In a previous issue, we discussed early work on Escherichia coli as a proof of principle for understanding how bacterial resistance to antibiotics can emerge. Now, Edward Yu’s team at Iowa State University have taken another step forward in our understanding of this pressing issue by using crystallography to reveal the structure of a protein […]
toxin
An NMR machine in a fume hood - Scientists in Germany have demonstrated a portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer that's small enough to be placed in a fume cupboard to monitor the progress of a reaction in situ. Scientists a step closer to understanding ‘natural antifreeze’ molecules - Scientists have made an important step […]
Opalinus Clay as a potential host rock for nuclear waste repositories - Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU, Germany) have studied natural claystone in the laboratory for more than four years in order to determine how the radioactive elements plutonium and neptunium react with this rock. Chemist discovers shortcut for processing drugs - A […]
Venom of marine snails provide new drugs - Baldomero Olivera studies chemical compounds found in the venoms of marine cone snails, a potential source of powerful, yet safe and effective drugs. He will discuss the development of Prialt - an FDA-approved drug for intractable, chronic pain - and the potential for new drugs. Oxygen levels […]
Sterility in frogs caused by environmental pharmaceutical progestogens - Frogs appear to be very sensitive to progestogens, a kind of pharmaceutical that is released into the environment. Female tadpoles that swim in water containing a specific progestogen, levonorgestrel, are subject to abnormal ovarian and oviduct development, resulting in adult sterility. Inhaling ‘Red Mud Disaster’ dust […]
Atom-thick sheets unlock future technologies - A new way of splitting layered materials, similar to graphite, into sheets of material just one atom thick could lead to revolutionary new electronic and energy storage technologies. ‘Cornell dots’ that light up cancer cells go into clinical trials - “Cornell Dots” — brightly glowing nanoparticles — may soon […]