Molten solution

INNOVATION

Neil Camarta just can’t seem to stay retired. After 35 years in the oil industry, including stints at Shell and Suncor, the chemical engineer from Edson, Alta. is now in...

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World’s largest green machine

SEQUESTRATION

In May, the National Research Council (NRC), Ontario-based Pond Biofuels and Alberta-based Canadian Natural Resources Limited announced the construction of a $19 million facility that will use algae grown on...

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Biosynthetic artemisinin leads to cheaper malaria drugs

PHARMACEUTICALS

An international team, including researchers from the National Research Council (NRC), has published a new semi-synthetic method for producing the anti-malarial drug artemisinin. The system combines biotechnology and industrial chemistry to greatly reduce the cost of the drug and its associated therapies. Artemisinin is currently extracted from sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua) at high cost. “The plant produces only about one per cent dry weight...

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Polymer glue could heal wounds

POLYMERS

A universal biomembrane adhesive developed at the University of British Columbia (UBC) could have applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery or wound care. Phophatidyl choline (PC) is found in the...

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Human Factor

INNOVATION

These days, technical skills alone do not an engineer make. Over the last decade, engineering schools across Canada have focused increasingly...

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Cold Case

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

As the days wax longer, few of us care to dwell on the snow and ice that dominated the landscape only weeks ago. But for the scientists trying to explain...

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