DNA search, iPhone chemistry, electronic waste

Latest bookmarked science news, including my current Alchemist column on ChemWeb.com:

  • How to build a better DNA search engine – The techniques for indexing Chinese language websites could dramatically improve the speed of bioinformatic searches, according to research by SOSO, the third largest Chinese search engine
  • The chemistry of an iPhone – Steve Jobs responds to conflict minerals accusations, but might not mass spectrometry reveal the truth?
  • Two angles in that PNAS report that says climate-is-changing crowd bigger, better than nay-sayers – On which side of the climate cred camp do you sit?
  • Chemistry news on ChemWeb.com – in this week's issue of The Alchemist, resurrecting an old clotting drug could save tens of thousands of lives across the globe, a new strain of yeast can brew up second generation biofuel from agricultural and forestry waste-streams, while bringing order to polymers using metal templates might bring us organic graphite for nano-electronics applications. In bottom-up research, supramolecular chemistry proves itself under the tunneling microscope, while palm-sized magnets could give a boost to spectroscopy in the field. Finally, a Nobel chemist receives the ACS's most prestigious award.
  • Dell takes steps to tackle electronic waste in India – Dell says it is working with Indian trade association MAIT to start dealing properly with toxic technology waste in India.