A new technique invented at Caltech to produce graphene—a material made up of an atom-thick layer of carbon—at room temperature could help pave the way for commercially feasible graphene-based solar cells and light-emitting diodes, large-panel displays, and flexible electronics.

Researchers have fine-tuned a technique for coating gold nanorods with silica shells, allowing engineers to create large quantities of the nanorods and giving them more control over the thickness of the shell. Gold nanorods are being investigated for use in a wide variety of biomedical applications, and this advance paves the way for more stable gold nanorods and for chemically functionalizing the surface of the shells.

Graphene quantum dots made from coal, introduced in 2013 by the Rice University lab of chemist James Tour, can be engineered for specific semiconducting properties in either of two single-step processes.

In 1996, a trio of scientists won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their discovery of Buckminsterfullerene - soccer-ball-shaped spheres of 60 joined carbon atoms that exhibit special physical properties.

A new material that triggers stem cells to begin forming bone could enable a more effective treatment for hard-to-heal bone breaks and defects, says a Texas A&M University biomedical engineer who is part of the team developing the biomaterial.

Cancer stem cells are resistant to chemotherapy and consequently tend to remain in the body even after a course of treatment has finished, where they can often trigger cancer recurrence or metastasis. A new study by researchers from the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology has found that using nanoparticles to deliver an anti-cancer drug that simultaneously kills cancer cells and cancer stem cells significantly reduces the recurrence and metastasis of lung cancer.

Goethe University chemists have managed to synthesise a compound featuring an Si20 dodecahedron. The Platonic solid, which was published in the Angewandte Chemie journal, is not just aesthetically pleasing, it also opens up new perspectives for the semiconductor industry.

An Indiana University cognitive scientist and collaborators have found that posture is critical in the early stages of acquiring new knowledge.

StoryCorps founder Dave Isay unveiled a wish to use smartphone applications to archive the spoken wisdom of humanity.

Need a copy of your wedding ring, a new name tag for the dog, or a spare part for the washing machine? Just print it, is the message at the CeBIT IT fair in Germany.

A key motivator to attend motor shows is to see what engineers are cooking up, even at the vision stage, as cars of the future. At this year's Geneva International Motor Show, which wrapped up on March 15, Goodyear was there to offer its glimpse of the tires of the future, and the tires would do far more than ever before. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced its "concept tires.'' They have tires playing additional roles; the tires are integrated components with the rest of the car.

The start-up MindMaze has opened up a new dimension in the world of video games: moving with thoughts through a virtual environment or even directly interacting through certain emotions. Introduced earlier this month at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, the MindLeap system is a big hit. The company has also just raised 8.5 million francs, and its CEO, Tej Tadi, was today named among the Young Global Leaders.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has participated as a research partner in a project in which Finnish companies have developed increasingly better road weather and winter maintenance services, and combined them into product and service packages. Consequently, information is available on wintry road conditions and changing weather that is more accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive than ever before. The new services are applicable in any country struggling with winter, including Northern Europe, North America and Russia.

Gyroscopes measure rotation in everyday technologies, from unmanned aerial vehicles to cell phone screen stabilizers.

Collaborative robot company Universal Robots has a new addition to the family. The birth announcement on Tuesday said that a lightweight 6-axis tabletop robot has emerged to work with humans as third-hand helper. UR3 is its name. Esben Oestergaard, co-founder of the company and CTO, said, "a single worker can accomplish what traditionally would be a two-person task by having the UR3 robot as a third-hand helper." This is a small robot for light assembly work, in small-format precision tasks—in gluing applications, UR3 doses the same amount of glue with constant and steady pressure along a narrowly defined path; tightens screws with correct torque—generally, assists in assembly, polish, glue, and screw applications requiring uniform product quality.

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused the Federal Communications Commission of bowing to White House pressure on its "net neutrality" decision, which has angered the nation's cable and wireless giants. They said the agency's inspector general has opened an investigation into whether the FCC had violated any rules.

A pilot who is trying to make history by flying a solar-powered plane around the world launched an angry attack on Indian bureaucracy on Wednesday after a lengthy hold-up in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.

Music flooded into the streets around Austin's convention center as South by Southwest's music festival kicked off and the interactive portion wrapped up. The head of Google's (X) division talked about testing driverless cars and delivery drones, gender bias in tech was a hot topic and event-goers checked out the latest products and companies on the trade show floor.

