My writing spans the physical sciences: from astrophysics and planetary sciences, through chemistry and materials, to Earth and environmental science. I have broken exclusives from major conferences; watched in awe as grains from a comet’s tail were studied for the very first time; and reported from the bleak heart of Chernobyl’s exclusion zone.
I’m equally at home writing news or features, and have a reputation for delivering crisp copy to tight deadlines. If you have a commission, or would like me to pitch, please contact me.
15 November 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Simple method converts fluorspar into fluorochemicals
Generating common fluorinating agents directly from the mineral avoids the dangers of hydrogen fluoride.
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10 October 2024: Science
Coming of Age
Twenty years after the ballyhooed discovery of graphene, the atom-thin carbon sheets are finding their footing.
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25 September 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Recycling DNA origami nanostructures
New methods could drive down costs and waste in burgeoning applications.
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13 September 2024: Nature Biotechnology
Enzymes boost ‘rock weathering’ to trap CO2 in soil
Spreading powdered basalt on farmland may help to achieve key climate goals.
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5 September 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Porous organic crystals raise hopes for hydrogen storage
Molecules assemble into interlocked networks that can pack in plenty of hydrogen, albeit at low temperatures.
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30 August 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Promising plastics recycling method relies on simple catalysts
Waste polyethylene and polypropylene can be turned into useful propene and isobutene.
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7 August 2024: Engineering
Marine CO2 Removal Joins Race to Scale Up Mitigation Tech
Companies aim to shift greenhouse gas from air to ocean to tackle climate change.
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2 July 2024: Engineering
Controversy Clouds Real Progress in Superconductor Research
Debunked claims of room-temperature superconductivity obscure recent advances.
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3 June 2024: Nature Biotechnology
Next-generation psychedelics: should new agents skip the trip?
Companies attract venture funding for redesigned psychedelic drugs and notch clinical trial milestones.
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This article was repblished in Scientific American.
22 May 2024: Nature
Element from the periodic table’s far reaches coaxed into elusive compound
Chemists achieve synthetic feat with radioactive promethium for the first time.
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17 May 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN’s Talented 12: Chibueze Amanchukwu
This electrochemist invents new electrolytes to boost batteries.
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17 May 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN’s Talented 12: Julian West
This organic chemist harnesses the catalytic power of iron with light.
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18 April 2024: Nature
Meet ‘goldene’: this gilded cousin of graphene is also one atom thick
Sheets of gold might find use as catalysts, or in light-sensing devices.
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11 April 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Mechanochemistry strips cargo molecules from a loaded rotaxane
Using polymer strands to pull a ring along an axle could release repair molecules in self-healing materials.
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27 March 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Machine learning improves beer flavor
Algorithm correlates online reviews with chemical profiles of hundreds of beers, providing a roadmap to enhance taste.
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19 March 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Scorching heat turns MOF into discerning hydrogenation catalyst
By selectively turning alkynes into alkenes, the porous material could pave the way for more efficient purification of polymer feedstocks.
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18 March 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Photochemistry unleashes a one-two radical punch for efficient ring synthesis
Iridium and nickel catalysts cooperate to install nonaromatic rings in drug molecules.
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19 February 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Water boosts light-driven coupling chemistry
A thin film of organic molecules floating on water can undergo useful photochemical reactions, without needing organic solvents or catalysts.
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9 February 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Lasers liberate hydrogen from ammonia water
Light pulses offer an alternative approach to harnessing ammonia as a carrier for green hydrogen.
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6 February 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Roll up for flexible silicon solar cells
Thin cells could wrap around corners and use less silicon without sacrificing efficiency, potentially reducing solar costs.
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25 January 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Robot assistant optimizes photochemistry
RoboChem combines flow chemistry and machine learning to improve yield of light-driven reactions.
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13 January 2024: Chemical & Engineering News
Molecular shuttle thinks inside the box
Flat guest molecules zoom back and forth within iridium-based nanobox.
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12 December 2023: Nature
Robot chemist sparks row with claim it created new materials
Researchers question whether an AI-controlled lab assistant actually made any novel substances.
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29 November 2023: Nature
Google AI and robots join forces to build new materials
Google DeepMind tool predicts nearly 400,000 stable substances, and an autonomous system learns to make them in the lab.
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29 November 2023: Nature
A new kind of solar cell is coming: is it the future of green energy?
Firms commercializing perovskite–silicon ‘tandem’ photovoltaics say that the panels will be more efficient and could lead to cheaper electricity.
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19 November 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Lithium-ion battery recycling goes large
As companies scramble to increase recycling capacity, they are navigating a tricky path through shifting battery chemistries and a raft of new regulations.
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10 November 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
10 Start-ups to Watch: DePoly
Recycling complex plastic waste for a circular economy.
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9 November 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Antifungal analog offers reduced toxicity
Improved version of amphotericin B is now in clinical trial, but debate continues about its mechanism of action.
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2 November 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Skeletal edit swaps carbon for nitrogen
Single-atom edit offers medicinal chemists a direct route from quinolines to quinazolines.
