ACS in the News

CBS News (New York, NY: 10.70 million unique monthly visits)
“Study raises concern over exposure to flame retardant chemicals used in some car seats”
May 7, 2024

But according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, "vehicles are likely important sources of human exposure to potentially harmful flame retardants." Those most likely to be exposed are commuters, full-time vehicle drivers and children.

The story was covered by 574 outlets this week, including The New York Post (United States), Forbes (United States), and The Daily Mail (United Kingdom), covered the story.

Interesting Engineering (San Francisco, CA: 3.39 million unique monthly visits)
“Smart contact lens to wirelessly detect irreversible vision loss early”
May 10, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

According to a statement published by the [American Chemical Society], the smart contact lens was devised to enable early detection and monitoring of glaucoma, a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve and lead to vision loss… The study was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces on April 23, 2024.

Thirty-three outlets, including AZO Materials (Australia), covered the story this week.

Interesting Engineering (San Francisco, CA: 3.39 million unique monthly visits)
“Chicken fat sparks breakthrough in sustainable energy storage”
May 11, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

Researchers at Yeungnam University in South Korea have devised a technique to convert chicken fat into carbon-based electrodes for supercapacitors, which store energy and power LEDs… The details of the team’s research were published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Twenty-nine outlets, including Independent Turkçe (Turkey), covered the story this week.

Earth.com (Reno, NV: 2.74 million unique monthly visits)
“Unexpected beauty revealed in ice formation”
May 9, 2024
Publicized in: ACS video release

[George’s] quest to create crystal-clear ice cubes led to an accidental rediscovery of dendritic crystal growth – a stunning process where ice forms in intricate, branching patterns [embedded Reactions video explains].

Three outlets covered the video this week.

New Atlas (Australia: 2.54 million unique monthly visits)
“Tiny tenacious robots snatch bacteria and microplastics out of the water”
May 8, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

Scientists have developed tiny “robots” which appear to be very effective at removing microplastics pollution from water. The research is described in a paper that was recently published in the journal ACS Nano.

The story was covered by 122 outlets this week, including El Español (Spain) and Interesting Engineering (United States).

Salon (United States: 4.53 million unique monthly visits)
“How ancient Egyptian tech could save modern libraries from scourge of bookworms”
May 8, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

In a recent study from the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research, researchers analyzing books from the National Library of Medicine archives discovered that gluten-free glues are less attractive to the dozens of pests classed as bookworms. 

Five outlets covered the story this week.

USA Today (United States: 66.34 million unique monthly visits)
“US may ban chemical used to make decaf coffee, but there are alternatives: What to know”
May 9, 2024

The American Chemical Society says that the decaffeination process leaves methylene chloride, "well below the 10-ppm concentration allowed" due to the easily soluble nature of the chemical.

Reuters (United States: 43.88 million unique monthly visits)
“People over parking: The U.S. cities that are reclaiming their streets”
May 8, 2024

The black asphalt required for spaces can pollute water, too: a study published in Environmental Science and Technology documented how, when exposed to rainfall, thousands of toxic chemicals can run off into waterways, carrying oil and surface contaminants with them.

Newsweek (New York, NY: 29.77 million unique monthly visits)
“Just a few days on night shift has ‘long-term’ consequences”
May 10, 2024

The study, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, subjected a group of volunteers to three days of night or day shift schedules. At the end of the three days, participants were kept awake for 24 hours under constant conditions to measure their internal biological rhythms without interference from their environment.

The story was covered by 105 outlets this week, including NDTV (India).

Los Angeles Times (El Segundo, CA: 26.43 million unique monthly visits)
“‘Nothing is untouched’: DDT found in deep-sea fish raises troubling concerns for food web”
May 6, 2024

The study, published Monday in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, is one of many research efforts sparked by a 2020 Los Angeles Times report that detailed the little-known history of ocean dumping off the Southern California coast — and how the nation’s largest manufacturer of DDT had for years disposed of its waste at sea.

Fifty-five outlets, including Earth.com (United States), covered the story this week.

Newsweek (New York, NY: 29.77 million unique monthly visits)
“How the venomous red head centipede could save lives”
May 3, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

The Chinese red-headed centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans) contains special chemicals named alkaloids that reduce inflammation and fibrosis in kidney cell culture, according to a new paper in the Journal of Natural Products.

