A new refinery outside Pittsburgh uses a different approach to convert biomass to ethanol. Instead of using bacteria to break down biomass/cellulosic material that is then fermented and distilled to give ethanol, the biomass is …

You found an article that really grabbed your attention and you cannot wait to share it. Great! So where do you begin? Start by choosing a specific idea, fact, or result and use it to …

This comes soon after IBM researchers imaged a single molecule using AFM.
To create these images, the researchers used a field-emission electron microscope, or FEEM. They placed a rigid chain of carbon atoms, just tens of …

Chemistry journals I ‘try’ to keep up with (every two weeks or monthly):

Accounts of Chemical Research | RSS
Crystal Growth & Design | RSS
Inorganic Chemistry | RSS
Chemical Society Reviews | RSS
Dalton Transactions | RSS
Angewandte Chemie | …

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants to put well established scientific evidence on trial:
Environmentalists say the chamber’s strategy is an attempt to sow political discord by challenging settled science — and note that in the …

I spent part of last summer thinking about how to integrate some of the better aspects of social networking and collaborative web tools into this course (CHM3311). I settled on this website and associated wiki, …

We are in the process of moving to a new theme that will take a little work, but will be well worth the effort. Please check back around the end of June 2009!
Update (08/25/09): Almost …

This isn’t my new pet, rather it is a giant sea worm that was recently ‘found’ in a living reef exhibit at Newquay’s Blue Reef Aquarium in the UK. Seems the curator could not figure …

and our very own, Dr. Amanda Grannas, is now a ‘pro’ blogger for the Discovery Channel’s earthlive blog!

Want another reason why science literacy is not just important but as essential as being able to read and write?

The Texas Board of Education will vote this week on a new science curriculum designed to …

And it’s about time!
“Political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions,” Obama wrote in an official memorandum. [From wired.com]

Time to go home… [Neatorama]

Pretty ridiculous. I’d have a couple in cuffs this semester…

A 14-year-old Wisconsin girl was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after she refused to stop texting during a high school math class. [slashdot]

If you need further justification for research, check out this piece over at wired…

But although nature can make a remarkably wide variety of chemicals — far more than the best molecule-making robots — it does …

Let me get this straight. If I drink too much coffee, I may hallucinate…
It was found that 315 milligrams of caffeine (about what you’ll find in three standard cups off coffee) increased hallucinations by three …

A nice piece at Slate about what’s next.

Scientists, with the support of the administration, should now be setting out to win over the hearts and minds of the American public, creating a stronger edifice of …

msnbc has a nice review of the top science stories of 2008 as well as a roundup of the best roundups!

I’m just curious if anyone uses Twitter and, if so, how you use it. Several academic types suggest uses in the classroom, but they look like “me too!,” and “look, I’m cool, I use Twitter!” …