Feature Channels: Chemistry

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20-Mar-2017 6:00 AM EDT
Lust for Power
University of Utah

University of Utah engineers have discovered a new material made from a combination of the chemical elements calcium, cobalt and terbium that can create an efficient, inexpensive and bio-friendly material that can generate electricity through a thermoelectric process involving heat and cold air.

Released: 17-Mar-2017 1:05 PM EDT
Study IDs Link Between Sugar Signaling and Regulation of Oil Production in Plants
Brookhaven National Laboratory

UPTON, NY—Even plants have to live on an energy budget. While they’re known for converting solar energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars, plants have sophisticated biochemical mechanisms for regulating how they spend that energy. Making oils costs a lot. By exploring the details of this delicate energy balance, a group of scientists from the U.

Released: 16-Mar-2017 2:00 PM EDT
Research Leads to a Golden Discovery for Wearable Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Writing in the March 17 issue of the journal Science, Missouri University of Science and Technology researchers say they have developed a way to “grow” thin layers of gold on single crystal wafers of silicon, remove the gold foils, and use them as substrates on which to grow other electronic materials.

13-Mar-2017 11:00 AM EDT
A Blood Test for Autism
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

An algorithm based on levels of metabolites found in a blood sample can accurately predict whether a child is on the Autism spectrum of disorder (ASD), based upon a recent study.

   
Released: 15-Mar-2017 3:05 PM EDT
Ostrowski Receives CAREER Award to Support Groundbreaking Research in Photochemistry
Bowling Green State University

BGSU photochemist Dr. Alexis Ostrowski and her lab are venturing into a whole new world of materials with properties as yet unknown, but that offer the promise of beneficial applications in health, industry, agriculture and other fields.

Released: 15-Mar-2017 2:00 PM EDT
Researchers Develop Groundbreaking Process for Creating Ultra-Selective Separation Membranes
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering

A team of researchers has developed a groundbreaking one-step, crystal growth process for making ultra-thin layers of material with molecular-sized pores. Researchers demonstrated the use of the material, called zeolite nanosheets, by making ultra-selective membranes for chemical separations. These new membranes can separate individual molecules based on shape and size, which could improve the energy-efficiency of chemical separation methods used to make everything from fuels to chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

15-Mar-2017 11:05 AM EDT
Fossil or Inorganic Structure? Scientists Dig Into Early Life Forms
Florida State University

An international team of researchers found that fossil-like objects grew in natural spring water abundant in the early stages of the planet. But, they were inorganic materials that resulted from simple chemical reactions.

Released: 15-Mar-2017 9:05 AM EDT
From Skin to Brain: Stem Cells Without Genetic Modification
University at Buffalo

A discovery, several years in the making, by University at Buffalo researchers proves that adult skin cells can be converted into neural crest cells (a type of stem cell) without any genetic modification, and that these stem cells can yield other cells that are present in the spinal cord and the brain. The applications could be significant, from studying genetic diseases in a dish to generating possible regenerative cures from the patient’s own cells.

   
Released: 15-Mar-2017 7:10 AM EDT
Rare Earth Recycling
Department of Energy, Office of Science

A new energy-efficient separation of rare earth elements could provide a new domestic source of critical materials.

9-Mar-2017 12:05 PM EST
NYU Chemists Color World of 3D Crystals with Advances in Self-Assembly
New York University

A team of NYU chemists has created self-assembled, three-dimensional DNA crystals that can bind a separate, dye-bearing strand—a breakthrough that enhances the functionality of these tiny building blocks.

Released: 13-Mar-2017 11:55 AM EDT
Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals can Adversely Affect Brain Development
Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)

Results of tests provide evidence that exposure to a chemical mixture can disturb thyroid hormone signalling. The authors say that this adds weight to the suggestion that similar exposures can adversely affect brain development in unborn children.

   
Released: 9-Mar-2017 5:05 PM EST
Jaqueline L. Kiplinger Receives the IUPAC 2017 Distinguished Women in Chemistry Award
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow Jaqueline Kiplinger was recognized this week with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) 2017 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering award. Kiplinger was one of 12 women recognized this year internationally and the only recipient of this honor from the United States.