A terrifying killer liquid metal robot from a blockbuster "Terminator" science fiction film has inspired what was heralded here as a revolution in 3D printing.

Ford dropped Microsoft for the operating system for its next-generation infotainment system but the long-time partnership continues with Tuesday's announcement Microsoft will provide cloud support to remotely update Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

The Microsoft Band, which has adorned the wrists of company executives and celebrity spokespeople but been regularly unavailable to the wider public, is set for a broader release.

Nintendo shares shot up more than 21 percent Wednesday after the videogame giant said it will enter the booming market for games on smartphones, in a U-turn long sought by investors.

Cracked your screen or dropped your phone in the toilet? No problem, if you buy HTC's new One smartphone.

Programming fundamental 'social intelligence' skills into software agents can make humans substantially more trusting of online negotiations, which can lead to superior outcomes in e-commerce transactions, finds an A*STAR-led team of technology researchers, business experts and cognitive scientists.

Nary a week goes by that doesn't see a new mainstream media story on the dangers of technology use. Just the other day I spotted one talking about how smartphones are making us dumber.

The recently released Intelligence Service Committee's report suggested an overhaul of the laws governing the work of the intelligence and security agencies. But beyond the headline announcement were buried details and admissions to questions that have gone unanswered for more than 40 years.

Microsoft says its new Windows 10 operating system will be coming "this summer" in 190 countries and 111 languages.

Today's agriculture has transformed into a high-tech enterprise that most 20th-century farmers might barely recognize.

A German court has banned Uber from offering its ridesharing service nationwide, adding to the company's troubles in Europe.

Sony announced Wednesday it was launching an Internet subscription television service that includes live feeds from major broadcast networks, mounting a challenge to the cable TV model.

The British government said Wednesday it was opening talks on plans to build the world's first man-made tidal lagoon in Wales to generate green energy.

There are more ways to watch television online than ever. Even HBO and ESPN—two channels often cited as reasons people keep expensive cable or satellite TV packages—will be available for streaming on their own. All these offerings make it possible to drop your pay-TV service without giving up favorite shows.

T-Mobile wants to change how businesses buy phones and wireless services—two years after it changed how consumers do so in abolishing long-term contracts.

Although bike-sharing systems have attracted considerable attention, they are falling short of their potential to transform urban transportation.

Technology firms will ultimately prevail in their efforts to use strong encryption on devices that cannot be accessed by the government, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said Wednesday.

Look out, Internet Explorer. After 20 years of competing against rival web browsers, Microsoft is gearing up to launch its own alternative to its once-dominant Internet surfing program.

The Louvre, New York's MoMA, the National Gallery of Australia, the Tokyo National Museum, Shakespeare's Globe in Britain and more than 1,400 other museums around the world are coming to Twitter next week.

Chinese Internet giant Tencent said its net profit was up 54 percent at 23.81 billion yuan ($3.82 billion) in 2014 helped by "rapid development" of mobile gaming and social networking.

TDK Corporation presents new EPCOS SMT transponder coils with extremely compact dimensions: Measuring just 4.5 mm x 3.2 mm x 3.2 mm, the TC1812 has an inductance of 2.38 mH and is designed for operation in the Z-axis. The TC1210 coil is available with an inductance value of 1.08 mH or 1.34 mH, depending on type, and is suitable for operation in either the X- or Y-axis. Furthermore, both TC1210 versions are currently the smallest transponder coils in the world as they measure just 3.2 mm x 2.5 mm x 2.2 mm.

Flexible optoelectronic devices that can be produced roll-to-roll – much like newspapers are printed – are a highly promising path to cheaper devices such as solar cells and LED lighting panels. Scientists from "TREASORES" project present prototype flexible solar cell modules as well as novel silver-based transparent electrodes that outperform currently used materials.

The Center for Research and Technological Development in Electrochemistry (CIDETEQ) in Mexico has obtained biogas from "garbage or organic waste", having replaced part of the natural gas used by the Pilgrim's company in the state of Querétaro, which produces chicken, and in Xaquixe, a company that makes glass art in the state of Oaxaca.

