Chemistry

Chemistry

More evidence that BPA laces store receipts

People interested in limiting exposure to bisphenol A — a hormone-mimicking environmental contaminant — might want to consider wearing gloves the next time a store clerk hands over a cash-register receipt. A July 27 report by a public-interest research group has now confirmed many of these receipts have a BPA-rich powdery residue on their surface.

Health & Medicine

Coffee perks up memory and balance in geriatric animals

Millions of Americans start their day with a cup of coffee and then reach for refills when their energy or attention flags. But new research in rats suggests that for the aging brain, coffee may serve as more than a mere stimulant. It can boost memory and the signaling essential to motor coordination.

Health & Medicine

Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

Many people like the taste of raw – as in unpasteurized – milk. The problem, of course, is that germs may infect raw milk, so food safety regulations require that commercial producers heat-treat their milk. But food scientists at Louisiana State University think they’ve stumbled onto a tastier way to sterilize milk. They bombard it with sound waves.

Chemistry

Different strokes

Though they share the same design, new micromachines are not a synchronized swimming team.

Chemistry

Smelling the menu

Mouse breath triggers special cells in the nose that help send a safe-to-eat message.

Earth

Ivy nanoparticles promise sunblocks and other green products

I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with English ivy that’s been devolving towards hate-hate. But a new paper may temper my antipathy. Apparently this backyard bully also offers a kinder, gentler alternative to the potentially toxic metal-based nanoparticles used in today’s sunscreens.

Life

Marine creature cooks up chemical defense from food

The sea hare transforms a benign algal pigment into a noxious molecule to help ward off crabs and other predators, new studies show.

Physics

A giant proposal for a new type of molecule

Atoms linked across vast distances, can point in two directions at once

Chemistry

Vodka’s bonds may influence taste

Differences in vodka brands reflect structural variations in cages of water molecules encasing ethanol, new research suggests.

Humans

Teeth as a forensic clock

Here’s something we’re likely to see that endearing techno whiz kid, Abby Sciuto, whip out of her forensic arsenal next season on NCIS. They’re chemical and nuclear technologies to date teeth. When paired up, new research indicates, they’ll identify not only when people were born but also the age at which they clocked out — thereby pointing to the general date of death.

Chemistry

Exposure of moms-to-be to hormone-mimicking chemical may affect kids years later

In mice, BPA can cause pregnancy complications that can also trigger later metabolic effects in both moms and grown male offspring.

Chemistry

A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

Manufacturers have been adding the germ fighter triclosan to soaps, hand washes, and a range of other products for years. But here’s a dirty little secret: Once it washes down the drain, that triclosan can spawn dioxins.