Matter & Energy News -- ScienceDaily

• Goodbye plastic? Scientists create new supermaterial that outperforms metals and glass
  Scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston have created a powerful new material by guiding bacteria to grow cellulose in aligned patterns, resulting in sheets with the strength of metals and the flexibility of plastic—without the pollution. Using a spinning bioreactor, they’ve turned Earth’s purest biopolymer into a high-performance alternative to plastic, capable of carrying heat, integrating advanced nanomaterials, and transforming packaging, electronics, and even energy storage.
• Cracking the carbene code: A 100x faster path to life-saving drugs
  Using a clever combo of iron and radical chemistry, scientists have unlocked a safer, faster way to create carbenes molecular powerhouses key to modern medicine and materials. It s 100x more efficient than previous methods.