ACS Science Elements Archive: 2011

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

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Episode 230 – December 19, 2011
How sunlight could soon clean your clothes. Why the next generation of tires could be sweet and green. How after-effects of the age-old quest for riches still haunt us today.
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Episode 229 – December 12, 2011
Which antibiotic-resistant substances are slipping through the cracks at sewage treatment plants. Why one of the foulest smelling creatures on Earth could lead to the development of more effective antibiotics. How one of the world’s most potent poisons could help improve our health.
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Episode 228 – December 5, 2011
How scientists are closing in on a way to detect food fakery in a nutty holiday treat. How nuts could help improve your mood and dampen your risk of heart disease. Why a well-known French delicacy should go on a diet.
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Episode 227 – November 21, 2011
How the next generation of home printers could add a new dimension to even the drabbest photo. How a new “smart” material could help tap the medical potential of tissue-penetrating light. Why the weird world of water just got a little stranger.
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Episode 226 – November 14, 2011
How a fresh-faced material could help foil the flu. How a new test could help fend off food poisoning. Why shedding a few tears could help keep diabetes under control.
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Episode 225 – November 07, 2011
How washing machines churn up microscopic water pollution. Why concerns about peat bogs releasing potentially climate-changing gases might be misplaced. Why the coldest places on Earth could soon light the way to an energetic future.
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Episode 224 – October 31, 2011
Why researchers think they’re just a hairs breath away from simplifying the diagnosis of a common neurological disorder. How a magnetic tongue could help enliven processed food. Why thermal cash register receipts are becoming a touchy subject.
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Episode 223 – October 24, 2011
How a new scientific test could help authenticate priceless silk masterpieces. Why art experts are concerned about the future of acrylic paintings. Why it isn’t easy rising to the top in a beehive.
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Episode 222 – October 17, 2011
How a new technique could help drugs seek out and destroy the virus that causes AIDS hidden in a nearly impenetrable refuge. Why older people may be getting too much of a good thing in water. How scientists may have found a way to wipe out an unsightly epidemic.
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Episode 221 – October 03, 2011
How a pregnancy protein could help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease in older women. A breath-taking new test could quickly help identify harmful substances, while another new test could help cull out unsafe blood-thinning medication.
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Episode 220 – September 26, 2011
A new type of "smart" window could help keep us comfy and lower our electric bills. Why discarded plastic bottles could help prevent poisoning in developing countries. How scientists went against the grain to create a healthier pasta.
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Episode 219 – September 19, 2011
How an extinct relative of the elephant could help surgeons save lives. Why panda poop could speed the development of biofuels. How scientists searching for ways to corral farm odors are closing in on the sweet smell of success.
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Episode 218 – September 12, 2011
How new high-tech instruments could finally determine if there really is life on Mars. Why energy production on Mars could be out of this world. Why Martian-bound astronauts will need green thumbs.
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Episode 217 – August 22, 2011
Why putting a gator in your tank isn’t a “croc-pot” idea. Scientists are concerned about efforts to jumpstart biofuel production. How newly discovered crystals in a meteorite could help advance electronics.
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Episode 216 – August 15, 2011
Paper money and sales receipts may not be good for your health. New concerns are arising about a common flame retardant and its effects during pregnancy. Why scientists are scrutinizing sunscreens.
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Episode 215 – August 8, 2011
Why an electronic nose could simplify the diagnosis and treatment of a rampant lung disease. How a battery-powered skin patch could help relieve the agony of a common circulatory problem. A vaccine that could help some drug addicts slay a dragon.
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Episode 214 – August 1, 2011
What hidden danger lurks in some swimming pools? How a creek-dwelling creature inspired the development of a new spy gadget. Scientists are closing in on a way to make an improbable movie prop a sight to behold.
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Episode 213 – July 25, 2011
Why government scientists say Gulf of Mexico seafood is safe just a year after one of the world’s worst offshore oil disasters. How seaweed could forestall heart disease. How much smaller can electronic gadgets get?
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Episode 212 – July 18, 2011
How scientists are sprucing up an old cancer test so it can be used in women. How researchers are reinventing a popular low-calorie snack. Why scientists are struggling to solve a mystery surrounding a dietary supplement.
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Episode 211 – July 5, 2011
A new blood test could help doctors determine the best treatment for infections. How scientists are taking microscopes to the next dimension. An ingredient used in erectile dysfunction drugs could help heal broken hearts.
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Episode 210 – June 27, 2011
How 19th century discoveries could help solve a 21st century energy conundrum. Why scientists in China are speaking out about the state of nuclear power in their country. How scientists thinking outside of the sandbox came up with a better way to purify water.
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Episode 209 – June 20, 2011
What reassuring discovery scientists have made about milk from flood-prone farms. How researchers found a natural answer to a puzzling bovine mystery. Some of the world’s smallest tools are leading to big changes in the construction industry.
