Chemistry
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Tech
BPA: EPA hasn’t identified a safer alternative for thermal paper
Some researchers and public interest groups have been arguing that BPAfree thermal receipts paper is a preferable alternative, at least from a health perspective. But is it really? That’s what Environmental Protection Agency scientists want to know. And to date, they maintain, the jury’s still out.
By Janet Raloff -
Humans
BPA induces sterility in roundworms
Bisphenol A does a real number on the genes responsible for successful reproduction in a 1-millimeter-long soil-dwelling roundworm. And that suggests BPA might pose similar risks to people because geneticists are finding that this tiny critter can be a remarkably useful “lab rat” — predicting impacts in mammals, including us.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & Medicine
Fructose poses gout risks even in women
Soft drinks are an even more potent source of the fat-generating sugar than had been thought, new research shows.
By Janet Raloff -
Tech
Seeing red: Next installment in BPA-paper saga
Consumers now have a way to identify cash register tape that is free of endocrine-disrupting chemical.
By Janet Raloff -
Humans
Building a better bomb sniffer
A new handheld device detects TATP, an explosive that is easy to make but hard to detect.
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Tech
Plenty of foods harbor BPA, study finds
Some communities have banned the sale of plastic baby bottles and sippy cups that are manufactured using bisphenol A, a hormone-mimicking chemical. In a few grocery stores, cashiers have already begun donning gloves to avoid handling thermal receipt paper whose BPA-based surface coating may rub off on the fingers. But how’s a family to avoid exposure to this contaminant when it taints the food supply?
By Janet Raloff -
Chemistry
Skin is no barrier to BPA, study shows
The new finding suggests handling store receipts could be a significant source of internal exposure to the hormone-mimicking chemical.
By Janet Raloff -
Chemistry
Breathe better with bitter
Taste receptors in the lungs open airways in response to acrid gases.
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Chemistry
Guards of the blood-brain barrier identified
Specialized cells called pericytes are crucial to protecting the central nervous system, two new studies demonstrate.
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Chemistry
Basic tool for making organic molecules wins chemistry Nobel
Three researchers get prize for developing methods that use the metal palladium to catalyze the synthesis of complex carbon carbon-containing molecules for drugs, electronics and other applications.
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Physics
Physics Nobel goes to graphene
Discovered only six years ago, the 2-D carbon sheets have spun off a new field of research.