Chemistry

RETROSPECT

Buried wealth in Imperial Brazil

Wilhelm Eschwege conducted the first major survey of the country’s mineral wealth from 1811 to 1821

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AGRONOMY

Strategies aim to reduce external dependence on fertilizer feedstock

Techniques to help farmers use fertilizers more efficiently, inserting microorganisms into seeds, and identifying new feedstock sources have the potential to reduce the need for imports

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Astronomy

Two planets, similar but different

Known as the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune are similar in composition, mass, and size, but they are different shades of blue

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TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

Environmentally friendly asphalt

Reusing mining tailings, construction waste, demolition rubble, and other waste reduces the amount of gravel, natural sand, and petroleum derivatives used in paving material

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COVID-19

Anti-coronavirus semiconductors

Nanotechnological materials emerge as promising alternatives in the battle against SARS-CoV-2 and future pandemics

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infectology

Mosquitoes learn to avoid poison

Disease-carrying insects can learn to avoid insecticides after being exposed just once to nonlethal doses

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COVER

Brazil making efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of livestock

With more head of commercial cattle than any other country in the world, Brazil is striving to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with cattle farming

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Climate

The Amazon produces 8% of the planet’s methane

Most of the gas emitted in the biome comes from wetlands, but the rise in livestock farming and fires has increased emissions associated with human occupation

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Chemistry

Fire-retardant coating inspired by lava

A group of researchers from China and Australia has developed a promising fire-retardant coating inspired by the properties of lava

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Archaeology

233,000-year-old human fossils

The oldest fossils of modern humans ever found are at least 233,000 years old

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GEOLOGY

A very special diamond

A diamond contains a mineral that has never been seen before

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Chemistry

Paint made of mercury and blood

A 1,000-year-old gold mask that belonged to a leader of the Sicán culture was painted with mineral pigment, human blood, and egg white

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Geology

Exoplanets with exotic rocks

The rocky planets orbiting stars outside our Solar System may have a very different chemical composition to Earth

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Materials engineering

The power of copper

Copper nanoparticles can be used to create biocidal fabrics and agricultural pesticides

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Nobel Prize

Everything as before

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided not to award this year’s Nobel Prize to the development of mRNA-based vaccines

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Chemistry

The Lavoisiers, transformed

Researchers discovered important differences in the original composition of the iconic portrait of Antoine Lavoisier and his wife

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Chemistry

A 100-year-old Brazilian patent

A century ago, chemist and photographer Ubaldo Conrado Augusto Wessel (1891–1993) patented a new formula in the country for bathing photographic papere

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Environment

CO2 extraction plant

The largest plant designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere began operating in Ireland on September 8

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Retrospect

Perfecting the art of cachaça making

How a self-taught chemist helped to improve cachaça production techniques in the late eighteenth century

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Obituary

Solid knowledge

Oswaldo Luiz Alves helped advance inorganic chemistry and nanotechnology in Brazil

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Pharmacology

New Alzheimer’s drug sparks controversy

A new compound designed to fight Alzheimer's disease is causing controversy

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Agriculture

New biological pest control agents

Natural tick control and lacewings could help fight pests in Brazil’s cattle and coffee industries

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Medicine

Breathing microplastics

Tiny and potentially harmful polymer particles and fibers found in human lungs

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Materials engineering

Made to order

Artificial intelligence system determines glass formulation based on the desired characteristics

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nuclear tests

France underestimated how many were affected by nuclear testing

The inhabitants of the archipelagos of French Polynesia were exposed to 2–20 times more radiation than previously estimated

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Photolab

Bottled color

Under a blacklight, the lab-made solution shines

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Ecology

Lowered immunity

Even modest doses of insecticide make bees more susceptible to bacterial infections and increased mortality

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Crop science

Soil genetics

New mineral mapping technique can help farmers save on farm inputs and minimize environmental impacts

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Astrophysics

Persistent connection

International team captures unexpected simultaneous creation of star and planet in system continuously sustained by cloud of gas

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Geophysics

Hidden light

Brazilian group identifies rare light in the upper atmosphere over northeastern Brazil, created by the Moon passing in front of the Sun

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