Feature Channels: Chemistry

• share
• favorite_border

Climate scientists who are members of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and working through the University of California, San Diego, Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the Environment (CAICE) have discovered disturbing climate trends close to Earth’s surface. A press conference will take place at 3:30 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 9, during ACS’ 246th National Meeting to discuss the critical importance that CAICE is having on climate science and the role of federal funding.

• share
• favorite_border

A weekly news magazine that has been around since before Time began celebrates its 90th anniversary this week with a special issue commemorating chemistry’s contributions over the past nine decades to medicine, industry and other scientific advances that have improved people’s lives. The magazine, Chemical & Engineering News, a publication of American Chemical Society (ACS), is also sponsoring a slew of celebratory events at the 246th ACS National Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis.

• share
• favorite_border

The scientists responsible for four inventions that affect the lives of millions of people around the globe will be inducted into the highly prized scientific “Hall of Fame” today as the latest Heroes of Chemistry chosen by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

Sandia National Laboratories scientists are building on decades of sensor work to invent tiny detectors that can sniff out everything from explosives and biotoxins to smuggled humans.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of Drexel University biomedical engineers are developing an advanced mathematical modeling of how nitric oxide -the chemical that regulates blood flow- is produced in the body.

• share
• favorite_border

A major science celebration is on tap at the Indiana Motor Speedway Sept. 8 in a collaboration between Celebrate Science Indiana and the Indiana Local Section of American Chemical Society (ACS) the world’s largest scientific society. The fair coincides with the ACS 246th National Meeting & Exposition, Sept. 8-12, in Indianapolis.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study — the first to apply a new screening technique to human platelets — netted a potential drug target for preventing dangerous blood clots in high-risk people.

• share
• favorite_border

For many migraine sufferers, bright lights are a surefire way to exacerbate their headaches. And for some night-shift workers, just a stroll through a brightly lit parking lot during the morning commute home can be enough to throw off their body's daily rhythms and make daytime sleep nearly impossible. But a new molecule that selectively blocks specialized light-sensitive receptors in the eyes could help both these groups of people, without affecting normal vision.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to apply a powerful new DNA-editing technology more broadly than ever before. “This is one of the hottest tools in biology, and we’ve now found a way to target it to any DNA sequence,” said Carlos F. Barbas III, the Janet and Keith Kellogg II Chair in Molecular Biology and Professor in the Department of Chemistry at TSRI.

• share
• favorite_border

Hints that a favorite ingredient in Mexican, Southeast Asian and other spicy cuisine may be an inexpensive new way of purifying drinking water are on the menu today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

A new technology is showing promise as the basis for a home test to diagnose influenza quickly, before the window for taking antiviral drugs slams shut and sick people spread the virus to others, scientists reported here today. In a presentation at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, they described how it also would determine the specific strain of flu virus, helping in selection of the most effective drug.

• share
• favorite_border

The world’s largest scientific society today issued guidelines to better ensure the safety of the tens of thousands of personnel who work in research laboratories around the country. The American Chemical Society issued the report, requested by a federal safety board, during its 246th National Meeting & Exposition. The meeting, which includes almost 7,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics, continues here through Thursday.

• share
• favorite_border

The scientific spotlight focuses today on the healthful antioxidant substances in red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, coffee, tea, and other foods and dietary supplements that are enticing millions of consumers with the promise of a healthier, longer life. The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is holding a symposium on those substances during its 246th National Meeting & Exposition.

• share
• favorite_border

Mention cars that get barely 3 miles to a gallon and are built for speed rather than cleanliness, and images of gas-guzzling, pollution-belching menaces burning leaded gasoline or nitro may spring to mind. But experts today described how ethanol blends used as fuel in the race cars of the Indianapolis 500 actually make those emissions cleaner than cars on the street. They spoke at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

One of the first analyses of laws banning disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) in landfills has found that state e-waste recycling bans have been mostly ineffective, although California’s Cell Phone Recycling Act had a positive impact. However, e-waste recycling rates remain “dismally low,” and many demographic groups remain unaware of their alternatives, according to the study, which was presented today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

After studying the functioning of the lungs of birds and the swim bladders of fish, scientists described how they created an improved method to capture carbon dioxide that acts like a reverse natural lung, breathing in the polluting gas. Their study on the best way to arrange tubes in a carbon dioxide capture unit was presented at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

With water pipes or hookahs gaining popularity, scientists today described a step toward establishing their health risks. In a study that they said provides no support for the notion that hookahs are safer than cigarettes, they reported that hookah smoke and tobacco contain lower levels of four toxic metals. It was part of the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society being held here this week.

