Organoruthenium complexes, of the form of [(η6-arene)RuII(YZ)X]+ (Inorg. Chem., 2008, 47, 11470–11486, DOI: 10.1021/ic801361m), are increasingly being studied for use in medicine. The arene is usually a phenyl derivative, YZ is usually a chelating ligand, …

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 …

Renovations should start this summer in an effort to reduce the amount of energy being consumed by the skyscraper. Reduction is aimed at 38% a year by 2013. Although costing a bit upfront ($20 million), …

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!

Clearly my videogame nerd tendencies brought this article to my attention. The Wii, the console system designed to provide fun games and activities for the entire family, is being studied closely by military engineers and …

I found a pretty interesting article in C&EN about information that can be obtained from fingerprints.  We know that fingerprints can be used as clues to a person’s identity, and recently researchers have found that …

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

An article I saw recently on Yahoo! News, discusses the discovery of a new appetite supressing hormone found in mice.  The study focuses on a molecule known as N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine or NAPE for short.  The compound …

I don’t know if many of you have seen the new Macbook commercials yet, but Apple has released a new “greener” laptop. The new notebook is free (less than 900ppm Br and Cl, as defined …

I could write something snarky about the blatant anti-intellectualism displayed by the outgoing administration for the last 8 years, but I’m going to resist and remain hopeful that we are turning a corner and moving …

The molecule of the week comes from ongoing research by Dr. Randolf Thummel at the University of Houston (Zeping Deng, Huan-Wei Tseng, Ruifa Zong, Dong Wang, and Randolph Thummel. Inorg. Chem. 2008, 47, 1835 – …

You wanted it and here it is! Micah Collins (aka Wing Kong) and his baked bean eating world record. When there is something available for Steakbellie and his haggis eating world record, I’ll add it!
Update …

We have been hearing a lot about alternative energy sources, such as wind power, solar power, ethanol, and hydrogen fuel cells; however, there are tons of other green technologies out there.

One such technology, green roofing, …

Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie and Roger Y. Tsien for their discovery of the green fluorescent protein.
Since 1962, when the protein was first discovered, it has developed into one of the most imperative tools used in …

I’m all for wind and solar power, but the main obstacle to moving away from fossil fuels and toward these renewable energies is the ability to store the energy when the sun isn’t shining …

Given the underwhelming response to the last ‘what in the world is it’ contest, why not try it again!
The answer we were looking for in the first contest was L. ehrenbergii (a diatom) clinging to …

It looks like these may be ready in the next 5 years or so. Now if I only had the $100 million to put one in my backyard. I may have to ask for a …