Scientists have developed a forensic spray using a protein found in jellyfish that shows up fingerprints in just 10 seconds. They say that the dye spray could make forensic investigations quicker and more effective. It is also water-soluble and has low toxicity. Traditional forensic methods either use toxic powders that can harm DNA evidence or petrochemical solvents that are bad for the environment, the sale of which is increasingly restricted. The dyes in the spray are based on a fluorescent compound called green fluorescent protein (GFP), which has previously revolutionised…
Tag: Chemistry
Charles Lieber, Ex-Harvard Professor, Sentenced in China Ties Case
Background Dr. Lieber, now 64, had been chairman of Harvard’s chemistry and chemical biology department. For his work on nanotechnology, he had been seen by some as a contender for the Nobel Prize. Since 2008, prosecutors said, his laboratory at Harvard had received research grants totaling $18 million from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. But he also secretly accepted money from China, which had established a government initiative, the Thousand Talents program, to gain access to scientific knowledge and expertise, often paying scientists lavishly. When…
Britain’s electric dreams will never come true while China has a materials advantage | John Naughton
In his book Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future, Saul Griffith, an American inventor, entrepreneur and engineer, sets out a plan for decarbonising the US: electrify everything. From now on, every time people replace a vehicle or renovate a building or buy an appliance, they should be buying electric. Every new roof must have solar panels, all new housing must be energy efficient and shouldn’t contain a gas cooker. All that’s required to make this happen is a collective national effort comparable to the mobilisation of the…