ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: June 09, 2010

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Science Inquiries: Michael Woods, Editor, 202-872-6293
General Inquiries: Michael Bernstein, 202-872-6042

News Items in This Edition

Plastic antibody works in first tests in living animals

Scientists are reporting the first evidence that a plastic antibody? an artificial version of the proteins produced by the body's immune system to recognize and fight infections and foreign substances? works in the bloodstream of a living animal. The discovery, they suggest in a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is an advance toward medical use of simple plastic...

New evidence that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes

Scientists are reporting new evidence that drinking coffee may help prevent diabetes and that caffeine may be the ingredient largely responsible for this effect. Their findings, among the first animal studies to demonstrate this apparent link, appear in ACS’ bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Fumihiko Horio and colleagues note that past studies...

Fungus among us could become non-food source for biodiesel production

In the quest for alternatives to soybeans, palm, and other edible oilseed plants as sources for biodiesel production, enter an unlikely new candidate: A fungus, or mold, that produces and socks away large amounts of oils that are suitable for low-cost, eco-friendly biodiesel. That’s the topic of a study in ACS’ bi-monthly journal Energy & Fuels. Victoriano Garre and colleagues point out...

A “huge step” toward mass production of coveted form of carbon

Scientists have leaped over a major hurdle in efforts to begin commercial production of a form of carbon that could rival silicon in its potential for revolutionizing electronics devices ranging from supercomputers to cell phones. Called graphene, the material consists of a layer of graphite 50,000 times thinner than a human hair with unique electronic properties. Their study...

Greener horizons: Plastics may grow on trees

Money may not grow on trees, but gasoline, computers, and tennis shoes just might thanks to new biotech advances that could allow manufacturers to produce fuel, plastics, and other chemicals from plants instead of petroleum. That’s the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS’ weekly newsmagazine. C&EN Senior Business Editor…

Journalists’ Resources

Press registration opens for ACS' Fall 2010 National Meeting
Press registration now is open for the ACS’ 240th National Meeting & Exposition in Boston August 22-26, 2010, with almost 8,000 reports on news advances in science. Watch for further information in the months ahead.
Press releases, briefings, and more from ACS’ 239th National Meeting
www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive
Must-reads from C&EN: Belt-tightening at big pharma companies
Large pharmaceutical companies are cutting back on R&D spending ? and not just because of the global economic downturn. A combination of other factors, including a stricter health insurance reimbursement environment, are encouraging big pharma to do more with less. For the full story, go to pharma.
ACS Pressroom Blog The ACS Office of Public Affairs’ (OPA) pressroom blog highlights research from ACS’ 38 peer-reviewed journals and National Meetings.
Bytesize Science blog Educators and kids, put on your thinking caps: The American Chemical Society has a blog for Bytesize Science, a science podcast for kids of all ages.
ACS satellite pressroom: Daily news blasts on Twitter
The satellite press room has become one of the most popular science news sites on Twitter. To get our news blasts and updates, create a free account at https://twitter.com/signup. Then visit http://twitter.com/ACSpressroom and click the ‘join’ button beneath the press room logo.
C&EN on Twitter
Follow @cenmag <http://twitter.com/cenmag> for the latest news in chemistry and dispatches from our blog, C&ENtral Science <http://centralscience.org>.
ACS Press Releases
Press releases on a variety of chemistry-related topics.
General Chemistry Glossary
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Web site on everyday chemicals
Whether you want to learn more about caffeine, benzoyl peroxide (acne treatment), sodium chloride (table salt), or some other familiar chemical, CAS Common Chemistry can help. The new Web site provides non-chemists and others with useful information about everyday chemicals by searching either a chemical name or a corresponding CAS Registry Number. The site includes about 7,800 chemicals of general interest as well as all 118 elements from the Periodic Table, providing alternative names, molecular structures, a Wikipedia link, and other information.
Science Connections from CAS
CAS - Science Connections is a series of articles that showcases the value of CAS databases in light of important general-interest science and technology news. Topics range from fruit flies to Nobel Prize winners, with the CAS - Science Connections series pointing to CAS databases for a more complete understanding of the latest news.

For Wired Readers

Bytesize Science
Bytesize Science is a science podcast for kids of all ages that entertains and educates, with new high-definition video podcasts and some episodes in Spanish. Subscribe to Bytesize Science using iTunes. No iTunes? No problem. Listen to the latest episodes of Bytesize Science in your web browser.
Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions
This special series of ACS podcasts focuses on some of the 21st Century’s most daunting challenges, and how chemists and other scientists are finding solutions. Subscribe at iTunes or listen and access other resources at the ACS web site www.acs.org/GlobalChallenges.
Science Elements
Science Elements is a podcast of PressPac contents that makes cutting-edge scientific discoveries from ACS journals available to a broader public audience. Subscribe to Science Elements using iTunes. Listen to the latest episodes of Science Elements in your web browser. Science Elements is on Facebook — check out the latest updates and information .
SciFinder® Podcasts
Interested in healthful plant phytochemicals, nanotechnology, or green chemistry? Check out the SciFinder series of podcasts, which explore a vast array of current interest topics and new discoveries in the 21st century. The SciFinder podcasts are available in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese.

Note to Journalists and Other Viewers

This is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of Public Affairs Weekly PressPac with news from ACS’ 38 peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News.

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