News February 2008
Modified nanotubes catalyse fuel cell
29 February 2008
Platinum nanoparticles boost methanol oxidation
Looking at the inner workings of a cell
29 February 2008
A genetically encoded biosensor is letting researchers watch enzymes in action.
Chloride ions in a bind
28 February 2008
Donut-shaped molecule takes a surprisingly tight grip on chloride
Shapely polymers get the green light
28 February 2008
Determining the transition temperature of shape-memory polymers is now much easier, thanks to work by US materials chemists
Glass-coated microchannels
28 February 2008
Scientists in the US have developed a simple method of coating the channels of microfluidic devices to make them more resistant to chemicals.
European Institute of Technology to open in 2010
27 February 2008
Bold vision for MIT's rival now pared down to a 3-million-euro administrative centre
Q and A: Do antidepressants work?
26 February 2008
Study questions whether drugs such as Prozac are any better than placebos
Your hair knows where you've been
26 February 2008
Heavy isotopes in your tresses reveal where you live
Getting to the truth of falling ice chunks
26 February 2008
Hazardous ice chunks that fall from the sky are the result of complex atmospheric processes, say a team of Spanish scientists
Anti-cholesterol drugs may damage cellular power station
25 February 2008
Survey of 2500 compounds uncovers surprising effects on mitochondria
Instant insight: A fluorescent future
25 February 2008
B. H. Kim, Y. J. Seo and N. Venkatesan explain why quencher-free molecular beacons mean a brighter outlook for medicine.
The information at your fingertips
22 February 2008
Fingernail clippings could be used in forensic studies and diagnostics, say scientists in Singapore.
Rhodium fast tracks route to lactones
22 February 2008
Canadian scientists have pioneered an efficient rhodium-catalysed way to make lactones
Toxin test in a lunchbox
22 February 2008
Magnetic nanoparticles key to detecting heavy metals in minutes
Seashells inspire space age material
21 February 2008
Spacecraft could be made from strong and flexible materials based on mother of pearl
Taking the measure of atomic friction
21 February 2008
Researchers have determined how much force is needed to drag a single atom across a surface
Instant insight: Sensing NO in single cells
21 February 2008
Xiaoying Ye, Stanislav Rubakhin and Jonathan Sweedler describe fluorescent separation and electrochemical methods for detecting a crucial, but tiny, biomolecule
Instant insight: Smart dental implants
20 February 2008
Henning Schliephake discusses the state-of-the-art dental implants making their way to a dentist's surgery near you
Chemists tame acetaldehyde
20 February 2008
Acetaldehyde prevented from running amok in the Mannich reaction, opening up new avenues in drug discovery
Instant insight: Beyond the catastrophe
20 February 2008
Angus Cook and Phil Weinstein consider the long term care needed by communities struck by earthquakes and other natural disasters
Interview: A material world
19 February 2008
Eugenio Coronado talks to Gavin Armstrong about the molecular design of magnetic materials and current challenges in the field.
Nanofibre tape is sticky stuff
18 February 2008
Surgeons and climbers could benefit from new materials inspired by gecko's feet
Flicking the acetyl switch
18 February 2008
Proteins containing acetylated amino acids may clarify how key cellular processes are controlled
Interview: Putting peptides on the map
18 February 2008
Ruedi Aebersold talks to Kathleen Too about proteomics, the PeptideAtlas project and the Trans-Proteomic Pipeline.
Initiating biodegradable polymers
18 February 2008
A new breed of initiators that aid the formation of biodegradable polymers without the need for solvents has been developed
Security of US nuclear research facilities in doubt
15 February 2008
Lax security at university research reactors and Los Alamos criticised by congressional watchdog
Industry reports a year of mixed fortune
15 February 2008
Solid growth for chemicals sector contrasts with pharmaceutical woes 
Catalytic cavities
15 February 2008
Chiral porous solids converted into catalysts could provide a versatile new way to trigger reactions, say chemists in the UK
Molecular sponges mop up carbon dioxide
14 February 2008
US researchers have made zeolite-like materials using a new technique that speedily screens thousands of compounds
Testing time for Canadian science advisers
14 February 2008
Chemist Howard Alpert on what lies ahead for Canada's new science council
Big impact for small reactors
14 February 2008
Microreactors show their potential as a tool for industry in a fast and efficient amide synthesis.
