News November 2006
Abortion pill might prevent breast cancer
30 November 2006
Mifepristone prevents the development of tumours in mouse mammary cells
Vehicle emissions dominated by nanoparticles
30 November 2006
Air quality study during rush hour raises questions about the current UK standards for particulates.
An on-chip look at taurine in energy drinks
30 November 2006
A microchip method to reliably determine taurine levels in energy drinks has been developed by scientists in the Netherlands.
Bone-building scaffold
30 November 2006
A material that mimics bone could be used to simultaneously mend and numb the pain of broken limbs.
BASF touts GM spuds for starch
29 November 2006
German chemical giant awaiting EU approval for feedstock crop.
Early departure for Sussex vice-chancellor
29 November 2006
Author of chemistry department controversy calls it quits
Artificial photosynthesis
29 November 2006
Harnessing light energy by mimicking photosynthesis could be the future for energy systems.
Click on to HPLC
28 November 2006
The power of 'click chemistry' has been extended to the world of separation analysis by a team of scientists in China.
Synthesis success after 30 years
28 November 2006
Chemists finally make moenomycin antibiotic from scratch
Batteries not included
28 November 2006
A wireless pulsating heart, with potential as a miniature pump in medical implants, has been constructed by Japanese technologists.
Home-baked plants solve petrol mystery
27 November 2006
Artificial leaf fossils confirm origins of petrol's precursor.
Getting the dope on a single atom of dopant
27 November 2006
The quantum state of a single atom of dopant in a silicon semiconductor has been measured.
Q&A: Polonium-210
27 November 2006
Polonium-210 is reported to have caused the fatal poisoning of former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko.
Reach talks break down
24 November 2006
Year-long discussions between the European parliament and EU states have broken down.
Washing machine triggers nanoparticle regulation
24 November 2006
Anti-microbial silver nanoparticles labelled 'pesticides'
Blow for disease diagnosis
24 November 2006
Doctors could one day give health check-ups by analysing our breath, UK chemists say.
Bacteria that help fight cancer
23 November 2006
Bacterial protein treats cancer by releasing drugs from liposome carriers.
Unfolding peptide watched in real time
23 November 2006
Infrared spectroscopy captures processes taking mere millionths of a millionth of a second
Scientists crack ancient crucible recipe
22 November 2006
Alchemists of the Middle Ages used modern ceramics
ICI sells flavours and fragrances business
23 November 2006
Billion-pound deal boosts industry leader Givaudan
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Can recycling become a PC term?
23 November 2006
An efficient method for recycling polycarbonate (PC) waste has been developed by researchers from Taiwan.
Curbing cancer
22 November 2006
Anticancer compounds should prove more effective if they are protected in an organic jacket, claim researchers in Australia.
Hydride ion finds new home
22 November 2006
Metal clusters that can encapsulate hydride ions might offer a new hydrogen storage strategy.
Side-effect-free chemotherapy
21 November 2006
US researchers have developed an enzyme could eliminate the damage that chemotherapy does to healthy tissue.
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Porous films detect TNT
21 November 2006
Fluorescent films that can sense explosives have been developed by Chinese scientists.
Microscopy enters the fourth dimension
20 November 2006
Ultrafast electron microscope records atomic movies in real time.
Detecting designer steroids
20 November 2006
Detecting designer steroids used to cheat in horse racing and other sports has been made easier thanks to Australian scientists.
Solar system's super beginnings
17 November 2006
Improvements in samarium detection could tell us more about how the solar system formed.
Uniting to preserve Germany's heritage
17 November 2006
Two of Germany's largest scientific organizations have created an alliance to better preserve and restore items of cultural significance
Engineered fingers spot mistakes in DNA
17 November 2006
Exposing errors in the DNA hidden deep inside our cells could help doctors diagnose certain diseases earlier and more accurately.
Getting brighter and whiter
17 November 2006
Chemists in Taiwan have made a high performance and stable organic LED that gives out white light.
