ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: October 29, 2014

ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: October 29, 2014

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News Items in This Edition


Microrockets fueled by water neutralize chemical and biological warfare agents

With fears growing over chemical and biological weapons falling into the wrong hands, scientists are developing microrockets to fight back against these dangerous agents, should the need arise. In the journal ACS Nano, they describe new spherical...


Why plants don’t get sunburn

Plants rely on sunlight to make their food, but they also need protection from its harmful rays, just like humans do. Recently, scientists discovered a group of molecules in plants that shields them from sun damage. Now, in an article in the Journal of the...


Scientists rank thousands of substances according to potential exposure level

An overwhelming number of chemicals from household and industrial products are in the environment – and hundreds are in our bodies. But for most of them, scientists have yet to determine whether they cause health problems. Now they’ve taken...


'Electronic skin' could improve early breast cancer detection

For detecting cancer, manual breast exams seem low-tech compared to other methods such as MRI. But scientists are now developing an "electronic skin" that "feels" and images small lumps that fingers can miss. Knowing the size and shape of a lump could...


Can plants edge out petroleum as raw material for textiles and plastics?

Your next pair of spandex pants could be made out of corn — or, more precisely, from dextrose derived from corn. This option is part of a new wave, albeit a small one, of consumer goods that are being produced from plants rather than petroleum-based...


Journalists’ Resources

Ebola Resources for Reporters
Have questions about the science underlying the ongoing Ebola crisis? ACS has set up a resource page on Ebola containing a list of related scientific papers, as well as Chemical & Engineering News articles, that journalists can access for free. It also includes a list of experts who can speak about this topic to the press. Visit our resource page at www.acs.org/Ebola.

ACS Experts: Chemistry Sources for Reporters
On a deadline? Need a reliable explanation of a chemistry concept? Then you need an ACS Expert. We have a growing list of scientists who can comment about neuroscience, green chemistry, pharmaceutical science, policy issues and much more. Just contact us at newsroom@acs.org.

ACS Editors' Choice
Do you want to keep up with the frontiers of science? Check out our new Open Access service, ACS Editors’ Choice. The website features one top story every day, selected from ACS’ more than 40 peer-reviewed journals, to give the public free, direct access to some of the most relevant scientific research going on today.

ACS National Meeting News

Couldn't go to the ACS 248th National Meeting & Exposition in Dallas? Then check out our resources for info you might have missed:
Press releases: www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php
Press conferences: www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive

Toolkits on Global Challenges/Research Funding

Journalists covering some of the great global challenges of the 21st century and federal funding of research and development (R&D) can find videos and scores of other resources in websites that the American Chemical Society has prepared on those topics.

ACS Press Release Archive

Visit our press release archive for news on a variety of chemistry-related topics.

ACS Videos

The American Chemical Society encourages news organizations, museums, educational organizations and other websites to embed links to these videos.

ACS Video of the Month

What's in your iPhone? - by Reactions

The iPhone 6 is here, breaking sales records and drawing criticism. But what do you really know about the insides of the iPhone 6, or any smartphone for that matter? To find out what chemical elements lurk inside a smartphone, watch this video we made with help from our friends at the Compound Interest blog.

Youtube ID: 66SGcBAs04w

Check out more Reactions videos and subscribe to the series at http://youtube.com/ACSReactions and follow Reactions on Twitter @ACSReactions.


C&EN Video Spotlight

Improving the Tesla battery

Battery technology firms are closing in on the huge mass market for plug-in electric cars, but the road ahead is anything but smooth. To go on a test ride of the Tesla Model S electric car with a C&EN reporter

Youtube ID: _MkPu6K0IIk

ACS Podcasts

Science Elements

Science Elements is a podcast that makes cutting-edge scientific discoveries from ACS journals available to a broader public audience. Listen to the podcasts at www.acs.org/ScienceElements.

This is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of Public Affairs Weekly PressPac with news from ACS’ more than 40 peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News.

This information is intended for your personal use in news gathering and reporting and should not be distributed to others. Anyone using advance ACS Office of Public Affairs Weekly PressPac information for stocks or securities dealing may be guilty of insider trading under the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Please cite the individual journal, or the American Chemical Society, as the source of this information.

The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.