News July 2009
Agilent swoops on Varian
31 July 2009
More consolidation hits the instrumentation industry as Agilent snaps up Varian for $1.5 billion (£900 million)
Writing channels into a porous matrix
31 July 2009
Researchers have used a laser to write a hydrophilic pathway into a 3D hydrophobic matrix
Pharma supplier accused of multi-million pound fraud
31 July 2009
South African pharmaceutical ingredient supplier accused of a £1.2 billion investment fraud
Nanoparticles take on terrorism
31 July 2009
Chinese scientists have used sunlight and DNA to make bimetallic nanoparticles that can detect tiny amounts of explosives
Smoothing out plasmonic surfaces
30 July 2009
Researchers have found a way to make smooth, patterned metal films that could be used in devices that manipulate electromagnetic waves called plasmons
Water linked to mantle oxidation
30 July 2009
Scientists have analysed minuscule samples of magma and found a direct link between water content and oxidation state
Watching cancer cells spread
30 July 2009
Unexpected results challenge established beliefs about metastasis
Chemicals sector struggles in recession
29 July 2009
As chemical plants fall victim to the economic crisis, what will be left of the chemicals sector when the upturn comes?
Instant insight: Holography speaks volumes
29 July 2009
Søren Hvilsted and colleagues explain how holograms could be the key to storing increasing amounts of information
ERC not up to scratch
28 July 2009
Two-year review highlights fundamental operational problems within the European Research Council
DNA to direct and switch off chemo
28 July 2009
Researchers in the US have used DNA strands to target chemotherapy and switch it off if unwanted side effects appear
Jelly component sparks innovation for tissue repair
28 July 2009
A food additive is finding an alternative use in hydrogels for tissue engineering
Corn waste converted to chemicals
28 July 2009
Biofuel waste could be turned into building blocks for industrial chemicals
Sticky nanotubes detect bacteria in seconds
27 July 2009
Clever nanotubes promise to make spotting bacterial infections as easy as testing for pH
Peer review by live blogging
27 July 2009
A controversial paper suggesting a strong reducing agent can promote oxidation was rapidly tested in the blogosphere
Pharma's shot in the arm?
24 July 2009
Swine flu may be causing suffering around the world, but pharma firms seem to be profiting from the pandemic
Prenatal exposure to urban pollutants lowers IQ
24 July 2009
Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can reduce a child's IQ by over 4 points
Chiral isotropic liquids from achiral molecules
24 July 2009
Liquid crystal phase molecules without 'handedness' form chiral structures that spontaneously separate into left- and right-handed domains
Ice gels take the heat
24 July 2009
Scientists have made a non-toxic scaffold for stem cell tissue engineering
Nanotube growth caught on camera
23 July 2009
Scientists provide proof that nanotubes rotate as they grow
Labelled ligands put nanoelectronics on track
23 July 2009
Scientists study self-assembly of fluorine-tagged nanoparticles
Signs of water on Enceladus
22 July 2009
Ammonia and organic compounds in icy plumes on one of Saturn's moons provide strong evidence for the existence of liquid water beneath the surface
New drug turns Alzheimer's theory on its head
22 July 2009
An antihistamine that improves Alzheimer's symptoms has raised questions about our understanding of the disease
Degrees of freedom
21 July 2009
Climate change is high on the agenda and the burden lies heavily on scientists to find new solutions, but do researchers have the support they need?
