Search

Newscripts section of C&EN has evolved in many ways over the years after it was established in 1943. Complaints over the government's intrusion of people privacy a year before World War II, for example, were expressed in a July 1944 Newscript article. A December 1990 article, on the other hand, criticizes a manual for stress management that is hardly intelligible to laypeople.

Researchers have received U.S. patents for various antioxidants including Kirk S. Kealey (Lancaster, PA) and his colleagues who have assigned their patent to Mars Inc. of McLean VA. The patent covers 'cocoa components, edible products having enriched polyphenol content, methods of making same, and medical uses.' Also mentioned are herbal antioxidants which have been shown to be higher in antioxidants than fruits or vegetables.

Interest in the physiological effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) grew when reports spread of medical workers who fainted while trying to resuscitate a patient in the emergency room of the Riverside General Hospital. It was theorized that the patient took DMSO for unknown reasons. The DMSO would then have been converted to dimethyl sulfone, which was then theorized to have oxidized to methyl sulfate, an extremely toxic vapor.

The pigeon control program called 'Pigeon Action' being implemented in Basel, Switzerland, has shown positive results. The program educates the public on the importance of controlling the pigeon population and encourages citizens to stop feeding birds or do so only in designated 'man-pigeon encounter areas. Previous population control efforts focused on killing pigeons or treating them with sterilizing agents. Reports show that the program has enabled a 10,000 reduction in Basel's pigeon population.

Chocolates are very popular during Valentine's Day, a fact that provides a good excuse for chocolate lovers. Chocolate's history is believed to have started in 1502, when Hernando Cortes observed Aztec nobility of Mexico drinking chocolate. He sent the recipe to Spain, where the cacao concoction has since gained widespread popularity. Solid chocolate appeared in 1847 when the English started making the product, and milk chocolate was introduced by the Swiss in 1876.

'Conversations on Chemistry' author Jane Marcet nee Haldimand was born to a prosperous Swiss family in London, UK in 1769. She married physician and chemist Alexander Marcet at age 30 and moved about in intellectual circles. Marcet also published other books such as 'Conversations on Political Economy,' 'Conversations on Natural Philosophy' and 'Conversations on Vegetable Physiology' albeit anonymously until 1837. Her characters were Mrs. B, the instructor, and Caroline and Emily, 13 to 15-year-old bright girls who were quite interested in science.

Dogs' ability to detect low-level sources of chemicals is speculated to be caused by their ability to detect small differences in the concentrations ofspecific chemicals. It is speculated that the air or scent sniffed by the dog is drawn to the sides and into the upper nasal cavity, where the labyrinth-likeconchae increase the surface area for the olfactory receptors.

Hahnemann University Hospital's Alan Abramowitz and colleagues report a case of phytophotodermatitis in a bar tender who squeezed five dozen limes for margaritas and then sunbathed after. The furocoumarin in the lime acted as a photosensitizer by being absorbed into keratinocytes. Upon exposure to ultraviolet A radiation, furocoumarin covalently bonded to keratinocyte DNA. Burning, swelling and blistering in the skin affected occurred 24 hours later. Prednisone is used as treatment.

'Conversations on Chemistry' was published in 1805 and was written by Jane Marcet. The book tells of a conversation among teacher Mrs. B and her students, Emily and Caroline regarding among others, detailed experiments and appropriate chemistry equipment. It had 16 editions and had approximately 160,000 copies sold in the US before 1853. It even influenced scientist Michael Faraday into going into chemistry.

Los Alamos National Laboratory theoretical physicist Paul Ginsparg has developed the electronic bulletin board, wherein abstracts on Ginsparg's specialty theoretical high-energy physics, are transmitted to 2000 users. Ginsparg then sends the entire preprint only to interested users. The system is more efficient than the onw developed by physicist Joanne Cohn who would transmit preprints on her specialty, string theory, to all users.

The Smithsonian Institution will unveil its National Postal Museum in Jul 1993 in Washington, DC. It will feature the work of the US Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Dept. Among the exhibits will be the Pony Express which operated from Apr 1860 to Oct 1861, when the transcontinental telegraph line was completed. Stagecoach and train then delivered the mail in 1869 when the first transcontinental rail link was completed. Camels and reindeers were also used by the Post Office Dept but were found inefficient.

Studies to determine the microbiological safety of wooden and plastic cutting boards for kitchen use indicate that microorganisms thrive better in plastic than in wooden chopping boards. Bacteria and fungi proliferated in many plastic s used in food and medical industries. However, Kanebo Ltd of Japan has developed an inorganic agent that can be incorporated into the plastic during the formation process.

Uillean pipe maker Hughes & McLeod based in Newry, County Down has developed a technique for making bagpipe chanter reeds out of polycarbonate resin. The polycarbonate pipe is a good substitute to Spanish cane which is used in the traditional bagpipes. Cane reeds produce an unstable instrument because the material decomposes and deteriorates with a slight change in temperature. The polycarbonate reed costs five times more than the cane reed, but is more durable.

Frederick de Moleyns of England holds the distinction of being the first inventor to get a patent for an incandescent lamp made of pulverized charcoal heated between platinum wires in 1841. In 1860, English chemist and physicist Joseph Swan invented an electric light consisting of an electric filament of carbonized paper positioned in a glass bulb. The invention was improved with the use of vacuum pumps to evacuate glass bulbs for the filament. Thomas Edison made electric lamps using the same techniques in 1888, but he was credited for the inevntion of the incandescent bulb because he developed a complete lighting system.

Joseph Gallian of the University of Minnesota Dept of Mathematics authored a report on the methods used to determine the accuracy of of punched or scanned identification numbers. One method he elaborates on involves identification numbers on airline tickets and United Parcel Services packages. The number 845088540 is divided by seven and the remainder is considered as a check digit. As a result, the number becomes 845088540 2. This and other methods may prevent fraudulent numbers.

R. Buckminster Fuller, for whom the fullerene was named, invented the geodesic dome in 1933. He also designed the Dymaxion car with a body made of duralumin. The car had three wheels, a teardrop shape and a maximum speed of 120 miles per hour with 40 miles to the gallon. It can be parked in a space only a foot longer than itself. The Dymaxion car can also be rotated 360 degrees within its own length.