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The article discusses how the fight between U.S. petroleum companies and the ethanol industry over government mandates for ethanol could make 2013 a decisive year for cellulosic ethanol made from corn stalks and other agricultural waste. Topics include examples of cellulosic ethanol production by various chemical companies such as ZeaChem of Oregon and Beta Renewables near Turin, Italy, criticism of the cellulosic ethanol industry for their failure to produce fuel following an order by the U.S. government to blend cellulosic ehtanol into gasoline between 2010 and 2012, the history of the ethanol industry in the U.S. beginning with the 2005 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and the petroleum industry's complaints that the ethanol industry's nonexistent fuel is driving up their costs.

The article reports on salmon monitoring to determine the effects of dam removal on the ecosystems of rivers by scientists affiliated with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. Topics include the environmental impact of dams, U.S. Congressional support for removal of the Elwha Dam and Glines Canyon Dam in Washington State, and the effect of silt and sediment on ecosystem recovery.

The article discusses Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The focus of the article is how a novel class of solar chemical reactors aims to make liquid fuels from air, water, and sunshine. An example is given of a small parabolic dish, which is a solar concentrator, housed inside of a shed. A heliostat, which is a large mirror, is housed outside of the shed. When sunlight ricochets off the heliostat, it bounces off the parabolic dish and focuses on a chemical reactor. Topics include an overview of the challenges of designing and constructing a large scale chemical reactor, such as cost and competition with fossil fuels, the potential of solar thermo-chemical fuels, such as its scalability, and the efficiency of thermo fuel technologies.

The article discusses scientist Gordon Gould, his innovations regarding lasers, and the culmination of his insights on laser fusion, the U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF). It describes the scope of the NIF project, the power its laser beams are expected to deliver, and the operational aspects of laser fusion. NIF's main goal is ignition, or self-sustaining fusion that creates more energy than it uses. Other research plans include simulation of the insides of stars, giant planets, and supernovas, and the science of materials in conditions created at NIF. INSET: A LONG, WINDING ROAD TO IGNITION.

The article reports that in April, chemist Nate Lewis and physicist George Crabtree of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois co-chaired a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) workshop designed to explore the emerging potential for basic research in solar energy, from novel photovoltaics to systems for using sunlight to generate chemical fuels. The report outlines research priorities for improving solar power. It doesn't say how much money is needed to reach those goals, but DOE officials have floated funding numbers of about $50 million a year. That's up from the $10 million to $13 million a year now being spent on basic solar energy research. But given the scale of the challenge in transforming the energy landscape, other researchers and politicians are calling for far more. Even if a cheap, abundant, carbon-free energy source were to appear overnight, Lewis and others point out, it would still be a Herculean task to install the new systems fast enough just to keep up with rising energy demand. INSET: Solar Report Sets the Agenda..

New assessments of decades' worth of snowpack measurements show that snowpack levels have dropped considerably throughout the American West in response to a 0.8ºC warming since the 1950s. Even more sobering, new studies have revealed that if even the most moderate regional warming predictions over the next 50 years come true, this will reduce western snowpack by up to 60% in some regions, such as the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. That in turn is expected to reduce summer time stream flows by 20% to 50%. The impacts could be profound. In the parched summer months, less water will likely be available for everything from agriculture and hydropower production to sustaining fish habitats. Combined with rising temperatures, the dwindling summertime water could also spell a sharp increase in catastrophic fires in forests throughout the West.

Reports on advances in nanotechnology as of November, 2000. Opinion that forecasting regarding nanotechnological research resembles dystopian fiction; Mention of government funding of nanotechnological research in the United States, Europe and Asia; Description of nanotechnology as the use of materials with nanoscale dimensions.

Reports on Motorola Inc.'s vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). Semiconductor laser that shoots light from its top surface; VCSEL's as building blocks for dense arrays; Applications for VCSEL with longer infrared beams; Mirrors surrounding the optical cavity of the VCSEL; Materials for the quantum wells; Best semiconductor alloys for the optical cavity.