• share
• favorite_border

Ideas that Henry Ford taught a century ago about the advantages of continuous mass production are finding their way into the manufacture of one of the few remaining products still made batch-wise: the billions of tablets, capsules and other forms of medicine that people take each year. That was the topic of a keynote address here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

An ambitious partnership among more than 100 organizations and governments led by Procter & Gamble’s nonprofit program, Children’s Safe Drinking Water, has helped provide more than 6 billion quarts of clean drinking water to families in developing countries, saving an estimated 32,000 lives. The talk was given at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

The pavement recipe for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, could be used to improve the smoothness, durability and safety of some of the 2 million miles of paved roads and streets where people move at ordinary speeds, scientists said here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here this week.

• share
• favorite_border

The bedbug’s most closely guarded secrets — stashed away in protective armor that enables these blood-sucking little nasties to shrug off insecticides and thrive in homes and hotels — are on the agenda here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The talk includes implications for millions of people trying to cope with bed bug infestations that have been resurging for more than a decade.

• share
• favorite_border

Already noted for saving gasoline and having zero emissions, electric cars have quietly taken on an unlikely new dimension –– the ability to reach blazing speeds that rival the 0-to-60 performance of a typical Porsche or BMW, and compete on some race courses with the world’s best gasoline-powered cars, an authority said here today at a major scientific conference.

• share
• favorite_border

With almost 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) released each year from burning coal, gasoline, diesel and other fossil fuels in the United States alone, scientists are seeking ways to turn the tables on the No. 1 greenhouse gas and convert it back into fuel. Those efforts are the topic of a symposium in Indianapolis today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

The technology that peeks underneath clothing at airport security screening check points has great potential for looking underneath human skin to diagnose cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages, a scientist said here today. The report on efforts to use terahertz radiation – “T-rays” – in early diagnosis of skin cancer was part of the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

With sales of boutique bourbons and other small-batch whiskeys booming, the chemical fingerprinting of whiskeys was the topic of a talk at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, in Indianapolis.

• share
• favorite_border

A somber picture of the struggle against super-weeds emerged here today as scientists described the relentless spread of herbicide-resistant menaces like pigweed and horseweed that shrug off powerful herbicides and have forced farmers in some areas to return to hand-held hoes. The reports on herbicide resistance and its challenges to modern agriculture were part of a symposium at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

Evidence from people with heart disease strongly supports the existence of the molecular link first discovered in laboratory mice between the body’s natural circadian rhythms and cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death — the No. 1 cause of death in heart attacks, a scientist said here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

With millions of people tailoring their diets to include more healthful antioxidants — and these “polyphenols” getting tremendous attention among nutritionists, food scientists and physicians — the world’s largest scientific society today is holding a symposium on that topic today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

The scientist who turned fresh-cut apple slices into a popular convenience food, available ready-to-eat in grocery stores, school cafeterias and fast-food restaurants, today described advances in keeping other foods fresh, flavorful, and safe for longer periods of time through the use of invisible, colorless, odorless, tasteless coatings. The overview of these edible films was part of the 246 National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

Honey bees should be on everyone’s worry list, and not because of the risk of a nasty sting, an expert on the health of those beneficial insects said here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. Despite years of intensive research, scientists do not understand the cause, nor can they provide remedies, for what is killing honey bees.

• share
• favorite_border

“Biofuel” is a global buzzword, with cars and trucks powered by fuel made from corn, switchgrass and waste cooking oil, envisioned as a way to stretch out supplies of crude oil and cope with global warming. A symposium being held here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society considers: What are the health and environmental effects of alternative fuels, and how do they compare with conventional fuels?

• share
• favorite_border

With the “Valley of Death” looming as an increasingly serious obstacle to introducing better ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases, a noted scientist today described a new approach for moving promising drug compounds out of laboratories and into the hands of patients and physicians. He spoke at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here this week.

