Category Archives: Chemistry

By Dennis Byrne, Tuesday at 2:36 pm I learned stuff about the bio-chemistry of sex, love and gender differences that never ever occurred to me fromVicki Thorn. Who's that? From a press release from her recent appearance here: Thorn is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage & Family at the Catholic University of America. Her work on the biology of bonding and attraction is informing the dialogue about sexuality and abortion. She has studied the research about the chemical and cellular complexities that transpire when a woman becomes pregnant. Thorn explains how every woman carries in her body the cells of every child that has been conceived in her womb. This phenomenon is known as microchimerism. Studies have shown that during an abortion, more cells from the baby transfer to the mother than during a full-term pregnancy and delivery. Did you know, for example, that men can more easily pick out true north than women? Here are three videos of her delving into the science. On the first, she discusses how she got interested in it; at about 16 minutes, she starts to get into the science, some of which … Continue reading →

QB Eli Manning has been establishing a connection with newcomers in the receiving corps: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Eli Manning is establishing a clear connection with the Giants newcomers who will be two of his most frequent targets this season.I think were doing some good stuff, Brandon (Marshall) and I, getting on the same page, Manning said today. Every day theres something new that comes up, though. A route here, a concept, just getting on the same timing. You can kind of talk about everything, but youve got to get in as many live reps, one-on-ones, get running different routes, getting on the same timing with things will be good. Same with (tight end) Evan (Engram, the teams first-round draft choice). Hes making some plays, doing a lot of good things, but the more one-on-ones, the more situations, different things coming up every practice. Theres something to learn from it every day. >> VIEW GIANTS FIRST UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART Marshall, a 12-year veteran, is already a major presence in the wide receivers and offensive meeting rooms. Brandons been great, Manning said. Every day trying to learn, always has questions for me and were trying to figure out what he can do … Continue reading →

By Peter Hartlaub Martin Short and honoree Steve Martin walk the red carpet at the 43rd AFI Life Achievement Award Gala honoring Martin at Dolby Theatre on June 4, 2015 in Hollywood. Martin Short and honoree Steve Martin walk the red carpet at the 43rd AFI Life Achievement Award Gala honoring Martin at Dolby Theatre on June 4, 2015 in Hollywood. Steve Martin (left) plays George and Martin Short plays Franck the flamboyant and officious wedding planner in "Father of the Bride." Steve Martin (left) plays George and Martin Short plays Franck the flamboyant and officious wedding planner in "Father of the Bride." Martin and Short bring their chemistry to the masses Steve Martin and Martin Short are associated with a lot of locations far outside the Bay Area: Canada, Los Angeles, Live from New York But when asked to share any memories provincial to San Francisco, both comedy legends come up with a long and poignant formative story from the mid-1960s. Martin drove up from L.A. and slept in his Volkswagen van as an 18-year-old, performing some of his first paid gigs in North Beach. And San Francisco was the first U.S. city that Canada-born Short visited, at age … Continue reading →

ROCHESTER, New York, August 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier, the information analytics business specializing in science and health, announces SSRN, its world leading working paper repository and preprint server, today launches the Chemistry Research Network - ChemRN. The launch of ChemRN follows hot on the heels of the BioRN launch in June 2017, SSRN's new network dedicated to biology and its first outside the social sciences. BioRN already has nearly 5,000 papers live from approximately 6,500 authors. Gregg Gordon, Managing Director of SSRN, said: "The launch of ChemRN is part of our strategy to extend the expertise and knowledge we have in building community driven networks to benefit even more people in the research community. It's been a little over a month since we launched BioRN, our network dedicated to biology research. It has been a huge success and we look forward to ChemRN being just as a popular." Chemistry researchers can share ideas and other early stage research, including posting preprints and working papers on ChemRN. Users can quickly upload and read papers for free, across all of Chemistry, including the fields of Energy, Environmental and Materials Sciences.Join Gregg's live webcast on August 17. Chemistry researchers can post preprints … Continue reading →

A tiny robot that can capture a single cell has been made by scientists in the US. The microbot is made of metal-coated plastic cubes, which allow it to open and close using magnetic energy. Microrobotic devices could one day perform surgery in places where large instruments cant reach, like inside the smallest blood vessels. [It] is one of the dreams in translational medicine, to assemble microsurgeons in vivo, says microrobot researcher Mahmut Selman Sakar from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, who wasnt involved in the study. While the team led by Gabriel Lpez from Duke University and Orlin Velev from North Carolina State University has not yet achieved this, their modular microbots are already agile enough to trap a 4m yeast cell, move and then release it again. Made out of individual polymer cubes coated on one side with metallic cobalt, the microbots store energy from an external magnetic field and release it when the field is switched off. The cube shape means that you can have two different configurations two cubes have their coating either on the same [AA] or on opposite [AB] sides, explains Velev. Depending on the cubes sequence, the microbot can carry … Continue reading →