The Navy's Virginia-class submarines are among the most technically advanced vessels ever built. But even these cutting-edge, fast-attack, nuclear-powered boats need emergency generators on hand—and Sailors trained to operate and repair them.

Mexico's WikiLeaks-inspired whistleblower website is already making waves just days after its launch, even though it has yet to expose any government scandals.

The U.S. retail music business was essentially flat in 2014 as growth in streaming revenue helped offset further decline in sales of CDs, a report from the Recording Industry Association of America said Wednesday.

Longer duration of breastfeeding is linked with increased intelligence in adulthood, longer schooling, and higher adult earnings, a study following a group of almost 3500 newborns for 30 years published in The Lancet Global Health journal has found.

Washington State University researchers have found a mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids inhibit the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells. The findings, which are at odds with a 2013 study asserting that omega-3s increase the risk of prostate cancer, point the way to more effective anti-cancer drugs.

A new wildlife preserve in India recently became a laboratory for Colorado State University researchers who studied not endangered animals but villagers displaced by the preserve. They found that such stress takes a measurable toll on people's health.

A University of Wyoming faculty member is part of a research team that created a method, using laser, to better decode complex neural circuits in the brain—a process that eventually may help unlock the mysteries of epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer's in humans.

A smart and simple method developed at Rice University to image a patient's eye could help monitor eye health and spot signs of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, especially in developing nations.

Messenger RNAs (mRNA) are linear molecules that contain instructions for producing the proteins that keep living cells functioning. A new study by UCL researchers has shown how the three-dimensional structures of mRNAs determine their stability and efficiency inside cells. This new knowledge could help to explain how seemingly minor mutations that alter mRNA structure might cause things to go wrong in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

The heart tissue of mammals has limited capacity to regenerate after an injury such as a heart attack, in part due to the inability to reactivate a cardiac muscle cell and proliferation program. Recent studies have indicated a low level of cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocytes) proliferation in adult mammals, but it is insufficient to repair damaged hearts.

Cardiovascular researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have shown that a protein known as MG53 is not only present in kidney cells, but necessary for the organ to repair itself after acute injury. Results from this animal model study are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Advice to use the anti-clotting drug alteplase more than three hours after an acute stroke should be re-evaluated, say researchers writing in The BMJ this week.

A new international study gives a glimmer of hope for personalizing treatment for one of the most rare and aggressive forms of cancer.

A new tuberculosis (TB) drug regimen designed to improve options for TB therapy eliminated more bacteria from sputum than standard therapy and did so at a faster rate, according to data from a phase 2b clinical trial published today in The Lancet. These results are published just as the global phase 3 clinical trial, designed to bring this regimen through the last stage of testing, has begun.

For many reasons, a child being home from school while sick can be stressful. Parents worry about the severity of their child's illness and about the child missing school, all while trying to shuffle work schedules to be home.

Research showing that patients with early psychosis report high rates of childhood trauma has important implications for clinicians, a University of Queensland psychologist has found.

It's been a winter to remember in the Tristate, complete with snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures. But with temperatures finally warming up, spring is in sight with challenges of its own: seasonal allergies.

In diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the body produces too much mucus, making breathing difficult. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis provides clues to potentially counteract inappropriate mucus production.

An online computer programme that helps to predict the most suitable treatment for breast cancer has been found to underestimate the number of women under 40 who will die from the disease by 25 per cent, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

A research team has found a way to ensure people suffering from leukaemia are not subjected to chemotherapy if it is unlikely to help them.

A doctor who was one of the discoverers of the gene responsible for myotonic muscular dystrophy has now identified a drug that could slow the progression of muscle damage and muscle dysfunction associated with the disease – issues that cause patients significant disability and deterioration in quality of life.

A protein called Shp1 is vital to the immune system's ability to remember infections and fight them off when they reappear, researchers at A*STAR have found.

GenomeNext, LLC, a leader in genomic data management and integrated analysis, announced today that, through the "Intel Heads In The Clouds Challenge on Amazon Web Services (AWS)" with support from JHC Technology, and in conjunction with Nationwide Children's Hospital, has benchmarked whole genome sequencing analysis at an unprecedented 1,000 genomes per day.