• share
• favorite_border

In an advance toward providing mosquito-plagued people, pets and livestock with an invisibility cloak against these blood-sucking insects, scientists today described discovery of substances that block mosquitoes’ ability to smell and target their victims. The presentation was among almost 7,000 scheduled this week at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

Unlikely as it may sound, giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le in the Memphis Zoo are making contributions toward shifting production of biofuels away from corn and other food crops and toward corn cobs, stalks and other non-food plant material. Scientists presented an update today on efforts to mine Ya Ya and Le Le assets for substances that could do so during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

In an advance in determining the role of environmental agents in causing cancer, scientists described discovery of a long-sought way to use biopsy samples from cancer patients to check on human exposure to substances that damage the genetic material DNA in ways that can cause cancer. Their report on the method, which taps into a treasure trove of information left by biopsy patients, was part of the 246th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

Chemical processes are involved in production of almost 96 percent of all manufactured goods, and some of the latest advances in efforts to redesign those processes from the ground up with “green chemistry” are on the agenda here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

Electronic sutures that monitor surgical incisions for healing and infection. Electronic films that cling to the heart, monitoring the heartbeat and alerting the patient and cardiologist when medical attention is needed. Flexible plastic electronic appliques that stick to the skin like temporary tattoos and monitor hydration in athletes. Those and other futuristic advances are on the agenda here today at a symposium during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

How will emerging 21st century toxicity testing technologies impact agricultural products?  How do they fit in the life cycle of discovery, regulatory registration and product defense or product stewardship? What’s the outlook for improved, science-informed hazard prediction and risk assessment? Those and other topics are on the agenda here today at a symposium during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

An historic shift is occurring in traditional innovation in chemistry — which touches more than 96 percent of all the world’s manufactured goods — away from large companies and toward smaller entrepreneurs and startups. Amid that new landscape for transforming ideas and inventions into goods and services, the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, today hosts a special symposium on innovation and entrepreneurship at its 246th National Meeting & Exposition.

• share
• favorite_border

The diets of people in North America shed almost 1.5 billion pounds of unhealthy saturated and trans fat over the last six years thanks to a new phase in the agricultural revolution, an expert said here today. In an interview before his address at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, Daniel Kittle, Ph.D., cited the achievement as part of an expanded mission for agricultural science and biotechnology.

• share
• favorite_border

Mention purple sweet potatoes, black carrots or purple carrots, and people think of dining on exotic veggies. But those plants and others have quietly become sources of a new generation of natural food colorings that are replacing traditional synthetic colors and colors derived from beetles. That back-to-the-future trend is on the agenda today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

New discoveries from the labs of several Nobel laureates will be presented here this week during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Research from the laureates’ teams will be among almost 7,000 presentations during the event.

• share
• favorite_border

How many breakthrough new drugs never reach patients because tests in clinical trials suggested a high risk of liver damage when the drug actually was quite safe? That question underpins major international research efforts to modernize tests for drug-induced liver injury, mentioned here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

• share
• favorite_border

A revolutionary new solar energy technology that turns water into steam without boiling the entire container of water has become the basis for new devices to sanitize medical and dental instruments and human waste in developing countries, scientists said here today. Prototypes of the devices, which need no electricity or fuel, were the topic of one of the keynote addresses at the opening of the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

• share
• favorite_border

Glimpses of the nursery of life on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago are coming from an unlikely venue almost 1 billion miles away, according to the leader of an effort to understand Titan, one of the most unusual moons in the solar system. In the talk here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, he said that Titan is providing insights into the evolution of life.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy have discovered a new role for nitric oxide, a gas molecule crucial for cellular signaling and health.

• share
• favorite_border

In the August 6, 2013 online edition of Chemical Science, a team of scientists describes a testbed for light-harvesting antennas, the structures that capture the sun’s light in plants and bacteria. Prototype designs built on the testbed soak up more of the sun’s spectrum and are far easier to assemble than synthetic antennas made entirely from scratch. They offer the best of both worlds, combining human synthetic ingenuity with the repertoire of robust chemical machinery selected by evolution.

• share
• favorite_border

Thousands of scientists and others will get a first-hand look at some of the latest innovations in laboratory instruments today and tomorrow during the 246th National Meeting and Exhibition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Those encounters, plus live equipment demonstrations, previews of new books and journals, and other attractions will come at the exposition part of the meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

Advance news media registration for onsite coverage of the American Chemical Society’s 246th National Meeting & Exposition, Sept. 8-12, 2013, in Indianapolis remains open for two more weeks. After Aug. 30, journalists must register onsite in the ACS Press Center, Room 211, of the Indiana Convention Center.

• share
• favorite_border

Stephen J. Lippard, Ph.D., Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, will receive the 2014 Priestley Medal, awarded by the American Chemical Society. It is the highest honor bestowed by the world’s largest scientific society.