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Lisa Jarvis
The Real Excitement At BIO
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on June 19, 2008 in Where is C&EN?

Walking the convention floor this afternoon, I heard a roar rise from somewhere on the floor, seemingly from the direction of the German pavillion. The cause of the commotion? A scientific breakthrough? An exciting deal announcement? Not even close. It seems Germany had been prescient enough to have a huge plasma-screen TV at their booth, and a crowd had gathered to watch Germany play Portugal in the Euro quarter-final.
Posted in Where is C&EN? | 1 Comment »
Highs And Lows Of BIO
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on June 19, 2008 in Where is C&EN?
When you attend a conference as big as BIO—more than 20,000 people have converged on
Posted in Where is C&EN? | 1 Comment »
The BIO Circus In Full Swing
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on June 17, 2008 in Where is C&EN?
Greetings from sunny
The exhibit floor opened at 3 PM today, and as I walked to a meeting at a company’s booth at 3:30 PM, people were already walking around with armfuls of goodies. We’re not talking pens and buttons or raffles for an iPod shuffle. We’re talking basketballs and Crocs and the chance to win mountain bikes and trips to
Posted in Where is C&EN? | 3 Comments »
Xeroxing Fido
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on June 17, 2008 in Uncategorized
I thought I’d share an example of some of the bizarre pitches that end up in a reporter’s inbox (particularly a reporter who covers the biotech industry). Here’s an excerpt from a press release I received today.
“In celebration of BioArts International successfully cloning the beloved family pet of CEO Lou Hawthorne, they have launched the first ever global online auction to clone five dogs. The auction will beheld July 5th through July 9th, with a high bidder notified on each day. First day bidding will begin at $100,000 with the initial price increasing on each successive day. BioArts International and the Best Friends Again program have also established the Golden Clone Giveaway, whereby one lucky person will receive a FREE cloning of his or her dog. By June 24th, contestants must complete an entry form, including a 500-word essay in English, explaining why they feel their dog deserves to be cloned.”
I’m not sure what to say about it, other than–really? I do love dogs (and animals of all sort for that matter), but I’m fairly perplexed as to why this is the best use of today’s technology. Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, figure out some better cancer treatments first or try to come up with biomarkers for drugs in development? Also, I know people are attached to their pets (that’s my Dad’s new puppy Nevada, above; who couldn’t love her?), but aren’t an awful lot of animals in shelters in need of homes? Anyway, if you’re interested, you can register here.
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Chemistry Newsbytes
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on May 23, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized
Just in time for Memorial Day cookouts: Heparin and hot dogs. WSJ
Where have all the chemistry sets gone? SciGuy
Just how many of your kids’ science teachers are creationists? Kind of a lot. New Scientist
Abbott tries to attract students to medical sciences through a scholarship contest on Facebook. Wired
Frugality in the lab: a waste of time or a veritable challenge? Chemistry Blog
Chemistry in the kitchen: a hydrocolloid recipe collection. Khymos
Ten ways to fuel the future: cutting-edge clean energy solutions. Forbes
Posted in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized | Post a Comment »
Science In The Attic
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on May 19, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized
Ah, early animal testing. The illustration to the right is from La Chimica in Famiglia, an Italian book written in 1886 by Gustavo Milan, who aimed to teach chemistry to girls. The setup is that a wealthy chemist is introducing his granddaughter Faustina to chemistry by relating it to her daily tasks. This particular slide demonstrates nitrogen’s inability to sustain life. No worries, PETA, the bird is saved at the last minute. But the book is an interesting example of how science was being geared toward the fairer sex in centuries past. The page was thoughtfully passed on to me by Paul Bernasconi, a chemist at BASF and a longtime C&EN reader. I met Bernasconi at a recent dinner at a conference in
Posted in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Slainte! To The Science Of Scotch!
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on May 7, 2008 in Chemistry and Food
Scotch isn’t really my thing, but I was excited nonetheless to learn a bit about the science of the drink last night at the New York Academy of Sciences. Simon Brooking, master ambassador for Laphroaig and Ardmore, two of Scotland’s premier single malt whiskeys, gave a rollicking talk that covered everything from the history of the drink to how it’s distilled to a primer on tasting and enjoying the drink (a hint: let it hit the middle of your tongue, not the tip). There were bagpipes and kilts and several kinds of Scotch to sample. Brooking even sang a few songs.
Our own Beth Halford did a thorough job explaining the process of distilling whiskey, so I won’t go into the gritty details. But I did come away with a few interesting facts worth sharing:
*The Scots use copper stills when making their magic elixir, and Brooking says the style and the flavor of Scotch is linked to the shape of the still and the angle of the line neck. Smaller, squat stills tend to produce a heavier, oilier-flavored drink, whereas taller stills impart a sweeter flavor. When I asked Brooking to clarify why the shape of the still mattered so much, he said “we’re not sure exactly what is happening,” chalking up the process to the magic and mystery of Scotch. Hmm. Not exactly the scientific breakdown I was hoping for. He did explain that different parts of the still wear thin sooner than others because of the heat generated while the whiskey is refluxing, which could influence the final product. I did a little digging, and it seems the copper reacts with sulfur compounds that would otherwise give the whiskey an unpleasant taste. I’m sure there’s more to it, chemically speaking, and would guess surface area also plays a role. Perhaps one of our readers could provide some more clarity?
Posted in Chemistry and Food | 3 Comments »
One Hundred Years Ago …
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on May 5, 2008 in The Editor's Blog
This week, Rudy’s editorial digs into the causes of a major transition that occurred at ACS in 1908. It turns out, the ACS Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division, the Organic, Physical, and Agricultural & Food Chemistry Divisions, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers are all celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year. Rudy decided to investigate what exactly happened a century ago. He writes:
“So what was special about 1908? It turns out that there was a lot of ferment in the chemistry enterprise in the first decade of the 20th century, and it was reflected in the activities and structure of ACS. What I find interesting are the parallels between then and now.”
Tension between ACS members who were industrial chemists and those working in academe and government labs, worry that new journals would dilute the content of JACS, and a debate over the merits of creating more-specialized subdivisions within the organization topped members’ concerns. Sound familiar? Do these issues remain at the forefront 100 years later? Sound off in the comments!
Posted in The Editor's Blog | Post a Comment »
Where Have All the Periodic Tables Gone?
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on April 25, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere
On a stroll through a flea market in my neighborhood last weekend, I happened upon a tiny treasure in a bin of old books. “Wonders of Science: A Pictorial Story of Science and Invention,” is a guide through the “wonderland of science” that was the Franklin Institute in
Posted in Chemistry is Everywhere | 9 Comments »
Tiny Bubbles At The NYAS
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Posted by Lisa Jarvis on April 23, 2008 in Chemistry and Food, Uncategorized
Ah, champagne. The sparkly, bubbly, goodness is my favorite summertime drink. It’s not so bad for toasting special occasions, either. Or as an aperitif before a large meal. Or mixed with orange juice at brunch. Okay, let’s be honest, I would pretty much drink it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if it was acceptable (and I was in a different tax bracket).
*Effervescence is promoted by cellulose fibers stuck to the wall of your glass. Yes, dust is the source of that sparkly goodness.
Posted in Chemistry and Food, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
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