World’s first metagenomics initiative aims to detect infectious disease
The world’s first metagenomics initiative has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to aid in the detection of infectious disease that could threaten the UK. The Surveillance Collaboration & Analysis programme (eSCAPE) has been in development during 2024. It is piloting the use of metagenomic data for public health surveillance and pathogen analysis.
Managing nitrogen in agriculture to tackle climate change
The management of nitrogen in agriculture must be improved to address climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, according to Sustainable nitrogen management in agrifood systems, a report from UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
ACI presses on TSCA update
The American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the US trade association for the cleaning product supply chain, has called on the US Congress to press the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove the ‘bottleneck in innovation’ caused by delays in the EPA’s new chemicals review process.
CCU: Turning captured CO2 into paints and adhesives
Global chemicals and speciality materials company Celanese is working with partners to turn CO2 emissions into useful products like paint and adhesives.
Science SMEs want more help. Here's what they are asking for
Small businesses working in science have big ambitions but are struggling to find the people, infrastructure and support to help them to continue that growth in the UK.
Understanding how cordgrass copes with seawater
Researchers at the University of East Anglia, UK, have discovered genes in the common cordgrass (Spartina anglica) for making large quantities of an organosulfur compound that help it survive inundation by seawater.
Turning seawater into hydrogen
Turning seawater to hydrogen is one of ten UK projects to be funded by a research hub at the University of Bath. The ambition is to generate hydrogen where freshwater supplies are limited.
Europe's chemical companies are finding it tough to compete
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) has published its 2024 Facts & Figures report that shows while Europe is the second largest chemical producer in the world, behind China, its proportion of total global chemical sales has continued to fall. In 2023, Europe’s share of global chemical sales was 16.6% of the total.
New awards support bio-based materials innovation
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) partners have launched new feasibility awards to develop and improve resource-efficient or bio-based materials and manufacturing. Joint investment by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK will support nine feasibility studies across the UK. Four awards are jointly funded by BBSRC and Innovate UK and five by Innovate UK.
Soft and bendy electronics
A US group has created a soft, flexible material that could pave the way for new electronic devices. Potential applications include information storage, energy transduction, biomedical devices and ultralow power electronics. ‘We try to create synthetic materials with interesting functions that are inspired by nature,’ says Samuel Stupp, a materials scientist at Northwestern University, Illinois.