Cooking up chemistry indoors
Atmospheric chemists once thought photoreactions didn’t happen indoors because there wasn’t enough sunlight. Over the last decade, that thinking has begun to change.
Read More >>Sulphur compounds reveal Mars’ watery past
Hydrated magnesium sulfate and dehydrated calcium sulphate identified in rock samples suggest the planet may have once had streams, rivers, and lakes, and hydrothermal systems.
Read More >>BC’s phosphate-rich Last Chance Lake provides hints about Earth life’s first chance
University of Washington biogeochemists get closer to solving the “phosphate problem” – that life needs a lot of it, but it’s typically rare.
Read More >>Modernizing testing for harm reduction in a toxic drug supply
Automated drug-checking uses robotics to detect highly potent substances like carfentanil, which can be lethal even in small amounts.
Read More >>Bitumen weathering studied under natural conditions – spilled into a lake
In 2018, scientists deliberately poured dilbit into a freshwater lake, and now their findings – which they hope will inform future clean up efforts – are starting to come out.
Read More >>Bear chemical bulletins: scratch and sniff
Not long ago, the amusing habit of grizzly bears rubbing their backs against a tree was assumed to be because these bruins were scratching an itch. But research is revealing that back rubbing bears have more to say.
Read More >>Absorbing knowledge from nature, and antivirals too.
An international team of 21 scientists investigated more than 350 compounds extracted from plants, fungi, and marine sponges to isolate potential precursors to antiviral drugs potentially effective against COVID-19 variants like omicron.
Read More >>Nutrition as the new space race: food for thought.
Omega-3 is essential for mental sharpness, but it spoils easily. That’s why researchers are coming up with new ways of encapsulating omega-3 fatty acids so astronauts can stay focused during long space flights.
Read More >>Science that gets under our skin
Scientists are on a quest to create materials that mimic the sensory abilities of human skin for uses like the surfaces of robots and prosthetics. This skin-like salt-infused gel is a step towards that goal.
Read More >>Trash to treasure for a carbon-rich component of bitumen?
That question sparked the Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge sponsored by Alberta Innovates and the Clean Resource Innovation Network to accelerate carbon fibre development from petroleum waste products. Read on to find the answer.
Read More >>UBC chemists create new antimicrobial coating for fabric
Researchers develop a polysiloxane coating for textiles that works through a combination of passive and active mechanisms to inactivate or decrease infectivity of pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2.
Read More >>Lake ecosystems can recover from mercury pollution once it stops
A study intentionally polluting a lake to measure mercury accumulation in organisms from tiny zooplankton to large fish has revealed a surprisingly rapid recovery following pollution cessation.
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