It’s not only catnip, specifically its active ingredient nepetalactone, that can send felines into a state of blissful happiness, but also a structurally unrelated compound found in fox excretions. Domestic cats, as well as leopards, cougars and lynxes, respond to catnip by rolling around on the floor, licking, dribbling and generally acting like they’re drugged. […]

A new method allows researchers to solve crystal structures from polycrystalline samples with a mass of just 0.1mg. SDPD-SX combines routine equipment and well-known open-source software, and works significantly faster than traditional methods, generating data in 20–25 minutes rather than hours. ‘Collecting powder x-ray diffraction on a single crystal x-ray diffractometer has generally been possible […]

An analysis of almost 100 tattoo inks in the US, including examining the particle size and molecular composition of their pigments, has turned up concerning ingredients that are not listed by manufacturers. These inks are manufactured in the US and then shipped around the world. The research, led by chemist John Swierk at Binghamton University […]