A self-healing protective coating for concrete
By American Chemical Society Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Scientists are reporting development of what they describe as the first self-healing protective coating for cracks in concrete, the world’s most widely used building material. Their study on the material — which is inexpensive and environmentally friendly — appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Ancient “Egyptian blue” pigment points to new telecommunications, security ink technologBy American Chemical Society Wednesday, February 20, 2013
A bright blue pigment used 5,000 years ago is giving modern scientists clues toward the development of new nanomaterials with potential uses in state-of-the-art medical imaging devices, remote controls for televisions, security inks and other technology. That’s the conclusion of an article on the pigment, Egyptian blue, in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
By Dr. Klaus L.E. Kaiser Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Chemistry of Yore and Now
For many the field of chemistry is a terra incognita, an unknown world. This is odd if one considers that humans are virtually chemistry factories, ingesting, processing and producing chemicals throughout our lives. We routinely use a wide variety of chemicals without ever thinking of them in those terms, from detergents to medications. Besides, with all kinds of wonderful electronic gadgets, who needs to know anything about chemistry or chemicals anyway? On top of that, we are constantly told that chemicals are dangerous to our health. Everything else, including meteorites are too.
UrtheCast and Science Channel Partner to bring Viewers Real Time HD Video of EarthBy News on the Net Tuesday, February 12, 2013
(Vancouver), February 2nd, 2013 — UrtheCast and Science Channel announced today an exclusive partnership to bring viewers the world’s first High-Definition video of Earth, streamed in near real time, from the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbits over 200 miles above Earth. The programming will be developed once UrtheCast’s HD cameras are installed on the ISS and video streaming begins.
Pioneering- Ancient Recollections
By Ralph Ritchie Saturday, February 9, 2013
I don’t know what your generation is pioneering; neither will you until you have made many more trips around the Sun. I can relate some of my experiences, that have become known as pioneering, and it only took me the better part of a century to acquire them.
New steps recommended to preserve China’s famous Terracotta Warriors and other relicsBy American Chemical Society Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The preservation of immovable historic relics displayed in large open spaces like China’s world-renowned Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses requires air curtains and other modifications to recreate the primitive environment from which archaeologists excavated the relics. That’s the conclusion of a study of environmental control measures for archaeology museums in the People’s Republic of China. Their study appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Record-setting asteroid to shave past Earth next monthBy News on the Net Thursday, January 31, 2013
A new genre of “intelligent” micro- and nanomotors
By American Chemical Society Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Enzymes, workhorse molecules of life that underpin almost every biological process, may have a new role as “intelligent” micro- and nanomotors with applications in medicine, engineering and other fields. That’s the topic of a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, showing that single molecules of common enzymes can generate enough force to cause movement in specific directions.
Prawn farming gets a revolution with same-sex mating
By Guest Column Wednesday, January 30, 2013
An Israeli research team has found a way to mate male prawns and increase yields and profitability for farmers. The revolutionary advanced gene-silencing biotechnology for aquaculture was developed in a lab at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
Toward reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the Internet and telecommunicationsBy American Chemical Society Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Amid growing concern over the surprisingly large amount of greenhouse gas produced by the Internet and other telecommunications activities, researchers are reporting new models of emissions and energy consumption that could help reduce their carbon footprint. Their report appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.
First special edition updating progress on efforts to map human proteinsBy American Chemical Society Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Almost 10 years after completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, scientists are making progress toward the next major goal in applying the genetic information in that “Book of Life” in medicine, leaders of an international research effort are reporting. A package of the latest updates on the goals, organization and achievements of the Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP) appear in a special issue of ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research.
New way to identify “smoked” grapes and winesBy American Chemical Society Wednesday, January 23, 2013
With climate change sparking concern about an increased risk of wildfires, scientists are reporting development of a way to detect grapes exposed to smoke from those fires, which otherwise could be vented into bad-tasting wine. Their report on the method for detecting smoke taint in both grapes and wine appears in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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