Released: 9-Mar-2017 12:05 PM EST
Unexpected Oxidation State for Molecular Plutonium Discovered
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in collaboration with the University of California – Irvine (UCI) have uncovered a significant new chemical attribute of plutonium, the identification and structural verification of the +2 oxidation state in a molecular system.

8-Mar-2017 8:00 AM EST
Protein Called GRASP1 Is Needed to Strengthen Brain Circuits
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Learning and memory depend on cells' ability to strengthen and weaken circuits in the brain. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that a protein involved in recycling other cell proteins plays an important role in this process.

   
Released: 8-Mar-2017 1:45 PM EST
Probiotic Found in Yogurt Can Reverse Depression Symptoms
University of Virginia Health System

Researchers have reversed depression symptoms in mice simply by feeding them a probiotic bacteria found in yogurt. They also discovered a specific mechanism for how the bacteria affect mood, providing a direct link between gut health and mental health.

6-Mar-2017 1:00 PM EST
New Enzyme-Like Tool Lets Chemists Modify Hard-to-Reach Spots on Drug Molecules
Scripps Research Institute

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have devised a versatile molecule-building tool for creating new drugs and other chemical products.

   
7-Mar-2017 9:00 AM EST
Bone-Derived Hormone Suppresses Appetite in Mice
Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center discovered that lipocalin 2, a hormone secreted by bone cells, suppresses appetite in mice. The study findings, which reveal a new mechanism for regulating food intake and blood sugar, could lead to the development of new treatments for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.

Released: 8-Mar-2017 11:05 AM EST
Small Nanoparticles Have Surprisingly Big Effects on Polymer Nanocomposites
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

When a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory tried to verify that shrinking the nanoparticle size would adversely affect the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites, they got a big surprise.

Released: 8-Mar-2017 11:05 AM EST
Chemists Create Molecular 'Leaf' That Collects and Stores Solar Power Without Solar Panels
Indiana University

An international research team centered at Indiana University have engineered a molecule that uses light or electricity to convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide -- a carbon-neutral fuel source -- more efficiently than any other method of "carbon reduction." The discovery, reported today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is a new milestone in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere into carbon-neutral fuels and others materials.

Released: 7-Mar-2017 5:05 PM EST
Argonne Invents Reusable Sponge That Soaks Up Oil, Could Revolutionize Oil Spill and Diesel Cleanup
Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists at Argonne have invented a new foam, called Oleo Sponge, that not only easily adsorbs spilled oil from water, but is also reusable and can pull dispersed oil from the entire water column—not just the surface.

28-Feb-2017 1:05 PM EST
Going Glassy: Revealing Structure and Dynamics of Glassy Polymers During Transition
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

An international collaboration of computational physicists and chemists have shed new light on how the polymer structure bears on the glass-transition temperature in the forming of glass in atactic polystyrene (PS), a commonly used glass substance. Their work is reported this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics.

2-Mar-2017 8:05 AM EST
Synchrotron Sheds (X-Ray) Light on Carbon Chemistry at Ocean Surfaces
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Carbonate, bicarbonate, and carbonic acid emerge when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in the oceans, which is the largest sink for this greenhouse gas. Researchers are interested in better understanding the carbonate system to potentially help facilitate carbon sequestration schemes, to help mitigate climate change. Recently, researchers made breakthrough discoveries about the carbonate species’ behavior at saltwater surfaces, like that of the ocean. They report their findings this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics.

Released: 7-Mar-2017 9:05 AM EST
Understanding What’s Happening Inside Liquid Droplets
Georgia Institute of Technology

For most people, the drip, drip, drip of a leaking faucet would be an annoyance. But for Georgia Institute of Technology Ph.D. candidate Alexandros Fragkopoulos, what happens inside droplets is the stuff of serious science.

Released: 6-Mar-2017 12:05 PM EST
URI Student One of Six to Receive Highest Research Honor From the American Chemical Society
University of Rhode Island

Graduate student has found some synthetic chemicals in greater concentrations than many other pollutants, including the previously banned flame retardants.

Released: 6-Mar-2017 12:00 PM EST
Metabolic Syndrome: Toxicology’s Next Patient
Society of Toxicology

A rise in caloric consumption combined with a decrease in physical activity has contributed to a boom of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases (e.g., heart failure and stroke).

