Feel the burn! But what’s behind that feeling when your muscles ache during exercise? And what’s it got to do with yogurt?? Find out about lactic acid in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.
Fancy catching up with some of the sights around the Czech Republic, how does Toxic Mountain sound as a field trip? Hmmm, perhaps not so alluring. Toxic Mountain is the translation of Jedovar Har, to the south of Prague, where for 130 years iron and mercury have been mined and smelted. Maria Hojdova from here in Prague, has been analysing mercury levels from the forest floors around Jedovar Har, and another site, Pribram, where lead zinc and silver were mined and lead smelted, leaving mercury behind from the ores.
Hojdova found that most of the inorganic mercury was present as the immobile and water insoluble mercury sulfide, with less than 14% of the mercury in more mobile forms – this was also backed up by showing that most contamination was on the surface of soil, rather than permeating further down. By also analysing the mercury in tree rings Hojdova also showed how the mercury deposition matched the activity of the mining areas, including a secondary peak in the 60s.
However, if that doesn’t put you off, Hojdova did conclude her talk with a recommendation for Pribram and its mining museum. Unfortunately, I don’t think my schedules going to allow such a field trip.
Meanwhile, over in the poster sessions I was treated to a fantastic story of art theft and recovery by a student from Karel Lemr‘s lab, Volodymyr Pauk. The lab were approached when n painting, Crucifixion, stolen from the St Sebestian church on Holy Hill in the Czech Republic, was recovered in Austria. Restorers and conservators obviously wanted to know what they had, both to determine authenticity and to help restoration efforts. Pauk was charged with determining which blue pigment was used – Prussian blue or indigo.
Prussian blue is an inorganic pigment (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3) and was discovered back in the 18th century in Berlin (hence the name), whereas indigo, an organic dye extracted from plants, has been used since ancient times, until being superceeded by synthetic alternatives. Identifying which has been used can help date painting, but both are insoluble in water or many common organic solvents.
Pauk was tasked with making the pigments soluble so that they could be identified with mass spectrometry rather than traditional methods like HPLC. This was especially important, said Pauk, because when he was finally sent samples ofthe paint, they were so small that to begn with he thought he had been sent empty sample bags.
For Prussian blue, Pauk showed that the pigment could be decomposed with sodium hydroxide to give Na4[Fe(CN)6. Meanwhile, indigo could be reduced with dithionite to give the soluble leucoindigo. That allowed Pauk and his lab to test the tiny samples of paint and identify the paint used. Although the technique was so sensitive that it detected some contamination of Prussian blue, the painting was shown to mainly contain indigo, helping to date the artwork as well as telling conservators what to use.
Restoration of the artwork is still ongoing. Meanwhile Pauk is now trying to do similar work to convert Tyrian, or Royal, purple into a mass spec-able compound. If anyone has any ideas I suggest you get in contact.
30-08-2012 20:28 University of Tennessee chemistry professor Al Hazari gives a science demonstration to kindergarten and first grade students at Green Magnet Math & Science Academy Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012.
Originally posted here:
Chemistry professor Al Hazari gives science demonstration at Green Magnet - Video
— This way for all your chemistry needs
This week, the historic city of Prague is playing host to nearly 1800 chemists for the 4th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress. As you might expect, I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the past over the last day and a half, but not the history that preoccupies the tourists who are sharing my hotel.
Yesterday at the opening ceremony, several of the speakers were keen to talk about their links with Prague – how they had visited before and were pleased to come back, or to highlight a longer standing connection with the city. President of Iupac Kazuyuki Tatsumi, used the opportunity to share some snaps from his previous visit back in 1982, with a familiar physical chemist stood in the picture with Tatsumi and common mentor Rudolf Zahradnik – a young Angela Merkel. Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Lehn claims links to Prague back to 1963, and a paper co-authored with a Czech chemist. Lehn has now set up a prize, in collaboration with the French Embassy in Prague, a prize to help support Czech chemistry and young Czech researchers. This year, the winner was Michal Kolar from Charles University here in Prague for his work on halogen bonds. As part of his prize, Konar will be sponsored for a month’s study visit to France.
