Agilent announced that UK Border Force is now using the company’s handheld Raman system, to detect bulk chemicals through opaque packages and containers. This system detects benign, hazardous, or illegal shipments.

Some viruses can get inside cells via a mechanism that involves sulfur organic molecules. Chemists at Unige have discovered effective inhibitors and blocked the uptake of Sars-Cov-2.

The condition trimethylaminuria is more commonly known as fish odour syndrome — it currently has no cure. Researchers at the University of Warwick have been able to stabilise and inhibit the enzyme that produces TMA, which means once a drug has been discovered they can test how it to stop TMA production.

A new study shows that strong and rapid action to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will help to slow down the rate of global warming over the next 20 years. This highlights that immediate action on climate change can bring benefits within current lifetimes, not just far into the future.

Fatty liver disease is a condition that can lead to fibrosis of the liver and, eventually, liver failure. Currently there is no easy way to diagnose either fatty liver disease or liver fibrosis. However, MIT engineers have now developed a diagnostic tool, based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), that could be used to detect both of those conditions.

Scientists at the University of Granada, Spain, discover that a plant produces radically different flowers in Spring than in Summer. According to their findings, this is due to heat modifying its gene expression.

A Kaust (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) startup has introduced the Azure Robotics project which makes use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics to offer an effective disinfection process for large-surface areas.

Astra Zeneca collaborated with the Serum Institute of India (SII) for the supply of the vaccine to the Indian Government as well as many other low and middle-income countries. Astra Zeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has also received emergency use authorisation in five other countries.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a new range of strain sensors from Mxenes, a flexible, stretchable, and electrically conductive nanomaterial. The NUS is also exploring the application of these sensors in soft exoskeleton robots for rehabilitation and in surgical robots for transoral robotic surgery.

Victor Grignard was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1912. Since then, the Grignard reagents named after him have become firmly established in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. A new type of microreactor developed by Fraunhofer researchers makes these reactions faster and safer and the products purer.