Chemistry
- Chemistry
Phlegmatic molecules
Time-lapse snapshots of molecules show that they change shapes less often than theory predicted.
- Materials Science
Like the Nobel, Only Norwegian
Two weeks from now, an astrophysicist, neuroscientist, and nanoscience researcher will each be named to receive $1 million Kavli Prizes.
By Janet Raloff - Agriculture
Ethanol Fallout: Health Risks for Livestock
With Uncle Sam pushing the production of ethanol for fuel, U.S. farmers are planting more corn than at any time since World War II, and garnering premium prices for each harvested bushel. But many livestock operations are getting hit with a double whammy: higher feeds costs and corn-derived feed that’s carrying triple the normal load of fungal poisons.
By Janet Raloff -
- Earth
Molten salts give biofuels a boost
Making biofuels from the chemical energy locked in plant cell walls has proven difficult, but molten salts may help.
- Health & Medicine
New approach might strike at the core of Alzheimer’s disease
By anchoring an enzyme-inhibiting molecule to a cell membrane, researchers have designed a potential skeleton for a new Alzheimer's treatment.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Six-legged Arthritis Relief
Here's a novel health food I learned about this morning--one that could be free for the gleaning right outside your front door (especially if you live in China). Warning: You have to be quick or it will get away.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
Einstein’s invisible hand: Is relativity making metal act like a noble gas?
Element 114 should be chemically similar to lead, but controversial experimental data shows it behaves more like a noble gas, potentially subverting the periodic table's structure.
- Chemistry
Sense of Wonder
Multigenerational projects may help us visualize the big picture.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
Drugs on Tap
It's finally time to investigate whether pharmaceuticals in water pose a health risk.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
Energy in Motion
The molecular machines of living cells harvest energy out of randomness, and scientists are learning how to do the same with artificial molecules.
- Chemistry
Chomping on uranium
Chemists forced the most common form of uranium into a new kind of chemical reaction, which could lead to new industrial applications and new tools to clean up the environment.