Frederic Scheer, head of the plastics manufacturer Cereplast

Potatoes, algae replace oil in US company's plastics

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (17) | comments 5

Frederic Scheer is biding his time, convinced that by 2013 the price of oil will be so high that his bio-plastics, made from vegetables and plants, will be highly marketable.


Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes

Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Much like a tightly wound drum, red blood cells are in perpetual vibration. Those vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to ...


Method makes refineries more efficient

Chemistry / Other

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Refineries could trim millions of dollars in energy costs annually by using a new method developed at Purdue University to rearrange the distillation sequence needed to separate crude petroleum into products.


Molecular freight: Synthetic nanoscale transport system modeled on nature

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Just like our roads, there is a lot of traffic within the cells in our bodies, because cell components, messenger molecules, and enzymes must also be brought to the right places in the cell. One of these ...


Dental delight! Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals

Dental delight! Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Some of the most common minerals in biology, including those in bones and shells, have a mysterious structure: Their crystals are positioned in the same orientation, making them behave as ...


Tracing the traces: Nanogram concentrations of a toxic compound detected in chlorinated tap water

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Dec 23, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 6

(PhysOrg.com) -- Drinking water can transmit a number of diseases, including typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and diarrhea, which can then spread explosively throughout an entire service area. To avoid this problem, drinking ...


Adjusting acidity with impunity

Adjusting acidity with impunity

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- How do individual cells or proteins react to changing pH levels? Researchers at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, have developed a technique ...


Making New Enzymes to Engineer Plants for Biofuel Production

Making New Enzymes to Engineer Plants for Biofuel Production

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Brookhaven scientists have created a new enzyme with the potential to interfere with a key cell-wall component in plants, possibly leading to plants that are easier to "digest" and convert ...


Team makes breakthrough demonstration of pH-regulating protein

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers have identified the protein mechanism that senses bicarbonate fluctuations and adjusts blood pH levels.


Egg Processing Plant Carts Can Harbor Bacteria

Egg Processing Plant Carts Can Harbor Bacteria

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Plywood-shelved carts that are used to transport eggs into processing plants can harbor Enterobacteriaceae, according to a microbial survey conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) ...


Glowing channels: Microanalysis system for rapid mercury detection

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Water contaminated with mercury is very dangerous for both people and the environment, as mercury is one of the most toxic heavy metals. Though laboratory analyses do deliver precise quantitative measurements, ...


Understanding relationship of proteins, fatty acids could help treat diseases

Understanding relationship of proteins, fatty acids could help treat diseases

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- It's widely understood that eating a diet high in saturated fats increases the risk for a long list of chronic and deadly diseases, including diabetes and coronary heart disease. Understanding ...


Nut Roasting Benefits: Antioxidant levels of nuts increases after roasting

Chemistry / Other

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The chemical reaction that darkens a batch of roasting peanuts also boosts the amount of antioxidants they contain, according to a new study in the journal Food Chemistry.



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