- Tuning graphene film so it sheds water - Windshields that shed water so effectively that they don't need wipers. Ship hulls so slippery that they glide through the water more efficiently than ordinary hulls.<br />
These are some of the potential applications for graphene, one of the hottest new materials in the field of nanotechnology, raised by the research of James Dickerson, assistant professor of physics at Vanderbilt. - Level of tumor protein indicates chances cancer will spread - Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong have discovered that high levels of a particular protein in cancer cells are a reliable indicator that a cancer will spread. By measuring the protein's genetic material in tumors that had been surgically removed from patients, along with measuring the genetic material from surrounding tissue, the researchers could predict at least 90 percent of the time whether a cancer would spread within two years.
- New metastasis marker found - A new molecular predictor of cancer-spread adds to a growing list of biomarkers that could improve treatment.
- Nanotubes protect brain tissue from stroke damage - Researchers in Korea and the US have shown that modified carbon nanotubes can protect brain tissue from the damage caused by ischaemic stroke, where the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. The work could lead to new treatments to help the brain repair itself after this type of stroke.
- Electrons charge down DNA molecular wire - US researchers have shown for the first time that a 34nm long DNA strand can be used as a molecular wire to conduct electricity. In the future, DNA could be used in nanoscale electronic computers, they say.
Robert Slinn refluxes the chemistry news and extracts a goodly yield for Reactive Reports in his regular column: Slinn Pickings.
