Peptide analysis reveals truth of Seville’s ‘Ivory Lady’

The highest status individual in copper age Iberian society was a woman, not a man as was previously believed. The discovery is the result of an analysis of peptides extracted from tooth enamel taken from ancient remains found in a tomb in southern Spain. In 2008, the remains of an unusually high-ranking individual were discovered […]

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Nanocapsule seamed by calcium ions boasts huge internal volume

Researchers in the US have synthesised and crystallised a metal–organic capsule with an internal volume of 3500Å3.1 C-alkylpyrogallol[4]arenes have previously been assembled into dimeric and hexameric capsules with a range of metal ions both in the solid state and in solution. Ten years ago, researchers reported solution-phase evidence of a dodecameric capsule assembled with holmium, […]

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Repercussions of Bhopal disaster found to echo on down through generations

The 1984 Bhopal disaster that exposed thousands in the Indian city to toxic methyl isocyanate has had long term, intergenerational effects on victims, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego note that multiple studies have shown a broad spectrum of serious long term and chronic health effects for hundreds […]

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From τὰ φυσικά (ta physika) to physics – I

In popular histories of science in Europe the history of physics is all too often presented roughly as follows, in antiquity there was Aristotle, whose writings also dominated the Middle Ages, until Galileo came along and dethroned him, following which Newton created modern physics. Occasionally Descarte and or Christiaan Huygens gets thrown into the mix […]

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Two-year suspended prison sentence for irresponsible home chemist

Self-proclaimed experimentalist Gert Meyers received a 24-month suspended sentence on 28 June for a number of offences concerning the possession of dangerous chemicals without a licence. The 61-year-old chemical engineer pleaded guilty to possessing 700mg of explosives precursor sodium nitrate and breaching an existing criminal behaviour order banning him from buying or attempting to buy […]

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Phosphorus and sulfur team up to create efficient redox flow batteries

A new class of molecules based on just main group elements can store and release energy efficiently in flow batteries, with minimal degradation. Although the work is purely a proof-of-concept, researchers in the field are excited by the possibilities for energy storage. ‘It’s great… extreme potentials and high stability,’ says Gloria De La Garza, a […]

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Pay rise for PhDs in Ireland, but failure to tackle other issues sees strike action threatened

An independent review has recommended that Irish PhD researchers are paid €25,000 (£21,500) per year. This represents a 30% increase for recipients of Science Foundation Ireland and Irish Research Council Awards. The review’s authors set out to investigate the circumstances of the 10,000 PhD researchers in Ireland. But its recommendations have disappointed the Postgraduate Workers […]

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