Science news links for March 12-15, including the latest on my SpectroscopyNOW.com column:
- Feverish New World X-ray – X-ray crystallography has allowed US researchers to discover exactly how one type of New World hemorrhagic fever virus latches on to and infects human cells. The work offers a much-needed lead for new treatments.
- Marking up childhood obesity – Metabolic fingerprinting has been shown to be a powerful tool for exploring Biomarkers in a range of disorders and the pathophysiological mechanisms of disease. A new study has now applied the technique to childhood obesity to intriguing effect.
- Myrtle medicine – German researchers have successfully devised and implemented a total synthesis of myrtucommulone A, tracking progress and structures using NMR spectroscopy. The compound is physiologically active in anticancer and antibacterial screens, and the synthesis opens up the potential for making simpler, but active analogues.
- Antimony analysed in food packaging – A simple, yet sensitive, method for detecting inorganic antimony in food packaging has been developed using cloud point extraction combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS).
- Unlocking the opium poppy’s biggest secret – Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine
- What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? –
- Antibiotics against stomach cancer – Helicobacter pylori often causes stomach ulcers and, in extreme cases, gastric cancer. f1000 Medicine Reports, Seiji Shiota and Yoshio Yamaoka discuss the possible eradication of H. pylori infections using antibiotics.
- How cars are killing us – Cars are lethal, but nowhere more so than in the developing world.