However, after the opening ceremony and beer on Sunday, Monday started bright and early with a full scientific programme with 12 parallel sessions. The topics that caught my attention all had a common theme – history.
One talk that stood out was in the Environmental and Radiochemistry section. This morning, Tarja Ikaheimonen of Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority compared the Fukushima accident to Chernobyl, and as someone who doesn’t remember the 1986 event, some of the facts and stats she reported were incredibly sobering. Forests are apparently very susceptible to nuclear contamination because the plants take up caesium instead of potassium and the Fukushima fallout was mainly over Japanese forests. In Finland the post-Chernobyl contamination is still 40% of the maximum, says Ikaheimonen, showing how long lasting that contamination can be. And of course, that then concentrates up the food chain. Butterflies in the forests near Fukushima are now showing morphological variability, just as in Finland’s forests
However, the Fukushima disaster, while obviously awful, was no where near as bad as Chernobyl, says Ikaheimonen. Caesium discharge in Japan was about 20-30% that of Chernobyl, and the fall out was mainly local, rather than contaminating vast portions of northern Europe, as Chernobyl has. And perhaps, just as the Chernobyl site is now an incredibly diverse nature reserve, the same could happen for the forests in Japan says Ikaheimonen. I have to say though, I don’t think I’d recommend that as a general strategy for improving environmental diversity.
ScienceDaily (Aug. 30, 2012) Up to 4 percent of the methane on Earth comes from the ocean's oxygen-rich waters, but scientists have been unable to identify the source of this potent greenhouse gas. Now researchers report that they have found the culprit: a bit of "weird chemistry" practiced by the most abundant microbes on the planet.
The findings appear in the journal Science.
The researchers who made the discovery did not set out to explain ocean geochemistry. They were searching for new antibiotics. Their research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, explores an unusual class of potential antibiotic agents, called phosphonates, already in use in agriculture and medicine.
Many microbes produce phosphonates to thwart their competitors. Phosphonates mimic molecules the microbes use, but tend to be more resistant to enzymatic breakdown. The secret of their success is the durability of their carbon-phosphorus bond.
"We're looking at all kinds of antibiotics that have this carbon-phosphorus bond," said University of Illinois microbiology and Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) professor William Metcalf, who led the study with chemistry and IGB professor Wilfred van der Donk. "So we found genes in a microbe that we thought would make an antibiotic. They didn't. They made something different altogether."
The microbe was Nitrosopumilus maritimus, one of the most abundant organisms on the planet and a resident of the oxygen-rich regions of the open ocean. When scanning microbial genomes for promising leads, Benjamin Griffin, a postdoctoral researcher in Metcalf's lab, noticed that N. maritimus had a gene for an enzyme that resembled other enzymes involved in phosphonate biosynthesis. He saw that the microbe also contained genes to make a molecule, called HEP, which is an intermediate in phosphonate biosynthesis.
To determine whether N. maritimus was actually producing a desirable phosphonate antibiotic, chemistry postdoctoral researcher Robert Cicchillo cloned the gene for the mysterious enzyme, expressed it in a bacterium (E. coli), and ramped up production of the enzyme. When the researchers added HEP to the enzyme, the chemical reaction that ensued produced a long sought-after compound, one that could explain the origin of methane in the aerobic ocean.
Scientists had been searching for this compound, methylphosphonic acid, since 2008, when David Karl at the University of Hawaii, Edward DeLong at MIT and their colleagues published an elegant -- yet unproven -- hypothesis to explain how methane was arising in the aerobic ocean. The only microbes known to produce methane are anaerobes, unable to tolerate oxygen. And yet the aerobic ocean is saturated with methane.
