised for the first time.
Microfluidics to help IVF
Microfluidic devices could soon be improving the success of in vitro fertilisation, according to a team of scientists from the universities of Illinois and Wisconsin, US.
Propelling self assembly
A new cage molecule with a unique 'double-propellor' structure and interesting magnetic properties has been prepared in a collaboration between universities.
Back to batteries
Chemists are turning their hand to solving the world's electrical energy crisis.
Recent Features
Vorsprung durch Chemie
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the Royal Society of Chemistry have worked closely together for many years. David Giachardi, chief executive of the RSC, and Wolfram Koch, GD...
Blind faith
People can lose their eyesight for a number of different reasons but there are a few promising treatments on the horizon. Michael Gross looks them up.
It's a fungi old world
Fungi do more than rot fruit and veg: they have a profound role in geochemistry. Simon Hadlington explains.
A life less ordinary
This month Albert Eschenmoser receives the RSC's Barton gold medal. Cath O'Driscoll talks to him about a career spent chasing the mysteries of life.
Prosecuting the polluters
Oil spills and chemical leaks can wreak havoc on the environment, but who is legally responsible for fixing the damage? Maria Burke investigates.
Regulars
Comment: Back to the Bachelor?
Terry Mitchell looks at the problems of implementing the Bologna process.
Flashback
May - 65 years ago; 90 years ago; 100 years ago; 150 years ago; 175 years ago.
The Last Retort: Don't try this at home
One of the more extreme pieces of television from last year came in the form of the BBC documentary Bodysnatchers.
Chemistry World Letters, May 2004
Chemistry World Reviews, May 2004
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