The article discusses the U.S. National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) decision to end its Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) following long-standing criticism of the program. Topics include structural biology research by Andrzej Joachimiak investigating a strain of superbugs with a protein, called NDM-1, that is resistant to antibiotics known as β-lactams, the discovery of NDM-1’s structure, and what the PSI's demise means for the future of structural biology.

The article explores the development of exascale supercomputers, noting supercomputer research programs by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as well as in China, Japan, and Great Britain. An overview of the innovations in supercomputer technology is given, including improvements in the frequency capacity of memory chips, the inclusion of multiple processing cores, and parallel computing. It is argued that current computer technology is insufficient for addressing the challenges faced in the design of exascale computers, such as power demands, the addition of memory modules for the number of processors, and writing efficient and compatible software.

The article focuses on battery research and efforts to design an affordable and energy-efficient batteries for use in electric cars. It states that materials scientist Yet-Ming Chiang and colleagues created a semisolid flow cell battery which suspends nanoscale particles suspended in electrolytes which can be pumped out and replaced or reenergized like normal rechargeable batteries. It mentions that the U.S. Department of Energy believes battery costs need to be reduced to 250 dollars per kilowatt-hour to succeed in the market. It talks about developments in lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries and lithium-oxygen (Li-O) batteries, and on difficulties in preventing molecular precipitation with Li-S batteries or water contamination in Li-O batteries. INSET: BATTERY FAQs.

The article focuses on a deep-water cabled observatories set up by ocean scientists aiming to revolutionize oceanography. It relates that beginning in 2010, researchers from various organizations in the U.S. plan to string cables to site scattered around the entire Juan de Fuca Plate off the coast of Oregon and Washington state. Moreover, it was noted that early in 2008, the European Union will link instruments to three separate cables currently in used to wire up underwater neutrino observatories.

The article highlights the move of biofuel researchers in their preparation to convert agricultural wastes into liquid fuels in the U.S. According to the author, the technology for the conversion of these wastes into fuels is now placed to enter the market after decades in the background. Today, the nation is developing a technology called cellulosic ethanol, which aims to convert all kinds plant materials like corn stalks, wheat straw and forest trimmings into fuel. Study conducted by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture revealed that the nation could convert 1.3 billion of tons a year of biomass to 227 billion liters of ethanol with little impact on food and timber harvests.

This article reports that an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took an unprecedented step in recommending approval of a drug for a single racial group. The drug, a combination pill called BiDil that contains two heart-failure medications, had failed to help patients in the general population live longer. But in a clinical trial last year, BiDil decreased the risk of death among African Americans by 43%. That was sufficient evidence to convince the panel that BiDil should be approved to treat African-American patients with heart failure. By backing BiDil, the FDA panel gave another push to pharmacogenomics, an approach that promises to revolutionize both drug discovery and patient care. African Americans have a higher likelihood of developing hypertension and other conditions related to heart failure. However, whether that's due to genes, the environment, or some complex interplay isn't yet known. Still, BiDil represents the latest example of the industry's push to target drugs to subgroups of patients who, based largely on their genetic makeup, are most likely to benefit.

Describes the new magnet at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. Power of the magnet and its benefits; Use in superconductivity research; Views of physicist Scott Crooker; The magnet's generator; Preventing implosion of its coils; Design of the magnet.

Reports on the development of hybrid cellular scaffolds for tissue engineering the United States. Efforts to grow a liver at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Selection of specific cell types in tissue design; Usefulness of hybrid scaffolds; State of New York in Buffalo's research on nerve cells. INSET: Out of the lab, into the body..

Discusses the need for curricular reform in universities and colleges in the United States. Limitations of traditional curricula; Need for honing of critical thinking skills in students; Obstacles to curricular reform. INSET: Curricula reform hits the Web, by R.F.S..

The article discusses the small number of genes in a genetically engineered synthetic bacterium known as Syn 3.0, developed by by gene sequencer Craig Venter and published in the journal. An overview of Venter's experience engineering microbial genes, including through adjusting their DNA, is provided.

The article discusses the advisory panel the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC's ) advice to U.S. United States Department of Energy (DOE) on improving its x-ray and neutron beams and particle accelerators.

