“Information pertinent to predicting their migratory movements and periods of aggregation, i.e. mating and birthing . . . would be of greatest importance for survival,” the authors write (Cambridge Archeol. J. 2023, DOI: 10.1017/S0959774322000415). They suggest that the total number of marks could denote the number of months after the start of the year that an event such as breeding season occurs.
by Katherine Bourzac | January 29, 2023
Applicants to the incubator go through a rigorous selection process during which they are vetted by a panel of New York University and NYCEDC representatives as well as by corporate sponsors of BioLabs. “I like to believe we are curating for a particular type of founder and a particular type of scientific endeavor,” says Mehra, herself an entrepreneur in the health-care arena.
by Rick Mullin | August 21, 2022
By developing such control, Velian hopes to create inorganic materials that can, for example, selectively react with a specific pathway of C-C bond formation in carbon dioxide reduction. Another possibility is that the catalysts could change their chemistry after one active site on a catalyst binds a specific type of molecule.
by Leigh Krietsch Boerner | July 15, 2022
Fair is also studying how the cervix selects the fittest sperm. Cervical fluid flows gently downward, out of the cervix, flushing out pathogens and dead cells. In mammals, tiny grooves run up and down the inner cervix—just the right size for sperm. Instead of traveling in the middle, sperm swim upstream along these narrow passageways, hugging the cervix’s walls, Fair says.
by Louisa Dalton, special to C&EN | March 09, 2022
But the power of Darwinian selection hasn’t been harnessed for such synthetic libraries. Researchers have now come up with a “mating” mechanism for synthetic libraries that is conceptually similar to the recombination that happens in sexual reproduction (Nat. Chem. 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00829-5).
by Celia Henry Arnaud | December 17, 2021
—C–H bond breakers seek smarter tools “Chemists want to selectively take apart any C–H bond in an organic molecule and install something new. How can they expand their C–H activation toolboxes?” In graduate school, John F. Hartwig decided to study something that many at the time thought was a solved problem.
by Leigh Krietsch Boerner | February 23, 2021
I selected a project that aimed to figure out how to detect lithium ions and, further, to understand how lithium-ion gradients change in batteries. I remember spending a significant amount of time learning about the various possibilities not just for sensing lithium for battery applications but also for medical applications, since lithium is used as a treatment for mental health issues.
by Raymond Blackwell, special to C&EN | February 22, 2021
“What this has taught me is that I don’t need to be traveling constantly,” says Narayan, who now expects to be more selective about her travel. “That’s maybe better for me personally, and better for my family and my research group.” Virtual talks have many advantages. More people can attend, including those who might not otherwise get to hear from a Nobel Prize winner or other high-profile scientists.
by Bethany Halford, Laura Howes, Andrea Widener | January 25, 2021