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Energy-Efficient Process Devised to Convert CO2 to Methanol
Chemistry researchers at Université Laval in Québec City, Canada and Université de Toulouse in France developed a new process that converts carbon dioxide into the alternative fuel methanol in a single, more efficient step. The team led by Laval professor Frédéric-Georges Fontaine published its findings online earlier this month in the Journal of the American…
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Silver Improves Antibiotic Performance Against Bacteria
Researchers at Harvard University and Boston University found adding a silver compound to several types of antibiotics improved their performance against a range of bacterial infections in lab and animal tests. The team led by James Collins, a faculty member at both institutions, published its findings in this week’s issue of the journal Science Translational…
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Study: Walking and Talking with Mobile Phone Don’t Mix
Urban planning researchers at Ohio State University in Columbus found more than 1,500 pedestrians using mobile phones were treated in emergency rooms in 2010, with the number of inuries rising sharply since 2004. Jack Nasar, a professor in Ohio State’s architecture school, and former graduate student Derek Troyer published their findings in the August 2013…
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Biotech Developing Genetics Therapies Gains $101M in IPO
The biotechnology company bluebird bio in Cambridge, Massachusetts developing therapies for genetic disorders raised $101 million through its initial public offering (IPO) of 5.9 million shares priced at $17.00 a share. The company’s stock, trading on the NASDAQ under the code BLUE was priced at $26.00 a share at 11:00 am ET today. bluebird bio…
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Pharmas, Academics Partner on New Treatments from Old Drugs
Researchers from pharmaceutical companies and academic labs are partnering on finding therapies for eight types of diseases from drugs tested to treat other disorders. The $12.7 million pilot program, led by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of National Institutes of Health, funds nine separate projects combining industry and university scientists for up…
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3-D Printing, Computer Model Generate Synthetic Bone Matter
Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and the 3-D printing company Stratasys Ltd. in Billerica, Massachusetts developed a process that translates complex computer-designed models into bone and related organic composite materials with 3-D printing. The team led by MIT engineering professor Markus Buehler published its findings online yesterday in the journal Advanced Functional…
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On the Road Again
We’ll be traveling for a few days and not able to post stories on Science Business. Regular posting of science news for business people and business news for scientists will resume on Tuesday 18 June. * * *
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Toshiba, Hospitals, USRowing to Study Athlete Heart Deaths
Toshiba America Medical Systems in California is partnering with USRowing, the governing body for competitive rowing in the U.S., and medical centers in Ohio and Mississippi to help determine if sudden cardiac death can be prevented with a heart screening. The Athlete Heart Research Study will initially screen high-school age rowers taking part in USRowing’s…
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GE Unveils Two Challenges on 3-D/Additive Manufacturing
General Electric Company is holding two challenges that seek ideas and solutions from the science and engineering communities on three-dimensional printing applied to manufacturing. The company unveiled the competitions yesterday at the 2013 RAPID conference on additive manufacturing — a generic name for industrial 3-D printing — in Pittsburgh. Both challenges have an initial…
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Stem Cells Generate High-Quality Liver Cells for Drug Tests
Medical researchers at University of Edinburgh in Scotland created a process for inducing pluripotent stem cells to transform into liver cells with the same consistency and quality needed to test drugs for toxicity. A spin-off company from the university has also formed to take the research to market. The team led by Edinburgh’s David Hay…