News January 2007
Demon ratchets up nanotech revolution
31 January 2007
Thermodynamic puzzle inspires molecular machine.
LSD reveals its secrets
31 January 2007
The mechanism behind mind-bending trips caused by hallucinogens has been uncovered by a US study.
Quantitative venom proteomics
31 January 2007
Soluble dendrimers have been used to study differences in protein abundance in complex snake venoms.
Snakes have a soft spot for heart-stopping toad toxins
30 January 2007
Toads far from happy about the deal
That's swell: hydrogel plugs in control
30 January 2007
American researchers have used hydrogels to control the flow of liquid in microfluidic devices.
Pollen to deliver drugs
30 January 2007
Pollen capsules that can be filled with nanomaterials could be used for drug delivery, say scientists.
Nanocantilever sets new mass detection record
29 January 2007
Attogram resolution achieved at ambient temperature and pressure.
'Ultimate microscope' in sight
26 January 2007
No lenses and fancy computing boosts x-ray resolving power
Taking a cell's temperature
26 January 2007
Dreams of mapping temperature differences within biological cells may soon come true, say researchers in Japan.
Interstellar aromatics
26 January 2007
Rotational spectroscopy could provide definitive proof of aromatic molecules in space.
Proteins join forces for wound healing
26 January 2007
UK scientists provide fresh insight into the protein-mediated events behind wound healing.
Water surprise for atmospheric scientists
25 January 2007
Lone water molecules can catalyse reactions between gases
Graphene resonator drums up interest
25 January 2007
Thinnest possible membrane vibrates like a drumskin
Promiscuous aggregates persist in vivo
25 January 2007
Research from the US could lead to improved high throughput screening for drug discovery.
Chemical computing creates world's densest data storage medium
24 January 2007
Rotaxanes race towards molecular RAM
Candidates for lithium-ion batteries apply here
24 January 2007
Screening of lithium salts for use in lithium-ion batteries could give new direction to synthesis efforts.
Interview: Dedicated to detection
23 January 2007
Alison Stoddart talks to a master of mass spectrometry, Graham Cooks.
Instant insight: A natural selection
23 January 2007
Jean-Marie Lehn of Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France, shares his view of a dynamic future for supramolecular chemistry.
First synchrotron for neutral molecules
22 January 2007
Device can probe behaviour of ultracold compounds
Instant insight: Probing expression
22 January 2007
Ivan Dmochowski and XinJing Tang, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, US, shed light on gene regulation.
A designer protein coat for polymer nanoparticles
22 January 2007
Dutch scientists can tune the size of protein-coated polymer nanoparticles for drug delivery applications.
Happy families for aluminium
19 January 2007
Aluminium - a notoriously anti-social element - might form an unexpected family of hydride clusters.
Better fuel through chemistry
19 January 2007
It would be cheaper and cleaner to produce fuel from Fischer-Tropsch syncrude than from crude oil, according to a South African researcher.
Batch synthesis of DNA
19 January 2007
Scientists in California have constructed a microfluidic device that can synthesise DNA with excellent efficiency.
Nanoparticles bond like atoms in a molecule
18 January 2007
Hairy ball theorem used to get isotropic nanoparticles linking up in a chain.
Molecular magnets of mystery
17 January 2007
Discovery of a new class of molecular magnets that work above room temperature
A sensitive touch
17 January 2007
A sensor in the tip of a needle can distinguish between different body tissues, offering more accurate samples for biopsies.
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Mapping arterial disease
17 January 2007
Imaging mass spectrometry could bring about a change in direction for diagnostic medicine.
Less elbow grease, more science
17 January 2007
Kitchen surfaces that require hardly any cleaning might sound like a pipedream, but UK-based scientists have made surface coatings that could mean just that.
Bioassays work on paper
16 January 2007
Printing technique produces small volume reaction chambers for low-cost bioassays.
Cagey fluorinated fullerene
16 January 2007
The structure of a fluorinated fullerene was wrong all along, chemists have discovered.
Bees get a buzz from dancing
15 January 2007
Brain chemical could account for the elaborate dance of the honeybee.
