Why coffee drinking reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes

Why coffee drinking reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes

Why do heavy coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, a disease on the increase around the world that can lead to serious health problems? Scientists are offering a new solution to that long-standing mystery in a report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry. Ling Zheng, Kun Huang and … Read more

Killer silk: Making silk fibers that kill anthrax and other microbes in minutes

A simple, inexpensive dip-and-dry treatment can convert ordinary silk into a fabric that kills disease-causing bacteria — even the armor-coated spores of microbes like anthrax — in minutes, scientists are reporting in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. They describe a range of potential uses for this new killer silk, including make-shift curtains and … Read more

New plastics ‘bleed’ when cut or scratched — and then heal like human skin

New plastics turn red when damaged, then heal themselves when exposed to light. Credit: Prof. Marek W. Urban, Ph.D.

A new genre of plastics that mimic the human skin’s ability to heal scratches and cuts offers the promise of endowing cell phones, laptops, cars and other products with self-repairing surfaces, scientists reported today. The team’s lead researcher described the plastics, which change color to warn of wounds and heal themselves when exposed to light, … Read more