Fifteen outlets, including Interesting Engineering (United States), covered the story this week.

Women’s Health (United Kingdom: 22.94 million unique monthly visits)
“A dermatologist explains why you should wear sunscreen all year round, and not just on holiday”
April 30, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

In a 2019 study [published] by the American Chemical Society, it was estimated that 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen end up in the world's oceans every year, causing damage to coral reefs and marine life. [Adapted from research published in Analytical Chemistry.]

Il Fatto Quotidiano (Milan, Italy: 13.42 million unique monthly visits)
“Così dal tabacco sono stati ottenuti materiali viventi vegetali ingegnerizzati” [This is how engineered living plant materials were obtained from tobacco]
May 6, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

L’edilizia rappresenta in realtà solo una delle possibili applicazioni di questo approccio, sviluppato dagli scienziati della Nanjing Tech University e descritto in un articolo sulla rivista dell’American Chemical Society [ACS] Central Science. [Construction actually represents only one of the possible applications of this approach, developed by scientists at Nanjing Tech University and described in an article in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Central Science.]

Seventeen outlets covered the story this week.

AZO Materials (Sydney, Australia: 321,000 unique monthly visits)
“Reflective Paint Solves Lidar Detection Challenges for Self-Driving Cars”
May 3, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

In a recent paper published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, researchers revealed the development of highly reflective black paint, utilizing titanium dioxide, to enhance the visibility of dark objects for autonomous vehicles equipped with lidar sensors, potentially improving road safety.

Eight outlets covered the story this week.

The Independent (United Kingdom: 57.46 million unique monthly visits)
“Scientists find breakthrough way to make batteries cheaper and more capable”
May 2, 2024

The work is described in a paper, ‘Toward Cost-Effective High-Energy Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes: Covalent Bond Formation Empowers Solid-State Oxygen Redox in Antifluorite-Type Lithium-Rich Iron Oxide’, published in the journal ACS Materials Letters.

Sixty-six outlets, including Yahoo UK (United Kingdom) and Nico Nico (Japan), covered the story.

Gizmodo (New York, NY: 9.80 million unique monthly visits)
“Indoor Climbing Gyms Might Be Chock Full of Toxic Rubber Additives, Study Finds”
May 3, 2024

The research was led by scientists from the University of Vienna, some of whom have previously studied how rubber and its property-enhancing additives can seep into the environment [in research published in Environmental Science & Technology].

Six outlets covered the story this week.

Interesting Engineering (San Francisco, CA: 3.39 million unique monthly visits)
“World's first! Plasma turns landfill methane gas into jet fuel”
May 1, 2024

This innovation, detailed in a recent publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, holds immense promise for tackling climate change and creating a circular economy for waste-generated greenhouse gases.

Fifty-eight outlets, including El Periódico de Catalunya (Spain) and La Nueva España(Spain), covered the story.

Interesting Engineering (San Francisco, CA: 3.39 million unique monthly visits)
“Chinese team's salt battery harnesses osmotic power at river estuaries”
April 25, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

Researchers have created a semipermeable membrane that generates electricity by absorbing osmotic energy from salt gradients... Chinese researchers from Guangxi University and Anhui Agricultural University published their study in the journal ACS Energy Letters.

Thirty-two outlets, including Terra (Brazil) and Olhar Digital (Brazil), covered the story this week.

Washington Post (Washington, DC: 56.28 million unique monthly visits)
“Finding space for wind farms might be easier than we thought”
April 28, 2024

But the huge structures topped with massive rotating blades only take up five percent of the land where they’ve been built, new research shows. The rest of the space can be used for other purposes, such as agriculture, according to a study published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Six outlets covered the story this week.

CBS News (New York, NY: 10.70 million unique monthly visits)
“Tire toxicity faces fresh scrutiny after salmon die-offs”
April 23, 2024

One outstanding research question is whether 6PPD-q affects people, and what health problems, if any, it could cause. A recent study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters found high levels of the chemical in urine samples from a region of South China, with levels highest in pregnant women.

Thirty-seven outlets, including News Medical (United Kingdom) and the San Diego Union Tribune (United States), covered the story this week.

