News July 2010
Putting pen to paper gets the fluid flowing
30 July 2010
A paper-based microfluidic device can be programmed on the spot using a ball-point pen
Interview: Flying high
30 July 2010
Ekkehardt Hahn talks about carbenes, German research and his run-in with the Czech border air police
Catalytic reaction lends a hand with sensing
30 July 2010
Boronic acid sensing of saccharide is enhanced by coupling it with a catalytic reaction claim Chinese scientists.
Methane all lined up
29 July 2010
The direction methane molecules are vibrating when they hit a nickel surface can have a huge effect on their reactivity
Bubble powered microengines push forward
29 July 2010
Enzyme-powered engines pack in the power with peroxide munching microjets
Molecular interference reveals reactions
28 July 2010
Scientists see atoms reacting on the femtosecond timescale in unprecedented detail using femtosecond laser spectroscopy
Recycling CO2 to make plastic
28 July 2010
A firm converting carbon dioxide into plastic is one of several receiving US funding to push research into creating useful products from the waste gas
Interview: Discovering drugs in China
28 July 2010
Ming-Qiang Zhang talks about affordable medicines, nano vacuum cleaners and pharmaceutical research
Bright ideas to develop solar fuels
27 July 2010
Researchers in the US get $122 million to develop techniques that imitate nature and generate fuel directly from sunlight
Non-covalent chiral catalysis in water
27 July 2010
First example of highly enantioselective Brønsted acid asymmetric catalysis in aqueous media
Predicting nanoparticle toxicity
26 July 2010
A theoretical model could predict which materials will make more or less harmful nanomaterials
Clean energy from cobalt catalysts
26 July 2010
Catalyst with single cobalt centre could breathe new life into fuel cell research
Gel targets prostate cancer
23 July 2010
A hydrogel capsule seeks out prostate cancer and releases its contents directly into diseased cells
Buckyballs give clue to space mystery
22 July 2010
Fullerenes have been identified in space, raising the hopes of discoverer Harry Kroto that they hold the answer to a persistent astronomical problem
Microspheres help restore eyesight
22 July 2010
Polymer microspheres could deliver stem cells to the eyes of patients to help restore sight destroyed by a common eye disease
Multifunctional anticancer molecules
22 July 2010
Cationic conjugated polymers can take on a number of different roles when it comes to anticancer activity, say Chinese scientists
Volatile elements locked in moon rock
21 July 2010
Theory that the Moon is depleted of volatile elements challenged as lunar mineral samples suggest levels are the same as on Earth
Building up graphene nanoribbons
21 July 2010
Scientists use precursor molecules to build up graphene nanoribbons of precise widths that could be useful in nanoelectronics
Selenium-based quinones show anticancer promise
21 July 2010
Novel selenium quinones obtained for the first time show anticancer potential
On chip tissue testing
21 July 2010
Microfluidic device keeps tumour tissue alive for 3 days could reduce the need for drug testing on animals
Cash boost for EU research
20 July 2010
European Commission announces largest investment in research and innovation with a funding package worth €6.4 billion
SlipChip performs PCR
20 July 2010
Scientists in the US are using a simple microfluidic device to perform the polymerase chain reaction
Designing porous patterns
19 July 2010
Understanding how molecules behave at the solid-liquid interface has allowed chemists to create useful porous patterns on surfaces
Nanoscale tRNA architecture
18 July 2010
Researchers use transfer RNA as building blocks to construct 3D nanostructures
Colourimetric sensor detects pesticide toxins
16 July 2010
Cheap and easy to use paper-based dipstick test changes colour to indicate presence of pesticides
Bittersweet victory for GSK's Avandia
16 July 2010
GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug looks set to remain on the market, but the firm is facing over £1.5 billion in various legal bills and settlements
Synthetic enzyme catalyses Diels-Alder reaction
15 July 2010
US researchers create an artificial enzyme that can catalyse a reaction that, as far as we know, nature does not carry out
Compound crucial in sea and air
15 July 2010
