agribusiness: Spliced feed for The Science Network

Monday, May 19, 2008

Spliced feed for The Science Network

L-Form Bacteria and Chronic Disease [SciScoop Science Blog]

Posted:

Could bacteria with no cell wall that can find a home in tissues anywhere in the body be to blame for several chronic diseases from asthma to ME? Might a strict drug regimen based on a range of antibiotic agents at low levels, the Marshall Protocol, provide a solution?

Recycling Science [Sciencebase Science Blog]

Posted: 19 May 2008 07:00 AM CDT

My Alchemist column on ChemWeb is live once again: This week’s award is for science that sheds light on a range of physical phenomena including liquid-metal surfaces and condensed matter. The recipient of the award, Oleg Shpyrko of the University of California San Diego, will receive the 2008 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award from Argonne National Laboratory. I asked him what the award means to him:

“It is a great honor to have my research recognized in this way but credit should be shared between all of my collaborators, especially the Advanced Photon Source beamline scientists without whom the research simply would not be possible. What makes the APS a truly world-class facility is not just its unique X-ray beam characteristics, but also the outstanding group of scientists working here. The synergy between the users and APS scientists is an absolutely crucial component for the cutting-edge research performed there.”

Meanwhile, in straight chemistry news, nanotubes are feeling the heat of chilies and while analysts are musing on the lack of psychedelics in artists’ tipple absinthe. Also, this week, X-ray studies are helping in the redesign of novel anticancer compounds, while a connection the great British seaside holiday, kelp and iodine as an oxidant is revealed. Finally, plastic lasers could open the door for a new range of spectroscopic and medical diagnostics instrumentation. Get the full alchemical news here.

You may also be interested in science news with a spectroscopic bent where I report on how recycling old computers and electronics can be used to make a new type of feedstock oil for the petrochemical industry.

Recycling of a different kind in which parts from a CD-ROM drive have been scavenged for another purpose could help bring quick and inexpensive DNA diagnostics to the poorer parts of the world. More on that here.

A post from David Bradley Science Writer

Recycling Science

Global warming may change ocean biology [Earth & Sky Podcast]

Posted: 18 May 2008 04:05 AM CDT

Global warming could push ocean life in new directions, warns Jorge Sarmiento of Princeton University. Hear about Sarmiento’s research on how small temperature changes could have a big impact on ocean biology.