A team of researchers at Delft University of Technology has developed a means for 3D printing a gel containing bacteria onto a base to create materials in a novel way. In their paper published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, the team describes their technique and how they used it to simulate a process for…
Sea Urchin Spines Could Fix Bones
Membrane-Busting Compound Fights MRSA
Public health officials are increasingly concerned over methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The bacteria have developed resistance to a number of treatments, even antibiotics of last resort in some cases. Now researchers report in ACS’ journal Bioconjugate Chemistry that a new class of compounds can treat MRSA skin infections in mice with no signs of acute…
A Bright ‘Glow Stick’ Marker for Cells
Any child who has played with a glowstick or captured a firefly understands the wonder of chemiluminescence, or chemical light. This process is already used to detect blood at crime scenes and to determine the concentrations of different components of biological samples. This week in ACS Central Science, researchers introduce a new chemiluminescent probe that is…
Mystery Solved: Turning Graphite into Diamond
Researchers have finally answered a question that has eluded scientists for years: when exposed to moderately high pressures, why does graphite turn into hexagonal diamond (also called lonsdaleite) and not the more familiar cubic diamond, as predicted by theory? The answer largely comes down to a matter of speed — or in chemistry terms, the…
Commercial Weight-Loss Drug Could Help Treat Opioid Addiction
Glowing, Disappearing Tattoos Help with Surgery
Tattoos aren’t just for body art. They can have medical applications, too. Doctors are using them on patients to mark an area for future treatment — particularly for non-melanoma skin cancer such as basal cell carcinoma — but the inks can cause problems. Now scientists have developed a better solution. In the journal ACS Nano,…
Diseases Have Their Own Breathprints
Before modern medical lab techniques became available, doctors diagnosed some diseases by smelling a patient’s breath. Scientists have been working for years to develop analytical instruments that can mimic this sniff-and-diagnose ability. Now, researchers report in the journal ACS Nano that they have identified a unique “breathprint” for each disease. Using this information, they have…
Report Finds Additional Radioactive Materials in Gas-Well Drill Cuttings
Hydraulic fracturing has boosted U.S. energy production while coming under scrutiny for its potential environmental impacts, mostly related to the wastewater the method generates. Now, a report in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters takes a look at solid waste from horizontal gas wells. The study found that some well waste from the Marcellus shale…
Nanoarray Sniffs Out, Distinguishes Multiple Diseases
Before modern medical lab techniques became available, doctors diagnosed some diseases by smelling a patient’s breath. Scientists have been working for years to develop analytical instruments that can mimic this sniff-and-diagnose ability. Now, researchers report in the journal ACS Nano that they have identified a unique “breathprint” for each disease. Using this information, they have designed a…
Solar Smart Window Offers Light Control, Privacy On Demand
Smart windows get darker to filter out the sun’s rays on bright days, and turn clear on cloudy days to let more light in. This feature can help control indoor temperatures and offers some privacy without resorting to aids such as mini-blinds. Now scientists report a new development in this growing niche: solar smart windows…
Cuttlefish Melanin Used to Strengthen Foams and Fabrics
Melanin is the natural molecule in animals’ skin, hair and the iris of eyes that gives them color and helps protect them from ultraviolet light. Someday soon, the pigment could be found in unexpected places such as sofa cushions or clothing — but not for its hue. Scientists have found that adding a small amount…
Quantifying Hidden Environmental Costs of Hydroelectric Dams
Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy, and the facilities that produce it give off less greenhouse gases than other power plants. But damming bodies of water can lead to the production and release of methylmercury from the soil. This toxic compound can move up the food chain and potentially harm human health. In the ACS journal Environmental…
Hand-Held “Breathalyzer” Diagnoses Diabetes
For several years, scientists have been working toward “breathalyzers” that can diagnose various diseases without painful pinpricks, needles or other unpleasant methods. Now, one team has developed a new, portable breath analyzer that could someday help doctors diagnose diabetes noninvasively in the office. The report appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Many studies examining…
Making Artificial ‘Cells’ Move Like Real Cells
Detecting Potentially Harmful Mycotoxins in Beer
Rewritable Material Could Help Reduce Paper Waste
Even in today’s digital age, the world still relies on paper and ink, most of which ends up in landfills or recycling centers. To reduce this waste, scientists have now developed a low-cost, environmentally friendly way to create printed materials with rewritable paper. Their report on the material, which is made out of tungsten oxide…
Imaging Cancer Drugs’ Travels Improves Treatment
Recent research has shown just how complicated it is to customize treatment for cancer patients. As one might expect, the same drug will accumulate in tumors at varying concentrations in patients with different cancers. But this also happens in patients with the same kind of cancer. To better evaluate which patients would benefit from particular…
Gold Nanoparticles Hold the Secret to Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often a death sentence because chemotherapy and radiation have little impact on the disease. In the U.S. this year, some 53,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and 42,000 patients will die of the disease, according to the National Institutes of Health. But research now being reported in ACS Nano…
Silkworms That Munch on Nanotubes or Graphene Make Stronger Silk
A team of researchers at Tsinghua University in China has found that adding graphene or carbon nanotubes to the food eaten by silkworms causes them to produce silk that is stronger than normal. In their paper published in Nanoletters, the team describes the approach they took and what was revealed when they tested the new…
Smallest-Reported Artificial Virus Could Advance Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is a kind of experimental treatment that is designed to fix faulty genetic material and help a patient fight off or recover from a disease. Now scientists have engineered the smallest-reported virus-like shell that can self-assemble. It could someday carry potentially therapeutic DNA or RNA and transfer it to human cells. The report…
Electronic Skin Patch Measures Blood Alcohol Content
Overconsumption of alcohol can lead to errors in judgment, causing, for example, some people to get behind the wheel when they are impaired. To help imbibers easily and quickly know when they’ve had enough, scientists have developed a flexible, wearable patch that can detect a person’s blood-alcohol level from his or her sweat. The monitor,…
Quick Bacteria Detector Fends Off Foodborne Illnesses
It seems like almost every week another food product is being recalled because of contamination. One of the more common culprits is a pathogenic strain of E. coli. To help prevent illnesses caused by E. coli bacteria in food or water, researchers have developed a new nanosensor to rapidly detect its presence. The study appears…
Coffee-Infused Foam Removes Lead from Contaminated Water
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the U.S., which makes for a perky population—but it also creates a lot of used grounds. Scientists now report in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering an innovative way to reduce this waste and help address another environmental problem. They have incorporated spent coffee grounds in a…
Lead Filtered from Water with Coffee-infused Foam
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the U.S., which makes for a perky population — but it also creates a lot of used grounds. Scientists now report in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering an innovative way to reduce this waste and help address another environmental problem. They have incorporated spent…