To explain this "methane paradox," Karl and DeLong noted that many aerobic marine microbes host an enzyme that can cleave the carbon-phosphorus bond. If that bond were embedded in a molecule with a single carbon atom, methylphosphonic acid, one of the byproducts of this cleavage would be methane. Karl and DeLong even showed that incubation of seawater microbes with methylphosphonic acid led to methane production.
"There was just one problem with this theory," van der Donk said. "Methylphosphonic acid has never been detected in marine ecosystems. And based on known chemical pathways, it was difficult to see how this compound could be made without invoking unusual biochemistry."
Go here to read the rest:
'Weird chemistry' by microbe is prime source of ocean methane
By Joginder Tuteja, Glamsham Editorial
"There are some real good scenes that Emraan and Vidya enjoy in the film. Many complained that in THE DIRTY PICTURE, none of the two actors could actually go all the way since their characters hated each other and only fell in love towards the last few scenes. Now their chemistry has been nurtured fully in GHANCHAKKAR which is expected to be a madcap entertainer," informs a source connected to the film.
This is pretty much apparent in the shoot that the duo has enjoyed so far. While they can be heard exchanging notes about their earlier work, they are all the more excited about going all the way in GHANCHAKKAR, something that they had missed out in their last hit together.
A common friend adds, "In GHANCHAKKAR it is all the more magical. It is a very different zone that Emraan and Vidya are exploring and the chemistry is very unusual too."
When contacted, Emraan confessed that it was indeed phenomenal to get back with Vidya after a hiatus. "Just a few scenes that we did together in THE DIRTY PICTURE were enough to make people say - 'Silk should not die, she has finally found true love'. I guess that was the beauty of our pairing in the film when even less was more. Now with GHANCHAKKAR, there should be much more in the offing for audience."
Guess after the heavy duty films that both Emraan (JANNAT 2, RAAZ 3, SHANGHAI) and Vidya (KAHAANI) have done of late, letting their hair down for some 'ghanchakkar' moments would only serve them better.
More on bollywood at glamsham.com
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Emraan, Vidya to have sizzling chemistry in GHANCHAKKAR
31-08-2012 15:43 Event date: July 3, 2012. Some coffee tastes better than others, but how can farmers ensure that their coffee tastes as delicious as possible? Join Seattle University's Susan Jackels to discover how she trains local coffee farmers in Nicaragua to use chemistry and scientific investigation to produce quality coffee.
Link:
Better Coffee Through Chemistry | QUEEN ANNE SCIENCE CAFE - Video
Chemistry, Economics and Gourmet Food! Oh, My!
UCR Chemistry Chair Cindy Larive and daughter Erin Kaplan, an economist at Pitt, come together to create The Food Doctors, a blog about great food and the science and economics that make it possible
By Ross French on August 29, 2012
Cindy Larive, the chair of the UC Riverside Department of Chemistry (left) and daughter Erin Kaplan, a professor of economics at Pittsburgh, have come together to create a blog on gourmet food and the chemistry and economics behind its creation. Photo courtesy of Erin Kaplan
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) Cindy Larive, chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Riverside, is well known for her work in bioanalytical chemistry, including research on the stress response of plants to flooding and drought and methods for detecting whether fruit juices have been watered down with cheaper ingredients. But recently, its her work on the buttermilk pancake that has been taking the Web by storm.
Specifically, Buttermilk Pancakes with Mixed Berry Compote and Sweet Vanilla Butter.
Larive and her daughter, Erin Kaplan, a visiting lecturer in economics at the University of Pittsburgh, are co-creators of The Food Doctors, a blog devoted not merely to creating amazing food, but also to the science and economics that make that amazing food possible.
The blog was conceived last spring as Kaplan and Larive were hiking in Cinque Terre National Park in Italy. Kaplan had recently won a dessert-making competition and had one of her recipes featured on the How Sweet It Is blog. As they explored the park, Erin suggested starting a blog of their own. Naturally, they came up with the blogs framework during dinner.