Reactions without walls
16 November 2006
Containerless chemistry in levitating droplets of ionic liquids.
Device monitors expression
15 November 2006
A 'living cell array' to monitor cell responses to drugs could lead to a greater understanding of liver disease.
Carbon nanotubes: Saladin's secret weapon
15 November 2006
Carbon nanotubes are no longer the proud boast of 21st century materials scientists - mediaeval sword-smiths got there first.
Nanoribbons put electrons in a spin
15 November 2006
Calculations predict that some graphene nanoribbons behave as half-metals, making them a useful material for spin-based electronics (spintronics).
Mercury legislation rises then falls
15 November 2006
Plans for European Union restrictions on mercury have been thrown into confusion
Giving the red light to cancer cells
15 November 2006
A water-soluble dye has all of the properties needed for use in a non-invasive form of cancer treatment, say scientists in Turkey.
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Solid future for green synthesis
15 November 2006
Solid-state reactions can be scaled up for industrial chemical production in a waste-free and environmentally benign manner, claims a German chemist.
New world of cosmetovigilance
14 November 2006
Authorities on both sides of the Atlantic have taken steps to identify health risks from chemicals in cosmetics
New natural painkiller discovered
13 November 2006
A short peptide isolated from human saliva has potentially powerful painkilling properties
Do you get the message?
13 November 2006
Understanding the signals produced by clumps of proteins will help find a cure for multiple sclerosis, say US scientists.
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Shards of glass give up their secrets
13 November 2006
Glass fragments collected from a crime scene can be accurately matched using a mass spectrometry technique, according to forensic scientists in the Netherlands.
Keeping guest molecules in order
13 November 2006
Trapping a guest in a corner prevents disorder, according to scientists in Japan.
Healing threads spun from living cells
10 November 2006
Biological threads made from polymers containing living cells could make wound-repairing scaffolds
Ionic liquids control pH
10 November 2006
An ionic liquid that could be used to control pH in chemical reactions has been developed by scientists in China.
Materials from captured algae
10 November 2006
Algae tunnelling out of glass jails could lead to new materials for biomedical devices, say French scientists.
Feeling ill? Just breathe here
09 November 2006
New mass spectrometry method could diagnose patient's health from breath
Paint me a computer
09 November 2006
Chemists in Poland have constructed logic gates, the 'atoms' of computation, out of well-known pigments.
Interface detects explosives
09 November 2006
An interface that can be used to detect explosives has been developed by Swedish scientists.
Molecular signals of schizophrenia identified
08 November 2006
Chemical indicators of psychosis found in cerebrospinal fluid
Aptamers with aptitude
08 November 2006
Scientists have developed a route to better-binding RNA molecules and found a binder for HIV-1 RNA.
Industrial chemicals accused of causing 'silent pandemic'
08 November 2006
But neurotoxicology fears may be alarmist, say scientists
How fresh is your food?
07 November 2006
A material that changes colour when exposed to oxygen could be used to indicate whether packaged food is still fresh, its inventors claim.
Longest single molecule wire
07 November 2006
A single molecule wire, claimed to be the longest yet, has been made by UK scientists.
Mimicking nature's signals
06 November 2006
Scientists have drawn inspiration from nature to develop a method for detecting DNA.
Bacteria out to lunch on soil pollutants
06 November 2006
Microbes can clean up persistent environmental contaminants.
Crack-down on bogus bonfires
03 November 2006
UK Environment Agency patrols out in force to stop pollution caused by the illegal burning of waste under the guise of Guy Fawkes
A longer lasting message
03 November 2006
Monitoring mRNA stability could light the way to new cancer treatments.
Alzheimer's century
02 November 2006
Researchers worldwide are commemorating the centenary of Alois Alzheimer's first description of the dementia named after him
Protein structure all wrapped up
01 November 2006
A protein that dramatically alters its shape could have implications in fields ranging from new materials to drug design.
