News from ACS Spring 2022 Meeting

Your next trendy handbag could be fashioned from “leather” made from a fungus. Researchers have harnessed this organism to convert food waste into sustainable faux leather, as well as cotton substitutes and paper products, with properties comparable to the traditional materials. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.

Diamonds aren’t just glittery, sparkly gems for jewelry. Those that are only a few nanometers wide are crucial for drug delivery, sensors and quantum computer processors. A new method can grow ultra-uniform nanodiamonds, which is important to make these technologies successful, and without the need for explosives. This technique could be used to add beneficial single-atom defects in otherwise perfect crystals. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.

A group of high school students and their instructor have developed a solution to lead contamination in drinking water — an inexpensive faucet attachment that removes this toxic metal. Unlike conventional filters currently on the market, theirs includes a cartridge made with biodegradable plastic and indicates when it’s “used up” by turning the tap water yellow. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.

Women have many choices for birth control, ranging from pills to patches to intrauterine devices, and partly as a result, they bear most of the burden of preventing pregnancy. But men’s birth control options — and, therefore, responsibilities — could soon be expanding. Now, scientists report a non-hormonal male contraceptive that effectively prevents pregnancy in mice, without obvious side effects. They will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.

The colon might be the last place people would consider getting a tattoo, but endoscopic tattooing is an important medical technique for marking colorectal lesions for surgery or follow-up. Today, scientists report a next-generation ink for these markings that diffuses less and is more biocompatible than existing inks. That could make it easier to identify and remove colon polyps and tumors, the researchers say. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2022.

NASA is preparing to send humans to Mars sometime in the 2030s. The 3-year mission will expose astronauts to a long period of microgravity, which will cause them to lose bone mass. Now, scientists report transgenic lettuce that produces a bone-stimulating hormone. Someday, astronauts (and people on Earth) might be able to guard against bone loss simply by eating a big bowl of salad. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.

Devastating residential blazes and wildfires take a terrible toll. Today, researchers will report on a new type of coating that could limit the flammability of wood used in construction, potentially providing more time to escape fires and also curbing their spread. The environmentally friendly flame retardant could also be used for other flammable materials, such as textiles, polyurethane foam and 3D-printed parts. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.

Ice cream can be a culinary delight, except when it gets unpleasantly crunchy because ice crystals have grown in it. Scientists report that adding cellulose can stop this growth cold — and the additive works better than current ice growth inhibitors in fluctuating temperatures. The findings could be extended to the preservation of other frozen foods and perhaps donated organs and tissues. The researchers will present their results today at ACS Spring 2022.