ACS Science Elements Archive: 2008

A weekly digest of cutting edge research from the American Chemical Society

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• Episode 91 – Decenber 22, 2008
  How chemists have created a more effective oral form of a disease-fighting protein; Real-time pollen forecasts are a step closer to reality; Used coffee grounds could one day help fuel our cars
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• Episode 90 – Decenber 15, 2008
  Chemists have detected high pesticide levels in some fruit-based sodas; Testing water at sewage treatment plants can help track community drug use; An experimental treatment shows promise in combating melanoma and drug-resistant breast cancer.
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• Episode 89 – December 8, 2008
  How new high-tech ‘wipes’ can quickly neutralize military and industrial chemicals; Development of “smart fabrics” that could one day help detect disease; Chemists may have found a new early indicator of a chronic disease that affects millions
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• Episode 88 – November 24, 2008
  A technique that could increase the success of islet cell transplants for Type-1 diabetes; Microcapsules that act as “roach motels” to kill harmful bacteria; A key advance toward treatment for most common adult form of muscular dystrophy
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• Episode 87 – November 17, 2008
  The world’s thinnest loudspeakers; An explosive-detecting sensor powered by living cells; A new test that could help people with celiac disease avert digestive turmoil
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• Episode 86 – November 10, 2008
  Chemists may have solved a lingering mystery about thalidomide, a drug that once caused thousands of birth defects; A unique process that could help remove unwanted heparin from the blood; New type of liquid mirror could lead to better eye exams
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• Episode 85 – November 3, 2008
  An important advance that could make solar energy more practical; Tiny DNA tweezers that can catch and release objects on-demand; How snails are helping scientists unravel the biochemistry of evolution.
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• Episode 84 – October 27, 2008
  A new device that could change how we diagnose disease; The world’s smallest hand-held detector of health and safety threats; An important breakthrough in the treatment of African sleeping sickness
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• Episode 83 – October 20, 2008
  How a new process could boost the production of synthetic fuels from coal; Producing alternative fuels could strain dwindling water supplies; Finally, how high intensity light can reduce facial wrinkles; National Chemisty Week is celebrated across the country this week
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• Episode 82 – October 13, 2008
  How a common pollutant may cause iodine in breast milk to drop to dangerously low levels; Key advances toward an effective treatment for a hereditary disease called spinal muscular atrophy; Finally, evidence that eating chicken soup may help fight high blood pressure
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• Episode 81 – October 6, 2008
  A tiny fuel tank that could lead to big changes in cars; Dutch chemists who have created the world’s smallest on-off switch; And finally, a fungus that fights air pollution and acid rain
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• Episode 80 – September 29, 2008
  An inexpensive device could dramatically boost fuel mileage; Scientists are using advanced technology to unlock the secrets of bone formation; Chemists are investigating a natural form of Viagra that could improve the sex lives of millions of men while causing fewer side effects
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• Episode 79 – September 22, 2008
  New research that may point to a long-sought male birth control pill; An electrifying study on squeezing oil out of rock; A new natural calorie-free sweetener that might appear in your soft drinks
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• Episode 78 – September 15, 2008
  How an herbal tea extract could help fend off complications of diabetes; Development of a new way to combat cocaine abuse; Researchers in China are a step closer to developing a new type of hybrid engine
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• Episode 77 – September 8, 2008
  How a naturally occurring protein could lead to better antibiotics; Substances in marijuana could help eradicate “superbugs”; Chemists are developing new a generation of cancer drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects than current treatments
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• Episode 76 – September 1, 2008
  A new finding could improve success rates of in vitro fertilization; Chemists are learning more about the link between folic acid and colon cancer; A common substance used by the ancient Egyptians could help keep bread and other baked goods fresh
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• Episode 75 – August 25, 2008
  How an odor sensor could one day help doctors detect skin cancer; New MRI technology that could lead to early diagnosis of osteoarthritis; One chemist’s efforts to help make swallowing liquid medicine a sweeter experience for parents and kids
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• Episode 74 – August 18, 2008
  How the detailed microscopic study of hair fibers may lead to better hair-care products; A newly detected air pollutant that mimics the damaging effects of cigarette smoke; A new imaging technique for more precise cancer surgery that’s described as cutting by color
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• Episode 73 – August 11, 2008
  Development of the world’s thinnest balloon; A new test to protect food from the human form of Mad Cow Disease; New evidence supporting the benefits of breast feeding
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• Episode 72 – August 4, 2008
  A new imaging technique that reveals hidden details of a lost Van Gogh painting; Findings that could help retain the crunch in bread crust; A recycling method to transform those old electronic circuit boards into new park benches
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• Episode 71 – July 28, 2008
  New materials for microwave cookware that heat faster with less energy; Designing bourbon whiskeys with custom-tailored aromas; Diamond surfaces as the possible origin of early life on Earth
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• Episode 70 – July 21, 2008
  A snow flea antifreeze protein that could help improve organ preservation; Development of a new hand-held biosensor; Killer Kevlar - clothing that shields from germs
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• Episode 69 – July 14, 2008
  A marine worm’s jaws that say “cutting-edge new aerospace materials”; A new “scrubber” that speeds removal of a powerful anthrax clean-up agent; How snake venom tells tales about geography
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• Episode 68 – July 7, 2008
  Boosting the survival of insulin-cell transplants for Type 1 Diabetes; The First DNA molecule made almost entirely of artificial parts; Super strong antimicrobial coatings for uses in medicine and defense
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• Episode 67 – June 30, 2008
  The stomach’s healthy reaction to red wine combined with red meat; Proteins that could relate to increased longevity in women; A development toward long-range beach forecasts on bacterial contamination
