TORONTO: Scientists have developed a new approach to create highly combustible rocket fuel that is much cleaner and safer than the hypergolic fuels commonly used today.
The new fuels use simple chemical “triggers” to unlock the energy of one of the hottest new materials, a class of porous solids known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.
MOFs are made up of clusters of metal ions and an organic molecule called a linker, according to the research published in the journal Science Advances.
“This is a new, cleaner approach to making highly combustible fuels, that are not only significantly safer than those currently in use, but they also respond or combust very quickly, which is an essential quality in rocket fuel,” said Tomislav Frisci, a professor at McGill University in Canada.
Satellites and space stations that remain in orbit for a considerable amount of time rely on hypergols, fuels that are so energetic they will immediately ignite in the presence of an oxidiser.
The hypergolic fuels that are currently mainly in use depend on hydrazine, a highly toxic and dangerously unstable chemical compound made of a combination of nitrogen and hydrogen atoms.
Hydrazine-based fuels are so carcinogenic that people who work with it need to get suited up as though they were preparing for space travel themselves, researchers said.
Despite precautions, around 12,000 tonnes of hydrazine fuels end up being released into the atmosphere every year by the aerospace industry.
“Although we are still in the early stages of working with these materials in the lab, these results open up the possibility of developing a class of new, clean and highly tunable hypergolic fuels for the aerospace industry,” said Hatem Titi, a post-doctoral fellow who works in Frisci’s lab. (AGENCIES)
RESEARCH-SUGAR-RUSH
‘Sugar rush’ may be a myth: Study
LONDON, Apr 8:
The idea of ‘sugar rush’ — a state of hyperactivity after consuming too many sweets — is a myth, claim scientists who found that sugar makes people less alert and more tired.
Researchers from University of Warwick and Lancaster University in the UK set out to examine whether sugar really boost people’s mood.
Using data collected from 31 published studies involving almost 1,300 adults, the team investigated the effect of sugar on various aspects of mood, including anger, alertness, depression, and fatigue.
They also considered how factors such as the quantity and type of sugar consumed might affect mood, and whether engaging in demanding mental and physical activities made any difference.
The researchers found that sugar consumption has virtually no effect on mood, regardless of how much sugar is consumed or whether people engage in demanding activities after taking it.
They found that people who consumed sugar felt more tired and less alert than those who had not.
The study shows that the idea of a ‘sugar rush’ is a myth without any truth behind it.
“We hope that our findings will go a long way to dispel the myth of the ‘sugar rush’ and inform public health policies to decrease sugar consumption,” said Elizabeth Maylor, from the University of Warwick.
“The idea that sugar can improve mood has been widely influential in popular culture, so much so that people all over the world consume sugary drinks to become more alert or combat fatigue,” said Konstantinos Mantantzis, from Humboldt University of Berlin, who led the study.
“Our findings very clearly indicate that such claims are not substantiated — if anything, sugar will probably make you feel worse,” said Mantantzis. (AGENCIES)
HEALTH-CHILLI-CANCER
Spicy compound from chili peppers may slow lung cancer spread
WASHINGTON, Apr 8:
A compound that makes chili peppers spicy may help curb lung cancer spread, according to a study that may pave the way for a novel treatment against the deadly disease.
Most cancer-related deaths occur when cancer spreads to distant sites, a process called metastasis.
“Lung cancer and other cancers commonly metastasize to secondary locations like the brain, liver or bone, making them difficult to treat,” said Jamie Friedman, a doctoral candidate who performed the research at Marshall University in the US.
“Our study suggests that the natural compound capsaicin from chili peppers could represent a novel therapy to combat metastasis in lung cancer patients,” Friedman said in a statement.
In experiments involving three lines of cultured human non-small cell lung cancer cells, the researchers observed that capsaicin inhibited invasion, the first step of the metastatic process.
They also found that mice with metastatic cancer that consumed capsaicin showed smaller areas of metastatic cancer cells in the lung compared to mice not receiving the treatment.
Additional experiments revealed that capsaicin suppresses lung cancer metastasis by inhibiting activation of the protein Src. This protein plays a role in the signaling that controls cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, motility and adhesion.
“We hope that one day capsaicin can be used in combination with other chemotherapeutics to treat a variety of lung cancers,” said Friedman.
“However, using capsaicin clinically will require overcoming its unpleasant side effects, which include gastrointestinal irritation, stomach cramps and a burning sensation,” he said.
The researchers are working to identify capsaicin analogues that will be non-pungent while retaining the anti-tumour activity of capsaicin. They are also trying to identify natural non-pungent capsaicin-like compounds with anti-cancer activity. (AGENCIES)
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