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Episode 208 – June 13, 2011
A simple chemical cocktail could spark limb re-growth in mammals. How scientists are closing in on ways to regenerate cartilage. Why an extract from tree buds could help rejuvenate aging skin.
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Episode 207 – June 6, 2011
How a natural plant extract could lead to better sun protective clothing. Why drugs inspired by Gila monsters and other venomous creatures could help alleviate serious medical problems. A new substance could greatly increase the odds of getting a liver transplant.
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Episode 206 – May 30, 2011
Why recycling proteins could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. How a new process could help transform steel-mill residues into another sturdy building material. Next-generation wheat could make life just a bit sweeter.
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Episode 205 – May 23, 2011
Why substances designed to protect infants from fire could actually pose a health hazard. How scientists are closing in on treatments for a common inherited disability. How researchers found a new way to produce a luxurious natural fiber used to keep some babies comfy.
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Episode 204 – May 16, 2011
How a new technique could help track the origins of beef. Why liquid smoke made from rice could give you a dietary boost. How vaccines could help quell a drug addiction.
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Episode 203 – May 09, 2011
How a substance similar to a red wine compound could help protect us against excessive radiation. How scientists discovered a way to detect if natural cola drinks are the real thing. Why tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks do so much more than just perk us up in the morning.
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Episode 202 – May 02, 2011
A new low-cost imaging technique could be just what the doctor ordered. Why you should say “si” to Latin American blueberries. How a new test could help doctors detect and treat complications of joint replacement surgery sooner.
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Episode 201 – April 25, 2011
How scientists are closing in on a way to extract oil shale from the ground without releasing harmful greenhouse gases. Why tidal waters could keep your batteries going. A needle-in-the-haystack medication could help relieve symptoms of neurological disorders.
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Episode 200 – April 18, 2011
How toad brains could be an untapped source of pharmazooticals. Why scientists are clucking about feather-based plastics. When stale beer could soon be a thing of the past.
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Episode 199 – April 11, 2011
Why copying Mother Nature could help us trail blaze a path to better health. Smoking and diabetes aren’t a good combination. How new medicines could clamp down on colon cancer and asthma. What floats like a butterfly and stings disease like a bee? Here’s a hint: It’s not Muhammad Ali.
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Episode 198 – April 7, 2011
Your fingers could soon produce electricity in a pinch. 3-D batteries could rev up interest in electric cars. Rejuvenated crankcase oil could find new life in your gas tank.
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Episode 197 – April 4, 2011
A pair of fruits could make green cars more appealing. Meat residues could soon be transformed into biodegradable plastic. How a new whisker-thin coating could help preserve food and beverages. A blast of electricity could save lives and extinguish fires.
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Episode 196 – March 21, 2011
How laser light could induce cancer cells to absorb more chemotherapy drugs. Why certain forms of an essential nutrient might fight cancer better than others. Scientists suspect a new melt-in-your-mouth smokeless tobacco product could do more harm than good.
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Episode 195 – March 14, 2011
What chemists are doing to fend off a resurgent pest. How scientists are closing in on safer blood transfusions. How a slapstick movie prop could help purify water.
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Episode 194 – March 07, 2011
Hair dyes are on the brink of a colorful revolution. Why fluoride gets by on the skin of its teeth. How a newly discovered protein could improve lung cancer detection and treatment.
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Episode 193 – February 28, 2011
A new high-performance battery could make electric cars more appealing. Solar panel manufacturers are zeroing in on ways to perfect their products. A new type of fortified bread could curtail an emerging vitamin deficiency.
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Episode 192 – February 21, 2011
How scientists are closing in on early warning test for a dangerous type of pregnancy. Newly detected substances in algae blooms disrupt reproductive hormones in fish and other wildlife. Why bio-fuel researchers are frantically sprinting to the gas pump.
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Episode 191 – February 14, 2011
How making key raw material in paints and other everyday products just got greener. Why an illegal drug is endangering rainforests. Night games at sports stadiums are shedding new light on air pollution.
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Episode 190 – February 07, 2011
Why vegans are at risk for heart disease. Red mud leftover from a European flood could reduce crop yields. How a newly discovered item in Mother Nature’s medicine chest could help deter bone diseases.
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Episode 189 – January 31, 2011
Why a vegetable once banned from Air Force One intrigues cancer researchers. How technology used to clean dentures could give cancer treatment a boost. A first look at what really happened to all those oil dispersants used in the Gulf of Mexico last year.
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Episode 188 – January 24, 2011
A new way to make genetic machinery. A once-drab computer component that’s electrifying scientists. Rock, scissors or paper: which can keep food fresher longer?
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Episode 187 – January 17, 2011
Why it only takes minutes – not years – for smoking to begin harming our bodies. Why smoke-laden furniture and carpeting is a bigger health threat than previously thought. How ultra-light “frozen smoke” could help detect pollutants.
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Episode 186 – January 10, 2011
Household sewage could be the next great alternative fuel. Studded tires could be a public health hazard. A common herb smothers the foul smell of a Southern delicacy.
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