We wanted to create something more academic than the average food blog a place where we could geek out over food and maybe teach people a little bit along the way, Kaplan said. Teaching economics comes very naturally to me, and I know my mother feels the same passion about chemistry. It was kind of a perfect storm.
Creating great food has always been a major part of life for Larive and her daughters, dating back to when she was completing her Ph.D. here at UCR and Kaplan and sister Megan were students at the UCR pre-school. Erin recalls that she religiously watched Julia Child: Bon Apptit, convinced that the master chef was a long-lost grandmother.
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Chemistry, Economics and Gourmet Food! Oh, My!
BCGC wins $3.4 million NSF training grant: Grad students encouraged to apply
August 29, 2012
The Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry (BCGC) has been awarded a $3.4 million training grant by the National Science Foundation. The grant will train five to six Ph.D. students annually for five years in the principles of green chemistry and the design of clean energy technologies.
The goal of the Systems Approach to Green Energy (SAGE) grant is to develop a generation of scientists, engineers, toxicologists, policy-makers and business leaders who are well versed in the principles of green chemistry and clean energy. By using a systems approach, the program will foster technology innovations in solar energy, biofuel, and energy storage systems.
Photos by Roy Kaltschmidt/LBNL
Chris Vulpe, associate professor in the Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology, is the principal investigator for the grant. We will bring together disciplines that don't speak the same language, and not only get them to talk, but also work together toward creative solutions to our pressing need for sustainable energy solutions.
John Arnold, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, is a Co-PI. Other Co-PIs include Alastair Iles, an assistant professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management in the College of Natural Resources, and Thomas McKone of the campus Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health and a senior staff scientist in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratorys Environmental Energy Technologies Division.
The SAGE grant team is seeking grad students interested in incorporating green energy research into their graduate studies. They will be recruited from UC Berkeleys School of Public Health, the College of Chemistry, the College of Natural Resources, and the Haas School of Business. SAGE students will participate in interdisciplinary courses related to green chemistry. They will also be advised by interdisciplinary dissertation committees.
Says BCGC Executive Director Marty Mulvihill, We anticipate that SAGE grad students will be fully funded for two years, starting in the spring of their first year and continuing through the fall of their third year. After that, SAGE students will be funded through traditional research and teaching assistant positions. SAGE students will also have access to funding from the National Science Foundations Competitive Innovation Fund.
The program will also feature K-12 outreach programs to Bay Area schools, and the option of studying at universities in England and Sweden that are developing similar green chemistry and sustainable energy programs.
Read more:
NSF awards $3.4 million to train students in “green chemistry”
Newswise A Saint Marys College chemistry research team has developed an inexpensive paper-based tool that can screen for counterfeit pain relievers. The paper analytical device (PAD) is the size of a business card and offers results in less than five minutes. Its technology that could ferret out other fake drugs that promise cures for everything from malaria to the flu. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a serious problem in developing countries. The College has applied for a U.S. patent for the PAD and the patent is pending. Its the first time Saint Marys has applied for a patent.
Undergraduate researchers at this Catholic, liberal arts womens college modified existing paper-strip technology to develop PADs that screen for substandard tablets of Panadol. Panadol is one of multiple brand names used abroad for the pain and fever reliever acetaminophen. The Saint Marys research team led the Panadol project with researchers at the University of Notre Dame.
Panadol long has been among the most common, standard pain relieving drugs counterfeited around the world, said Saint Marys chemistry professor Toni Barstis who led the team. In the past, you could just look at the labeling and packaging and know if it was counterfeit. Now, they do such a good job with the package design its hard to determine whether its a package of the genuine medicine or a fake that contains no acetaminophen or even ingredients that may be harmful.
Barstis and two members of her teama Saint Marys chemistry student and a recent alumnapresented their research results upon invitation in Philadelphia at the 244th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on August 19. ACS is the worlds largest scientific society. Click to see video of ACS press conference.