Released: 1-Mar-2017 10:05 AM EST
Automated Measurement System Enhances Quality, Reduces Handling in Pu-238 Production
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Under a collaborative partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Energy, a new automated measurement system developed at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory will ensure quality production of plutonium-238 while reducing handling by workers.

Released: 1-Mar-2017 9:00 AM EST
Southern Research Project Advances Novel CO2 Utilization Strategy
Southern Research

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy has awarded Southern Research nearly $800,000 for a project that targets a more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly method of producing some of the most important chemicals used in manufacturing.

23-Feb-2017 9:00 AM EST
Exploring the Mysteries of Supercooled Water
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Despite its omnipresence, water has many physical properties that are still not completely understood by the scientific community. One of the most puzzling relates to the activity of water molecules after they undergo a process called “supercooling.” Now, new findings from Roma Tre University, in Rome, Italy, on the interactions of water molecules under these exotic conditions appear this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics.

Released: 27-Feb-2017 4:05 PM EST
New Droplet-on-Tape Method Assists Biochemical Research at X-Ray Lasers
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and other institutes designed a new assembly-line system that rapidly replaces exposed biological samples by moving droplets along a miniature conveyor belt, timed to coincide with the arrival of the X-ray pulses. The droplet-on-tape system now allows the team to study the biochemical reactions in real-time from microseconds to seconds, revealing the stages of these complex reactions.

22-Feb-2017 8:05 PM EST
Triboelectric Nanogenerators Boost Mass Spectrometry Performance
Georgia Institute of Technology

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) convert mechanical energy harvested from the environment to electricity for powering small devices such as sensors or for recharging consumer electronics. Now, researchers have harnessed these devices to improve the charging of molecules in a way that dramatically boosts the sensitivity of a widely-used chemical analysis technique.

22-Feb-2017 1:00 PM EST
Anti-Aging Gene Identified as a Novel Promising Therapeutic Target for Older Melanoma Patients
Wistar Institute

Wistar scientists have shown an anti-diabetic drug can inhibit the growth of melanoma in older patients by activating an anti-aging gene that in turn inhibits a protein involved in metastatic progression and resistance to targeted therapies for the disease.

   
Released: 22-Feb-2017 3:05 PM EST
Chemist Nathan Gianneschi to Join Northwestern
Northwestern University

Chemist Nathan C. Gianneschi, whose interdisciplinary research has the potential to make a significant impact in human health, will join the Northwestern University faculty, effective July 1, the University announced today. Gianneschi, a Northwestern alumnus, has developed new methods for creating nanomaterials that can sense and respond to biological signals.

Released: 22-Feb-2017 2:05 PM EST
Masdar Institute Pioneering Innovative Wastewater Treatment System
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

Assistant Professor Shadi Wajih Hasan is Working to Develop Wastewater Treatment Systems for the Sustainable Production of High-Quality Water.

Released: 22-Feb-2017 1:05 PM EST
Clinical Practice Guideline Focuses on Molecular Biomarker Testing for Patients with Colorectal Cancer
College of American Pathologists (CAP)

A new, evidenced-based clinical practice guideline on molecular biomarker testing for patients with colorectal cancer identifies opportunities for improving patient outcomes.

Released: 22-Feb-2017 10:05 AM EST
The Right Chemistry: Collaborating Across Multiple Disciplines
University of Kansas Cancer Center

Researchers at The University of Kansas Cancer Center are collaborating on the “lab-on-a-chip,” a testing platform that captures and performs analysis of various biomarkers, which are actively released by tumor cells into blood. Rather than the usual invasive and costly biopsy, the credit-card size devices will screen for circulating markers that are released from cancer cells within patients’ blood.

   
Released: 22-Feb-2017 8:05 AM EST
ASHP Releases AHFS Drug Information, 2017 Edition
ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)

Trusted, Evidence-based Resource Helps Practitioners Make Informed Drug Therapy Decisions

Released: 21-Feb-2017 12:05 PM EST
TSRI-Invented Compound Ozanimod Shows Positive Results in Late-Stage Clinical Trial for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
Scripps Research Institute

Results from a new Phase 3 study conducted by the Celgene Corporation demonstrate that ozanimod, a drug candidate originally discovered and optimized at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), can reduce the frequency of multiple sclerosis relapse.