LINCOLN No word yet on whether itll win any more games, but the 2017 version of Nebraska is a bigger democracy among teammates than in recent seasons. Its a lot more free, junior left guard Jerald Foster said. Youre able to get your word in. If you have something thats really going to help out an older guy, just say it. Get it going. Im happy with what were doing right now. Previously, Foster said, the seniors would talk and everybody else would sit back and listen to what they say. Since that large senior class left after the Music City Bowl, it changed. Sure, Foster said, the true freshmen dont know the lay of the land. But redshirt freshmen are able to get a word in. On a team as young and inexperienced as Nebraska, thats logical. Conventional wisdom about team building suggests that this squad might still be finding its way in terms of chemistry, culture and player leaders. Coach Mike Riley sees just the opposite. The first week of training camp, he said, was seamless. Two practices viewed by reporters revealed much the same. Riley credited the player leaders, many of whom werent leaders in previous years. … Continue reading →

Without a doubt the Colorado Avalanche struggled mightily with chemistry for large parts of the 2016-17 season. When you take a look at the numbers, only four players provided 10 or more primary assists. For those four players we broke down who those assists went to: Nathan MacKinnon led the team with 25 primary assists. He had at least one primary assist to 11 different players on the Avs making it clear that no matter who you put him with offense was generated from his stick. His seven feeds to Rantanen was the largest direct connection on the team. Despite Rantanen only providing one primary assist to MacKinnon, the total of eight goals directly produced between the two is more than any two other players. With multiple primary assists to every player that saw significant time on his line 5 on 5, he stands as the only forward that can truly slot in with anyone and still generate chances on a consistent basis. Your browser does not support HTML5 video. The only defenseman who had more than 10 primary assists, he also beat everyone but MacKinnon with a total of 20. As a defenseman, the forwards in front of him … Continue reading →

Civilians in Syria were exposed to the nerve agent sarin in April, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed at the end of June. This was the second documented use of sarin in Syria, and follows cases of chlorine and mustard gas being used as weapons. So can the world expect to see more chemical warfare? There is a lot of concern within the OPCW, says Alastair Hay, professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds, UK. If the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) cant be upheld, and perpetrators held accountable, then that is a problem. Syria crossed President Obamas red line in 2013 when it used chemical weapons in Ghouta, and, although the threatened US retaliation did not happen, the result was that Syria reluctantly joined the CWC. Hay doesnt think that Syria will use chemical weapons again, because it will be wary of triggering further US missile attacks following those ordered by President Trump in response to the April attack. The gains are marginal, while the outcry is huge, he says. If the Chemical Weapons Convention cant be upheld, and perpetrators held accountable, that is a problem Alastair Hay, University of Leeds Tim Eaton, research … Continue reading →

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) Alejandro Villanueva was in mid-answer trying to put his new contract the one that puts the former Army Ranger-turned-NFL left tackle in charge of protecting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisbergers blind side for the rest of the decade in perspective when Ramon Fosters distinct Tennessee drawl came crashing over the top. Oh yes, Al! Foster said as he walked past. Pay the man! Get us new chairs in the O-line room. Villanueva smiled and shook his head at Fosters impromptu interview bomb, though the veteran guard and elder statesman on the unit most vital to Pittsburghs chances at ending New Englands long run at the top of the AFC might have a point. The seats in the groups meeting room are getting well worn. Call it the byproduct of the kind of stability thats a rarity in the salary cap era. The way the Steelers figure it, better to break in new furniture than new faces. Villanuevas deal, signed minutes before the defending AFC North champions opened training camp, means Pittsburghs entire front five Villanueva at left tackle, Foster at left guard, Maurkice Pouncey at center, David DeCastro at right guard and Marcus Gilbert at right tackle … Continue reading →

In BriefResearchers have discovered that quantum indistinguishability necessarily plays a significant role in some chemical processes. This changes the way scientists will view chemistry, and will influence isotope fractionation and enzymatic catalysis. In a world of quantum oddities, the phenomenon of indistinguishability, the impossibility of distinguishing between two quantum particles, remains notable. Superposition is one of the underlying causes of indistinguishability because there is no sure way to lock down an exact position of a quantum particle. This, in turn, makes it impossible to know which particle is which when two quantum particles interact in the same place. This leads to exotic particle behaviors, especially at low temperatures. Under those conditions, behavioral qualities of particles can resemble each other closely, causing phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensates and superfluidity. Chemistry, though, requires relatively high temperatures, which cause most substances to shed their quantum properties. This is why indistinguishable physics and chemistry have traditionally been approached as if they were completely distinct, allowing chemists to ignore the effects of quantum indistinguishability with confidence. However, University of California Santa Barbara researchers Matthew Fisher and Leo Radzihovsky are turning the field of chemistry on its head, proving this confidence has been misplaced. The pair … Continue reading →