The tool that Barstis team developed uses a chemically treated paper that resembles a business card. To check for counterfeit ingredients, a person simply swipes the pill onto the PAD and dips the PAD in water. Color changes on the paper indicate both suspicious and authentic ingredients. The screening takes less than five minutes and can be done by consumers. This lies in stark contrast to high-tech analytical methods, which are expensive and time-consuming. For instance, instrumental testing of pharmaceuticals in labs in Kenya can take 3-6 months. Precious time can be lost as a patient waits for treatment.
Barstis said the counterfeit acetaminophen products are just the tip of the iceberg. Other fake pharmaceuticals are marketed as cures for infections, malaria, and the flu. Some contain acetaminophen, which reduces pain and fever, but do not contain the active ingredient to combat these diseases. Because the Panadol PAD checks for the presence of acetaminophen, it can be modified to screen the other drugs. Barstis teamin collaboration with chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, and industrial design teams at the University of Notre Dameis developing similar tools to identify counterfeit antibiotics, anti-malaria drugs, and Tamiflu, the influenza medication.
The World Health Organization estimates that 10-30 percent of the drug supply in developing countries consists of counterfeit medicines, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Problems have been documented, for instance, in Kenya, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, and Panama. Officials blame crime rings, which profit from selling pills that contain plaster of Paris, baking soda, or other inexpensive ingredients.
Presenting with Barstis at the ACS meeting were Elizabeth Bajema 11, the PADs project professional specialist, and student researcher Diana Vega Pantoja 13. Bajema, who graduated from Saint Marys in 2011, delayed graduate chemistry studies at Northwestern University to continue her work on the PADs project, this time as a College employee. Pantoja is a dual-degree engineering student working towards a degree in chemistry from Saint Marys and a chemical engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame. Shes glad to be part of the PADs project and calls Barstis a mentor.
I cant imagine a more supportive, energetic, and demanding mentor than Doctor Barstis, said Pantoja, a dual degree student who is also earning an engineering degree at Notre Dame. She believes in us and pushes us to achieve our highest potential. She is passionate about getting women interested in science in general, not only chemistry.
About the American Chemical Society: The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the worlds largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
More:
Chemistry Research Team Unveils New Device to Screen for Counterfeit Drugs
By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley | August 28, 2012
Martin Head-Gordon
Martin Head-Gordon, the Kenneth S. Pitzer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, has been inducted as an American Chemical Society Fellow. The UC Berkeley scholar is among 96 distinguished scientists named as ACS 2012 Fellows, in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in chemistry and important contributions to ACS.
These chemists hold the future to our country, to our way of life and to the legacy we will leave for the next generation, said ACS President Bassam Shakhashiri, of the 2012 Fellows.Whether its producing renewable fuels, finding cures for afflictions such as diabetes, cancer, AIDS and Alzheimers disease or ensuring safe drinking water, these fellows are scientific leaders, improving our lives through the transforming power of chemistry.
A specialist in theoretical chemistry, Head-Gordon and his research group investigate the development and application of electronic structure theories, to permit the treatment of problems that are currently beyond the reach of standard methods.
The 2012 Fellows were recognized at an Aug. 20 induction ceremony in Philadelphia, at the societys national meeting. ACS is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress.
Categories: Faculty/Staff, Honors & awards, News, Science Tags: ACS, American Chemical Society Fellow, Department of Chemistry, theoretical chemistry
Originally posted here:
Head-Gordon honored by chemistry society
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2dfsn2/wine_flavour_chem) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Wine. Flavour Chemistry" to their offering.
Wine Flavour Chemistry brings together a vast wealth of information describing components of wine, their underlying chemistry and their possible role in the taste, smell and overall perception. It includes both table wines and fortified wines, such as Sherry, Port and the newly added Madeira, as well as other special wines. This fully revised and updated edition includes new information also on retsina wines, ross, organic and reduced alcohol wines, and has been expanded with coverage of the latest research. Both EU and non-EU countries are referred to, making this book a truly global reference for academics and enologists worldwide.
