Serving the chemical, life sciences, and laboratory worlds
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 17 APRIL 23, 2012
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COVER STORY
PROBING PROTEINS
Entrepreneurs from 16 U.K. cleantech start-ups visit the city to pitch their companies to investors.
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FRANCESCA T. GRIFO, SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS PAGE 30
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CONCENTRATES CLAMOR FOR SAFETY REFORMS
Calls grow louder for U.S. government to require chemical facilities to use inherently safer technologies.
Plans to protect science from politics are in place at 18 of 21 federalagencies, after three years of crafting.
NEWS OF THE WEEK SYNTHETIC GENETIC MATERIAL
Nucleic acid mimics with nonnatural rings instead of natural sugars can store, propagate, and evolve information. NYLON 12 RUNS SHORT
Automakers hold emergency meeting in the wake of shortage caused by a plant accident in Germany.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
UNDERSTANDING ANTIBIOTIC ACTION
32 CONCENTRATES 34 CARBENES VENTURE BEYOND CATALYSIS
CLEANING UP FRACKING
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Oxidation of guanine resulting in cell death is a common pathway, study suggests. EPA will regulate emissions from natural gas drilling operations starting in 2015. COURTING HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES
Biotech firm rejects GlaxoSmithKline’s offer to purchase it for $2.6 billion.
Creative uses of stable carbenes and their analogs open doors to versatile chemistry. HAZMAT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
When an explosion led to the discovery of a residence full of dangerous chemicals, the safest solution was to set the house on fire.
40 WHAT’S THAT STUFF? ▼
“Pink slime” marinates in both chemistry and controversy.
FLICKERING SOLAR ENERGY FIRMS
First Solar and SunPower announce cutbacks due to costs, competition. CONTROLLING AUXIN IN CELLS
Proteins control levels of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid in a plant cell’s cytosol. CUSTOMIZING ELECTRODES
Researchers develop a general way to easily render conducting materials suitable for organic electronic devices. NONSTICK CHEMICAL AND DISEASE
Link between perfluorooctanoic acid and testicular, kidney cancers exposes DuPont to new personal injury claims.
THE DEPARTMENTS
BUSINESS
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With decline in exclusive synthesis business, pharma ingredient suppliers compete for highvalue generics.
COVER: A conceptual illustration shows a structural model of ATPase in electrospray droplets. Courtesy of Carol Robinson and Karl Harrison
18 CONCENTRATES 20 FINDING A NICHE IN FINE CHEMICALS
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GOVERNMENT & POLICY
30 SCIENCE INTEGRITY BLUEPRINTS
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Transition from traditional to biobased feedstock comes with manufacturing, marketing challenges.
24 SAN FRANCISCO HOSTS INNOVATORS
Advances in mass spectrometry raise method’s popularity as a tool for structural biology.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Good science doesn’t happen when people are keeping their heads down. You need a raucous, rowdy discussion.”
BIOBASED PLASTICS’ GROWING PAINS
EASING THE TOIL OF HYDROGEN EXCHANGE
EDITOR’S PAGE LETTERS AWARDS
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Experiments to probe protein behavior get significant assist from instrument maker.
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