Tag: chemistry
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Engineered Microbes Created to Clean Biodiesel Waste
21 May 2014. Microbiologists at Michigan State University in East Lansing created a process with two types of genetically-engineered bacteria that work together to clean up the waste water in the production of biodiesel, and generate ethanol as a byproduct. The team led by Michigan State’s Gemma Reguera published its findings online earlier this month…
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Laser Activation Tested as Potential Cancer Drug Delivery
16 May 2014. Researchers from University at Buffalo in New York developed and tested in the lab a process harnessing lasers to activate drugs inside the body to kill cancer cells. Findings from the proof-of-concept study, led by Buffalo’s Paras Prasad with colleagues from universities in China and Korea, were published online earlier this week…
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Challenge Seeks Fluoride Activity, Disposition in Brushing
2 May 2014. A new challenge at InnoCentive is looking for detailed answers to questions about the way fluoride works in cleaning teeth once it leaves the toothbrush. The challenge has a total purse of $20,000 and a deadline of 29 May 2014. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts conducts open-innovation, crowdsourcing competitions for corporate and organization…
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Simple, Low-Cost Method Adds Microscope Lens to Smartphone
25 April 2014. Engineers at Australian National University in Canberra devised an inexpensive process to make an add-on lens that turns a smartphone into a high-powered microscope. The team led by ANU’s Woei Ming (Steve) Lee published its technique in the May 2014 issue of the journal Biomedical Optics Express. The university filed for a…
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Gecko-Inspired Adhesive Sticks to Wide Range of Materials
18 April 2014. Materials scientists and biologists at University of Massachusetts in Amherst developed an adhesive technology that attaches heavy loads to a variety of surfaces, yet can still be easily removed and reused. The journal Advanced Materials published yesterday online the work of the team led by polymer scientist Alfred Crosby (paid subscription required).…
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Microparticle Solution Devised to Identify Genuine Goods
14 April 2014. Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the affiliated Lincoln Laboratory developed a process for adding minute particles into materials that can be encoded and sensed by inexpensive readers to detect counterfeit goods from the originals. The team from the lab of chemical engineering professor Patrick Doyle published its findings yesterday online…
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Poplar Trees Engineered to Produce More Biofuels, Wood Pulp
3 April 2014. Researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, a consortium of University of Wisconsin in Madison and Michigan State University in East Lansing, created a genetically modified poplar tree variety with weakened lignin bonds, making it easier to process into commercial biofuels and wood pulp. The team from the labs of Wisconsin’s…
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Injectable Hydrogel Developed to Prevent Heart Attack Damage
31 March 2014. Engineers and medical researchers at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia developed a polymer gel that in animal tests shows the ability to prevent some of the cardiac damage that can occur from a heart attack. The team led by biomedical engineering professor Jason Burdick, which includes members from University of South Carolina…
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Light-Activated Coating Kills Bacteria, Even in Dark
25 March 2014. Chemistry researchers at University College London in the U.K. developed a material that when coated on surfaces in the lab can kill bacteria when exposed to light, as well as in total darkness. The team led by UCL chemistry professor Ivan Parkin published its findings online earlier this month in the journal…
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Report: Climate Consensus Solid, Sudden Damage Risk Real
18 March 2014. A new report from American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) underscores the the near-unanimous consensus by scientists that human-caused climate change is happening, and the risks of abrupt and unpredictable damage are increasing. A panel of 10 climate scientists, with partners in the business community, issued the report yesterday. The…