http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (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 transportation systems functions like a kind of railway: a system of molecular tracks is used to transport vesicles and their contents to their target destinations. http://www.physorg.com/news180602012.html Chemistry Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:14:11 EST news180602012 Researchers led by Conway Fellow, Professor Pat Guiry have solved a chemistry problem that has stumped researchers worldwide for more than a decade. The results have earned the group the cover story of the leading scientific journal, Angewandte Chemie. http://www.physorg.com/news178450551.html Chemistry Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:10:01 EST news178450551 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at University College Dublin have solved a chemistry problem which has stumped researchers worldwide for more than a decade. The results have earned the group the cover story of the leading scientific journal, Angewandte Chemie. http://www.physorg.com/news177271522.html Chemistry Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:20:02 EST news177271522 (PhysOrg.com) -- Our breakfast egg is a peculiarity of nature: a single cell protected by a thin mineral layer. Apart from a number of tiny radiolaria and diatoms, individual cells normally do not have a hard shell. Korean researchers have now developed a strategy for equipping individual cells of baker`s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with a synthetic shell made of silicon dioxide. As the team led by Insung S. Choi reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the lifespan of these coated yeast cells is tripled, whilst their division is suppressed. The shell also protects the cells from unfavorable external conditions. http://www.physorg.com/news176474495.html Chemistry Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:47:08 EST news176474495 Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs. http://www.physorg.com/news176389079.html Nanotechnology Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:59:21 EST news176389079 (PhysOrg.com) -- In the binding pockets of enzymes their natural binding partners fit exactly. The principle by which many pharmacological agents work also relies on the fact that these substances fit exactly into the pockets of specific enzymes. Not only the chemical properties but also the shape of the pocket determines if a molecule fits or not. http://www.physorg.com/news176020509.html Chemistry Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:35:59 EST news176020509 (PhysOrg.com) -- In the past, restoration of paintings and other old artwork often involved application of acrylic resins to consolidate and protect them. One of the most important tasks for modern restorers is thus to remove these layers, because it turns out that acrylic resins not only drastically change the optics of the treated artwork, but in many cases they accelerate their degradation. http://www.physorg.com/news175805911.html Chemistry Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:59:12 EST news175805911 (PhysOrg.com) -- Erythropoetin, abbreviated EPO, has gained a scandalous reputation as a doping agent for racing cyclists. The name is derived from the ancient Greek erythros "red" and poiein `to make`, a fitting designation for this important growth factor, which is responsible for the formation of red blood cells in the body. Biotechnologically produced erythropoetin, aside from its implementation as a drug for cyclists, is primarily used to treat anemia in dialysis patients after aggressive chemotherapy. http://www.physorg.com/news175144857.html Chemistry Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:22:30 EST news175144857 (PhysOrg.com) -- Wires with atomic dimensions are potential structural elements for future nanoscopic electronic components. Such fine wires have completely new electronic properties. However, apart from the non-trivial production of metallic nanowires, their high chemical reactivity is a critical problem; they are easily oxidized in air and are not stable. http://www.physorg.com/news174143119.html Nanotechnology Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:56 EST news174143119 (PhysOrg.com) -- Instead of the classic scalpel, surgeons can also operate with an electroscalpel. A significant advantage to this technique is that while a cut is being made, blood vessels are closed off and hemorrhaging eliminated. Now another advantage may be added as well: a German-Hungarian research team has developed a mass-spectrometry-based technique by which tissues can be analyzed during a surgical procedure. http://www.physorg.com/news173431237.html Chemistry Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:30:01 EST news173431237 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, have devised a method for fabricating Janus particles, so called because, like the Roman god Janus, they have two faces. The research is to be published in the leading trade journal, Angewandte Chemie. http://www.physorg.com/news172503155.html Chemistry Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:00:09 EST news172503155 (PhysOrg.com) -- Soman, Tabun, and Sarin (which has already been used in terrorist attacks) are chemical weapons that attack the nervous system. When inhaled, these extremely toxic organophosphates can lead to death within minutes. The search for fast, simple detection methods for these colorless and odorless gases, which are unfortunately relatively easily manufactured, is correspondingly urgent. http://www.physorg.com/news172316206.html Chemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:37:54 EST news172316206 A research group from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) in Tarragona, Spain, has developed a biosensor that can immediately detect very low levels of Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. The technique uses carbon nanotubes and synthetic DNA fragments that activate an electric signal when they link up with the pathogen. http://www.physorg.com/news171626999.html Chemistry Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:20:01 EST news171626999 (PhysOrg.com) -- Mention of nanotubes usually means carbon nanotubes. But not all tiny tubes are made of carbon. For example, layers made of nanoscopic titanium dioxide have proven to be useful materials for biotechnology, catalytic converters, and solar cell technology. Although the semiconducting properties of these nanotubes are critical for many of these applications, their limited conductivity represents a hindrance for other areas of application. http://www.physorg.com/news171613970.html Nanotechnology Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:33:31 EST news171613970 (PhysOrg.com) -- Chemists and biologists have successfully demonstrated that specially synthesized boron compounds are readily accepted in biologically active enzymes, a move that, they say, is a proof of concept that could lead to new drug design strategies. http://www.physorg.com/news171557002.html Chemistry Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:43:59 EST news171557002 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new method for "recycling" hydrogen-containing fuel materials could open the door to economically viable hydrogen-based vehicles. http://www.physorg.com/news171032759.html Chemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:06:45 EST news171032759 (PhysOrg.com) -- Nanoparticles combining platinum and gold act as superefficient catalysts, but chemists have struggled to create them in an industrially useful form. Rice University chemists have