Hydrogel composite developed to help protective gear rapidly degrade toxic nerve agents

Scientists at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois have developed a hydrogel integrated with zirconium-based robust metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that rapidly degrades organophosphate-based nerve agents used in chemical warfare. Unlike existing powdered MOF adsorbents, this hydrogel composite does not require added…

New broadly applicable tool provides insight into fungicide resistance

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) are a class of fungicides widely used to control many fungal diseases of crops. The relationship between SDHIs and fungi can be compared to finding the right key for the right lock. However, fungi are adaptable…

New edition provides updates on fungicides used to control turfgrass diseases

A Practical Guide to Turfgrass Fungicides , Second Edition, is a current, comprehensive, and hands-on resource focused specifically on the fungicides used for disease control on turfgrass. Author Richard Latin developed this user-friendly guide based on his belief that if…

‘Handy pen’ lights up when exposed to nerve gas or spoiled food vapors

Exposure to some odorless, colorless and tasteless gases, such as nerve agents, can be toxic or even lethal. And having the ability to detect other types of vapors could save people from eating spoiled or rotten food. Easy-to-use portable devices…

Songbirds exposed to lead-contaminated water show telltale signs about human impacts

Humans, wildlife, and the environment are all interconnected and play a role in one another’s health and well-being. Sentinel species, such as birds, are good indicators of environmental health, and they can send subtle warning signs that humans may be…

Experts ‘scan horizon’ to help prepare governments for next major biosecurity threat

During the summer of 2019, a global team of experts put their heads together to define the key questions facing the UK government when it comes to biological security. Facilitated by the Centre for Existential Risk (CSER) at the University…

Why is fertilizer used in explosives? (video)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2020 — Over the last century, the compound ammonium nitrate has been involved in at least 30 disasters and terrorist attacks. Under normal circumstances, it’s totally harmless and used in things like fertilizer, so what makes ammonium…

Cement, salt and water: From Politecnico di Torino a new material toward green heat

A study carried out from the Turin university in collaboration with the Advanced Energy Technology Institute CNR-ITAE and published on the journal Scientific Reports, suggest a low cost technology to store heat during the summer and use during the winter

The Marangoni Effect can be used to obtain freshwater from the sea

A study conducted at the Politecnico di Torino, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, presents a solar desalination device capable of spontaneously removing th

NTU Singapore scientists devise ‘Trojan horse’ approach to kill cancer cells without using drugs

Cancer cells are killed in lab experiments and tumour growth reduced in mice, using a new approach that turns a nanoparticle into a ‘Trojan horse’ that causes cancer cells to self-destruct, a research team at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore…

Are cover crops negatively impacting row crops?

Winter cover crops benefit soil health and can suppress weeds in subsequent row crops but may also lead to lower yields. Some farmers and agronomists speculate that allelopathic chemicals released by cover crops may be the cause for some of…

Female Gulf War combat veterans have persistent symptoms more than 25 years later

AUGUSTA, Ga. (May 25, 2020) – More than a quarter century after the Gulf War, female veterans who saw combat have nearly a twofold risk of reporting more than 20 total medical symptoms, like cognition and respiratory troubles, than their…

Female Gulf War combat veterans have persistent symptoms more than 25 years later

AUGUSTA, Ga. (May 25, 2020) – More than a quarter century after the Gulf War, female veterans who saw combat have nearly a twofold risk of reporting more than 20 total medical symptoms, like cognition and respiratory troubles, than their…

Asymmetric iodoesterification of simple alkenes by concerto catalyst

Japanese researchers have succeeded in catalytic asymmetric iodoesterification from simple alkene substrates and carboxylic acids. Published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on April 27, this new research, was accomplished by precisely controlling multiple interactions in a single catalytic reaction. This…

Asymmetric iodoesterification of simple alkenes by concerto catalyst

Japanese researchers have succeeded in catalytic asymmetric iodoesterification from simple alkene substrates and carboxylic acids. Published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on April 27, this new research, was accomplished by precisely controlling multiple interactions in a single catalytic reaction. This…