Blindly following recommendations for drug prescriptions in national clinical guidelines for conditions including diabetes, depression and heart failure will often result in potentially serious drug interactions, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have found that people with 'perfectionist' personality traits show remarkably similar problems in their thinking to those diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Since HIV emerged in the '80s, drug "cocktails" transformed the deadly disease into a manageable one. But the virus is adept at developing resistance to drugs, and treatment regimens require tweaking that can be costly. Now scientists at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) are announcing new progress toward affordable drugs that could potentially thwart the virus's ability to resist them.

Chronic disease accounts for 7 of every 10 deaths in the United States and more than 75% of total health care costs. Among people 65 years old and older, over 92% suffer from one or more chronic diseases. By 2020, it is estimated that 48% of the total population will have chronic disease. In an article published in The American Journal of Medicine, researchers discuss how existing health care delivery models are poorly constructed to manage chronic disease, and how a reengineering of the health care system might offer some hope in meeting this challenge.

Epilepsy is a very prevalent neurological disorder. Approximately one-third of patients are resistant to currently available therapies. A team of researchers under the guidance of the Institute of Cellular Neurosciences at the University of Bonn has discovered a new cause to explain the development of temporal lobe epilepsy: At an early stage, astrocytes are uncoupled from each other. This results in the extracellular accumulation of potassium ions and neurotransmitters, which cause hyperexcitability of the neurons. The results are being published in advance online in the journal Brain. The print version will be published in May.

More than 300,000 U.S. veterans have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in recent years, a legacy of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But these numbers don't tell the whole story. While severe TBI can be obvious, milder cases involving symptoms such as memory loss or inability to concentrate are difficult to confirm and treat.diffusion

Women who have difficulty getting pregnant often turn to in-vitro fertilization (IVF), but it doesn't always work. Now scientists are taking a new approach to improve the technique by studying the proteins that could help ready a uterus for an embryo to implant in its wall. Their report could help researchers develop a new treatment that could potentially increase the success rate of IVF.

People with a severe form of schizophrenia have major differences in their brain networks compared to others with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and healthy individuals, a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.

Drugs aimed at quelling the behavior problems of dementia patients may also hasten their deaths more than previously realized, a new study finds.

While unconscious race and social class biases were present in most trauma and acute-care clinicians surveyed about patient care management in a series of clinical vignettes, those biases were not associated with clinical decisions, according to a report published online by JAMA Surgery.

Men and women who adapt their daily diet to meet current UK dietary guidelines could reduce their risk of a heart attack or a stroke by up to a third, according to a new study by King's College London.

Researchers have linked antibiotic resistance with poor governance and corruption around the world.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic developed a new scoring system to help determine which elderly people may be at a higher risk of developing the memory and thinking problems that can lead to dementia. The study is published in the March 18, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

By uncovering the mechanism by which fibrous tissue cells in the lung multiply, researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), along with colleagues in Mexico and Canada, have identified a promising new approach for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Researchers have defined a new bodily process in mice that may explain why blood oxygen levels are lower for patients with cystic fibrosis when they get a lung infection.

Researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have described for the first time the molecular mechanism of cancer development caused by well-known "resistance" mutations in the gene called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Biochemists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have gained new insights into the generation and maintenance of circadian rhythms. They demonstrated that the Ras protein is important for setting the phase of such a circadian clock, as its activity determines the period length of the rhythm. Ras is also contributing to induce phase-shifts in circadian rhythms in response to external time cues such as light. The team headed by Prof Dr Rolf Heumann published their results in the magazine Molecular Neurobiology.

Interviewing women at a breast-imaging center in an urban safety net institution before and after they used a "mHealth" mobile health app on a tablet, Elissa Ozanne, PhD from Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center and colleagues concluded that older, diverse, and low income women found it easy to use and acceptable. Published in the Journal of Health Disparities Research Practices, the paper with these findings is "Can mHealth Improve Risk Assessment in Underserved Populations? Acceptability of a Breast Health Questionnaire App in Ethnically Diverse, Older, Low-Income Women."

For many, Facebook connects friends, family, and others with common interests. Despite the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, scientists are only beginning to learn how they affect human interaction.

A new study from Oregon State University suggests there is a relationship between low levels of vitamin D and depression in otherwise healthy young women.

