News March 2011
Electrifying polymers
31 March 2011
Using electricity instead of reducing agents to control ATRP eliminates impurities
Water result for Li battery technology
31 March 2011
Using an aqueous cathode increases capacity and avoids wear during charging cycles, researchers say
Cheap and efficient artificial leaf debuted
31 March 2011
MIT researchers say they can make artificial leaves for less than $50 each
Amino acid synthesis hints at how the genetic code expanded
30 March 2011
The biosynthetic pathway for pyrrolysine suggests how new amino acids were added to the pool of protein building blocks
Nanotubes spot damage
30 March 2011
Conducting composites heat themselves up to reveal structural damage
A single scale tells more than a whole wing
29 March 2011
Photonic crystal structures based on butterfly wing scales
Precursor boost for uranium chemistry
28 March 2011
A straightforward new way to make uranium halides opens the door to a lot more uranium chemistry say US researchers
Nanotubes make 'exceptional' strain sensor
27 March 2011
New strain sensor from Japan uses carbon nanotube network that separates and folds back together in the same way each time.
New synthesis for chiral anticancer compound
25 March 2011
The promising anticancer compound nutlin-3 will be more widely available thanks to a straightforward new synthesis
Flights from Japan trip US airport radiation detectors
24 March 2011
Two American Airlines planes show low-level radiation, but experts say overly sensitive radiation detectors are the cause
Mild S&T budget growth in China
24 March 2011
The momentum for growth of China's science and technology budget has slowed this year, according to the New Year's fiscal plans
Antibacterial clays kill with iron
23 March 2011
Clays that can heal flesh-eating diseases generate deadly radicals inside bacterial cells
Battery turns entropy into electricity
23 March 2011
Renewable power technology boosted by extraction of marine entropy
Microfluidics to diagnose sleeping sickness
22 March 2011
An understanding of the physics of particle sorting can help separate parasites from blood for clearer analysis
Origin of life experiments revisited
21 March 2011
Forgotten samples of Stanley Miller's add clues to the origin of life
Seeing clearly with silicone
21 March 2011
Cheap, adjustable glasses, with lenses that contain silicone fluid, could help millions of children see more clearly
Amino acids flag risk of diabetes
20 March 2011
A simple blood test could help predict diabetes risk years before onset of the disease
Simple salt removal to get fresh water
18 March 2011
A technique to desalinate water at low temperatures to get a clean, fresh supply
Digging deeper into bone fossils
18 March 2011
Infrared spectroscopy to understand the fossilisation process of ancient bone
Cool roof coating inspired by the poplar leaf
18 March 2011
Scientists have created a reflective and hydrophobic coating based on a leaf
The way to pain-free uterine disease detection
18 March 2011
Infrared spectroscopy could be used to look for signs of endometriosis
Hydrazine fuels hydrogen power hopes
17 March 2011
Improving how spent a hydrogen storage material is regenerated makes it a more practical prospect for powering fuel cells.
Uncertainty for nuclear power
17 March 2011
Political fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster may have a lasting impact on nuclear power policy and research
Cleaning up nuclear storage ponds
17 March 2011
Scientists have replicated nuclear storage pond liquor to find a way to remove plutonium
International recognition helps Chinese vaccine industry
17 March 2011
Recognition from the World Health Organisation will help strengthen China's vaccine industry
Monitoring oil sand toxicity
16 March 2011
Researchers have identified for the first time some of the individual components of toxic naphthenic acid mixtures present in waste water from bituminous oil sands
The explosive potential of nitrogen compounds
16 March 2011
Two research groups looking at the explosive potential of nitrogen compounds have used their findings in very different ways
Inspirational science
16 March 2011
Seong Keun Kim talks to Jane Hordern about his latest research, how he was inspired by a comic book character and the importance of science in Korea
Benlysta breaks 50 year Lupus drug drought
15 March 2011
Antibody becomes the first drug approved for the autoimmune disease since 1955
China bans whitening additives in flour
14 March 2011
Chemical whiteners that can harm the respiratory system are to be banned in China
Drawing batteries
11 March 2011
An electrode drawn onto a battery's surface with a pencil could improve lithium-air battery performance
Making baby food safer
11 March 2011
A portable device to measure levels of contaminant in infant foods
Out of the blue - a new phosphor for flat screen displays
11 March 2011
Flat screen technology has been given a boost by a compound with improved colour properties
Aerosol data from BP spill
10 March 2011
The unique circumstances of the Deepwater disaster have revealed information about how organic compounds form airborne droplets
3D model to study breast cancer
10 March 2011
A computer simulation could help scientists understand the processes that lead to breast cancer
Chemical mystery of antifungal compound solved
09 March 2011
Researchers uncover how amphotericin B interacts with sterols in cell membranes to form ion channels that kill yeast cells
Court halts EU patent progress
09 March 2011
The 'enhanced cooperation' route to an EU-level patent conflicts with EU law
GSK will pay off UK graduate tuition fees
08 March 2011
Drug maker backs its belief in the country by totally reimbursing top graduates' fees
Measuring cells' oxygen levels with PEBBLEs
08 March 2011
Dye probes give a colour readout of oxygen distribution in cells
Site chosen for long-awaited US clean coal project
08 March 2011
Following an environmental review and a public consultation, work on the retrofit could begin in 2012
Carbon nanotubes - a boon for chiral catalysts
08 March 2011
Researchers in China find that platinum particles inside carbon nanotube channels could be an effective catalyst for making chiral drugs
Radical dimers held together in molecular flask
07 March 2011
Tetrathiafulvalene radicals, which would normally repel each other, have been studied while in close proximity thanks to a supporting structure
Breathe out for personalised medicine
07 March 2011
Monitoring levels of an epilepsy drug in the body can take seconds and doesn't need blood samples
Sensitive TB diagnosis using sugar
06 March 2011
A simple sugar can be used to label and monitor tuberculosis in the body and could form the basis of a whole body imaging agent in the future
Molecules that walk, hop and jump
06 March 2011
'Two legged' molecules move across a foothold-covered surface using three distinct mechanisms depending on the environment
Tracking the early stages of Alzheimer's disease
04 March 2011
Scientists can now monitor the formation of the earliest aggregates in a peptide linked to Alzheimer's disease
Harvesting energy from soft drinks
04 March 2011
A nanomaterial-based biofuel cell can generate electrical energy from soft drinks
Real-world treatment for dye-contaminated effluents
04 March 2011
An iron-based catalyst for cleaning industrial wastewater
Laser treatment for late-stage cancer
04 March 2011
Light therapy could be used to treat cancer after it has spread to other areas in the body
Scientists in Slovakia campaign against diversion of funding
03 March 2011
Thousands of people in Slovakia sign a petition to stop €120 million of EU science money going awry
Earth's missing xenon could be hiding in quartz
01 March 2011
Researchers in Canada synthesise xenon dioxide, adding weight to theory that xenon can bond within quartz
Chickpeas grow taller with carbon nanotubes
01 March 2011
Water soluble carbon nanotubes can aid plant growth
