I should work for the CIA.
When you’re in the CIA, you can’t tell anyone what you do. That’s basically my life already as a grad student in my particular branch of science. Well, to be precise, I am allowed to tell people what I do, but I literally can’t. Not well at least. Continue reading
There’s been a buzz this past week about a genetically modified salmon that the FDA is considering approving for human consumption. Meanwhile, as we await the FDA’s decision, an article has just been published in the primary literature (PNAS)Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about a new type of GMOgenetically modified organism – this time, a potato. Continue reading
The STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics subjects have a reputation for being historically male-dominated. Chemistry is no exception; according to reports by C&ENChemical & Engineering News, the weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society, only 39% of the total U.S. chemistry doctoral degrees awarded in 2009 were received by women. Even more strikingly, women comprise only 17% of all chemistry faculty at U.S. universities. Continue reading
In honor of a birthday today, I looked up some issues of scientific journals from this day in 1946. I noticed that publications in that year illustrate the theme that a silver lining can sometimes be found even in tragic events. Continue reading
The IUPACInternational Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (official) name for this molecule, 3,4,4,5-tetramethylcyclohexa-2,5-dienone, belies the charming appearance of its chemical structure. Continue reading
Scientists have discovered a new way to build nanoscale towers. Each tower is only a few nanometersThe thickness of a piece of paper is about 100,000 nanometers wide and a couple thousand nanometers tall. For scientists who work with nanomaterials, it is relatively easy to build tiny tunnels (horizontal structures), but building towers (vertical structures) has been a much bigger challenge. Continue reading
In organic chemistry, we don’t get a lot of fun names. Biology has names like Sonic hedgehog; we have names that you can’t say without spitting, like naphthalene and phthalic acid. Continue reading
Well, only up to $75,000. A study published in PNASProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on September 7th (online early edition) finds that the more money you make, the more satisfied you are with your life. However, improvement in happiness maxes out at an income of about $75,000. Continue reading
Here’s a fun tip. If you get bored reading ASAPsAs Soon As Publishable - very recent articles, try doing the exact opposite. What was seen as cutting-edge research in the earliest issues of the Journal of the American Chemical Society makes for quite a different read than today’s articles. Continue reading
A massive problem in treating infectious diseases caused by bacteria is the development of bacterial strains that are increasingly resistant to antibiotics. The urgent question for doctors and drug companies is how to fight the emergence of resistant strains so that the known arsenal of antibiotics will remain effective. To address this problem, researchers have been working to understand how bacteria become resistant in the first place. Continue reading
