News November 2010
Industry 'disturbed' at Europe BPA ban
30 November 2010
EU's decision to ban bisphenol A in baby bottles draws criticism
New European lithium source?
30 November 2010
New lithium mineral reserves in Finland could ease Europe's reliance on countries like China for supplies of the material
Interview: The magic of chemistry
30 November 2010
Sason Shaik talks to Yuandi Li about doing chemistry in an aircraft shelter, inspiring youngsters and the importance for chemists to sell themselves
Mystery of diamond polishing solved?
29 November 2010
Researchers use molecular dynamics to come up with an atomic-level explanation for how diamond is polished
DNA readers ratchet closer
29 November 2010
Nanopore DNA sequencers are on the verge of becoming a reality, as controlling DNA strand movement through the pore is finally cracked
Water and sunlight: a winning catalytic combination
28 November 2010
Researchers have incorporated a sunlight-activated trigger into an oxygenation process that uses water as the oxygen source
Enriching the origin of life theory
26 November 2010
Enantioenrichment of one of life's building blocks could have occurred near volcanoes on primitive Earth
Printing on bioactive paper
26 November 2010
Enzyme-catalysed reactions can be printed on paper for many applications including anti-counterfeiting
Fingerprinting red wine
26 November 2010
A sensor that can distinguish between different tannins in red wine has been developed
Making plastics from plants
25 November 2010
Cheap biomass-derived oils could soon compete with crude oil to produce sought after chemical feedstocks for the plastics industry
Capping scientific migrants
25 November 2010
New immigration cap could bias against researchers looking to come to the UK
Designing safer stents for heart patients
25 November 2010
Insights into the mechanisms that trigger excessive healing around heart stents could inform development of new stent materials
Interview: Adventures in Borneo
25 November 2010
Dwayne Heard talks to Holly Sheahan about discoveries in atmospheric chemistry and his experience with pygmy elephants and Antarctica
Mimicking nature's leaving group
24 November 2010
Varying leaving groups on DNA building blocks could lead to artificial rivals to DNA
Novel green separation system
23 November 2010
Canadian chemists serendipitously discover a new chromatography separation system that uses only carbon dioxide and water
Irish drug industry fears bailout tax terms
22 November 2010
Ireland's 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate helped the Celtic Tiger develop its pharma industry, which now fears an increase
Nature's pipettes
22 November 2010
A flood defence mechanism used by flowers could add another dimension to your dining experience
Rise of the micro machines
19 November 2010
Microbots could be manipulated from outside the body to deliver cells to specific locations
The medicine's in the (wine) bottle
19 November 2010
Red wine contains enough antioxidants to rival the activity of diabetes drug rosiglitazone
A tattoo to monitor health
19 November 2010
A sensor injected into the skin could warn against dangerously low sodium levels during exercise
Targeting tumours with graphene oxide
19 November 2010
A tumour-targeting drug carrier with a pH-controlled release system has been made by Chinese scientists
'Hunger hormone' activating enzyme holds promise as obesity target
18 November 2010
Blocking ghrelin activation with an experimental drug prevents weight gain in mice
New drug pricing rules in Germany
18 November 2010
Law forcing negotiation with insurers could cost industry €2 billion and hamper research
Cellulose used to make smart window materials
18 November 2010
Colour-tuneable silica films using a cheap chiral template material
Probing stomach cancer
18 November 2010
Raman spectroscopy can be used to distinguish between benign and malignant ulcers
DNA origami meets low-cost lithography
17 November 2010
Researchers use tiny gold islands to position DNA origami, in another step towards 'self-assembled' nanoelectronics
US science agencies poised for tough times
17 November 2010
Republican advance in Congress, concerns about national debt could spell trouble for US science agencies
Safer sunscreens
17 November 2010
Titania, the main component of sunscreen, filters UV rays but can be improved with a carbon coating
Temperature breakthrough for hydrogen storage
17 November 2010
Diammoniate of diborane could be a more practical hydrogen storage material than ammonia borane
Water takes forbidden form
16 November 2010
Water can adopt a 'forbidden' quasicrystalline state with twelve-fold symmetry, say US researchers
pH prompts protein structure
15 November 2010
pH plays a key role in the structure of a naturally-occurring amyloid protein, helping the body control its aggregation
Using host-guest chemistry as molecular velcro
14 November 2010
Polymer cubes recognise each other's surface molecules to partner up and stick together on contact
How green is your detergent?
12 November 2010
So-called 'green' household products release just as many harmful volatile organic chemicals as those without 'green' labels
Trapping and stretching DNA
12 November 2010
Using microfluidics, DNA can be analysed without immobilisation
Detecting explosives hidden within clothing
12 November 2010
Near infrared identification of chemicals hidden behind clothing
Europe to plough billions into green energy
11 November 2010
European Commission launches the world's biggest investment initiative for carbon capture and storage and renewable energy sources
Research impact rating to stay
11 November 2010
Impact assessment to remain a key part of the UK's new research assessment framework, following a pilot scheme at a number of universities
Sulfur story unearths oxygen environment
10 November 2010
Complex life could have existed on Earth 400 million years earlier than thought, according to sulfur isotope signatures found in ancient rocks
Interview: Creativity and chemistry
10 November 2010
Eva Harth talks to Marie Cote about chemistry as a way of expression, nanosponge technology and her love of colour and structures
Interview: A sunny outlook
10 November 2010
Palani Balaya talks to Carl Saxton about climate change, the IPCC and solar energy research
Freezing the action in living things
10 November 2010
A new cell imaging system is so fast, it can 'freeze' living specimens to capture the image
Stanford to challenge patent rights in Supreme Court
09 November 2010
US Supreme Court will hear intellectual property case being fought between US university and pharma firm Roche
Company snapshot: Novo Nordisk
09 November 2010
What's the secret of Danish diabetes specialist Novo Nordisk's success?
Inhaled nanoparticles, from there to where?
07 November 2010
The size and surface charge of nanoparticles affects where they end up in the body after they are inhaled
Nanofibres defuse explosives
05 November 2010
Researchers have used carbon nanofibres to separate components of a highly sensitive explosive system to make it much safer to use
A system that mimics the human nose
05 November 2010
An artificial membrane can distinguish between perfumes like a human nose
Blocking cancer drug's toxic side effects
04 November 2010
Compound could drastically reduce toxic side effects associated with a widely used cancer drug by inhibiting bacterial enzyme in the gut
Colourful 'green' polymers
04 November 2010
New environmentally friendly concept allows coloured dye to be integrated directly into polymers that can be used in clothing and packaging
World's smallest chromatography column
04 November 2010
Single metal-organic framework crystals can be used to separate mixtures of dyes just like a miniature chromatography column
Could 'nano-urchins' be the key to greener batteries?
04 November 2010
A mineral discovered 60 years ago could lead to improved aqueous lithium ion batteries
Universities to get £9000 fees option
03 November 2010
UK government plans to raise university tuition to at least £6000 but students will not pay upfront
Hydrogen bond set to be redefined
03 November 2010
Evidence of a more covalent nature and more possible partners than previously thought leads to a long-needed reclassification
Artificially controlling cell division
03 November 2010
An artificial mitotic spindle could help shed light on cell death and Down's Syndrome
Nanoparticle detector promises fast virus identification
02 November 2010
Low cost label-free detection technique could help stop the spread of flu and other viral diseases
Iron complex could prevent cardiovascular disease
02 November 2010
An iron-based antioxidant binds to cholesterol to reduce damage to arteries
Molecular motors find reverse gear
01 November 2010
Researchers use simple chemistry to trigger molecular rotary motors to switch direction
