Science Elements

Science news podcasts from the American Chemical Society

For previous Science Elements episodes, visit the archive.

• Episode 124 – September 7, 2009
  How discarded computers are getting a second life overseas; Why two natural waste products can lead to bumper crop yields; A tiny molecule could help scientists unravel the secrets of aging
  

• Episode 123 – August 31, 2009
  An invasive weed that could help treat a common health problem; Evidence that arsenic lingers in some people’s bodies longer than others; Another reason to be wary of high-fructose corn syrup
  

• Episode 122 – August 24, 2009
  How plastics in our oceans swiftly decompose and spread toxic substances; Households create more water pollution than previously thought; Why romantic dinners might be better without candles
  

• Episode 121 – August 17, 2009
  Something other than George Washington might be on a one dollar bill; New technology that could help solve murders; How what you don’t smoke can hurt you; A new vaccine could help eradicate a deadly illness in the developing world
  

• Episode 120 – August 10, 2009
  How fruit flies helped scientists gain new insights into the effects of carbon nanoparticles; Why nematodes could hasten the development of new antibiotics; New evidence suggests smoking marijuana is more harmful than previously thought
  

• Episode 119 – August 3, 2009
  A "shrimp cocktail" that could fuel your car or truck; New evidence that freshly crushed garlic better for the heart than processed; A finding that could settle a prehistoric controversy
  

• Episode 118 – July 27, 2009
  The first scientific evidence that certain scents can relieve stress; An inner “fingerprint” for personalizing medical care; A safer and more effective way to prevent infections among people who have severe burns.
  

• Episode 117 – July 20, 2009
  Scientists in Louisiana are developing a new, safer form of acetaminophen; How a popular dietary supplement could help prevent, treat cataracts; Researchers have found a new way to combat drug-resistant flu viruses
  

• Episode 116 – July 13, 2009
  How cleaner ship fuels could help prevent thousands of deaths; New insights about a long-lost statue could help prevent corrosion; Weed killers can actually boost the nutritional value of corn
  

• Episode 115 – June 29, 2009
  A startling new estimate of chemistry’s vast untapped potential; The development of a transgenic food that fights allergies; A better way to keep ticks and fleas off of Fido and Fluffy
  

• Episode 114 – June 22, 2009
  New laboratory studies in mice suggest vinegar might help fend off fat; How “milking” microscopic algae could yield massive amounts of oil; A new federal study reveals much about lingering pesticides in and around our homes.
  

• Episode 113 – June 15, 2009
  New compelling evidence links marijuana use to increased risk of cancer; An innovative “electronic nose” that can help sniff out kidney disease; How a bit of genetic engineering could transform a deadly microbe into a life saver.
  

• Episode 112 – June 8, 2009
  Wine in a box? Think “good” not “gauche”; A skin-deep discovery reveals a hidden defense used by poisonous frogs; And finally, some new ideas about making sustainability a reality
  

• Episode 111 – June 1, 2009
  How tenacious the virus that causes bird flu really is; Why silver nanoparticles could help prevent blood clots; New “microcapsules” could boost drug absorption into the blood stream
  

Episode 110 – May 25, 2009
Why scientists are a step closer to solving a mysterious disease; Where a new type of nanoparticle could fend off foggy windows and eyeglasses; How chemists used ingredients from the human body to create stronger dental fillings

• Episode 110 – May 25, 2009
  Why scientists are a step closer to solving a mysterious disease; Where a new type of nanoparticle could fend off foggy windows and eyeglasses; How chemists used ingredients from the human body to create stronger dental fillings
  

• Episode 109 – May 18, 2009
  How an important advance could improve food safety; Scientists solve a mystery surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear plant accident; Technology used by an Internet megastore is helping us learn more about proteins
  

• Episode 108 – May 11, 2009
  A new way to produce biofuels without straining global food supplies; A better way to build a railroad that is environmentally sound; A smart way to reduce radioactive waste at nuclear power plants
  

• Episode 107 – May 4, 2009
  A new computer program could be a modern day Rosetta Stone for chemists; Japanese scientists have created the first self-propelled oil droplets; How mercury levels in Arctic seals may be linked to global warming
  

• Episode 106 – April 27, 2009
  How a new type of ice could lead to greener ways to fight fires; A "self-healing” polymer could simplify plastic recycling; A new biosensor could help prevent food poisoning
  

• Episode 105 – April 20, 2009
  A new broad spectrum anti-microbial paint capable of combating “superbugs”; The first wireless brain oxygen level sensor that could help fine tune testing and treatment; The centuries-old secret behind India’s “holy powder”
  

• Episode 104 – April 13, 2009
  How a discovery about mussels could lead to better bandages; Why it could take far more water to produce biodiesel than previously thought; Scientists are a step closer to understanding what puts sperm “in the mood”
  

