Chemistry World Blog

8 January 2012 Have something to say about an article you’ve read on Chemistry World this week? Leave your comments below…

Ionic polymers open door to greener, safer explosives
Metal hydrazine chains could replace toxic lead and mercury salts

Mineral regulates early metabolism
Mineral-based photochemistry could have led to the beginning of life

Composites reinforced in 3D
Nanoparticles and magnets are the key to a new type of polymer, with improved strength and wear resistance

Staining tissue samples at the microscale
A microfluidic probe allows fine control of immunohistochemistry staining

Shortages spur race for helium-3 alternatives
A dearth of helium-3 is holding up research projects around the world

Sense-act-treat, the nanopharmacy on a patch
A biofuel-based device controlled by molecular logic could one day detect and treat injuries wherever you are

Drive towards detecting drugs at the roadside
Can drug detection technologies deal with the demands of roadside testing?

BMS spends $2.5 billion on antiviral firm
Inhibitex acquisition is one of several recent moves in the hepatitis C market

Amino acid residues give away bloodstain’s age
Scene of crime scientists might one day be able to use protein fluorescence to determine how old bloodstains are

Indian science needs to raise its game
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says that the country is falling behind other research competitors such as China

A question mark over cubic ice’s existence
UK scientists suggest that one form of ice crystal thought to arise from supercooled water may have been misidentified

What does it take to improve laboratory safety?
With criminal charges brought over the death of a UCLA student, US labs are looking at ways to improve safety

Nanoear listens in on cellular motoring
Scientists working in Germany have developed a tiny listening device to eavesdrop on the sounds of microscopic objects such as living cells

The TNA world that came before the RNA one
Chemists find evidence that a nucleic acid that is simpler than RNA could have been the primordial genetic material