The article focuses on the impact of a standoff on the ecological health of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon which is perceived as a public-private restoration effort. Paul Henson, the supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), says that the refuge experiences a stand-down and delay in terms of maintaining habitat. It mentions that militants have took over the refuge and demanded the turn over of land in the West.

The article discusses how the power of supercomputers would make it possible to compute the properties of thousands of crystalline materials instantly and guide materials science researchers on where to look for novel materials that can be used in a variety of applications, such as storage batteries and solar cell. Topics include efforts by the U.S. federal government to promote the use of high-performance computing to cut the time it takes to develop new materials in half, called the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), an experiment by materials scientists Gerbrand Ceder and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge computing the performance of would-be battery materials, and the materials challenges that computation can not resolve.

The article discusses cellulosic ethanol as a viable alternative energy source. According to the author, alcohol that was brewed from farm and forest waste showed promise as a biofuel, but economic factors, such as the U.S. recession and the abundance of ethanol made from corn has created uncertainty about its use. Topics include a historical overview of the plans of the U.S. government to build a biofuel industry that was based on cellulose, some of the problems associated with the production of cellulosic ethanol, such as the technology needed to crack the cellulose and lignin molecules of waste plant feedstock, and the challenge of biofuel companies to ensure a steady supply of feedstock.

The article discusses U.S. mandates that are prompting farmers to plant corn on areas that require irrigation which could potentially trigger water shortages and water-quality problems. The focus of the article is the environmental impact of the production of biofuels, such as an increased demand for water sources for irrigation. Biofuels are regarded as a primary way to cut greenhouse gases, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, such as petroleum, and eliminate dependence on foreign oil sources. Topics include an in-depth examination of some of the environmental drawbacks of biofuel production, such as a greater risk of agricultural pollution of U.S. waterways, increased water demand to grow feedstock, and the uncertainty of the impact of cellulosic biofuels. INSET: THE PROMISE OF DROUGHT-TOLERANT CORN.

The article states that chemical companies within the U.S. want to help shape federal laws that will be used to control toxic compounds. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed through the U.S. congress in 1976; however, since then it has been amended numerous times to account for new toxic substances, such as asbestos. A ban imposed on asbestos was later overturned, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not banned a single chemical since that decision in 1991. Environmental Defense Fund senior scientist Richard Denison attests that the TSCA has failed in its mission and therefore needs to be changed

The article focuses on the findings of German and American researchers regarding the role of DNA in building materials from the bottom up. Two separate groups of researchers in the U.S. report that they have found a link between DNA and gold nanoparticles and used it to assemble the particles into extended crystals. Another research uses DNA as tweezers to pick up compounds and place them where they're wanted. Researchers explain that the technique could help researchers put chains of molecules together.

The article reports on the collaboration of four research groups, which resulted to their discovery of a way to clone just a single electronic type of nanotube in the U.S. The new scheme showed possibilities to produce industrial quantities that could open a wide variety of electronics applications of carbon nanotubes. However, the team still has to prove that the process does indeed produce just a single type of tube despite of taking their cue from a technique that use tiny nano-sized catalyst particles to seed the growth of tubes.

U.S. News and World Report ranks its Ph.D. program third in the country. Not so long ago as of May 2003, physics was at the center of Berkeley's universe, and Berkeley was at the center of the physics world. Lars Bildsten, a theoretical physicist who was wooed away 4 years ago by the University of California, Santa Barbara, adds that faculty members rarely want to leave Berkeley but that poor facilities make them vulnerable to headhunters.

Reports the scientific misconduct committed by Jan Hendrik Schön, a physicist at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Number of faked experimental results; Question on the validity of papers coauthored by Schön; Educational and career background.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS—From 18 to 22 August, nearly 15,000 chemists gathered here to discuss work on problems ranging from health to energy sources. Among the highlights: tailored immunosuppressants, a new understanding of the molecular miscues that trigger diabetes, and a novel way of storing hydrogen gas for fuel-cell vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the undergraduate programs initiated by science funding agencies to boost the interest of students on science and technology in the U.S. Design of the 'Vomit Comet'; Advantages of the programs; Influence of the 'Vomit Comet' program on the career choices of students.

