http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A new class of nanoparticles, synthesized by a UC Davis research team to prevent premature drug release, holds promise for greater accuracy and effectiveness in delivering cancer drugs to tumors. The work is published online in Angewandte Chemie. http://phys.org/news246210784.html Nanotechnology Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:53:17 EST news246210784 Manufactured until 1977, and banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, pentachlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are chemicals still commonly found in the environment because they break down slowly. Now, a husband and wife research team at the University of Missouri and Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., have found that exposure to one of the chemicals has effects on growth and bone density in turtles. This knowledge could lead to insights on PCBs effects on humans and the environment. http://phys.org/news240662629.html Biology Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:01 EST news240662629 A chemical compound used to stabilize particles in suspension has proved capable of controlling the growth of ice crystals. This finding was made by CNRS/Saint-Gobain researchers in France. Surprisingly, the compound in question is a simple molecule, not at all like the macromolecules previously known for their antifreeze properties. It offers many advantages, including low production costs, stability and ease of use, which should open the way to industrial applications. Published in the online journal PLoS ONE, this work also provides new leads for the development of synthetic equivalents of antifreeze proteins, different from those currently produced. http://phys.org/news238753686.html Chemistry Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:28:13 EST news238753686 An unusual chemical compound isolated from a mud-dwelling fungus found in a soil sample collected in Daejeon, South Korea, could lead to a new family of antitumor drugs. Discovered by teams led by Jong Seog Ahn at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Ochang, and  Hiroyuki Osada at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako, the compound prevents cancerous cells from forming mobile colonies—the point at which cancers become malignant and spread through the body. The teams began collaborating after Yukihiro Asami from RIKEN joined KRIBB. http://phys.org/news228736841.html Chemistry Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:01:12 EST news228736841 Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center have discovered a new mechanism used by cells in the body to turn on silenced genes. This process is critical in preventing the development of cancer -- suggesting the possibility of new therapies that might target the specific changes underlying the disease. The findings will be published online in the journal Cell on June 30, 2011. http://phys.org/news228656008.html Biology Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:33:42 EST news228656008 (PhysOrg.com) -- Mitochondria, those battery-pack organelles that fuel the energy of almost every living cell, have an insatiable appetite for calcium. Whether in a dish or a living organism, the mitochondria of most organisms eagerly absorb this chemical compound. Because calcium levels link to many essential biological processes—not to mention conditions such as neurological disease and diabetes—scientists have been working for half a century to identify the molecular pathway that enables these processes. http://phys.org/news227707175.html Chemistry Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:00:06 EST news227707175 Purdue University researchers have collaborated with scientists at General Atomics to create safe and efficient pellets to power hydrogen fuel cells that can run an array of portable electronic devices. http://phys.org/news219997357.html Technology Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:23:13 EST news219997357 Bisphenol A, whose impact on reproduction and development is the subject of numerous studies, induces anomalies in the inner ear of embryos of certain vertebrates. This new, completely unsuspected effect has been demonstrated on zebrafish and Xenopus, a type of frog, by a French team headed by Vincent Laudet of the Institut de Genomique Fonctionnelle in collaboration with researchers from Inserm, the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle and INRA. Published in the journal BMC Developmental Biology, these results illustrate, for the first time, the sensitivity of the inner ear in vertebrates to bisphenol A. The study demonstrates that the effects of this chemical compound on the embryonic development of animals, including mammals, now needs to be explored in greater depth. http://phys.org/news219488922.html Biology Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:09:26 EST news219488922 In an interesting bit of scientific serendipity, researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a chemical compound useful for studying the origins of intestinal birth defects may also inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous tumors. http://phys.org/news218114461.html Chemistry Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:10:01 EST news218114461 A group of chemical compounds used by a species of tropical seaweed to ward off fungus attacks may have promising antimalarial properties for humans. The compounds are part of a unique chemical signaling system that seaweeds use to battle enemies – and that may provide a wealth of potential new pharmaceutical compounds. http://phys.org/news217504255.html Chemistry Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:51:08 EST news217504255 German chemists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology introduced a new method for identifying chemical compounds. The approach they used is an improvement on nuclear magnetic resonance measurements -- for decades one of the most successful methods for determining the chemical structure of organic molecules. The results now published in the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie show a handy approach to structural data when classical methods of analysis fail. http://phys.org/news217163741.html Chemistry Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:16:04 EST news217163741 It has been long known that stress plays a part not just in the graying of hair but in hair loss as well. Over the years, numerous hair-restoration remedies have emerged, ranging from hucksters' "miracle solvents" to legitimate medications such as minoxidil. But even the best of these have shown limited effectiveness. http://phys.org/news217098367.