Origami robot
By using the principles of origami, researchers have produced a wirelessly propelled, mm-scale robot capable of swimming through bodily fluids, traversing organ surfaces and delivering liquid medicines. The new millibots promise to be useful for disease diagnosis, targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive surgery.
Fasting aids nerve repair
A diverse gut microbiome is now accepted as a key component of healthy living, but UK researchers add another surprising contribution. They report that a metabolite produced by a Clostridium bacterial species in the gut encouraged the repair of nerve injuries in lab mice. Read the full article.
Peas-y cheese
A researcher in Denmark is creating a base for plant-based cheese made from pea proteins. Rising pressure on natural resources and climate change is creating demand for alternatives to animal-based foodstuffs.
Methane leaks from bioenergy facilities
Facilities making biogas and biomethane can leak twice as much methane as previously believed, a new analysis has shown. Methane has a much stronger global warming potential than carbon dioxide and is responsible for at least one-quarter of global warming.
Volatile elements origins
A new study of an old meteorite contradicts current thinking about how rocky planets like Earth and Mars acquire volatile gases as they form.
Light fantastic
Researchers have devised a method to create picocavities – tiny crevices on surfaces – that can magnify the optical forces of visible light a thousand-fold.
CIA awards 2022
Solutia UK, Johnson Matthey and Libra Speciality Chemicals topped the 2022 Chemical Industry Awards leader board with two awards each at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, on 16 June.
US tax on chemicals reinstated
The November 2021 US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will reinstate excise taxes on certain chemicals and imported chemical substances from 1 July 2022.