Wine Flavour Chemistry is essential reading for all those involved in commercial wine making, whether in production, trade or research. The book is of great use and interest to all enologists, and to food and beverage scientists and technologists working in commerce and academia. Upper level students and teachers on enology courses will need to read this book: wherever food and beverage science, technology and chemistry are taught, libraries should have multiple copies of this important book.
Key Topics Covered:
1 Introduction
2 Grape Varieties and Growing Regions
3 Basic Taste and Stimulant Components
4 Volatile Components
5 Wine Tasting Procedures and Overall Wine Flavour
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Research and Markets: Wine Flavour Chemistry
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The next game Tony Romo plays, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback expects to be throwing again to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.
And hopefully Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten too.
Yet Romo didn't seem bothered that his expected top three pass-catchers were standing on the sideline injured in his last preseason game. He did just fine throwing to Dwayne Harris, Kevin Ogletree and John Phillips.
"Tony is an outstanding player and he's done it with a lot of different kinds of guys. This is the third or fourth time we've turned the receivers over," coach Jason Garrett said. "He's someone who continues to play at a very high level. It's nice to see him play well and play in a good rhythm with the younger guys. He's worked very hard with the different cast of characters he's been playing with and they've been growing together."
Romo was 9-of-13 passing for 198 yards and two long touchdowns to Harris in a 20-19 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Saturday night. The Cowboys (No. 15 in the AP Pro32) scored 17 of their points in the three series Romo played in the first quarter.
There is a void to fill at the No. 3 receiver spot behind Austin and Bryant after Laurent Robinson had 11 TD catches last season and got a big free-agent deal from Jacksonville.
The absence of Austin (hamstring) and Bryant (right knee tendinitis) provided Harris and Ogletree more time with Romo and an extended chance to prove they can play.
"You get a feeling, you get a sensation you think is good, but what happens then is you've got to be able to go out and prove it," Romo said. "You've got to go out into the game and you've got to execute well. I thought our team did that. Our young guys knew what they were doing and it showed."
Harris, a sixth-round draft pick in 2011, got behind the secondary for a 61-yard TD and then split two defenders while finishing a 38-yard score. Ogletree, going into his fourth season, caught two passes from Romo for 40 yards.
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Romo finding chemistry with unknown WRs
DALLAS, Aug.27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Chemistry.com, one of the nation's leading dating sites, today reveals the Top 10 Sleepless Citieswhere singles are looking for love between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. Although New York City may be known as "the city that never sleeps," singles in Honolulu, Hawaii are the most restless during the wee hours of the night, followed by their unattached counterparts in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Night owls are in good company all over the U.S., with plenty of like-minded late-night aficionados looking for love until the sun rises from coast to coast.
The Top 10 Sleepless Cities in the U.S.:
Chemistry.com is celebrating these sleepless singles by hosting "Up All Night," where visitors can try out the dating site for free from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. CDT beginning Thursday, August 30. The event will offer both new and existing members access to all of Chemistry.com's features free of charge, including the ability to browse full profiles with photos and communicate with other members using emails and Chemistry's unique get-to-know-you games. To register for this free night of flirting, singles can take theChemistry.com Personality Test and create a profile to join in with other night owls online at http://www.chemistry.com/cp/upallnight.
Top 10 cities list was calculated by examining the top U.S. cities that were active on Chemistry.com between midnight and 6 a.m., accounting for the six different time zones in the country.
About Chemistry.comLaunched by Match.com in February 2006, online dating site Chemistry.com was created to bring together singles that are looking for ways to discover if true chemistry exists before meeting on the first date. Based on the research of renowned biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher, Chemistry.com uses a proprietary test to get to know each individual and their ideal match.This approach makes Chemistry.com the ideal place for singles to empower their love life and find the relationship that is right for each individual, whether it's marriage, romance, a partnership or a long-term commitment.Chemistry.com is an operating business of IAC (IACI).
