All Stories by Corinna Wu
- Materials Science
Rice hulls could nourish Silicon Valley
Scientists are developing ways to extract and purify the silicon that occurs naturally in rice hulls.
- Chemistry
Rooting for new antimicrobial drugs
A compound from a tree found throughout tropical Africa could prove useful as a topical antifungal medication.
- Materials Science
Foamy polymers hit goal right on the nose
Biodegradable polymer foams made with a new technique can act as scaffolds for regenerating tissues that may someday be used as replacement body parts.
- Chemistry
Power plants: Algae churn out hydrogen
Green algae can produce hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel that could one day power pollution-free cars.
- Chemistry
Don’t eat the pepper-flavored paint
A derivative of the spicy chemical in chili peppers could find its way into a variety of products, including veterinary sutures and fiber optic cables.
- Chemistry
Glowing bacteria gobble gook in soil
A genetically engineered bacterium lights up as it breaks down organic contaminants in soil.
- Chemistry
Volcanoes aren’t a big source of CFCs
Ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere come mainly from human-made sources, not from volcanoes as some have suggested.
- Chemistry
Stopping batteries from starting fires
A new flame-retardant substance could make rechargeable lithium-ion batteries practical for powering electric vehicles.
- Materials Science
Vision Quest
Increasing numbers of people with less-than-perfect vision can now wear contact lenses, thanks to innovations in lens design and materials.
- Chemistry
Powerful explosive blasts onto scene
Researchers have synthesized what could be the most powerful nonnuclear explosive known.
- Chemistry
Oxidized plutonium reaches a higher state
A new understanding of the basic chemistry of plutonium could affect the way nuclear waste is stored.
- Materials Science
Impurity clouds from all sides now
For the first time, scientists have obtained detailed, three-dimensional images of line defects in steel.
