News February 2010
Reactions on DNA origami watched with AFM
28 February 2010
Chemists in Denmark have for the first time imaged chemical reactions on a DNA origami scaffold so that they can precisely attach single molecules
Report hits out at GSK's Avandia
26 February 2010
Two US senators claim GlaxoSmithKline knew about a link between a diabetes drug and heart attack, and pressured doctors to withdraw concerns
Biofuels without the blend
25 February 2010
New method recycles agricultural waste into renewable alkenes for jet and diesel fuel that doesn't need to be blended with other fuel
Government heeds concerns on science advice rules
25 February 2010
UK science minister indicates that concerns over proposed rules governing science advice in government have been accommodated
Agrochem R&D strangled by red tape
25 February 2010
Increasing burden of field trial data is hindering the development of new crop protection agents
Nanomachinery lights up
25 February 2010
Japanese researchers design light-activated 'on-off' switch for DNA nanomachines
Going the extra mile with lithium-air batteries
25 February 2010
Improved performance of rechargeable lithium-air batteries brings them a step closer to powering cars
Marine microbes wired up
24 February 2010
Bacterial 'nanowires' could allow marine microbes to cooperate through electric circuits that power metabolism
Buckyball-based gene delivery
24 February 2010
Japanese researchers have demonstrated effective gene delivery in mice using carbon buckyballs
Interview: Something in the water
24 February 2010
Bibudhendra Sarkar talks about metalloenzymes, helping sick children and hunting for toxic metals in the environment
MOFs make light work of it
23 February 2010
Metal-organic frameworks could be a new source of white light scientists discover
Protein-pumps driven by light
23 February 2010
Enhanced photoelectric response of bacteriorhodopsin paves way for new bioelectronics claim scientists in Singapore
Soil switches on antibiotic genes in bacteria
22 February 2010
Production of a new antibiotic active against MRSA can be triggered by soil extracts
Funding cuts will 'damage a generation' of science
22 February 2010
Peter Agre, AAAS president, speaks out about the impact of slashing research budgets
Interview: Drop in the ocean
22 February 2010
Peter Liss talks about the acidity of the sea, climate change and architecture.
Fullerenes break the rules
21 February 2010
Unusual egg-shaped fullerenes containing triple sequentially-fused pentagons have been made by Chinese chemists
Forcing stereoselectivity on reactive cations
19 February 2010
By using two catalysts in cooperation, stereochemical control can be exerted over highly reactive, normally chirally unfussy cations
EPA's new research chief installed after long delay
19 February 2010
Yale chemist Paul Anastas, the father of green chemistry, overcomes political roadblocks to become EPA science adviser
Easy amyloid refolding
19 February 2010
Spontaneous refolding of amyloid fibres under mild conditions could provide insight into Alzheimer's disease claim scientists in the US
First sugars needed silicates to survive
18 February 2010
Stabilising silicate ions might have helped the sugars in RNA to form in prebiotic organic synthesis
Merck joins the cost-cutting crowd
18 February 2010
Following its merger with Schering-Plough, Merck & Co. has announced a 'merger restructuring plan' that will see 17,500 jobs cut
Biochip detects apple virus
18 February 2010
A direct method of detecting plant viruses using an aptamer based biochip has been proposed by scientists in Hungary
Europe's new research commissioner sworn in
17 February 2010
Maire Geoghegan-Quinn will need to make good use of her advisers to offset her lack of science background
Antimony addition to fruit juice?