• Episode 103 – April 6, 2009
  How bees cope with impending career changes; A “magic potion” in fly spit may shoo away blinding eye disease; A new gas storage material that could accelerate the development of ultra-clean fuel cells
  

• Episode 102 – March 25, 2009
  A new nanogenerator that one day could be used to charge cell phones with a wave of the hand; new evidence that nanoparticles in cosmetics could have adverse environmental effects; And finally, The first economical process” for making biodiesel fuel from algae
  

• Episode 101 – March 18, 2009
  Nanoparticles that show promise for “cooking” cancer cells; Evidence that a new type of yogurt can fight stomach ulcer bacteria; The first automated carbohydrate “assembly line”; Vegetable proteins that could fend off two common medical problems; And finally, new evidence of a controversial energy source
  

• Episode 100 – March 16, 2009
  The discovery of plants that makes bilirubin; A new, more accurate way to date ancient rock paintings; And finally, a super-buoyant material that could lead to a new generation of futuristic flotation devices
  

• Episode 99 – March 9, 2009
  Simple changes in rural sanitation could save more than one million lives annually; A shoe found in an 800-year old dump could help us preserve leather artifacts; Scientists have cracked the centuries’ old secret of Gouda
  

• Episode 98 – March 2, 2009
  A new test for detecting fake organic milk; Two food additives with previously unrecognized estrogen-like effects; The discovery of an historic sample of bomb-grade plutonium

• Episode 97 – February 23, 2009
  A new test that could identify illegal steroids in cattle; How eating eggs might help reduce blood pressure; A soybean derivative fights abnormal proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease
  

• Episode 96 – February 16, 2009
  How antibacterial plaster could put a clean sheen on walls; We could one day drive on roads paved with recycled trash from the Information superhighway; Researchers have discovered the ultimate sponge for cleaning up oil spills
  

• Episode 95 – February 9, 2009
  Australian researchers are developing a urine test capable of diagnosing heart disease, an edible fungus foils dangerous grapefruit-drug interactions, how a licorice ingredient could one day help treat cocaine addiction.
  

• Episode 94 – February 2, 2009
  Australian researchers are developing a urine test capable of diagnosing heart disease, an edible fungus foils dangerous grapefruit-drug interactions, how a licorice ingredient could one day help treat cocaine addiction.
  

• Episode 93 – January 19, 2009
  Animal bones helped strengthen medieval walls; Microscopic hands could help build tomorrow’s machinery; How a saliva test could one day help detect Type 2 diabetes.
  

• Episode 92 – January 12, 2009
  New evidence suggesting our bodies produce a key component of a common over-the-counter pain reliever; Newly developed microswimmers that could improve drug delivery; Chicken feather clothing that is worth crowing about.
  

• Episode 91 – Decenber 22, 2008
  How chemists have created a more effective oral form of a disease-fighting protein; Real-time pollen forecasts are a step closer to reality; Used coffee grounds could one day help fuel our cars.
  

• Episode 89 – December 8, 2008
  How new high-tech ‘wipes’ can quickly neutralize military and industrial chemicals; Development of “smart fabrics” that could one day help detect disease; Chemists may have found a new early indicator of a chronic disease that affects millions
  

• Episode 88 – November 24, 2008
  A technique that could increase the success of islet cell transplants for Type-1 diabetes; Microcapsules that act as “roach motels” to kill harmful bacteria; A key advance toward treatment for most common adult form of muscular dystrophy
  

• Episode 87 – November 17, 2008
  The world’s thinnest loudspeakers; An explosive-detecting sensor powered by living cells; A new test that could help people with celiac disease avert digestive turmoil
  

• Episode 86 – November 10, 2008
  Chemists may have solved a lingering mystery about thalidomide, a drug that once caused thousands of birth defects; A unique process that could help remove unwanted heparin from the blood; New type of liquid mirror could lead to better eye exams
  

• Episode 85 – November 3, 2008
  An important advance that could make solar energy more practical; Tiny DNA tweezers that can catch and release objects on-demand; How snails are helping scientists unravel the biochemistry of evolution.
  

• Episode 84 – October 27, 2008
  A new device that could change how we diagnose disease; The world’s smallest hand-held detector of health and safety threats; An important breakthrough in the treatment of African sleeping sickness
  

• Episode 83 – October 20, 2008
  How a new process could boost the production of synthetic fuels from coal; Producing alternative fuels could strain dwindling water supplies; Finally, how high intensity light can reduce facial wrinkles; National Chemisty Week is celebrated across the country this week
  

• Episode 82 – October 13, 2008
  How a common pollutant may cause iodine in breast milk to drop to dangerously low levels; Key advances toward an effective treatment for a hereditary disease called spinal muscular atrophy; Finally, evidence that eating chicken soup may help fight high blood pressure
  

• Episode 81 – October 6, 2008
  A tiny fuel tank that could lead to big changes in cars; Dutch chemists who have created the world’s smallest on-off switch; And finally, a fungus that fights air pollution and acid rain