Science minister stands by predictions on China and India

26 January 2006

UK Science minister Lord Sainsbury says rapid development in China based on cheap labour, not superior Chinese science.

Sparks fly over jet processing of cells

24 January 2006

The latest publication on jet processing of living cells has revealed a highly competitive research field.

Information free-for-all

24 February 2006

Could the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia could become the main source of chemical information in 5-10 years?

UK considers nuclear option

24 January 2006

The UK government yesterday launched a major consultation to determine energy generation for the next 50 years.

Stark warning for science education

27 January 2006

The first statistical analysis of UK school science teaching in a decade highlights serious gaps in the physical sciences.

Update: Europe gets hot and bothered over sun cream labelling

22 February 2006

EU ministers agree that rules on exposure to solar radiation should be left to national governments.

Calls for UK investment in carbon capture

09 February 2006

The UK government must invest immediately in carbon capture and storage technologies to meet carbon emissions targets.

MEPs take a dip at Europe's water resorts

25 January 2006

The European Parliament has updated its 30-year old Bathing Water Directive, to protect swimmers and water-sports enthusiasts

Dietary needs outweigh risks associated with fish consumption

20 February 2006

The benefits of a diet rich in fish outweigh possible risks of mercury poisoning.

Lessons for carbon negative fuel production in the Amazon

20 February 2006

Dark, nutrient rich, Amazonian soil could hold the key to reducing carbon emissions.

Business roundup

Industry news

Funding briefs

Short items

Sniffing out garlic in gilded artworks

24 January 2006

The presence of garlic in early gilded artworks has been confirmed.

Crystal structures of bubbles

08 February 2006

Researchers have used household detergent to create, for the first time, arrays of bubbles that mirror the atomic arrays found in crystals.

To boldly go where no chemist has gone before

08 February 2006

Studying the interactions between different molecular fragments is taking researchers to the uncharted regions of chemical space.

Head-to-tail monomers improve solar cell efficiency

06 February 2006

British and South Korean researchers have improved the efficiency of polymer-based solar cells.

Pharmaceutical promise in the desert

15 February 2006

Two molecules that inhibit a protein linked to cancer pathogenesis have been discovered in the Arizona desert.

Hydrophobic coatings with atmospheric plasma

21 February 2006

Chemical engineers have developed a practical atmospheric plasma treatment process for depositing stable hydrophobic coatings on a range of materials.

Eurozone researchers see through fake banknotes

23 January 2006

Fake euro notes can be detected quickly and accurately with a spectroscopic technique.

Gene delivery with dendrimers

24 February 2006

Dendritic molecules developed as gene carriers show potential for cancer therapy.

Highly enantioselective DNA-based catalysis

02 February 2006

DNA-based catalysts show great potential for asymmetric catalysis, say researchers in the Netherlands.

High throughput screening for kinase inhibitors

03 February 2006

A colorimetric assay for kinase activity based on the aggregation of gold nanoparticles.

Researchers put bioenergetics into biomagnification

02 February 2006

Mathematical model could predict how industrial pollutants accumulate in different animal species.

Chiral catalysis on a chip

01 February 2006

Chiral catalysis and analytical separation of the resulting enantiomers can now be performed on a single chip.

New steroid forms molecular zipper

07 February 2006

Naturally occurring steroid that acts as a supramolecular zipper could have potential as a new anticancer drug.

Breakthrough in trace detection of peroxide explosives

13 February 2006

US researchers have developed a quick and sensitive method that could soon be used at airports around the world for detecting peroxide explosives on ordinary surfaces.

Silicon conducts an electrical surprise

09 February 2006

Silicon can conduct electricity when experts assumed it couldn't, sparking a surprising direction in silicon electronics.

Ringing the changes to combat cancer

21 February 2006

A new class of targeted anticancer drugs could soon be developed based on cyclic macromolecules that selectively bind four stranded DNA structures.

Microfluidic devices with heart

09 February 2006

Japanese researchers have harnessed the pumping power of heart cells to make better microfluidic devices.

Medical future for tiny quantum dots

10 February 2006

US researchers have crossed a milestone in biological imaging by developing quantum dots small enough to pass from the blood stream into bodily tissue.

Storing up high hopes for hydrogen economy

13 February 2006

Polymer scientists have joined the race to store hydrogen as fuel.

Rapid reactions using microfluidic devices

24 January 2006

A glass microchip has been used for the first time to carry out fast carbonylative cross-coupling reactions of arylhalides to form secondary amides.

Tracing elements to find hit-and-run vehicles

20 February 2006

An improved spectroscopic method for the forensic analysis of car paint fragments has been demonstrated by analytical chemists from Belgium and Switzerland.

Nanoparticles detect cell suicide plans

13 February 2006

Nanotechnological assay for detecting programmed cell death.

Novel receptor for ion-pairs

10 February 2006

Molecular machines get a boost from a receptor that mimics logic gates by binding to both positive and negative ions.

Enzyme-like catalyst for organic reactions

22 February 2006

Amino acid derivatives found in numerous potent bioactive substances can be made in a single step, report researchers in the UK.

Reaction system that measures, mixes and reacts

31 January 2006

Small-scale device that generates, mixes, and reacts droplets in one place is an important step towards a miniature laboratory, say US researchers.

Trash or treasure?

Could a fire in a Roman villa alter the way we look at art forgeries? Who can tell you whether jewels on show at the Oscars are real? Helen Carmichael meets the detectives

Fuel cells head for mass market

Fuel cells have been a 'next big thing' technology for as long as anyone can remember. Joe McEntee investigates when these versatile power sources will reach high-volume markets

Hydrogen gets onboard

Cars that run on hydrogen still fail to compete in real terms with traditional petrol vehicles. Maciej Gutowski and Tom Autrey investigate the advances in hydrogen storage material...

Extreme analysis

High pressures, cold temperatures and inaccessible samples all make analytical work challenging. Katie Gibb explores the techniques used by chemists working in hostile conditions

Avogadro: voice in the wilderness

Avogadro's hypothesis was key to solving many problems facing the chemical sciences in the 1800s. But his idea was initially rejected. Colin Russell reports

Editorial: Engaging with the media

Inaccurate science stories will not go away unless more scientists talk to journalists

Your views...

Faking results - what are the consequences for science?

The chemist's guide to.

Chemical peel

Careers: An inspiring role

Leanne Hart's passion for encouraging people into the chemical industry prompted her to apply to become its young ambassador. She tells Katie Gibb about her year

Crossword and Su Doku

Prize crossword and Su Doku, March 2006

The last retort: Still baffled by H2O

Funny stuff, water. The most abundant liquid on our planet, universal solvent, major constituent of all living matter; yet water is far from fully characterised

Flashback

March - 60 years ago; 90 years ago; 95 years ago; 125 years ago; 130 years ago; 195 years ago