Monthly Archives: December 2011
Genetically engineered E. coli could be used to make biofuels
In a discovery that pushes the dream of worldwide implementation of renewable energy towards reality, researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in Berkeley, California have synthesised three advanced biofuels using genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli). Certain biofuel syntheses involve the use of metabolic engineering to design organisms that can digest biomatter. The advantage [...]
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RSC Event: Directing Biosynthesis III
See here for more info. Introduction Natural products continue to underpin the developments of new medicines and agrochemicals. Their biosynthesis and role in the environment are increasingly well understood at ecological, chemical, biochemical, and genetic levels and their discovery and exploitation remain key objectives of academics and companies. Following the 2006 and 2010 editions of [...]
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RSC Event: Lipids and Membrane Biophysics (FD161)
See here for more info. Introduction One of the key challenges in biophysics and chemical biology is gaining an understanding of the underlying physico-chemical basis of the highly complex structure and properties of biomembranes. It used to be thought that the lipid component played a mainly passive role, simply acting as a self-assembled bilayer matrix [...]
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RSC Event: Inorganic Photophysics and Photochemistry – Fundamentals and Applications (Dalton Discussion 13)
See here for more info. Introduction The fields of photophysics and photochemistry of metal complexes – and their associated spectroscopic methodology – have never been more topical. The efficient use of light as a renewable energy source on a large scale, including artificial photosynthesis, is becoming paramount, as is use of light scale for photocatalysis. [...]
RSC Event: 21st IUPAC International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC 21)
See here for more info. Introduction The 21st IUPAC International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC 21) will be organised by the RSC Physical Organic Chemistry Group. ICPOC is the leading international conference on Physical Organic Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity. The conference will consist of plenary, invited and contributed lectures, as well as poster sessions. ICPOC-21 [...]
RSC Event: Ion Specific Hofmeister Effects (FD160)
See here for more info. Introduction The hydration of ions and the interactions of ions with (bio)molecules play a key role in many natural and technological processes. These effects are usually framed in terms of the lyotropic or Hofmeister series which traditionally orders cations and anions according to their ability to salt-out proteins. Since its [...]
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RSC Event: Challenges in Nanoscience (ISACS9)
See here for more info. Introduction Challenges in Nanoscience will be the third event in the International Symposia on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS) series in 2012. Nanoscience is a exciting research area which encompasses a broad range of disciplines, including chemistry, biology, physics and engineering. The five themes selected for this symposia reflect the [...]
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RSC Event: Crystallisation – A Biological Perspective (FD159)
See here for more info. Organised by the Faraday Division in association with the Materials Chemistry Division Introduction The last ten years have seen a revolution in our understanding of the mechanisms of biological crystal growth. While it had long been assumed that crystallisation would occur by the same classical mechanisms which form the basis [...]
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RSC Event: Challenges in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (ISACS8)
See here for more info. Introduction Challenges in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry will be the second event in the International Symposium on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS) series in 2012 and the first of the series to take place in Canada. ISACS8 will build upon the success of ISACS3 which took place in 2010 on [...]
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Paracetamol no longer a mystery