Nobel winners call for energy R&D funding
21 July 2009
Nobel Prize winners urge US president to provide increased, stable funding for clean energy alternatives
Fuel cell catalysts go sub-nano
20 July 2009
12-atom catalyst particles could help relieve pressure on platinum reserves
Researchers form first liquid protein
20 July 2009
Chemists in the UK have figured out how to convert pure proteins into a liquid state, without any solvent
Buckling down to make microgears
20 July 2009
Thin films can buckle round curved substrates to form gears for micromachines
No scars with healing nanosheet
17 July 2009
Researchers create biodegradable nanosheets to seal up incisions and reduce scarring after surgery
Window opened on nanodot domain state formation
17 July 2009
Scientists have directly observed how domain states form in nanometre-scale ferroelectric crystals for the first time
Instant insight: The organic chemist's toolbox
17 July 2009
Karl Anker Jørgensen and Søren Bertelsen from Aarhus University, Denmark, talk about impressive achievements in organocatalysis
New DNA technique sheds light on ancient populations
16 July 2009
Neanderthal genomes sequenced using new technique that is faster, cheaper and less wasteful
Strange vibrations
16 July 2009
Far from increasing chemical reactivity, vibrating chemical bonds can in some cases prevent a reaction, Taiwanese researchers discover
Sound waves speed up sexual assault testing
16 July 2009
New analytical process uses acoustics to speed up separation of male and female DNA in forensic samples
Nanoparticles show 'inverse photoconductance'
16 July 2009
The first materials to become less conductive when exposed to light have been created by researchers
Nano-earthquake to shake up drug screening
16 July 2009
A thumbnail-sized chip is mimicking the turbulent conditions a drug experiences on its journey through the body
Exxon and Venter to create fuel of the future
15 July 2009
US oil giant ExxonMobil is investing millions in developing biofuels from photosynthetic algae
Interview: Understanding the fundamentals
15 July 2009
Morris Robins talks to Kathleen Too about turning crystalline sugars black, discovering Epivir and Cladribine and his new career in farming
Multicomponent reactions step up a gear
14 July 2009
Chemists have combined three different multicomponent reactions in a single step to form nine new bonds
Synthetic peptide 'cures' obesity
14 July 2009
'Two-in-one' peptide hormone mimic causes dramatic weight loss in obese mice
Superhydrophobicity saves scalding
14 July 2009
Clothes could repel hot water with a Teflon-carbon nanotube composite coating
Instant insight: True blue flowers
14 July 2009
What makes a purple pigment blue? The answer could lead to the elusive blue rose says Kumi Yoshida
Getting a look at water wires
13 July 2009
Indian researchers put single file water molecules under the microscope
Interview: The beauty of molecules
13 July 2009
Omar Yaghi is trying to solve the clean energy problem. Elizabeth Davies investigates
Interview: Talking stem cells
13 July 2009
Blagoy Blagoev on how proteomics could be the key to understanding the unique biological properties of stem cells
Branded drugs' competition-free days numbered
10 July 2009
EU and US authorities look to clamp down on pharma's deals to delay generic drugs
Wider menu for methane-eating microbes
10 July 2009
Marine microbes that oxidise methane for energy may use a wider variety of oxidants than previously thought
The achiral key to life
10 July 2009
High deuterium levels found in meteorites could have been responsible for life on Earth
Researchers form first liquid protein
20 July 2009
Chemists in the UK have figured out how to convert pure proteins into a liquid state, without any solvent
Sterile surfaces in a flash
10 July 2009
Blue dye coatings bring antibacterial benefit for material used in medical devices
Detailed crystal structure raises antibiotic hopes
09 July 2009
High resolution snapshots reveal how bacteria become resistant to quinolone antibiotics
The science of longer lasting lager
09 July 2009
Chemists have designed a polymer that can improve the shelf life of drinks, such as beer
DNA gets nanotubes sorted out
08 July 2009
Short DNA strings separate carbon nanotubes according to their structure
Chemical weapons cleanup
08 July 2009
Researchers have used a hydrogen peroxide-based microemulsion system to safely decontaminate chemical warfare agents
New solution for dye wastewater pollution
08 July 2009
Novel recyclable metal oxide filter removes harmful dyes from wastewater
Click chemistry on a chip
08 July 2009
Over 1000 click chemistry reactions performed at once on a microchip
A structured approach to measles
08 July 2009
Liver compound and measles protein fragment combined for potential vaccine
BASF to cut up to 3700 more jobs
07 July 2009
German chemicals giant reveals plans to cut jobs and plants following its acquisition of Ciba
Where the sun does most damage
07 July 2009
Skin cancer's location on the body depends on the body's distance from the equator
Sulfate-coated soot boosts global warming
06 July 2009
Sulfate and nitrate particles could enhance global warming when combined with soot particles in the atmosphere
Tiny pushes from a distance
06 July 2009
A microelectrode can remotely control the movement of a nanomotor
Paper displays hidden messages
06 July 2009
A sheet of paper turns into a cheap electronic display for point-of-care diagnostics
An alternative to quantum dots
06 July 2009
Yttrium-based bioimaging agents override background fluorescence in tissue
Novel chemical approach to graphene
05 July 2009
New reduction strategy based on NMR data yields purer graphene from graphite oxide
Virtual conference quandary for researchers
03 July 2009
Concern that recording and live streaming of conference presentations could jeopardise later journal publications
Urine turned into hydrogen fuel
02 July 2009
Whizz electrocatalyst frees the hydrogen from 'liquid gold'
Catalysing the fuels of the future
02 July 2009
Virent's biopetroleum catalysis system wins US green chemistry award
Probing protein aggregation
02 July 2009
NMR used to follow Alzheimer's-linked tau protein as it tangles
Tag and modify proteins
02 July 2009
A Nobel Prize-winning reaction for making carbon-carbon double bonds can be applied to proteins