MeMed today announced publication of the results of a large multicenter prospective clinical study that validates the ability of its ImmunoXpert in-vitro diagnostic blood test to determine whether a patient has an acute bacterial or viral infection. The study enrolled more than 1,000 patients and is published in the March 18, 2015 online edition of PLOS ONE. Unlike most infectious disease diagnostics that rely on direct pathogen detection, MeMed's assay decodes the body's immune response to accurately characterize the cause of the infection.

Modern life, with its preponderance of inadequate exposure to natural light during the day and overexposure to artificial light at night, is not conducive to the body's natural sleep/wake cycle.

Billionaire philanthropists Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates launched a joint fund in Abu Dhabi Wednesday to help developing countries pass tobacco-control laws in their legal battle with industry giants.

(HealthDay)—A new survey finds that hospital doctors don't treat patients differently because of race or income level, even though it detected unconscious bias in some clinicians.

(HealthDay)—Recess is an essential part of children's school days that can help set students up for success once they head back to the classroom, a new study suggests.

(HealthDay)—Cholbam (cholic acid) capsules have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults and children with bile acid synthesis disorders and peroxisomal disorders, the agency said in a news release.

(HealthDay)—Screening men presenting with erectile dysfunction (ED) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors can potentially cut future cardiovascular events and save billions of dollars over 20 years, according to a study published online March 2 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

(HealthDay)—Higher total white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts are independent predictors of stroke in older Japanese-American men, according to a study published online March 4 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

(HealthDay)—There is a lack of agreement among clinicians about who is responsible for specific roles in the medication reconciliation process, according to a research letter published in the March issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

(HealthDay)—Interventions can increase blood culture ordering in children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), with no effect on length of stay (LOS), according to a study published online March 16 in Pediatrics.

(HealthDay)—C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are an independent prognostic marker in melanoma, according to a study published online March 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

More than two dozen cases of tuberculosis have been detected at an eastern Kansas high school after widespread screening, state and county health officials announced Wednesday.

Cardiometabolic risk factors, such as high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar, appear to have a bigger effect than obesity on hardening arteries early among Mexican-Americans, according to research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Two antibiotics frequently prescribed to treat serious skin infections - clindamycin and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) - had similar rates of success in curing uncomplicated infections in outpatients, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A generic version of insulin, the lifesaving diabetes drug used by 6 million people in the United States, has never been available in this country because drug companies have made incremental improvements that kept insulin under patent from 1923 to 2014. As a result, say two Johns Hopkins internist-researchers, many who need insulin to control diabetes can't afford it, and some end up hospitalized with life-threatening complications, such as kidney failure and diabetic coma.

Malaria kills a child every minute. While medical researchers have successfully developed effective drugs to kill the malaria parasite, efforts to treat the effects of the disease have not been as successful. But that soon may change.

Could our reaction to an image of an overweight or obese person affect how we perceive odor? A trio of researchers, including two from UCLA, says yes.

A new strain of avian flu is causing concern among health officials because it exhibits different characteristics from other strains and may mutate further, causing a pandemic.

The German Lung Cancer Screening Intervention Trial (LUSI) shows that the early repeat scan rate for suspicious findings decreased by more than 80% with the second and subsequent low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screens, but emphasizes the need to have an organized screening program with the baseline scan available for comparison.

A new study at the MedUni Vienna's Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) is assessing patients with metastasised bowel cancer to determine whether it is possible to characterise tumour and better control resistance mechanisms with a blood test. The aim of this is to spare patients the stress of having tissue removed via biopsies and to make the targeted use of therapy easier.

A highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed in four states can be very deadly for birds, but a Kansas State University poultry expert says humans don't need to worry about their own health or contaminated poultry products.

World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan urged global action Wednesday to drive tobacco companies "out of business" and hailed progress in tackling smoking in many countries.

Emerging adulthood is a complex time for anyone. It ranges from late adolescence to one's mid-twenties – ages when we are seeking to establish our identities in social contexts, and transition from childhood to the expectations and responsibilities of adulthood.

Laboratory testing among patients undergoing cardiac surgery can lead to excessive bloodletting, which can increase the risk of developing hospital-acquired anemia and the need for blood transfusion, according to an article in the March 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Basic research on blood pressure has led researchers from Inserm (Inserm Unit 1138, "Cordeliers Research Centre") to obtain unexpected results: drugs used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) reduce side effects from corticosteroid-based creams used to treat certain skin diseases.