16-Feb-2017 2:00 PM EST
Understanding ‘Glass Relaxation’ and Why It’s Important for Next-Generation Displays
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Display manufacturers can account for a certain level of relaxation in the glass, referring to the intermolecular rearrangement, if it’s known and reproducible. But fluctuations in this relaxation behavior tend to introduce uncertainty into the manufacturing process, possibly leading to misalignment of pixels within displays. Now, researchers reports on a new modeling technique to quantify and predict glass relaxation fluctuations, important for next-generation displays.

Released: 21-Feb-2017 9:00 AM EST
Stabilizing Energy Storage
University of Utah

University of Utah and University of Michigan chemists, participating in a U.S. Department of Energy consortium, predict a better future for these types of batteries, called redox flow batteries. Using a predictive model of molecules and their properties, the team has developed a charge-storing molecule around 1,000 times more stable than current compounds.

17-Feb-2017 3:00 PM EST
An Alternative to Opioids? Compound From Marine Snail Is Potent Pain Reliever
University of Utah Health

A tiny snail may offer an alternative to opioids for pain relief. Scientists at the University of Utah have found a compound that blocks pain by targeting a pathway not associated with opioids. Research in rodents indicates that the benefits continue long after the compound have cleared the body.

   
Released: 20-Feb-2017 11:05 AM EST
Why Are There Different 'Flavors' of Iron Around the Solar System?
Carnegie Institution for Science

New work shows that interactions between iron and nickel under the extreme pressures and temperatures similar to a planetary interior can help scientists understand the period in our Solar System's youth when planets were forming and their cores were created.

Released: 17-Feb-2017 10:05 AM EST
From Mice, Clues to Microbiome’s Influence on Metabolic Disease
University of Wisconsin–Madison

The community of microorganisms that resides in the gut, known as the microbiome, has been shown to work in tandem with the genes of a host organism to regulate insulin secretion, a key variable in the onset of the metabolic disease diabetes. That is the primary finding of a study published this week by a team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

Released: 17-Feb-2017 9:05 AM EST
Chemicals Recognised as Human Endocrine Disruptors by EU
Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)

For the first, the EU has identified four chemical compounds as being of concern to human health because of their endocrine disrupting properties

Released: 17-Feb-2017 4:05 AM EST
Molecular Phenomenon Discovered by Advanced NMR Facility
University of Warwick

Cutting edge technology has shown a molecule self-assembling into different forms when passing between solution state to solid state, and back again – a curious phenomenon in science – says research by the University of Warwick.

13-Feb-2017 2:30 PM EST
Indiana University Research: Rainbow Dyes Add Greater Precision in Fight Against 'Superbugs'
Indiana University

A study reported Jan. 17 in the journal Science led by researchers at Indiana University and Harvard University is the first to reveal in extreme detail the operation of the biochemical clockwork that drives cellular division in bacteria. It is an important step forward in research on bacterial growth and could inform efforts to develop drugs that combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Released: 16-Feb-2017 1:05 PM EST
Biochemical Tricks of the Hibernating Bear
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)

Winter is in full swing, and many of us have fantasized about curling up in a warm cave and slumbering until the warmth of spring arrives, just like a bear. Bears have the ability to sleep away the harsh winter months when food is scarce. They can spend five to seven months in hibernation. During this time, bears do not eat, drink, excrete or exercise. Despite the length of inactivity, bears do not experience bone loss, muscle loss, heart complications or blood clots like humans do during extended bouts of inactivity.

Released: 16-Feb-2017 12:00 PM EST
Speakers Announced for 2017 Experimental Biology Meeting
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

World-renowned scientists will present pioneering research and discuss key issues affecting the life sciences at the 2017 Experimental Biology meeting (EB 2017), the premier annual meeting of six scientific societies in Chicago to be held April 22–26.

Released: 15-Feb-2017 12:05 PM EST
Scripps Florida Scientists Take Aim at Obesity-Linked Protein
Scripps Research Institute

In a study recently published online in the journal Molecular Metabolism, Chakraborty and his colleagues have shown that deleting the gene for this protein, known as IP6K1, protects animal models from both obesity and diabetes.

   


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