California chemical ban

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill banning phthalates (which are used as plasticisers) in children's toys. A similar ban is already in place in the European Union, and other US states look set to follow California's lead.  

Jet plane biofuels take off

UK entrepreneur Richard Branson has announced that his company, Virgin, will test a Boeing 747 jet plane running on renewable fuels in early 2008. Butanol, said Branson, would be a better fuel than ethanol, which he said freezes above 15,000 feet. 

Carbon burying planned 

The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to develop regulations for injecting captured carbon dioxide in deep rock formations, for long-term storage. A permit system would be introduced under the Safe Drinking Water act. 

Child malaria vaccine 

The most advanced prospective malaria vaccine for children in Africa has come through Phase II trials.
A study in The Lancet  reported that GlaxoSmithKline's drug (RTS,S with adjuvant AS02) was safe and apparently effective. It will progress to Phase III studies. 

Go Figure 

28 per cent   rise in undergraduate students accepted to start chemistry courses at UK universities over the last four years. Recently released figures show that chemistry acceptances in 2007 rose nine per cent above 2006 (the average rise across all subjects was only six per cent). 'All the indications are that the popularity of chemistry has returned after the problems of a few years ago,' said RSC chief executive Richard Pike.