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Nanotech Compound Helps Convert Waste Heat Into Electricity
Researchers at Northwestern University have placed nanocrystals of rock salt into lead telluride, a compound of lead and tellurium, creating a material that can harness electricity from heat-generating items more efficiently than has been reported in the past. The results of the study are published by the journal Nature Chemistry (paid subscription required). The new…
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University, Start Up Develop Anti-Counterfeit Technology
A student at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada researched a new method based on nanotechnology for stopping counterfeiters, which has led to the founding of a new company to develop the product. Nanotechnology uses materials at nanometer scale, with one nanometer equal to one billionth of a meter. Clint Landrock, an…
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Pharma Company, Institute Seek Alzheimer’s Targets
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, California and Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OMJPI) in Titusville, New Jersey said today they formed a partnership to discover compounds for Alzheimer’s disease and other psychiatric disorders. Under the agreement, joint Sanford-Burnham and OMJPI teams will identify and validate new targets for drug discovery, leading to compounds suitable for…
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Research Collaboration Developing More Robust Rice
A partnership between the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is developing new varieties of rice designed to grow under tough conditions by the poorest farmers. The early results of the project are reported in the January issue of the magazine Rice Today, published by IRRI. Green Super Rice…
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Gates Grant Awarded for Tuberculosis Genomics Research
The Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) in Seattle, Washington, said today it received a multi-million dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for research in chemical genomics to identify targets and leads in tuberculosis (TB). The project includes access to a large library of compounds at Eli Lilly and Company. The grant aims…
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Tailored Training Modules Developed for Truck Drivers
Long-haul truckers are responsible for their heavy-duty rigs, expensive cargos, and managing an increasingly complex array of technology to get safely to their destinations. But the demands and economics of their jobs make it difficult for even the most professional of truck drivers to keep their skills sharp. A project underway in Germany by the…
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Greener Process Developed for Producing Industrial Chemical
A U.S.-U.K. chemistry and engineering team has developed a more environmentally friendly process for producing benzyl benzoate, a common chemical found in food additives, insecticides, fragrances, and used in other industrial chemical processes. The research was partially funded by the Dow Chemical Company and the findings are published in this week’s issue of the journal…
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Disc Prosthesis Developed for Bad Backs in Dogs
Humans and their canine best friends sometimes share a common affliction, back pain caused by slipped spinal discs. A doctoral candidate at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Swedish acronym SLU) has developed a disc prosthesis that can help dogs and maybe humans with slipped discs. Niklas Bergknut (pictured right) studied disc degeneration in dogs…
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Bird-Flu Stopping Transgenic Chickens Produced
Genetically modified chickens with molecular structures designed to prevent the spread of bird flu have been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Edinburgh University in the U.K. The study is published in this week’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription required). The team of scientists successfully developed genetically modified or transgenic…
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U.K. Partnership to Test Cancer Drug Combinations
Cancer Research U.K., a London-based organization supporting cancer research, has signed an agreement with the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to take combinations of experimental cancer drugs into early phase clinical trials. The trials will be held at hospitals in the U.K. taking part in the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) Network. The agreement is expected…