News May 2011
Texas universities' spending under scrutiny
31 May 2011
Think tanks target public spending at Texas universities amid claims of underperforming staff
Hard x-rays to watch chemical reactions
31 May 2011
Chemists can now peer deeper into a material to follow chemical reactions thanks to a new x-ray technique
EU bans cadmium in plastics, jewellery
27 May 2011
A Europe wide ban on cadmium in plastics, jewellery and amateur model-making has been announced
Getting to grips with volcanic ash
27 May 2011
Researchers are learning a lot about the tiny particles of volcanic ash that have spewed from volcanoes in Iceland and caused misery for air travellers
Polymer caterpillar crawls in humid weather
26 May 2011
A polymer sandwich that responds to changes in humidity can 'crawl' carrying 120 times its own weight
Hunting elusive green fluorescent proteins
26 May 2011
Cracking a 40-year-old conundrum could result in the discovery of new protein tags
Nanospray for nanodrugs
26 May 2011
A spraying technique to make drug candidates soluble so that they are not discarded at early stages of drug trials
Electron remains stubbornly spherical
25 May 2011
A new study finds the electron is spherical, which has deep implications for the standard model of physics
Mars is the planet that never grew up
25 May 2011
Arrested development accounts for the bafflingly small size of Mars: meteorite isotope records show it never grew up
Engineered bacterium to take on petrochemicals producers
25 May 2011
A US company has created E. coli that can cheaply synthesise large amounts of a chemical feedstock from sugars
Bacteria could turn coffee waste into drugs
25 May 2011
Caffeine-munching bacteria could turn coffee waste into drugs or a feedstock for biofuels
Cost-cutting will stifle UK innovation
25 May 2011
A report claims that the government's penny-pinching attitude to publicly funded services will damage the country's innovative edge
Chemical industry fears over UK emissions plans
24 May 2011
Plans to halve emissions by 2050 could jeopardise a greener future, the industry says
Coin isotopes unravel ancient inflation riddle
24 May 2011
Isotope analysis of silver coins sheds important light on economic inflation in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries
Water purifier harnesses green chemistry
24 May 2011
US researchers devise environmentally-friendly twin-membrane device that degrades toxins with hydroxyl radicals
Technology centres to learn from past mistakes
24 May 2011
Technology and innovation centres must avoid pitfalls of past projects to deliver economic growth for the UK
Report: Free researchers from copyright shackles
23 May 2011
A new UK government copyright review says researchers should be free to copy and data mine digital data
Hatching a plan to kill worm pests
23 May 2011
Chemists have synthesised a complex molecule that hatches the eggs of a nematode pest before it destroys crops
Homing in on a cheaper Haber-Bosch process
23 May 2011
Chemists are on the trail of an energy-efficient alternative to the Haber-Bosch process using a ruthenium catalyst
Materials 'sandwich' superconducts
22 May 2011
A superconducting layer can be formed between two materials that are not superconductors, Japanese scientists discover
Takeda expands into Europe with Nycomed deal
20 May 2011
Takeda has swallowed up Nycomed in a €10 billion buyout that will give it access to European markets
EPA delays boiler and incinerator emissions rules
20 May 2011
US chemical industry backs EPA's postponement of emissions rules for boilers and solid waste incinerators
Liquid crystals spot bacteria to order
19 May 2011
A change in the order of liquid crystal's structure can be used to spot bacterial toxins
Phony research projects swindle EC out of millions
19 May 2011
The European Commission has uncovered a network of fake research projects that have fraudulently claimed €50 million
Throwing light on molecular logic gates
18 May 2011
Scientists have synthesised a molecule that can be controlled by light and perform 13 different logic functions
Rocket fuel goes green with ionic liquids
18 May 2011
Researchers create 'densified hydrogen' in the form of an ionic liquid which may make more environmentally-friendly rocket fuel
UK report calls for new approach to strategic metals
17 May 2011
Cradle-to-cradle strategy could improve supply security
Saving water
17 May 2011
Richard Luthy talks to Michael Smith about safeguarding water quality and how military service in the Vietnam War led him to environmental science
NSF five year plan to keep US science on top
16 May 2011
The NSF's five-year strategic plan targets threats to the US's science and engineering leadership
New carbon material boosts supercapacitors
13 May 2011
Porous carbon produced by a scalable method can improve the energy storage of supercapacitors to compete with batteries
Synthetic cannabis drug test
13 May 2011
A simple urine test for metabolites from Spice and other former 'legal high' mixtures
'Chemical soldering' heralds single molecule electronics
12 May 2011
Researchers demonstrate how to join single molecules to nanowires using a scanning tunnelling microscope
Eastern European research blighted by funding shortfall
12 May 2011
Funding for science in eastern Europe continues to be overlooked, despite years of economic growth
Sugars recruited in fight against persistent infections
12 May 2011
Combining a sugar with an antibiotic could be a novel way to treat infections such as tuberculosis
BASF chemical plant gets the go-ahead in China
11 May 2011
Chemical giant gets green light for largest MDI plant in China after vowing to protect the environment
New radioisotope bodes well for cancer treatment
11 May 2011
A new terbium isotope could be better at killing cancers and have fewer side effects than current therapeutic radioisotopes
Small molecule hope for muscular dystrophy
11 May 2011
A compound that enables protein production to 'skip' mutations found in muscular dystrophy patients has been discovered
ESF-EUROHORCs merger rejected in tight vote
10 May 2011
A proposed merger between two European bodies to create a unified voice for European research has collapsed
Nanodiamond aerogel hammered out on anvil
10 May 2011
An amorphous carbon aerogel can be transformed into a nanodiamond aerogel at pressures of 20GPa
Ecstasy substitute poses major health risks
09 May 2011
The designer drug benzylpiperazine may damage the kidneys and liver, researchers have discovered
New data reignites eye drug debate
09 May 2011
The much cheaper but unlicensed option is as effective, according to interim results, but safety remains a talking point
Endosulfan banned as agreement is reached with India
06 May 2011
A global ban on the pesticide endosulfan has been introduced after initial resistance from the Indian government was overcome
Zinc complexes as antimicrobial wound dressings
06 May 2011
Thin films containing metals could be deposited onto fabrics to kill bacteria
Tuning into solar power with nanoantennas
05 May 2011
Nanoantennas that can 'pick up' a wide range of light wavelengths could be used to augment solar cells
Revolutionary new single-cell labelling method
05 May 2011
Mass spectrometry coupled with flow cytometry enables researchers to gain unprecedented information on single cells
Health benefits of blended fruit juice
05 May 2011
Drinking the perfect blend of fruits could lower your risk of cardiovascular disease
Teva sidelines Valeant with $6.8bn Cephalon bid
04 May 2011
The move increases product diversity at the generics giant and strengthens its branded products portfolio
Animal testing alternatives for China
04 May 2011
Chinese researchers are starting to investigate alternatives to animal testing in a bid to modernise and cut costs
Anticancer drug found to cause zinc deficiency
04 May 2011
Researchers now know why cisplatin, a leading cancer drug, causes zinc deficiency in patients
Turning heat into electricity with polymers
03 May 2011
Controlling the oxidation state of a conducting polymer could provide a cheap way to turn heat into electricity
New hope for malaria drugs as sickle cell protection unravelled
03 May 2011
Understanding how the sickle cell anaemia gene protects its carriers from malaria may lead to new therapies
