chemical reaction Archives

Exiguobacterium degradation of polystyrene: Enlisting bacteria in the war against plastic

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Dr André Hudson and his team uncover the mechanism by which the bacteria genus Exiguobacterium degrades polystyrene.

Polystyrene is a chemically stable recalcitrant plastic that pollutes many natural environments. Unfortunately, few mechanisms can break down this man-made polymer into its naturally occurring components. Research into the polystyrene-digesting capabilities of the bacteria genus Exiguobacterium sp RIT 594 by Dr André Hudson and his team at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, USA, has uncovered the specific […]

Free Electron Lasers: The Biggest and Brightest Light Sources

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SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser can be used to stimulate and measure the electron-transfer process.

Creating focused, well-behaved beams of electrons is no easy task, but something that Dr Sergio Carbajo and his team at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator laboratory are experts in. They are developing new technologies to control electron generation for some of the world’s biggest and brightest lasers to make it possible to film exactly what happens in the […]