Movers & Shakers
AMRI, a global pharmaceutical CDMO headquartered in Albany, New York, has appointed LabCorp’s John Ratliff as CEO. He succeeds Michael Mulhern, who has been appointed chairman of the AMRI board of directors.
Faith in fusion
Fusion built the elements of the Periodic Table and enabled the formation of stars, planets and life in the Universe
Revisiting evolution theory
The principal message of Charles Darwin’s treatise On the origin of species published in 1859 is that all animals, including humans, evolved from earlier species via natural selection.
Debunking a few myths
Although this book, intended primarily for historians of chemistry, contains the proceedings of an international conference on the history of chemistry held in Portugal in 2015, it incorporates many novel and sometimes even offbeat ideas that will be of interest to a non-specialist readership.
Cosmetic microbeads ban
China has announced it will prohibit the production of everyday cosmetic and personal care products containing microbeads at the end of 2020. The sale of such products will be banned after 31 December 2022, according to a government report that shapes and sets the tone for future industrial development.
MOFs clean up flue gas
Researchers have discovered a better way to scrub CO2 from smokestack emissions. The international collaboration searched a library of 350,000 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), to find structures for capturing CO2, but not water. From a shortlist of 30 MOFs, they synthesised and tested two (Nature, 2019, 576, 253).
Vaping and cannabis oil
US researchers suggest that an outbreak of vaping-associated lung injuries (EVALI) in 2019 was because the vapers were using cannabis oil containing vitamin E acetate.
Wheat harvest potential
Wheat harvests in Europe could increase by an extra 5t/ha, according scientists at Rothamsted Research, UK
Molecular factories
Researchers in Switzerland have developed molecular factories (MFs) with architecture and functionality that mimic nature.
Battery chemistry recharged
With more renewable energy going into electricity grids, energy storage solutions are increasingly needed to balance supply and demand, Anthony King reports