Instant Insight: Developing diagnostics
15 January 2007
Samuel Sia, of Columbia University, US, outlines the challenges in bringing cheap diagnostic devices to developing countries.
Cell structure made crystal clear?
15 January 2007
Surprising results could help answer questions about organisation and transport in cells.
First drug for fat dogs
12 January 2007
Medicinal chemistry is the new best friend for dog owners who overfeed their pets.
Intelligent wrappers
12 January 2007
Food of the future could come wrapped in smart plastic that detects contamination - and then biodegrades once thrown away.
Cocaine found on all Irish bank notes
12 January 2007
Low levels of cocaine have been found on all the Irish bank notes tested in a recent survey.
Interview: The rise and rise of green chemistry in China
12 January 2007
Buxing Han talks to Nicola Nugent about becoming a chemist, his latest research interests and chemistry in China today
Sickle cell microcell
12 January 2007
A method to deoxygenate blood's oxygen-carrier, haemoglobin, could lead to treatments for sickle cell anaemia.
How to survive at 400 degrees C
11 January 2007
Snapshot of the proteins that make life possible next to volcanic vents.
Gallium forms new relationships
11 January 2007
Bonds between gallium and two different alkaline earth metals have been formed for the first time by scientists in Germany.
Atomic inspection for nuclear waste storage
10 January 2007
A new technique tracks the structural damage nuclear waste inflicts on its storage material.
Fixing the nitrogen balance
10 January 2007
New analysis of the global nitrogen cycle suggests nitrogen fixation and denitrification are closely coupled in space and time.
Polymers inhibit paracetamol crystallisation
10 January 2007
UK materials scientists have found that polymers in solution can block the formation of the technologically favourable crystal form of paracetamol.
Amino acids in space
10 January 2007
Complex biomolecules could be produced by low-energy electrons on icy dust particles in space.
A nanotech solution to wrinkled skin
09 January 2007
A technique that stops thin polymer films wrinkling could stop similar effects in ageing skin.
A trans-fat-free future
09 January 2007
A healthier alternative to artery-clogging trans fats has been developed by food scientists.
Linking sugars
08 January 2007
Researchers in Canada have found a cheaper way of making glycans, complex carbohydrate structures found in biological systems.
Breakthrough for metal cation-free alkaline fuel cells
08 January 2007
Cheap and effective fuel cells are achievable using alkaline anion-exchange membranes, according to a UK chemist.
Ramadan fasting alters arsenic metabolism
08 January 2007
The way arsenic is excreted from the body changes during periods of fasting.
Password protection goes molecular
05 January 2007
The ultimate in small-scale security: a molecule that acts like an electronic keypad lock.
PEG-ing makes cheaper drugs for developing countries
05 January 2007
UK and India combine efforts and create affordable hepatitis C treatment
Staying switched on
05 January 2007
A supramolecular switch that can remember whether it is switched on has been developed by US scientists.
Buckets of DNA nanoparticles
05 January 2007
Molecular buckets that pack DNA into nanoparticles could have implications for gene therapy, say scientists in Greece.
Knighthood for services to chemistry
04 January 2007
Fraser Stoddart was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the Queen's New Year Honours List for services to chemistry and molecular nanotechnology.
Microscopic lab investigates contents of a cell
04 January 2007
Individual proteins can be counted in a single cell.
Fingerprinting bacteria
04 January 2007
Rapid and highly specific detection of disease-causing micro-organisms is now possible thanks to US scientists.
Finding a stable off-switch
04 January 2007
A fast route to find reagents for silencing disruptive genes has been developed by scientists in the UK.
Cleaner, safer synthesis
04 January 2007
Replacing toxic heavy metals with hypervalent iodine could be music to the ears of synthetic chemists.
Lakes at last
03 January 2007
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is scattered with giant methane and ethane lakes, researchers have confirmed.
Alzheimer's protein fingerprint
03 January 2007
A series of proteins in cerebrospinal fluid distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other neurodegenerative disorders.
Shedding light on pi-conjugation
03 January 2007
Designing molecules with tailored photochemical properties could be possible thanks to computational chemists in Germany.