The rest is here:
Love Goes Late-Night With Chemistry.com
Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhodes at the media launch of South Pacific, a musical backed by Opera Australia. Pic - Sam Mooy Picture: Sam Mooy Source: Herald Sun
LISA McCune says on-stage chemistry between her and South Pacific co-star Teddy Tahu Rhodes is because of the script, and is not due to a blossoming romance between the pair.
Leading lady McCune (who plays Nellie Forbush) and opera star Rhodes, who plays her on-stage love interest Emile de Becque, made headlines recently when they were photographed locking lips in a Sydney laneway.
ANY inkling the audience might get of a blossoming romance between Lisa McCune and Teddy Tahu Rhones in South Pacific the two lead actors of Opera Australia's production of South Pacific has been put down to the powerful script of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
But during the Brisbane launch of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic on Monday, McCune attributed any on-stage chemistry with New Zealand-born Rhodes as a result of the script rather than a personal connection.
"The script is really beautiful, the script is so well constructed," the former Blue Heelers star said.
"Rogers and Hammerstein ... are great technicians, so they know how to manufacture that for the audience."
Tim Disney and Lisa McCune at their home in Melbourne. Picture: Media-mode.com Source: Supplied
Co-star Daniel Koek (Lieutenant Cable) was also quick to brush off any romantic connection between the pair as nothing more than good acting.
"Lisa's such a great actress that she's giving him (Rhodes) so much to work with, he's playing off of it and that's where it comes from," Koek told reporters.
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McCune says co-star chemistry "scripted"
The registration for the 35th intake into the very popular Graduateship Program in Chemistry, conducted by the Chartered Chemists in Sri Lanka is now in progress.
Those having or expecting to obtain three A/L passes are strongly advised to make use of the early bird registration facility available until August 31, in order to follow the four year program at an academic level equivalent to a BSc Special (Honours) Degree in Chemistry in the fastest possible time and at minimal cost.
Professor J. N. Oleap Fernando, Honorary Rector of the College of Chemical Sciences said that the College has been for the past 15 years the largest producer of graduate Chemists in Sri Lanka.
Further information about this low cost, fast track, high quality program can be obtained from the website http://www.ichemc.edu.lk or by calling over at 341/22, Kotte Road, Welikada, Rajagiriya (near post office) on any day or by phoning 011-2861231/2861653 or by attending the next orientation session on September 8.
Continued here:
Registration for chemistry graduateship program closes on August 31
OK, so the factoid about it being a by-product of the space race is completely wrong – but the true story behind its discovery is a lot more quirky. Get to grips with the non-stick chemistry behind PTFE in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.
Despite a relatively inexperienced squad, sixth-year La Salle-Peru head coach Joe Sassano is hoping a strong team chemistry from his hard-working Cavaliers will carry them through and offset that lack of experience this fall on the gridiron.
The junior-dominated 48-man L-P roster is made up of 19 seniors, 27 juniors and two sophomores.
"They've just got a good work ethic and they've bonded together," said Sassano of his team.
Triggering a "potentially explosive" Cavs offense will be third-year starting quarterback Zack Cinotto, an All-NIB 12 West selection in 2011 after passing for just lass than 1,400 yards as a junior. The strong-armed, 6-foot-1, 210-pound slinger who is on the recruiting radar of college coaches has thrown for more than 2,300 yards during his two varsity seasons.
One of the players who will be responsible for protecting Cinotto and giving him time to fire away will be senior left tackle D.J. Wilmot (6-5, 225) L-P's lone returning lineman.
A couple of expected weapons for Cinotto will be running back Victor Espindola and wide receiver Adam Happ.
"We have the potential to be explosive and hit the big plays," Sassano said. "And I think as the season goes on, we'll be able to, hopefully, control the ball a little bit and be able to move it running. We've got some running backs that can make some things happen.
"Our goal is to be able to have a balanced attack."