17 February 2010
Health concerns could arise from elevated antimony levels in commercial fruit drinks
Advance in artificial tendons
17 February 2010
Japanese scientists have engineered three dimensional replacement tendon tissue using fibrin gel
New scheme to boost bio-based chemistry
16 February 2010
European Commission ploughs millions into scheme to encourage the chemical sector to make use of bio-based approaches such as industrial biotechnology
Dual functional painkillers using ionic liquids
16 February 2010
Liquid aspirin could be possible using pharmaceutically active ionic liquids claim researchers in Northern Ireland
Decades-old meteorite gets holistic treatment
15 February 2010
Non-targeted analytical approach uncovers chemical complexity of 40-year-old meteorite, and reveals the presence of millions of organic compounds
Profile: The future of French science
15 February 2010
Chemist Alain Fuchs talks of his hopes and fears in his new role as president of CNRS, France's enormous research organisation
Reversing attraction shrinks car batteries
15 February 2010
Using repulsive van der Waals forces could enable US scientists to halve the size of lithium-ion batteries
Efficient solar cells from silicon wires
14 February 2010
Arrays of silicon wires can harvest light for solar cells much more efficiently than conventional silicon wafers, US researchers show
Belief in climate change plunges
12 February 2010
Recent polls suggest the public in the UK and US are becoming increasingly sceptical about climate change
Science advice rules could do more harm than good
11 February 2010
UK scientists raise concerns over changes to principles governing the independence of science advice in government
Peptides potential for malaria medicines
11 February 2010
Researchers from the UK have designed a test that will help in the search for new anti-malaria medicines
Ferroelectrics without the twist
10 February 2010
Hopping hydrogens set the stage for a new generation of organic molecular ferroelectrics
Inching towards the island of stability
10 February 2010
Researchers successfully trap and weigh atoms of an exotic short-lived element, throwing light on the stability of 'superheavy' nuclei
DNA sequencing on a chip
10 February 2010
Novel DNA sequencing technology could lead to high-speed and low cost genome sequencing
Safer milk with silver nanoparticles
10 February 2010
Silver nanoparticles provide a sensitive method to detect melamine in infant formula, say Chinese scientists
Air Products to swallow Airgas
09 February 2010
Air Products has launched a $7 billion takeover bid for rival gas supplier Airgas to gain access to the US bottled gas market
Nanomotors go fuel-free
09 February 2010
Scientists in the US have developed nanomotors that are propelled through liquids using an electric field
Cancer risk from 'third-hand smoke'
08 February 2010
Nicotine residues on indoor surfaces can react with ambient gases to generate cancer-causing compounds, researchers in the US have found
To catch a cheating athlete
08 February 2010
Chemists will be behind the scenes at the Vancouver Winter Olympics this month, working hard to catch athletes boosting their performance by illicit means
Closure on a knotty problem
07 February 2010
Researchers use ring-closing metathesis to tie off loose ends of an open-knot complex to form a molecular trefoil knot
Emission reduction pledges pour in
05 February 2010
Dozens of countries meet deadline to submit emission reduction targets in line with the Copenhagen Accord signed during UN climate summit
Freezing supercooled water puzzles scientists
04 February 2010
The freezing point of supercooled water varies depending on whether it is sitting on a positively or negatively charged surface
More pharma R&D budget cuts
04 February 2010
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer are both following AstraZeneca's lead in cutting their research and development budgets.
Male fertility exam at home
04 February 2010
First step towards microfluidic system for complete quality analysis of semen
Mercury detection in fish organs
04 February 2010
Trace levels of mercury in fish organs can be detected using a two-photon fluorescent probe
Detecting disease with a little TLC
04 February 2010
A simple, low cost method to detect toxins from the organism causing the wasting disease Buruli ulcer could aid early diagnosis
How spider silk soaks up water
03 February 2010
What causes water to collect on spider webs on dewy mornings? New research probes the structure of spider silk to find out
DNA origami goes large
03 February 2010
US researchers have found a way to scale up DNA origami into larger structures by using DNA 'tiles' to pin them in place
New 'hook' for reversibly binding molecules to proteins
03 February 2010
UK researchers find a simple new way of attaching molecules to proteins that can later be reversed
Instant insight: Understanding biological data
03 February 2010
Ivano Bertini and Gabriele Cavallaro describe how bioinformatics can help make sense of the growing data on metals in biology
Broccoli sprouts slow cancer development
02 February 2010
The progress of skin cancer could be slowed down by eating broccoli sprouts regularly claim scientists in the US
Budget cuts hit university teaching
02 February 2010
University teaching bears the brunt of cuts to higher education funding while science is afforded a degree of protection, according to latest Hefce figures
Science shines in Obama's budget proposal
02 February 2010
Despite President Obama's plan to freeze domestic spending, science agencies would get a boost under new budget proposals
Russian science losing its edge
02 February 2010
New report shows research in Russia, once considered a scientific powerhouse, is now lagging behind
Studying synapses could help halt epilepsy
02 February 2010
Connections in the brain can be studied using a microfluidic platform developed by US scientist
