"Vibrational" Chemical Bond

Chemists have confirmed the existence of a type of temporary "vibrational" chemical bond between atoms of bromine and muonium, a hydrogen isotope, initially proposed in 1989 with the tiny muonium atom rapidly moving between and holding together two heavier bromine atoms.

Element 115 Confirmed

Chemists in Sweden have replicated a ten-year-old Russian experiment and positively confirmed the existence of a new element with atomic number 115, informally referred to by the unofficial name ununpentium but to be formally named later by a committee from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

Van Gogh Varnish Discoloration

Using sophisticated x-ray beams at two synchrotron sources in Europe, scientists have identified a previously unknown degradation process between paint and protective varnish in Van Gogh's painting, Flowers in a blue vase, a reaction between the cadmium sulphide in the paint and lead ions in the varnish to form an opaque anglesite (PbSO₄) and cadmium oxalate (CdC₂O₄).

Helium in Moon's Atmosphere

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected helium in the thin atmosphere of the Moon, with scientists uncertain if the helium originates from the surface itself via radioactive decay or is captured from external sources such as the solar wind.

Triple-Bonded Boron

Scientists have created a crystal composed of the first stable triple chemical bond between two boron atoms, a bond previously only possible for two other nonmetal elements of carbon and nitrogen.

Ferroelectricity in Amino Acid

Researchers have detected the first proof of ferroelectricity in the simplest known amino acid, glycine, a rare property for biological materials that may lead to a new field of bioelectronic devices and biological interfaces with conventional electronics.

Solid Buckyballs in Space

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected the carbon structure buckministerfullerene ("buckyballs") in solid form in space for the first time surrounding a pair of stars about 6500 light years away.

Fighting Parasites with Alcohol

New research shows that fruit flies (D. melanogaster) actively seek out ethanol-containing food to both prevent and treat itself from being parasitized by wasps, which leads to the death of the wasp larvae growing within them and may provide evidence for alcohol's use in fighting infections.

Magnetic Soap Invented

Scientists have developed the first magnetic soap, consisting of iron dissolved into inert surfactants of chloride and bromide ions, which can be removed by a magnetic field and has a potentially wide range of applications from cleaning oil spills to waste treatment.

Complex Organic Matter

Analysis of the spectra of the dust from exploding stars reveals that complex organic molecules are unexpectedly common throughout the universe, and can be sythesized by stars and not solely the byproducts of other life processes.

Weird New Form of Carbon

A new type of "reversible" carbon allotrope has been discovered, a pliable commercial substance used for industrial purposes for decades, which obtains diamond-like hardness under extreme pressures and returns to its softer state when the pressure is removed.

Cat Urine Rocket Fuel

Researchers have identified a common bacterium present in cat urine (anammox) that thrives in the absence of oxygen and is useful in converting ammonium, a compound present in urine, into hydrazine, a component of rocket fuel.

Self-Cleaning Cotton

Scientists have developed a self-cleaning cotton fabric bonded with 2-anthraquinone carboxylic acid (2-AQC) that kills bacteria and breaks down toxic compounds when exposed to light.

Sewer Fat into Soap

Researchers have found the solid blockages in many modern urban sewer systems are a result of runoff fats, oils and grease chemically reacting with calcium to form fatty acid deposits -- essentially, soap.

Giant Tree-Like Molecule

A team of chemists has produced the largest stable synthetic molecule ever made (PG5), with a tree-like structure and diameter of 10 nm and a mass equal to 200 million hydrogen atoms, in the hopes of finding new applications such as drug delivery.

UV Light Makes Water

Observations of the dying red giant IRC+10216 reveal it is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of water vapor too warm to have originated from comets that is then surrounded by an envelope of dust, with ultraviolet (UV) light from surrounding stars being the only mechanism able to penetrate this dust and break up larger molecules containing oxygen, which then reform with hydrogen as water.

Stretched Polymer Snaps Back

Chemists have discovered a polymer molecule of a class called gem-difluorocyclopropanes (gDFC) that responde to stretching and deformation by snapping back to a smaller shape than before, opening the field of research to "self-healing" materials.

"Dry Water" Developed

Chemists have developed a form of "dry water" that consists of water droplets coated by modified silica, which prevents the water from reforming into a liquid, that may provide a number of environmental, chemical and industrial applications.

Ancient Rubber Makers

The Aztec, Olmec and Maya of ancient Mesoamerica produced various grades of stabilized rubber around 3000 years ago by using natural latex from rubber trees mixed with the juice of morning glory vines.

Wet, Non-Acidic Mars

Lengthy analysis of data collected by the Martian rover Spirit in 2005 has revealed a previously wet and non-acidic environment on Mars, possibly hinting at an ancient environment favorable for life.