The L-P defense welcomes back a trio of starters in linebackers Seth Schiffbauer and Kyle Jenkins, along with safety Billy Vickers. A pair of key players on the Cavaliers D-line will be tackles Michael Denyes (6-3, 220) and Chris Morehouse (6-0, 205).
"Obviously, we're going to have some inexperienced players out there, but yet, they seem to want to play some physical football. I think we've got some tough kids," Sassano said. "And we've got some good speed in our secondary."
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NIB 12 WEST: Chemistry is key to Cavaliers equation
Image: Penguin Group USA
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
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The Chemistry between Us: Love, Sex, and the Science of Attraction Larry Young Brian Alexander Penguin Group USA, 2012 ($26.95)
How do I love thee? When neuroscientist Young and journalist Alexander started counting, they found many molecular ways. In The Chemistry between Us, the writers highlight the complex chemical processes that create love in the brain and bolster the argument that love is an addiction.
Young has devoted his career to studying the behaviors and neural circuitry of love in the prairie vole, a rodent whose monogamous tendencies resemble our own. Once a prairie vole has found the one, the pair will most likely remain companions for life. Young's research has implicated a range of chemical activitiesmainly during sexthat build this lifelong bond. In particular, he uncovered how two hormones in the brain, vasopressin in male voles and oxytocin in female voles, regulate social behavior and memorypromoting the recognition of a loved one and the urge to cuddle or defend. In addition, the circulation of dopamine and opioids allows the vole to associate his or her partner with pleasure, thus strengthening their bond. Many of these molecules are identical to those activated in human bonding.
That loving feeling comes at a price. A hormone called corticotropin-releasing factor, or CRF, builds up in the brains of paramours and parents alike. The CRF system activates a stress response, and this system elicits the painful sensations you feel when your baby cries or your boyfriend dumps you. The system may seem like a nasty trick, but it has its uses. Even when passion fades or a diaper needs changing, the sharp pangs of the CRF system keep families and loved ones together. The CRF system also contributes to the agony an addict feels after the elation wears off. Thus, the authors argue, the highs of intimacy and withdrawals of separation parallel the highs and lows that drug addicts experience.
The Chemistry between Us playfully integrates anecdotes and research, bouncing from bizarre experiments examining how rodents can develop fetishes to real-life stories, such as a woman unable to develop loving bonds because of her lack of human contact in an orphanage as a child. Though occasionally too quick, the book's pace makes it feel like a light read. Understanding love's neurochemistry can't compare with the actual experience, but learning the science can certainly make us appreciate our heritage as loving, social beings.
This article was originally published with the title MIND Reviews: The Chemistry between Us.
Chemistry and trust: The IMS squad will be relying on their strong returning squad to concoct the perfect mix on the volleyball court this fall.
Everyone is back on the court for the IMS girls volleyball squad this season and Coach Cindy Miller who joined the team as a head coach last season, is excited about their potential.
I think things are coming together and were very optimistic because were returning everyone, said Miller. That helps a lot because we already have that chemistry built up.
The right mix of volleyballers and experience leads to trust that can propel a team forward. Thats what Coach Miller and her IMS volleyball squad are hoping for this season.
Second-team All-Conference setter Casey Perez is back with the team and brings a whole other year of experience as a junior. She doled out 418 assists in her sophomore year and led the team with 262 digs as well.
Anya Slabaugh is back as a middle hitter and has improved her strength.
She got a lot of experience last year, said Miller. She wasnt very strong but shes worked on it a lot this summer and she looks a lot tougher and shes got some good skills down. Well see a lot from her.
Kristen Davis will be moving from a hitter position to the libero. Kristen Davis played libero last season and will be rotating in on the back row as a back-row specialist.
New on the squad this season, Hannah Miller saw some varsity time as a freshman and will be a vital substitute this season.
She backs up everybody, said Miller. Shell be on the JV, setting, shell be a hitter, and I think shell be a big part on varsity.
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IMS Volleyball: Chemistry and Trust