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:06:25 EST news217098367 (PhysOrg.com) -- Nanoparticles of gold and palladium (Au-Pd) could lead to a more efficient and environmentally friendly way of producing benzyl benzoate, a chemical compound used widely in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries whose applications include a fixative for fragrances, a food additive and a solvent for chemical reactions. http://phys.org/news214210821.html Nanotechnology Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:30:01 EST news214210821 The Environmental Protection Agency has asked local US communities to test more carefully for hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen. http://phys.org/news214120843.html Space & Earth Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:10:01 EST news214120843 A US environmental group has found that drinking water in 35 American cities contains hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen, The Washington Post reported Sunday. http://phys.org/news211999148.html Space & Earth Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:39:41 EST news211999148 Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests. http://phys.org/news210224484.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:41:56 EST news210224484 A chemical compound that boosts the action of a molecule normally produced in the brain may provide the starting point for a new line of therapies for the treatment of epileptic seizures, according to a new study by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. http://phys.org/news199615872.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:52:06 EST news199615872 (PhysOrg.com) -- A North Carolina State University entomologist has for the first time shown which specific chemicals are used by some termite queens to prevent other termites in the colony from becoming mommies like themselves. http://phys.org/news197823242.html Biology Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:54:35 EST news197823242 As part of a multicenter study, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a series of chemical compounds that might serve as starting points for the identification of new classes of anti-malarial drugs. http://phys.org/news194005602.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 May 2010 11:26:56 EST news194005602 If you smoke, your breath contains 2,5-dimethylfuran. A team of Catalan researchers have proved that the presence of this chemical compound indicates that a person has smoked in the last three days. This substance does not appear in the breath of non-smokers, unless they have been in direct contact with tobacco smoke for a long time. http://phys.org/news193568130.html Chemistry Thu, 20 May 2010 10:30:03 EST news193568130 Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have found a specific chemical compound secreted by many predators that makes mice behave fearfully. The research helps scientists better understand animal behavior, and may eventually lead to new insights into how sensory information is processed in human brains. http://phys.org/news192974138.html Chemistry Thu, 13 May 2010 12:56:01 EST news192974138 Let a bunch of fluorine atoms get together in the molecules of a chemical compound, and they're like a heavy metal band at a chamber music festival. They tend to dominate the proceedings and not always for the better. http://phys.org/news192121339.html Chemistry Mon, 03 May 2010 16:40:27 EST news192121339 An international research team co-led by the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) has discovered a compound that kills specific lymphoma cells - a discovery that will accelerate developing targeted drugs to fight the most common form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. http://phys.org/news190293786.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:40:01 EST news190293786 Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a chemical compound that, when used in conjunction with conventional antibiotics, is effective in destroying biofilms produced by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as the Staphylococcus strain MRSA and Acinetobacter. The compound also re-sentsitizes those bacteria to antibiotics. http://phys.org/news189963378.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:00:01 EST news189963378 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Glasgow have devised a molecular 'LEGO toolkit' which can be used to assemble a vast number of new and functional chemical compounds. http://phys.org/news188064813.html Nanotechnology Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:14:13 EST news188064813 Scandinavian Scientists have discovered that a species of tree defends itself from herbivore attack by using chemicals emitted by neighbouring plants. The study, published today in New Phytologist, reveals how a species of birch tree adsorbs chemical compounds from neighbouring marsh tea plants, Rhondodendron tomentosum, in a unique 'defence by neighbour strategy.' http://phys.org/news187386505.html Biology Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:20:02 EST news187386505 Engineers are unlikely to tinker with the cooling system if they want to increase the size of an engine. Yet chemists at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research have adopted an approach similar to this in their efforts to optimise an enzyme for practical applications. They substituted two amino acids at a site relatively distal to the biocatalyst's binding pocket, the location where the chemical reaction takes place. http://phys.org/news185544697.html Chemistry Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:40:01 EST news185544697 Scientists at Vanderbilt and Yale universities have successfully transplanted most of the "nose" of the mosquito that spreads malaria into frog eggs and fruit flies and are employing these surrogates to combat the spread of the deadly and debilitating disease that afflicts 500 million people. http://phys.org/news185469604.html Biology Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:20:34 EST news185469604 (PhysOrg.com) -- A chemical compound found normally in the blood has shown promise in treating and preventing an intractable form of heart failure in a mouse model of the disease, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. http://phys.org/news185124627.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:30:49 EST news185124627 Using an elaborate sleuthing system they developed to probe how cells manage their own division, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that common but hard-to-see sugar switches are partly in control. http://phys.org/news184593391.html Chemistry Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:56:48 EST news184593391