RTL (Cologne, Germany: 11.88 million unique monthly visits)
“Ohne Schwitzen zum Traumkörper? Wissenschaftler entwickeln Fitness-Pille” [Get your dream body without sweating? Scientists develop fitness pill]
April 23, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

Der medizinische Chemiker und Professor Bahaa Elgendy, Ph.D. aus dem Fachbereich Anästhesiologie an der Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis stellte die Ergebnisse seines Teams Anfang März erstmals bei der American Chemical Society (ACS) vor. [Medicinal chemist and professor Bahaa Elgendy, Ph.D. from the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis presented his team's results for the first time at the American Chemical Society (ACS) in early March.]

Meteo Giornale (Italy: 1.76 million unique monthly visits)
“Bistecche e affettati vegetali: cosa li differenzia dalla carne?” [Vegetable steaks and cold cuts: what differentiates them from meat?]
April 22, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

Uno studio recente pubblicato sul Journal of ‍Agricultural and Food Chemistry rivela che, sebbene alcune alternative vegetali come “bistecche vegetali”‍ e “affettati ‌vegetali” possano competere con le vere carni in alcuni aspetti, presentano carenze in termini di contenuto di aminoacidi e digeribilità delle proteine. [A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reveals that while some plant-based alternatives such as “vegetable steaks” and “vegetable meats” can compete with real meats in some aspects, they have deficiencies in terms of amino acid content and protein digestibility.]

Ten outlets, including Technology Networks (United Kingdom) and Food Navigator (United Kingdom), covered the story this week.

Dentistry IQ (Tulsa, OK: 121,000 unique monthly visits)
“New insights about rodent enamel could improve human dentistry”
April 22, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

A newly published study in ACS Nano found something surprising about rodent teeth and could have implications for the next generation of preventive and restorative products.

Reader’s Digest (White Plains, IL: 13.74 million unique monthly visits)
“25 Amazing Science Facts That Are Weird, Wild, and True”
April 26, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

While one flute of champagne produces about one million bubbles, a half-pint of beer creates around two million bubbles, according to a 2021 study published in the journal ACS Omega.

Yahoo Life UK (London, United Kingdom: 1.05 million unique monthly visits)
“How microplastics can impact health, as plastic wet wipes to be banned in UK”
April 23, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

A 2019 study [published] by the American Chemical Society suggested that humans consume and inhale up to 211,000 microplastic particles every year. [Adapted from research published in Environmental Science & Technology.]

Six outlets covered the story this week.

Phys.org (Isle of Man, United Kingdom: 7.60 million unique monthly visits)
“The secret to saving old books could be gluten-free glues”
April 24, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

Now, researchers have analyzed the proteins in wheat-based glues applied in historic bookbinding to provide insights on their adhesiveness and how they degrade in the Journal of Proteome Research. This information could help conservators restore and preserve treasured tomes for future generations.

Six outlets covered the story this week.

Science Daily (Rockville, MD: 2.59 million unique monthly visits)
“The longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces”
April 25, 2024
Publicized in: ACS PressPac

While large oil spills are highly publicized, every year there are many smaller-scale spills into lakes, rivers and oceans. And, according to research published in ACS' Energy & Fuels, the longer that oil remains in freshwater, the more chemical changes it undergoes, creating products that can persist in the environment.

Eight outlets covered the story this week.

Gizmodo (New York, NY: 9.80 million unique monthly visits)
“Scientists Can Now See Inside a Single Cancer Cell”
April 25, 2024

The researchers found that different cancer cells could have vastly different lipid profiles. They were also able to reliably see how these lipids changed in response to their environment. The work, published this week in the journal Analytical Chemistry, could pave the way for crucial discoveries about cancer.

Sixteen outlets covered the story this week.

Vancouver is Awesome (Vancouver, Canada: 1.54 million unique monthly visits)
“Peregrine falcons laced with banned chemicals, find Canadian scientists”
April 26, 2024

The study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology this month, traced levels of halogenated flame retardants, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDDs), in the apex predator between 1984 to 2016.

Twenty-three outlets, including the Times Columnist (Canada) and North Shore News (Canada), covered the story this week.