A recent article by Kessler Foundation researchers describes Actual Reality; as a new tool for assessing performance of activities of everyday life (ADL) in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article, "Actual Reality: Using the Internet to assess everyday functioning after traumatic brain injury," was epublished on February 19 in Brain Injury. This is the first study examining the use of Actual Reality in the TBI population. The authors are Yael Goverover, PhD, OT, of New York University and Kessler Foundation, and John DeLuca, PhD, senior VP of Research & Training at Kessler Foundation, and professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Sierra Leone is planning another three-day, countrywide shutdown later this month to ferret out Ebola cases, remind people how to protect themselves from the disease and control its transmission.

Complying with the health care law is costing small businesses thousands of dollars that they didn't have to spend before the new regulations went into effect.

While doctors almost always agree on a pathological diagnosis of invasive breast cancer, there is room for improvement when diagnosing atypia (or atypical ductal hyperplasia-ADH) and DCIS (ductal carcinoma in-situ), Anna Tosteson, ScD and Tracy Onega, PhD from Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center have found. The Dartmouth investigators, and national collaborators, published the study, "Diagnostic Concordance Among Pathologists Interpreting Breast Biopsy Specimens," today in JAMA.

The world has made "tremendous progress" in combatting the deadly Ebola virus, the UN's World Health Organization chief told AFP on Wednesday.

New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) shows that in women who have developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy, being obese before the pregnancy and putting on more weight after it massively increases the risk of later developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).

How can the electrodes of batteries be made more efficient? In the journal Angewandte Chemie, American scientists describe a powerful approach that uses solvated graphene frameworks as the anode material. Assembled in a lithium coin cell, the as-made electrode excelled with capacities surpassing the values of typically used graphite.

(Phys.org)—A team of chemists working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, at Cambridge in the UK believes they have solved the mystery of how it was possible for life to begin on Earth over four billion years ago. In their paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the team describes how they were able to map reactions that produced two and three-carbon sugars, amino acids, ribonucleotides and glycerol—the material necessary for metabolism and for creating the building blocks of proteins and ribonucleic acid molecules and also for allowing for the creation of lipids that form cell membranes.

Electrochemical devices are crucial to a green energy revolution in which clean alternatives replace carbon-based fuels. This revolution requires conversion systems that produce hydrogen from water or rechargeable batteries that can store clean energy in cars. Now, Singapore-based researchers have developed improved catalysts as electrodes for efficient and more durable green energy devices.

Experimental analysis and computer simulations reveal new insights into the process by which ethanol produced from waste biomass can be converted into hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. These insights should aid the design of more efficient catalysts for hydrogen production.

Plastic products advertised as biodegradable have recently emerged, but they sound almost too good to be true. Scientists have now found out that, at least for now, consumers have good reason to doubt these claims. In a new study appearing in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, plastics designed to degrade didn't break down any faster than their more conventional counterparts.

Green tea's popularity has grown quickly in recent years. Its fans can drink it, enjoy its flavor in their ice cream and slather it on their skin with lotions infused with it. Now, the tea could have a new, unexpected role—to improve the image quality of MRIs. Scientists report in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces that they successfully used compounds from green tea to help image cancer tumors in mice.

This week Sandia National Laboratories' Explosive Destruction System (EDS) began safely destroying stockpile chemical munitions for the U.S. Army.

A research group led by Chengsi Pan, Postdoctoral Researcher, and Tsuyoshi Takata, NIMS Special Researcher, at the Global Research Center for Environment and Energy Based on Nanomaterials Science (GREEN; Director-General: Kohei Uosaki) of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS; President: Sukekatsu Ushioda), and Kazunari Domen, a professor of the Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo (President: Junichi Hamada) newly developed a water-splitting photocatalyst that is operable over a wider range of the visible light spectrum than before.

MDMA (3,4-methyenedioxymethamphetamine), a Class A substance that is usually found in a tableted form, is a psychoactive drug which is structurally similar to methylamphetamine and acts as a central nervous system stimulant, producing mood enhancement, increased energy and other empathetic effects. MDMA was first synthesized by Merck as far back as 1912 as a potential appetite suppressant; however, the company never marketed it as such.