Something 'fishy' in the air
14 February 2008
Humans and flatulent cows have been blamed for global warming, but plankton may also be guilty
A fruity alternative to fossil fuels
14 February 2008
A naturally occurring fruit lactone could prove useful as a new type of biofuel, say Hungarian scientists
Clothes power up thanks to nanowires
13 February 2008
Nanowire-coated thread could be spun into clothes capable of powering a mobile phone or iPod
Tougher standards for Chinese pesticide makers
13 February 2008
Industry labs face closer scrutiny in a move that could drive smaller producers out of business
Nanoparticles feel the heat
13 February 2008
Nanothermometers that monitor temperature changes in cells could improve an anticancer heat treatment, say scientists in Puerto Rico.
Metals without the meltdown
13 February 2008
Scientists have found a practical, cheap and environmentally friendly way of producing the industrially important metal niobium.
China to establish environment ministry this year
12 February 2008
More powers to curb worsening pollution
Interview: Model behaviour
12 February 2008
Stephen Klippenstein tells Hilary Crichton how theoretical chemistry can help solve global warming
Oxidation goes green
11 February 2008
New catalysts to simplify and clean up routes to useful chemicals
Machines get a taste for espresso
11 February 2008
Nestlé researchers have developed a robot that can predict the taste of coffee within minutes
Ironing out fuel cells
11 February 2008
A simple iron complex could pave the way for new oxygen reduction catalysts with potential uses in low-temperature fuel cells
Instant insight: Speeding up cocaine
11 February 2008
Chang-Guo Zhan introduces the use of computational designs to develop promising therapeutics for treating cocaine addiction and overdoses
_tcm18-113048.jpg)
Profile: Vaccine trailblazer
07 February 2008
Yin Weidong, Sinovac Biotech's general manager, talks about a Chinese biotech success story
_tcm18-113037.jpg)
Could Afghanistan's opium crop be legalised?
08 February 2008
Bumper opium harvest fires debate over licensed production
DNA detection with a twist
08 February 2008
US scientists have set DNA detection in a spin by exploiting one of nature's molecular motors.
Crystal shows colossal expansion
07 February 2008
Silver hexacyanocobaltate gets shorter and fatter than any other material on heating
Biofuel carbon debt may take centuries to repay
07 February 2008
Clearing land to plant biofuels boosts greenhouse gas emissions, two studies have concluded
3D television a step closer to reality
07 February 2008
Unique polymer used to make updatable holographic display
Peptide coupling for potential cancer targeting
07 February 2008
Putting peptide coats on virus shells could lead to targeted medical imaging in cancer diagnostics, according to US chemists.
Artificial cells mimic ion transport
07 February 2008
An inorganic capsule that could be used to study cell functions has been developed by a team of German and US scientists
Illinois lawmakers round on DOE over FutureGen
06 February 2008
Political row erupts after DOE decides to pull out of flagship clean coal plant
Better detection of DNA synthesis
06 February 2008
US researchers use click chemistry to measure cell proliferation
Water-based metathesis
06 February 2008
Polish chemists have demonstrated the unprecedented catalytic efficiency of olefin metathesis reactions in a water solution.
A keen eye for age prediction
05 February 2008
Forensic scientists may soon be able to pin down the age of unidentified bodies thanks to proteins found in the eye
Bush budget proposal backs physical sciences
05 February 2008
After cuts in 2008, plans to double budget revived
Quinine synthesis mystery solved
05 February 2008
US chemists have reproduced a 90-year old experiment to settle a 50-year old controversy
Discriminating ligands select square DNA
05 February 2008
Why does DNA fold into squares? Pyridine ligands could help scientists trying to explain how these G-quadruplexes function.
EPA rolls out nanomaterials safety drive
04 February 2008
But critics say the voluntary programme lacks teeth
Green chemistry aids bone repair
04 February 2008
Biodegradable scaffold made with supercritical solvents mends broken bones in mice
Energy saving sieves
04 February 2008
Dutch scientists have made molecular sieves that are stable at high temperatures for over a year.
Triple action catalysts
04 February 2008
Trifunctional organocatalysts that closely mimic natural enzymes can significantly increase reaction rates, say chemists in Japan
Drugs cut back to their bare essentials
01 February 2008
A method to identify the biologically active sections of peptoids could simplify the drug development process.
Snapshots reveal bone mineral's strength secret
01 February 2008
Unravelling how calcium carbonate crystals grow could help build better implants
