Chemistry
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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		ChemistryCase of the toxic gingerbread man
Featured blog: A search for the source of some indoor-air anomalies turns up a surprising culprit.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		LifeHormones give lantern sharks the glow
In a first, a study shows that bioluminescence can be controlled by slow-acting hormones, not rapid-fire nerve cells.
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		EarthNanoparticles’ indirect threat to DNA
Tiny metal nanoparticles can damage DNA, essentially by triggering toxic gossip.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		ChemistryAerosols cloud the climate picture
A NASA model incorporates how atmospheric aerosols and greenhouse gases interact, yielding better estimates of the gases' warming and cooling effects.
By Sid Perkins - 			
			
		ChemistryHow leaves could monitor pollution
Trees near high-traffic areas accumulate tiny particles.
By Sid Perkins - 			
			
		ChemistryTongue’s sour-sensing cells taste carbonation
A protein splits carbon dioxide to give fizz its unique flavor.
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		LifeFly pheromones can say yes and no
A new study begins to decode pheromone messages and finds that the same chemicals that attract can also maintain the species barrier.
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		LifeParalyzed, then unparalyzed, by the light
Different types of light freeze and then reinvigorate roundworms fed a shape-changing molecule.
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		ChemistryBad perfume: Cardboard’s intense scents
Wet cardboard and food should not share the same air space.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		ChemistryNew view reveals how DNA fits into cell
A new technique allows scientists to map the 3-D structure of the entire human genome.
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		ChemistryNobel Prize in chemistry commends finding and use of green fluorescent protein
One researcher is awarded for discovering the protein that helps jellyfish glow and two for making the protein into a crucial tool for biologists.
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		ChemistryConcerned about BPA: Check your receipts
Some cash register receipts offer the potential for relatively large exposures to an estrogen mimic.
By Janet Raloff