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March 30, 2007

BASF Exits Lysine Market

Closure of Korean plant ends company's foray into amino acid for animal feed.

Paul Lauterbur dies at 77

Nobel Laureate was a developer of magnetic resonance imaging.

Drug Study

Pfizer's torcetrapib fails to slow arterial plaque buildup.

ACS Meets in Chicago

Council raises dues for 2008, deals with several complicated petitions.

March 29, 2007

Rough Seas Ahead

Newly unveiled reports on U.S. chemistry, chemical engineering warn of challenges, problems.

Dow Selects Shanghai For Epichlorohydrin

Plant will use glycerin as a new feedstock source.

Genentech, Lilly Invest $300 Million In Singapore

Genentech will build a biologics plant, and Lilly will expand its R&D capability.

Companies Report Slight Rise In Toxics Releases

Chemical makers reduce releases, and dioxin emissions drop from 2004 to 2005.

March 28, 2007

Spotlight On Sustainability

Presidential symposia focus on the future of energy, food, and water.

Anti-Infective Spurs Natural Defenses

Peptide protects mice against bacterial infection by altering their innate immune response.

Smart Sunglasses

A range of colors and shading is possible with prototype eyewear made of electrochromic materials.

March 27, 2007

Superoxide's Swelling Significance

Underwater life may be using the oxygen radical to make essential nutrient more available.

Two French Firms Plan Site Closures

Moves by Rhodia and Arkema are part of profitability push.

OSHA Promises To Ramp Up Inspections

Rise in process safety inspections is agency's response to critics.

March 26, 2007

Pet Food Recall

Aminopterin, a rodent-killing compound, is found in samples of pet food made by Menu Foods.

Why Ladybugs Smell Bad

Methoxypyrazines are responsible for the odor released by spooked bugs.

Vitamin B-12 Mystery Is Solved

Enzyme structure reveals that one vitamin is cannibalized to make another.

Political Science

House panel hears about editing of reports, interference with scientists' communications.

Nitrile-Alkyne Cross-Metathesis

Process for converting nitriles into alkynes expands the utility of metathesis reactions.

March 23, 2007

Jackson Wins Vannevar Bush Award

Rensselaer president honored for lifetime work in education, research, and advocacy.

FDA Changes Advisory Panel Policy

Agency proposes stricter procedures to avert potential conflicts of interest.

ACS Safeguards Its Journal Content

New deal will preserve the society's scholarly literature in Portico's digital archive.

Stem Cells

NIH director calls for expanded federal policy.

India's Patent Controversy

Patent committee chairman resigns following criticism.

March 22, 2007

Gore Challenges Congress

Former vice president proposes radical remedies on climate change.

Brute Force Breaks Bonds

Ultrasound directs ring-opening reactions in more than expected ways.

A Better Way To Finger Criminals

Nanoparticle pretreatments enhance fingerprints.

Dow, Chemtrec Launch Rail Safety Initiative

Project aims to provide emergency responders with streamlined access to critical data in hazmat incidents.

Monsanto, BASF Form Biotech Plant Pact

The $1.5 billion R&D partnership will focus on high-yield, drought-tolerant crops.

March 21, 2007

OMB Issues Report On Regulatory Costs

White House agency says EPA particulate rule generates big cost, bigger benefits.

Paint Makers Appeal State Ruling

Former makers of lead paint and pigment take their dispute to Rhode Island's highest court.

March 20, 2007

Dow Plans Propylene Glycol From Renewable Feedstock

Company is latest to find new use for glycerin, a vegetable-oil-based raw material.

March 19, 2007

Redefining Waste

EPA proposes to allow sale, recycling of some materials regulated as hazardous waste.

Biofuels Center Grows In West

Universities, government, and industry will advance biomass conversion.

Dow Issues Methane Challenge

Call for proposals targets direct conversion of methane into feedstocks.

Electron-Starved Enzyme

Cytochrome c oxidase model mimics natural electron-limited conditions

March 16, 2007

Linking Together The Origins Of Life

Crystal structure supports notion of RNA as first biological molecule.

Venter's Adventure

Survey of marine microbes reveals a wealth of genetic diversity.

Research Outsourcing

Bristol-Myers Squibb, DuPont expand R&D operations in India.

Struggle For Russian Academy

Officials want efficiency; academy wants autonomy.

Schering-Plough Steps Up for Organon

Deal is transforming for both Schering and Akzo Nobel.

March 15, 2007

Intel Names Winners Of Its Science Talent Search

No-frills spectrograph nabs teen first place in annual competition.

Raman Imaging Technique Identifies Pathogens

Method singles out anthrax spores by their spectral signatures.

Huntsman, Chevron Phillips Are Back In The ACC Fold

Companies rejoin trade group after four-year absence.

March 14, 2007

Congress At Odds Over Hazmat Shipments

Senate rejects effort to reroute shipments away from large cities, but House panel keeps bid alive.

Muzzling Discussion

Interior bars Fish & Wildlife Service scientists from noting polar bear—climate-change nexus.

March 13, 2007

Schering-Plough Offers $14 Billion For Organon

Deal marks milestones for Schering and Akzo Nobel.

March 12, 2007

NIH Rolls Out New Grant Program

New Innovator Awards target young investigators in biomedical or behavioral science.

Snapshots Of A Membrane Protein

First glimpses of cell-wall-forming enzyme will aid search for new antibiotics.

China Admits Setback

Premier vows country will try harder to meet environmental goals.

Made-To-Order Histones

Method for installing methyl marks will shed light on DNA packaging.

Silicon From Sea Life

Reduction transforms algae's silica skeletons into high-tech material.

March 9, 2007

Treatment For Alcohol Abuse

Experimental drug curbs excessive alcohol use in rats.

Conflict Of Interest

Consulting firm assisting review of bisphenol A risks also works for compound's manufacturers.

REACH's Impacts

Europe's new chemicals regulation will increase business risks for industry, report says.

March 8, 2007

Elsevier Acquires Beilstein Database

Publisher purchases organic chemistry database from its partner.

Need a Bone Graft? Print One Out

Ink-jet printer used to fabricate synthetic bone grafts.

March 7, 2007

Sanofi Unveils Combination Drug for Malaria

Low-priced medicine should reduce deaths from killer disease in Africa.

Advanced Technology Program Plans To Award New Grants

Despite repeated calls by Administration to end program, new competition is scheduled this year.

March 5, 2007

DOE Plans New Nuclear Bomb

Lawrence Livermore will engineer new weapons.

Lanxess Will Build Lube Additives Plant In China

New facility targets growth opportunities in Asia.

Aerosol Origins

Other source of secondary organic aerosols is proposed.

Viral Armor

Details of virus's protective crystal casing could guide microscale engineering.

Palau'amine Reconsidered

Structural revisions rankle chemists.

March 2, 2007

Bayer Details Layoffs

Integration of Schering will cost 1,000 U.S. jobs.

Texas Utility Goes Green

TXU deal may lead to cleaner electricity generation plan.

Individual Surface Atoms Identified

Technique fingerprints atoms at room temperature.

Polar Research Push Begins

International Polar Year will involve scientists from 63 countries.

March 1, 2007

Fred Basolo Dies At 87

For six decades, former ACS president was an inorganic chemistry professor at Northwestern University.

Europe Is Closing Innovation Gap

Government report credits newer European Union members.

Indian Patent Experts Pull Back Opinion

Report on intellectual property is withdrawn after plagiarism is found.