Ripeness sensor
US chemists have created a small sensor to detect the gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts/bn, which could be used to monitor fruit and vegetables as they are shipped and stored – so reducing food waste.
Flexible fish
Wearable electronics must be sufficiently flexible to bend in tandem with the movement of their host. Researchers have introduced an alternative substrate derived from collagen in waste fish scales, which is readily degraded in soil and easily recycled.
High salt diet lowers immunity
A diet high in salt is known to raise blood pressure but now new research indicates it can also significantly weaken the immune system. Given that the typical Western diet is often salt-heavy, these findings reveal that people might be making themselves more vulnerable to bacterial infections.
Batty Covid origins
Animal coronaviruses infect people quite frequently. After sampling a cave in Southern China for five years, scientists reported a coronavirus menagerie in its bat residents, including 11 similar to the SARS virus (PLOS Pathogens, doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1006698).
Pfizer joins vaccine race
Pfizer has teamed up with German biotech BioNTech to develop a coronavirus vaccine. The collaboration will leverage the latter’s mRNA vaccine technology.
Oral solid dosages
The nutraceutical market for oral solid dosage forms (OSDFs) is both driven and challenged by consumer awareness. These challenges are analysed in a new report: Excipients for Nutraceutical Oral Solid Dosage Forms: Market Analysis and Opportunities.
Microneedle boost for vaccines
The largest ever vaccination study of micro-needle injections reports that this approach induces a faster and stronger immune response than a regular vaccine jab.
Screening for low cost Covid drug
A US lab has screened 2000 US FDA approved drugs against a crucial enzyme of the Covid-19 virus and turned up surprises. They published the top 20 hits on the pre-print server ChemRxiv, spotlighting some existing antivirals but also a heart drug.
Antibody Covid promise
Antibodies taken from recovered patients or made in cell cultures are showing promise in treating Covid-19 patients.
Seed treatment confusion
Pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, are increasingly used to coat the seeds of major field crops, but their use is under-reported, according to an international team of researchers. They say this lack of data could lead to pesticide overuse and complicate efforts to evaluate the value of different pest management strategies.