answered the call this week with a polymer-coated version of gold-platinum nanorods, the first catalysts of their kind that can be used in the organic solvents favored by chemical and drug manufacturers. http://www.physorg.com/news170946874.html Nanotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:15:04 EST news170946874 For cancer drug developers, finding an agent that kills tumor cells is only part of the equation. The drug also must spare healthy cells, and ideally its effects will be reversible to cut short any potentially dangerous side effects. Investigators from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report that they have assembled a new cancer drug delivery system that, in cell culture, achieves all of the above. The findings appear in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. http://www.physorg.com/news170907018.html Nanotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:10:01 EST news170907018 Chemists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and The Scripps Research Institute (SRI) have developed an innovative technique to create cheap but highly stable chemicals that have the potential to take the place of the antibodies used in many standard medical diagnostic tests. James R. Heath, Ph.D., principal investigator of the Nanosystems Biology Cancer Center at Caltech, one of eight Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, and K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D., SRI, and their colleagues describe the new technique in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. http://www.physorg.com/news170690009.html Nanotechnology Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:54:29 EST news170690009 (PhysOrg.com) -- As a possible energy source for fuel cells or a substitute for gasoline, methanol is increasingly drawing attention beyond its importance as a feedstock for chemical industry. It can be stored much more efficiently and cheaply than hydrogen and could be distributed by way of the existing network of fuelling stations. The disadvantage is the truly complex synthesis of methanol from natural gas via a detour through synthesis gas. One interesting alternative that was pursued and then abandoned is known as the direct low-temperature oxidation of methane to methanol. http://www.physorg.com/news170052907.html Chemistry Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:58:15 EST news170052907 (PhysOrg.com) -- Proteins are solids. When heated they do not melt; instead, they decompose or sublime directly to the gas phase at low pressures. They cannot be converted into a liquid form unless they are dissolved in a solvent. A team at the University of Bristol (UK) and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Golm (Germany) has now successfully liquefied a protein without the assistance of a solvent. As the research team headed by Stephen Mann reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the trick is to modify the surface of the protein with a polymeric surfactant. http://www.physorg.com/news169725144.html Chemistry Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:53:08 EST news169725144 (PhysOrg.com) -- In cosmetics, lipid vesicles, also known as liposomes, effectively transport ingredients through the skin. However, they are also used to encapsulate pharmaceuticals and release them at the intended point of treatment. They are used as tiny biochemical reactors, and in research they serve as models for biomembranes and cells. A team led by Shoji Takeuchi at the University of Tokyo (Japan) has now developed a simple, highly efficient method for the production of vesicles. As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, it is based on microfluidic T junctions. http://www.physorg.com/news169193691.html Chemistry Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:15:55 EST news169193691 (PhysOrg.com) -- In 1957, shepherds in Idaho (USA) discovered that when pregnant sheep ate lilies of the species Veratrum californicum (corn lily, California false hellebore), their lambs were born with only one eye in the center of their foreheads, like a cyclops. The trigger for this was found to be the alkaloid cyclopamine. Cyclopamine has proven to be an effective candidate for cancer therapy in adult humans and is now undergoing clinical trials. http://www.physorg.com/news168850201.html Chemistry Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:50:40 EST news168850201 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have not yet found a way to turn dirt into gold, but they are trying to find something valuable in it nonetheless: starting materials for novel pharmaceuticals. http://www.physorg.com/news168252027.html Chemistry Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:01 EST news168252027 (PhysOrg.com) -- Many of the new techniques based on nanotechnology that have been developed for faster and more sensitive detection of pathogens fail in day-to-day clinical use because they require complex sample preparation or measurement equipment, or simply cannot keep up with the large sample throughput in a clinic. Researchers working with Ralph Weissleder at Harvard Medical School have now developed a very simple process for the rapid detection of pathogens that requires no further sample preparation. http://www.physorg.com/news168071819.html Chemistry Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:38:22 EST news168071819 (PhysOrg.com) -- The first known example of a liquid protein has been made by chemists at the University of Bristol opening up the possibility of a number of medical and industrial applications including high-potency pharmaceuticals and protein-based coolants and lubricants. http://www.physorg.com/news167574452.html Chemistry Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:28:23 EST news167574452 (PhysOrg.com) -- Bacterial diseases are usually detected by first enriching samples, then separating, identifying, and counting the bacteria. This type of procedure usually takes at least two days after arrival of the sample in the laboratory. Tests that work faster, in the field, and without complex sample preparation, whilst being precise and error-free, are thus high on the wish list. http://www.physorg.com/news167289726.html Chemistry Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:22:48 EST news167289726 More and more strains of bacteria are developing resistance to previously life-saving antibiotics. Researchers at TUM, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, have shed light on a metabolic step that appears in many aggressive microorganisms -- such as tuberculosis and malaria pathogens -- and that may provide a promising target for a new class of antibiotics. The researchers present their results in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie. http://www.physorg.com/news166785878.html Chemistry Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:50:03 EST news166785878 Chemists at the California Institute of Technology and the Scripps Research Institute have developed an innovative technique to create cheap but highly stable chemicals that have the potential to take the place of the antibodies used in many standard medical diagnostic tests. http://www.physorg.com/news166361266.html Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:28:41 EST news166361266 (PhysOrg.com) -- Efficient energy transport plays an important role in the development of optoelectonic materials. The true masters of energy transfer via a hierarchical arrangement of different molecules are the photosynthetic mechanisms of plants. http://www.physorg.com/news166264723.html Nanotechnology Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:39:34 EST news166264723