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• Episode 66 – June 23, 2008
  Rogue proteins called prions are not degraded by conventional sewage treatment processes; Scientists have developed a new test for more reliable product expiration labels; New research reports that 12 million molecules share 143 basic shapes
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• Episode 65 – June 16, 2008
  Coffee’s aroma that kick-starts genes in the brain; Lake sediments help scientists trace 7,000 years of mining and metal use in China; Natural plant materials that can regulate starch digestion
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• Episode 64 – June 9, 2008
  Super paper: A new type of nanopaper that’s more break-resistant than cast iron; Love that garlic? Fresh may be healthier than bottled: the importance of allicin; An inhalable form of gene-therapy that takes aim at lung cancer and inflammatory lung disease
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• Episode 63 – June 2, 2008
  Lead leaching and faucet corrosion in PVC home plumbing; How to keep beer fresher; A nano-tech process that produces highly stretchable plastics
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• Episode 62 – May 27, 2008
  Melting glaciers may release DDT and contaminate the Antarctic environment; Light-driven "molecular brakes" provide a stopping power for nanomachines; Rice in your gas tank: Boosting biofuel production from rice straw
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• Episode 61 – May 19, 2008
  A new-generation of artificial cornea that could restore vision for millions worldwide; The first evidence that bacteria get “touchy-feely” about dangerous biofilms; Rice that’s grown in the United States contains a less-dangerous form of arsenic
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• Episode 60 – May 12, 2008
  The identification of abnormal protein levels in diabetic retinopathy; Super yeasts that produce 300 times more protein than previously possible; Microwave zapping that kills invasive species before the invasion
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• Episode 59 – May 5, 2008
  Fighting global warming — at the dinner table; New insights on the link between early consumption of cows’ milk and Type-1 diabetes; Boosting “mussel” power: A new technique for making a key marine mussel protein
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• Episode 58 – April 28, 2008
  A study calling for action on heart risks from certain anti-cancer drugs; Pricing that can cut carbon dioxide emissions from electric generators; Chinese ants that show promise for fighting arthritis and other diseases
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• Episode 57 – April 21, 2008
  A gel-like material that shows promise as an oral insulin pill for diabetes; Silicon nanotubes for hydrogen storage in fuel cell vehicles; A gripping discovery of the rose’s petal effect
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• Episode 56 – April 14, 2008
  Biochemical signals associated with atherosclerosis that may damage other organs; A revolutionary process that may lead to cars that are fueled by sugar; How so-called ‘Black gold agriculture’ may improve farming and curb global warming
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• Episode 55 – April 7, 2008
  How nanoparticles in antibacterial socks may pose a health and environmental hazard; Substances in alligator blood that may help put a bite in deadly antibiotic-resistant infections; A fast and accurate method for identifying gunshot residue using a single particle
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• Episode 54 – March 31, 2008
  The first evidence that blocking a key energy protein can kill cancer cells; How electric shocks can boost plants' production of commercially useful chemicals; Elevated concentrations of metals are accumulating in China’s e-waste recycling workshops
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• Episode 53 – March 24, 2008
  Progress toward a new generation of vaccines for malaria and other diseases; A continued threat of water pollution at a famous Russian lake; Creation of a chemical “keypad lock” for biomolecular computers
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• Episode 52 – March 17, 2008
  New findings point to a heart-healthy yak cheese; Advances toward the next generation of high-efficiency plastic solar cells; New aspirin-like substances that may provide a safer way to fight heart disease
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• Episode 51 – March 10, 2008
  Sniffing out uses for the “electronic nose”; Thirsty hybrid and electric cars that could triple demands on scarce water resources; Residential oil boilers that are raising health concerns for Northeastern U.S.
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• Episode 50 – March 3, 2008
  A new process to help egg-allergy sufferers; A promising material for capturing carbon dioxide from smokestacks; Forging a foundation for cheaper solar power with steel
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• Episode 49 – February 25, 2008
  Easing concerns about pollution from the manufacture of solar cells; Acid-seeking “warheads” that promise safer, more effective cancer weapons; Progress toward a healthier food for Fido: Corn provides a promising fiber alternative
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• Episode 48 – February 19, 2008
  How fighting a phenomenon known as “fat bloom” can mean a prettier look for chocolates; A long-sought test for direct detection of disease-causing E. coli bacteria; Improved polymers for lithium ion batteries that could pave the way for the next generation of electric and hybrid cars
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• Episode 47 – February 11, 2008
  “Recordable” proteins as next-generation memory storage materials; An unusual machine that can taste coffee; Wool and silk fabrics that clean themselves
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• Episode 46 – February 4, 2008
  Iodized table salt may be low in iodine, raising health concerns; New test answers frustrating question: Is Tweety a boy or a girl?; Fungus among us: Invisible “micropollutants” invade crops, water supply
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• Episode 45 – January 28, 2008
  Solving the mystery of the carnivorous pitcher plant’s deadly slurp; How wiping out the so-called coffee-ring effect advances inkjet printing of electronic circuits; Converting sewage into drinking water may be the wave of the future
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• Episode 44 – January 21, 2008
  New evidence that broccoli is good for the heart; A sponge-like storage material that could lead to methane-powered cars; Development of a portable microchip for DNA testing at crime scenes and doctors’ offices
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• Episode 43 – January 14, 2008
  Using seagull blood to monitor pollutants from oil spills; Development of an edible “antifreeze” that prevents unwanted ice crystals in ice cream and frozen foods; New insights into the mystery of the metallic sheen of fish
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• Episode 42 – January 7, 2008
  Amber fossils that reveal ancient France was a jungle; Elevated benzene concentrations in certain beverages; A discovery of an enzyme's structure that may lead to new treatments for celiac disease
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