They (a team at the University of Calgary) haven’t actually proved that bucky balls are dangerous. They’ve created a simulation which shows how bucky balls (a type of carbon molecule usually represented as a sphere that looks like a soccer ball) could penetrate into a cell and this could prove to be toxic. The team has published the study in Nature Nanotechnology. The reason for so much interest? Bucky balls are starting to be used commercial  in coatings. There’s more from the team’s press release here.

I did not make it to the Cafe Scientifique get together last night. I’m healing from a sprained ankle and a dental procedure and I don’t quite have my usual bounce.