News August 2010
Oyster glue's secret ingredient
31 August 2010
Natural cement produced by oysters contains significantly more inorganic material than the glues of other marine species
Zinc oxide snowflakes
31 August 2010
Zinc oxide nanoparticle formation could provide new insights into how snowflakes form as well as aiding nanoscale device research
Self-healing coatings for steel
31 August 2010
A new type of ultra thin, conducting polymer film for protecting metals has been proposed by researchers in Japan
Bio battery based on cellular power plant
27 August 2010
Mitochondria have been harnessed in a new biological battery device that could one day power small portable devices like mobile phones
Predicting drug response
27 August 2010
A simple fluorescence assay could determine which drugs are best for a patient
A self-optimising microreactor system
26 August 2010
Automated system for optimising reaction conditions in a microreactor will be a boon to chemists, saving on time and reagents, say US researchers
Directed tumour diagnosis and treatment
26 August 2010
Drug delivery system uses pH changes in tumour cells to simultaneously diagnose and treat cancer
Interview: Great expectations
26 August 2010
Zhenan Bao is tipped to be one of the great innovators of the 21st century. She tells us what inspires her to succeed
Antibiotic nanoparticles go for gold
25 August 2010
Chemists develop antimicrobial gold nanoparticles in a simple, one step synthesis using a common antibiotic
Rapid cell extraction using droplets
25 August 2010
An aqueous two-phase microdroplet system that isolates and extracts cells could aid tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research
A better way to add radioactive fluorine
24 August 2010
Radioisotope fluorine-18 built into popular fluorinating agent opens up chemistry
Research fraud costs dear
24 August 2010
New model suggests cost of investigating cases of scientific misconduct could cost millions
Growing magnetic leaves
23 August 2010
Researchers create a magnetic leaf from iron carbide using a natural leaf as a template in a simple one-step process
Microscopic barcodes with extra stirring
23 August 2010
New microparticles label molecules with colourful barcodes and boost reaction time
Plastic oceans
19 August 2010
Despite the rise in plastic production, the amount of debris in the ocean may not be increasing
Deepwater data suggests oil is sticking around
19 August 2010
Chemical analyses of a large plume of petroleum hydrocarbons produced by the spill suggest the oil will persist for a long time
Strain creates rare type of magnet
19 August 2010
An antiferromagnetic material can display ferroelectric and ferromagnetic simultaneously if its crystal lattice is strained
French plough money into green chemistry
18 August 2010
Research into developing green chemical processes to gain €200 million in funds over the next 4 years in France
Photocatalytic production of hydrogen under visible light
18 August 2010
Mixed zinc-cadmium sulfide materials developed by scientists in the US and China efficiently produce hydrogen by splitting water
Wet weather coatings
17 August 2010
Scientists develop a fabric coating that allows water to be transported across the material in a single direction
A MOF you can scoff
17 August 2010
Researchers stumble upon a new type of metal organic framework made from edible natural products
Nanosprings go for gold
16 August 2010
Nanosprings have been made by encasing gold nanowires inside shrinking polymers
Visualising DNA sequences
16 August 2010
Single molecule DNA profiling is a step closer thanks to a novel fluorocode mapping technique
Zooming in on intermolecular bonds
13 August 2010
Researchers capture clear images of intermolecular bonds for the first time using a modified form of scanning tunnelling microscopy
Electrochemical sensor for toxic compound
13 August 2010
A highly efficient and chemically stable hydrazine sensor using carbon modified zinc oxide nanorods has been developed by Chinese scientists
Nanowire-tapping cells
12 August 2010
Nanoscale electronic probes that can enter cells without damaging them have been made by US scientists
Science controversy authors fight on
12 August 2010
Chemistry weaknesses in 'reactome bioarray' work do not undermine its effectiveness, its inventors say
Non-metal-catalysed C-C coupling
11 August 2010
Chemists in China couple aromatic molecules with an organocatalyst and no transition metal
Light-rechargeable batteries
11 August 2010
Chemists develop new molecular system that can both generate and store charge by light
Facelift for FutureGen project
10 August 2010
US flagship clean coal project morphs into repowering programme with $1 billion in economic stimulus funds
Nanoparticles and ultrasound team up to treat tumours
09 August 2010
New treatment uses magnetic nanoparticles and focused ultrasound to get drugs across the blood-brain barrier
Microfinancing to solve academic poverty?
09 August 2010
Could thousands of small donations from the public for specific projects be the way to fund research in these cash-strapped times?
Nanocouriers transport molecular cargo
09 August 2010
Specific pick-up and delivery zones for molecular cargo on a chip could lead to nanoscale assembly lines, say Swiss scientists
No nanotube fertility risk
08 August 2010
A mouse study looking at carbon nanotubes and reproduction suggests that ill-effects are reversible and fertility is not affected
Dry Moon discovery
05 August 2010
Chlorine isotopes suggest that the Moon was water-free when it first formed
Nitrogenase found to be a two-trick pony
05 August 2010
A nitrogen-fixing enzyme has shocked scientists by being able to use carbon monoxide as a substrate to make a range of carbon-based products
Parallel detection of gene expression in single cells
05 August 2010
A multiwell device allows gene expression and cellular activity to be measured in thousands of cells at once
Full steam ahead for Iter
04 August 2010
Iter, the international nuclear fusion project, has secured European funding, but its new director will be keeping tight hold of the purse strings
Oil spill poses challenges to China's environment
03 August 2010
While BP deals with the aftermath of the biggest accidental oil spill in history, China has been struggling with its first large-scale oil spill
Instant insight: Searching for better batteries
03 August 2010
Hun-Joon Sohn discusses how research is attempting to meet the ever increasing demands for higher power batteries
Nanotube spiderweb catches the rays
02 August 2010
A transparent spiderweb-like film formed from interconnected carbon nanotubes is highly efficient in solar energy harvesting
Magnetic foam bends and stretches
01 August 2010
Researchers make magnetic foams and flexible magnetic gel sheets using a cellulose scaffold and magnetic nanoparticles