New device reveals how a chemical compound produced by phytoplankton in the oceans affects microbe behaviour and global climate
Biotechs plot path of least resistance
15 July 2010
As big pharma turns its back on antibiotics in the wake of growing drug resistance, biotech companies are stepping in to develop new therapies
Zero-valent iron decontaminates soil
15 July 2010
Zero-valent iron microparticles that include an organic component efficiently destroys carbon tetrachloride in soil, say US scientists
Stable catalyst for hydrogen generation
14 July 2010
Robust catalyst releases hydrogen from ammonia-borane stores with high efficiency and under atmospheric conditions
NMR: Nobel work if you can get it
13 July 2010
Richard Ernst won the Nobel Prize for his work on NMR spectroscopy, but has seldom used the technique experimentally. He talks to Chemistry World
Magnetic micro-machines made from liquid iron
13 July 2010
Remote control micro-machines made by shining light on ferrofluids
Switching off drug resistance
13 July 2010
Synthetic riboswitches reduce antibacterial drug resistance could increase the lifetime of traditional antibiotics
New research assessment plan postponed over impact
12 July 2010
Research Excellence Framework to be delayed by a year to resolve concerns over how the social and economic impact of research is measured
Logical injury assessment
12 July 2010
A biocomputing system capable of diagnosing multiple injuries could aid fast on-field diagnosis for injured soldiers
Elusive terminal uranium nitride found
11 July 2010
Researchers in the US have discovered a new way to create the elusive discrete form of uranium nitride
Make some noise for smart fibres
11 July 2010
US researchers have developed smart fibres that could be woven into fabric communication devices
The US solar push
09 July 2010
The US Department of Energy has awarded nearly $2 billion to two solar energy companies
Antibodies spark HIV vaccine hopes
08 July 2010
New antibodies against HIV could point the way to an effective vaccine against the virus
Flattening carbon
08 July 2010
UK researchers have managed to synthesise a molecule with an almost planar four-coordinate carbon atom
DNA must do its job for patent protection
08 July 2010
A European court has ruled that patents for DNA do not give protection when the sequences are no longer performing the task they were inserted to do
Plasma displays from nanophosphors
08 July 2010
A simple method to spin-deposit layers of inorganic phosphor onto glass makes plasma displays
microRNAs may hold key to cocaine addiction
07 July 2010
Molecular mechanism seems to protect against uncontrolled intake of cocaine in rats, providing potential targets for anti-addiction therapies
Preserving art at the nanoscale
07 July 2010
A nanofluid system that removes damaging coatings from wall paintings has been developed by Italian scientists
Artery-on-a-chip studies heart disease
07 July 2010
Blood vessels mounted on a microfluidic platform to investigate cardiovascular disease
What next for BP?
06 July 2010
It has been over two months since the explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig, but what's in store for the company at the eye of the storm?
Wood mimics packaging polymer
06 July 2010
Biorenewable polymer could replace synthetic plastic used in water bottles and other food packaging
Chip aids sickle cell study
06 July 2010
A microfluidic device that mimics physiological conditions in blood cells could aid the study of sickle cell anaemia
Too many chiefs, not enough indians?
05 July 2010
Researchers call for a more stable career path for those who want to stay at the bench
The US solar push
09 July 2010
The US Department of Energy has awarded nearly $2 billion to two solar energy companies
DNA sticks at flick of switch
04 July 2010
An electrochemical switch that enables precision DNA deposition could help lay the foundations for DNA nanostructures
Revealing fake money
02 July 2010
A simple and fast mass spectrometry technique identifies counterfeit notes
Austerity measures hit higher education
01 July 2010
Funding and support for student places hit as universities feel the effects of government plans to cut the budget deficit
Cleaning up organic pollutants
01 July 2010
Cleaning up the environment after chemical spills could be made easier thanks to a material that encapsulates pollutant-destroying microorganisms
