The crafty chemist
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Science, You’ve Done It!
We are a mighty species. MIT researchers have developed a nanomaterial coating for ketchup bottles (and other hard to pour substances) that solves one of mankind’s most immense problems: How do you get the stuff out of the bottle??
Behold LiquiGlide, and glance into the future of condiments.
No 57’s were tapped in the making of this video.
(via Co.Exist)
So they’ve branched out into food packaging now? Pretty sweet! Imagine what this could do to reduce food waste; Apparently, combined Europe and the United states produce enough food waste to feed the third world 3 times over.
My only concern is whether or not this stuff is potentially toxic or can build up in the body over long periods of time. This has been a concern in things like nano-particle sunscreen, even asbestos was considered safe once.
Totally rad: Scientists create rewritable digital data storage in DNA
“One of the coolest places for computing is within biological systems.” Drew Endy, PhD
Imagine being able to use the DNA of a living cell to store data. Not only would it be an incredible tool for researchers studying cell division, cancer, evolution, aging, and many other biological fields, but also it could lead to a way of storing information without consuming power. Amazingly, a lab out of Stanford’s Bioengineering Department reported this week that it was able to record a single bit of data in this manner.
The team calls its device a “recombinase addressable data” module, or RAD for short.
Alright, already loving the name.
They used RAD to modify a particular section of DNA within microbes that determines how the one-celled organisms will fluoresce under ultraviolet light. The microbes glow red or green depending upon the orientation of the section of DNA. Using RAD, the engineers can flip the section back and forth at will.
Their system seems to be reliable after many cellular divisions, as well as rewrite-able, which is quite a feat in an environment as dynamic as a microbe. Going forward, the team hopes to work towards an 8-bit of genetic programmable data. This may take years, but the scientists are excited by their progress and prospects.
Paper: “Rewritable digital data storage in live cells via engineered control of recombination directionality,” Bonnet, J., Subsoontorn, P. & Endy, D. PNAS,http://dx.doi.org/ … s.1202344109 (2012).
Image: http://www.dna11.com
People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.
-
Wendell Berry (via azspot)
painfully true
Oxytocin Improves Brain Function in Autistic Kids
Preliminary results from an ongoing, large-scale study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows that oxytocin — a naturally occurring substance produced in the brain and throughout the body — increased brain function in regions that are known to process social information in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Oxytocin-Improves-Brain-Function-in-Autistic-Kids-052112.aspx
Sounds good. I wouldn’t mind trying that myself.
Synthetic Fluorescent Mineral: Salt w/ Lead Nitrate and Manganese - UV by someHerrings
This 2.5” wide melt consists of sodium chloride (halite) activated with a small amount of lead nitrate (in center). Then 2mL of a sat. aqueous solution of manganese sulfate was added at the center which dissolved the salt producing cracks. The salt was then allowed to recrystallize.
New Method Finds Animal Drugs in Baby Food
The quantities are very small, but in milk powder and in meat-based baby food, residues of drugs given to livestock can be found. Researchers from the Univ. of Almería have developed a system to analyze these substances quickly and precisely.
Antibiotics or antiparasitic drugs are given to livestock in order to avoid illness, but they can remain later in food. Scientists from the Univ. of Almería have confirmed this, whilst checking new methodology to identify the minute quantities of these substances that remain in baby food preparations.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Method-Finds-Animal-Drugs-in-Baby-Food-052112.aspx
I’m getting very worried about the stuff that’s getting into food these days. Not only the high use of antibiotics in livestock feed (bactieral reistance to them is probably only a few years away really), but the effect of additives like high fructose corn syrup which “could interfere with insulin’s ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions” is what I’m really worried about.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/business/yourmoney/02syrup.html?pagewanted=all)
The only backlash I’ve heard against this evidence was a clearly biased review by the president of a trade association representing makers of high-fructose corn syrup.
Graphene Enables Less Toxic Way to Rust-Proof Steel
Univ. at Buffalo researchers are making significant progress on rust-proofing steel using a graphene-based composite that could serve as a nontoxic alternative to coatings that contain hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen.
In the scientists’ first experiments, pieces of steel coated with the high-tech varnish remained rust-free for only a few days when immersed continuously in saltwater, an environment that accelerates corrosion. By adjusting the concentration and dispersion of graphene within the composite, the researchers increased the time the treated steel can survive in brine to about a month. Because brine is an extremely harsh environment, the coated steel’s survival time in the real-world would be many times longer.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Graphene-Enables-Less-Toxic-Way-to-Rust-Proof-Steel-052112.aspx
Something to keep in mind for later on…
Meet Dave. He is made of things, as are you and I
Our bodies are comprised of a vast array of elements, with oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen remaining the most abundant. But there are many other chemical elements present, all contributing to our health and longevity. The nifty figure above lists each element that has been isolated from the human body in the order of decreasing mass.
This chart is based on the work of Ed Uthman, who derived the data from The Elements, by John Emsley.
(via Starts With a Bang)
And each of those elements was forged in a star that died billions of years ago. Mind boggling.
About The crafty chemist
