Chemistry
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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ChemistryBuilding big molecules bottom-up
Using templates, chemists make ring structures on the scale of biological machinery.
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HumansCalendar marks chemistry milestones
January 1, 2011, ushers in the International Year of Chemistry. The American Chemical Society has compiled on online calendar that points to landmark events and trivia to celebrate.
By Janet Raloff -
HumansPeriodic table gets some flex
IUPAC committee replaces fuzzy atomic weights with more accurate ranges
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ChemistryHornet pigment drives solar cell in lab
Though far from photosynthetic, an insect's light-harvesting apparatus intrigues scientists.
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ChemistryTwisted rules of chemistry explained
A theorist uses quantum mechanics to explain why Möbius molecules have different numbers of electrons than standard rings.
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ChemistryClever way to break the nitrogen-nitrogen bond
New chemical reaction cleaves dinitrogen molecule and brings carbon and nitrogen together.
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ChemistryLocks to learn
A new way to probe interactions between pairs of hairs could offer insights into fly-aways and other tonsorial woes.
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TechHeavier crudes, heavier footprints
BLOG: Refining heavy oils and tar sands could greatly exaggerate the greenhouse gases associated with fossil-fuel use, a new study finds.
By Janet Raloff -
ChemistryBacterium grows with arsenic
A microbe appears to substitute a normally toxic element for a basic ingredient of life, raising intriguing questions about the limits of biochemistry.
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ChemistrySnot has the power to alter scents
Enzymes in mice's nasal mucus can alter certain odors before the nose can detect them, a new study finds.
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ChemistryThe nitty-gritty of diamond polishing
Researchers figure out what happens at the atomic scale when jewelers polish the hardest substance known.