Movers and shakers
US biopharmaceutical company Verastem Oncology has appointed member of the board of directors Brian Stuglik as CEO. Stuglik has over 30 years’ experience of pharmaceutical development, product strategy and commercialisation in oncology.
Seeing the light
Just as our everyday lives rely on seeing things, so they also depend upon radiation outside the confines of the visible region, the ‘light we cannot see’, as the author Bob Berman calls it. This book represents a fascinating journey across the spectrum of invisible light, from the discoveries of the past to the applications of the present.
Good to eat
Acrylamide is a water-soluble substance with the simple chemical formula C3H5NO. It is regarded as a hazardous chemical because it adversely affects the central nervous system, male reproduction and development, as well as being carcinogenic in mice and rats. An evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) finds that acrylamide is ‘probably’ carcinogenic for humans. However, while there is evidence from epidemiological and toxicity studies to show that acrylamide is carcinogenic in rodents, such evidence is lacking with respect to the health risk in humans resulting from food exposure.
Re-thinking PVC
At a time when the focus on plastics is centred on sustainability and recyclability, the main attention is on post-consumer waste – post-industrial waste is mainly ignored. One polymer that does figure in post-industrial waste, however, stands out due to what many in the industry say is its undeserved poor reputation: polyvinylchloride (PVC). While the polymer has often been criticised, they claim it can fairly be described as one of the more sustainable and recyclable of all the thermoplastic resins.
Nano trap for CO2
A novel high-performance membrane of nanoporous graphene could facilitate the capture of carbon dioxide from industrial waste streams. The 2D graphene structure, just 20nm thick, allows gas to transit easily through the membrane (Energy & Environmental Science, doi: 10.1039/c9ee01238a).
Musical molecules
Ever wondered what cinnamic acid might sound like? Or caffeine, and water and a host of other common molecules? Now, scientists at Bradford University have got together with students from Ilkley Grammar School in Yorkshire to make music from molecules – by converting the vibrations of the constituent atoms into sound waves and using them to make musical tunes.
Charge ahead
The race is on, particularly in Europe, to build battery production capacity to take advantage of what is likely to be a massive switch to electric powered cars and other light duty vehicles, Sean Milmo reports.
Mining for ideas
Deteriorating US-China trade relations make it all the more important to find more sustainable high-performance magnets to replace the traditional rare earth metals, reports Michael Gross
The pollinator
With numbers of insect pollinators declining alarmingly in recent years, scientists are finding novel ways to help bees and other insects thrive, reports Vanessa Zainzinger.
Managing Risk
As part of its review of chemicals management, the 2019 Helsinki Chemicals Forum also tackled the circular economy as well as plastics pollution. Neil Eisberg reports