Orange climbers make fluorescent blue molecules

Two coumarin compounds with nearly identical structures but contrary fluorescent properties have been isolated from the orange climber plant. One may find use in biomedical imaging due to its unconventional behaviour when aggregated in solutions. Many traditional fluorescent molecules do not emit light when in solid forms. But aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens show the opposite […]

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UK and India sign research agreement to work on AI, decarbonisation and sustainability

A new agreement between the UK and Indian governments aims to support research collaboration between the two countries. The arrangement includes plans for university partnerships, and joint research programmes covering a wide range of areas including AI, sustainability and decarbonisation. The agreement was signed following a meeting between UK science minister George Freeman and his […]

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Industry awaits decision on BPA as EU health bodies disagree on safe levels

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recommended a 20,000-fold reduction in the ‘tolerable daily intake’ or safe level, of Bisphenol A (BPA). However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has stated that there isn’t enough evidence at this stage to warrant such a reduction. The chemical, which has been identified as an endocrine disruptor, is […]

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Making oil and water mix by encapsulation

Encapsulation is a popular strategy in numerous industries that use sensitive active ingredients or want control over how and when they are released. Long known and used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors, encapsulation can protect active ingredients from moisture and heat, prevent ingredient interaction or enhance the bioavailability of nutrients. More recently, the food […]

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Renaissance garbage ­– III

This is the third in a series of discussion of selected parts of Paul Strathern’s The Other Renaissance: From Copernicus to Shakespeare, (Atlantic Books, 2023). For more general details on both the author and his book see the first post in this series. Today’s subject is Nicolaus Copernicus and I have to admit that, based on the […]

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Nanoparticles poison single-atom cross coupling catalyst

Tracking a palladium catalyst in space and time has revealed that nanoparticles are a catalyst poison: they capture and inactivate the small amount of single atoms that do the overwhelming amount of catalytic work. ‘This is very surprising outcome and contradicts the generally accepted approach to catalyst design in this area,’ says Valentine Ananikov from […]

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Graphene ‘tattoo’ pacemaker that wraps around the heart is thinnest yet

US researchers have developed the first cardiac implant made from graphene. The thinnest cardiac implant to date, the ‘graphene tattoo’ works like a conventional pacemaker – sensing heartbeat irregularities and then stimulating the heart to a more regular rhythm. As the device is made of graphene, it is conductive, biocompatible and capable of being moulded […]

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