Reports developments related to science in the U.S. as of June 2002. Coordination of nanoscience strategy in White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Appointment of Douglas Erwin as chairman of the National Museum of Natural History; Implementation of government rules on scientific secrecy in universities.

Reports the concerns of researchers on formal peer review of questionable data and informal review of system at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. Scrutiny on the works of Bell Laboratories physicist Jan Hendrik Schon; Creation of five-member independent panel of researcher to investigate the concern; Evidence of manipulation of data.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA—With nine major theme parks dominating the landscape here, fantasy reigns supreme. But nearly 14,000 chemists, materials scientists, and physicists tore themselves away from wild roller coaster rides long enough to present some 6500 papers. Among the highlights: a color-switching molecular motor, a novel scheme for improving hybrid organic-inorganic solar cells, and a safer way to make an antismog fuel additive that's more environmentally friendly than the most widely used additive, MTBE. INSET: Snapshots From the Meeting, by R.F.S.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the molecular electronic technology in the U.S. Progress of molecular electronic technology on techniques of molecular electronic circuitry; Development of the University of California, Los Angeles group on assembly process of molecule-based circuitry; Application of quantum well superlattices on types of conducting nanowires. INSET: Building Better Photonic Cystals.

Announces the junking of the Clinton Administration's Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles in the United States. Abandonment of to build superefficient cars, in favor of building vehicles powered by pollution- free hydrogen fuel cells; Introduction of the Freedom Cooperative Automotive Research program; Complaints on the program.

Highlights the semiannual Materials Research Society meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. Creation of liquid crystalline films out of viruses; Analysis on the structural properties of inorganic compounds; Characterization of liquid crystalline films.

Focuses on the link of molecules into a molecular scale circuits in the United States. Use of electron beam lithography to place electrical contacts; Application of rotaxanes as molecular transistor; Development of nanomaterial and carbon nanotubes.

Reports the creation of a self-assembling material for synthetic bone replacement in the United States. Composition of the material; Strategy in forming an array of organic-inorganic fibers; Incorporation of bone forms with synthetic molecules.

Presents updates related to science as of June 22, 2001. Call of Harvard University chemist Stuart Schreiber for chemists to have a data bank of their own to store information on bioactive small molecules; Japan Association of National Universities' withdrawal of its opposition to the government's plan to privatize the country's national universities.

Reports that arsonists set fire to the laboratories of plant geneticists at the University of Washington-Seattle and buildings and vehicles at Greenwood Resources in Oregon in May 2001. How ecoterrorists are becoming more aggressive in attacking fundamental research; Greenwood Resources' sale of fast-growing poplar trees to paper producers; Ecoterrorism committed by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF).

Highlights the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies on December 2000 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Types of molecular switches; Effect of molecule rapamycin on the detection of glucose and other nutrients by cells; Identification of an amino acid linked to the initiation of Alzheimer's disease.

Reports that the United States Department of Energy has scrapped plans to restart a nuclear reactor at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Richland, Washington. Opposition of environmental groups to restart the reactor; Public meetings conducted by the agency on the issue.

Reports on the appointment of neuroscientist Richard Murphy as president and chief executive officer of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. Background of the institute; Information on Murphy; Tasks of the head of Salk Institute.

Reports that Elsevier Science, a publishing house launched an electronic archive for chemistry preprints in the United States. Purpose of developing the archive; Features of the archive.

Provides information on the Anthropological Research Facility of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, founded by forensic scientist William Bass. Description of the facility; Ongoing projects of the facility; Methods of dating remains; Comments from Arpad Vass, a chemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Focuses on the reports of novel organic molecules that give old plastics new life and an alternative to DNA chips discussed during the 219th meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, California. Discussion of Samuel Stupp on the development of three-part molecules; How to track DNA when the chips are down.

Reports on the discovery of researcher Paul Wender and his colleagues at Stanford University of a small chemical tag that appears to act as a universal pass, allowing compounds access to interior of cells. Description of the cellular pass; Significance of the discovery; Comment from Wender regarding their discovery.

Reports on the ruling of a federal judge in San Francisco, California, that the Hoffmann-La Roche patent for Taq polymerase is invalid. Factors that led to the ruling; What the ruling means; Statement issued by Randall Dimond, Promega's chief technical officer.