agribusiness: Spliced feed for The Science Network

Monday, June 30, 2008

Spliced feed for The Science Network

Carbon Tet and Paradigm Shifts [Sciencebase Science Blog]

Posted: 30 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Since tetrachloromethane is banned as an industrial solvent avoiding its formation as a byproduct of other chlorocarbons is important, this week, The Alchemist learns that a lanthanum chloride catalyst could help with the cleanup. A paradigm shift in drug discovery could be approaching as researchers working with proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease have discovered an apparently novel approach to inhibiting disease. In organic chemistry, the Alchemist hears that molecules are not quite as diverse as we first thought, while an Olympic analysis could help sports officials spot dopey athletes. Princeton scientists are focusing on a new approach to making microchips and, finally, an astronomer with a chemical bent has had a cometary mineral named for him.

More on this and all the links in my Alchemist column on ChemWeb

A post from David Bradley Science Writer

Carbon Tet and Paradigm Shifts

Will your car use fuel made from natural gas? [Earth & Sky Podcast]

Posted: 29 Jun 2008 04:06 AM CDT

Earth's growing population means more vehicles, and more pollution. A Shell scientist describes a gas-to-liquids process for a cleaner-burning fuel.

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June 30 conjunction closest of 2008 [Earth & Sky Podcast]

Posted: 28 Jun 2008 04:06 AM CDT

June 30, 2008. As the sky darkens tonight, you’ll see Mars and Regulus close together in the evening twilight. Saturn is also nearby. Mars and Regulus are now staging the closest pairing of a planet and first-magnitude star for this year.

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Climate change shrinking water in western U.S. [Earth & Sky Podcast]

Posted: 28 Jun 2008 03:06 AM CDT

A 2008 study shows that Earth's changing climate has caused available water to shrink in the western U.S. during the last half century. And even bigger changes may lie ahead ..

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Why are some butterfly populations shrinking? [Earth & Sky Podcast]

Posted: 27 Jun 2008 04:06 AM CDT

Experts say they are seeing rapid declines in the number of butterfly species – with no obvious explanation. EarthSky spoke to Arthur Shapiro at the University of California about his study of butterfly populations.