Reactive Reports #75  October 2008 From David Bradley Science Writer and Advanced Chemistry Development   Reactive Science News     Stuck On You  Scientists have long been interested in the ability of gecko lizards to scurry up walls and cling to ceilings by their toes. Now, researchers have found a way to mimic those hairy gecko feet using polymers or carbon nanotubes.   CSI: Waco  A statistical method that processes spectroscopic measurements very quickly could allow crime scene investigators to determine time of death of skeletal remains more accurately and quicker than before, according to researchers at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.   Tubular Reactions  Using surface-modified carbon nanotubes to activate an important industrial chemical, butane, without the need for an expensive metal catalyst—Dang Sheng Su and his team present a process that offers a cheaper alternative to the current industrial process for butane activation.   Chasing Down Mad Cows  Researchers in Europe have tracked down the molecular anchor that hooks errant and infectious prions leading to mad cow disease, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.     Reactive People [Previous Reactions...]   Reactive Profile—Noel O'Boyle  Noel O'Boyle is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Development Group at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre in Cambridge, and is interested in drug discovery, protein-ligand docking, cheminformatics, QSAR, and computational chemistry.  Read more... SIGN UP!