800 million people lack reliable access to drinkable water and that problem could engulf many more in the years ahead, warns Alex Scott, senior editor for Europe at Chemical&Engineering News.

Newly published research reveals that aberrant signaling by a protein called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta - already known for its role in some connective tissue disorders) is also a potent player in many types of allergies. 

Scientists have long understood that allergies are the result of a complex interplay between environment and genes, but now, in what investigators call a scientific first, a single genetic pathway has been implicated in an array of allergic disorders. 

A team of astrophysicists using results based upon observations of 10 quasars say they have discovered the extent to which quasars and their black holes can influence their galaxies. 

Researchers have developed a battery made from a sliver of wood coated with tin that shows promise for becoming a tiny, long-lasting, efficient and environmentally friendly energy source - 1,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper.

 Liangbing Hu, Teng Li and colleagues note that today’s batteries often use stiff, non-flexible substrates, which are too rigid to release the stress that occurs as ions flow through the battery. They knew that wood fibers from trees are supple and naturally designed to hold mineral-rich water, similar to the electrolyte in batteries. They decided to explore use of wood as the base of an experimental sodium-ion battery. Using sodium rather than lithium would make the device environmentally friendly.

Who ever guessed that sugar could be the downfall of the Bubonic Plague?

Diagnosing the presence of Yersinia pestis, the cause of the zoonotic disease also called the Black Death, may soon be much faster thanks to a simple, inexpensive and reliable glycomics  method of detecting the bacterium. 

Over 2,000 years ago, gold- and silversmiths developed a variety of techniques, including using mercury like a glue to apply thin films of metals to statues and other objects.

They developed thin-film coating technology that is unrivaled by today's process for producing DVDs, solar cells, electronic devices and other products and used it on jewels, statues, amulets and more common objects. Workmen over 2000 years ago managed to make precious metal coatings as thin and adherent as possible, which not only saved expensive metals but improved resistance to wear caused from continued use and circulation.

Understanding these sophisticated metal-plating techniques from ancient times could help preserve priceless artistic and other treasures from the past.