Most people who develop pancreatic cancer aren't diagnosed until the cancer has already spread. Now, a spectroscopic method spots never-before-seen signs of early-stage pancreatic cancer. In the Optical Society journal Optics Letters, researchers describe a method called partial wave microscopic spectroscopy.

Water is a universal solvent, but some analytical chemists prefer ice. This separationsNOW article says ice chromatography is a practical analytical technique. Researchers produce ice particles smaller than 10 microns wide. At temperatures just below freezing organic molecules mainly bind to the ice via hydrogen bonds.

Seeing might not be believing. But seeing someone perform an experiment explains a lot more than a manuscript. That's the creative idea behind the online Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) — a peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed journal devoted to biological research in a video format. By JoVE, imagine the possibilities.

Future telescopes, with mirrors half the size of a football field, will need special components to deal with the light they collect. Merely scaling up current telescope designs won't work — because we can't build optics that size. A method of building new telescopes is discussed in a special issue of Optics Express.

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A forensic and toxicology database lets users quickly identify more than 7,500 compounds with high confidence. Based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data, it includes software to search, edit, and create customizable content. A ranking and scoring algorithm assigns a confidence level for each match.

Spanish researchers used semi-preparative liquid chromatography to isolate fractions of commercial virgin olive oils. Capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography connected to mass spectrometry checked fraction purity and composition. The quest: to find out what in virgin olive oil may combat breast cancer. Tentative answer? Polyphenols.

Sometimes the residue isn't visible to the human eye — even in a white-glove test. But manufacturers need to know that their environment is clean — or what is contaminating the line. That's why ion chromatography to analyze residue is provided as part of a CRET (Cleanliness and Residue Evaluation Test) kit.

All particles aren't created equal — but sorting sizes can be quite the trick. At Pittcon this month, Malvern introduces four particle characterization and rheology systems, including the rotational rheometer, Zetasizer APS, and Zetasizer µV particle characterization systems, plus a new Viscotek chromatography product.

The annual International Symposium on Chirality (ISCD), held July 12-15 in lovely Beckenridge, CO, will focus on molecular and supramolecular dissymmetry in the natural and life sciences. Paper topics include chiral peptides and polynucleotides, enantioselective synthesis, chiroptical and NMR spectroscopy, materials chirality, preparative resolution, and the frontiers of chiral analysis.

Sci-Fi movies often depict ordinary people with extraordinary power. The book, The Science of Heroes, takes a whimsical look at how the scientific process might be applied to superheroes on NBC's TV show Heroes. The TV show is an excuse to talk about real scientific advances, including brain-imaging technologies, human-powered flight, and quantum tunneling. There's nobody with IR or UV spectroscopic vision, however.

More of a Good Thing? Or Just More?

Is a new journal another venue for publishing important research, or yet another subscription fee for already over-taxed research libraries?