May 2007
Vol 4, No 5
News and analysis

Man with a mission
Ernst-Ludwig takes on new challenges as secretary-general for the European Research Council
News in brief
Short items
Business roundup
Industry news
New on the market
New products - May 2007
In the papers...
Short items
Chemical science

New limits set on chirality
28 March 2007
Textbooks need updating as researchers measure the spatial arrangement of the most subtly chiral molecule ever synthesised

Ultrasonic waves to power future nanomachines
05 April 2007
Piezoelectric currents derived from flexing nanowires

Synthesis strategy offers no protection
21 March 2007
Streamlined method of constructing complex molecules could help tap nature's bounty.

A dog's life
11 April 2007
'Life-long dog study' provides a unique data set showing direct links between diet and longevity in large animals.

Forcing a reaction
21 March 2007
US chemists have forced molecules to react by ripping their bonds apart with ultrasound.

World's smallest bowl of 'alphabet soup'
26 March 2007
A suspension of microscopic letters marks a key step towards complex engineering on the nanoscale.

Chemical model unlocks key enzyme's secrets
20 March 2007
Precise workings of protein powerhouse unveiled

Sensor finds failing leaves
03 April 2007
Detecting signs of leaf aging is a step towards more perky plants.

Forming clusters with open arms
02 April 2007
Rationally designed smart nanomaterials could be a step closer thanks to Chinese chemists.

Green tea's secret tunneling revealed
23 April 2007
Quantum mechanics explains why green tea is good for you

The metamaterials space race
22 March 2007
Technology making invisibility shields a theoretical possibility has taken a major step forward

Nanodiamonds for HPLC
12 April 2007
Diamonds show potential as column packing for high-performance liquid chromatography.

Sweet toothed sensors
03 April 2007
Medical researchers in the USA have made a sensor device that can potentially be used to measure sugar levels in the blood.

Beating nanorods mimic lung defence
18 April 2007
Hair-like polymer nanorods that wiggle and bend under magnetic fields illustrate how the lung defends itself

Mice get full-colour vision
23 March 2007
Mice that see the world in full colour have been created in a US lab.

Photosynthesis works 'by quantum computing'
The energy cascade within green sulfur bacteria reveals a quantum surprise

Instant insight: Organ printing
23 April 2007
Glenn Prestwich of the University of Utah, US, explains how to build living structures with self-assembling cells.
Features

Chinese medicine in western packaging
The past decade has seen a global awakening to the truly curative powers of many ancient medicines, from black bear bile to the Asian plant Epimedium. Lisa Melton delves deeper

Oiling the cogs of innovation
R&D outsourcing is becoming increasingly popular as companies learn to let go. Sarah Houlton reports

Battery assault
As our everyday gadgets become more advanced, the battery technology used to power them lags further behind. But help is at hand, as Simon Hadlington discovers

Molecular trees bear fruit
Polymers that grow like trees have been around for nearly three decades. Now they are on the verge of realising their potential, as Michael Gross reports
Opinion

Editorial: Tradition and innovation
China holds great opportunities, but their drug industry must clean up its act

Comment: A matter of ethics
Scientists should embrace a universal ethical code, says Sir David King, UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Opinion: In the pipeline
After months of bleak news about faltering pipelines and redundancies, it's time to find reasons to be cheerful about the drug industry, says Derek Lowe.