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20 September 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
A shocking way to produce hydrogen from plastic waste
Flash Joule heating converts polymers into low-cost hydrogen and graphene.
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9 September 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Catalyst persuades alcohols to offer a helping hand for C-H activation
Tailored ligand on palladium catalyst uses hydrogen bonding to orchestrate reaction.
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5 July 2023: Nature Biotechnology
‘Clicked’ drugs: researchers prove the remarkable chemistry in humans
Bioorthogonal click chemistry is being used in patients to help target cancer medicines and diagnostic imaging agents.
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2 July 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Medicinal chemistry methods miniaturized for high-throughput experimentation
Researchers redesign 4 workhorse reactions to run in microliter droplets.
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15 June 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Diberyllocene is a Be–Be king
First solid compound to contain a beryllium-beryllium bond could unlock unusual chemistry.
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6 June 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Protein enables better lanthanide separations
A newly discovered form of lanmodulin offers a more efficient way to separate rare earth elements.
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31 May 2023: Nature
Skeleton Crew
An explosion of methods to insert, delete or swap single atoms in the cores of molecules could accelerate drug discovery.
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You can listen to Nature’s Benjamin Thompson reading this feature here.
19 May 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN’s Talented 12: Raúl Hernández Sánchez
This supramolecular chemist uses molecular assemblies to purify water and develop clean energy catalysts.
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19 May 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN’s Talented 12: Charlotte Vogt
This spectroscopist probes catalysts to accelerate the world’s transition to clean energy.
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24 April 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Chemists think outside the box to craft tricky cubanes
Using cubanes in place of benzene rings could help fine-tune the properties of drug candidates.
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15 February 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Porous pesticide carrier also promotes plant growth
Metal-organic framework deploys avermectins against citrus mites.
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5 February 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Chemists debate how to fuel molecular machines
As researchers develop efficient molecular fuels, they continue to wrestle with the fundamentals of how their machines work.
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31 January 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Copolymer could keep catheters bacteria-free
By reducing biofilm formation and bacterial swarming, this polymer may help to avert common infections.
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17 January 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Chain-link molecules form flexible networks
Catenated covalent organic frameworks could find use as additives or membranes.
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11 January 2023: Chemical & Engineering News
Electric molecular motor charges ahead
Oscillating voltage prompts molecular rings to trundle around a circular track.
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5 January 2023: Short Cuts: Science — Navigate Your Way Through Big Ideas
I was the consultant editor and co-author of Short Cuts: Science, a new book that explores some of the most important ideas in science. Fifty quickfire questions lead to ‘short cut’ or ‘scenic route’ answers that give you a guided tour of essential concepts.
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20 December 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Battery anodes recycled in a flash
Jolt of electricity zaps impurities in graphite anodes, potentially offering a cheaper and greener recycling strategy.
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15 November 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
These DNA nanoshells trap a broad spectrum of viruses
Using sugar chains as a ‘virus glue’ could help DNA origami structures become antiviral agents.
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27 October 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Mirror-image polymerase makes key parts of mirror ribosome
Ongoing effort to create a reflection of life’s protein-making machinery could provide access to mirror molecules for diagnostics, therapeutics, and more.
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25 October 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Molecular ring mimics photosynthetic machinery
Spoke-like templates bend a linear chain of 24 porphyrins into a light-harvesting hoop.
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13 October 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Chemistry and biology unite to recycle mixed plastics
No presorting needed in 2-step process that turns multiple plastics into single products.
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5 October 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Click and bioorthogonal chemistry win 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless receive prize for their work on reactions that quickly link up molecules and their application in living cells.
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Listen to my interview with Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi on the C&EN podcast.
28 September 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Blue-light special offers sweeter route to 𝐶-glycosides
Glycosyl sulfones need no catalyst for light-triggered radical coupling.
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20 September 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Molecular containers go supersized
Large macrocycle offers wider base for record-breaking cavitands that can trap and separate fullerenes.
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2 September 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Cyclodextrins line up for better filtration membranes
Porous films can separate molecules such as cannabidiol from organic solvents.
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31 August 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
New form of lithium reacts 20 times as fast as powdered metal
Crystallized dendrites offer high purity and surface area when preparing organolithium reagents.
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30 August 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Perfluorinated ligand makes long-awaited debut in rhodium complex
After a 40-year wait, fully fluorinated cyclopentadienyl derivative finally connects with a metal partner.
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19 July 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Paper strip detects SARS-CoV-2 variants
Foldable assay could help track different COVID-19 mutants for low-cost surveillance.
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15 July 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN Talented 12: Ming Joo Koh
This organic chemist uses common metals to shrink synthetic chemistry’s environmental footprint.
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15 July 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN Talented 12: Weixue Wang
This assay inventor identifies drug candidates for targets once thought to be undruggable.
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29 June 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Nickel catalyst enables versatile amine synthesis
Method creates hundreds of different amines from handy nitriles.
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24 June 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Single catalyst molecules tracked in solution
Fluorescence microscopy traces Grubbs catalysts’ winding paths during polymerization.
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15 June 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Flexible perosvkite solar cell sets efficiency record
A thin layer of bridging molecules boosts performance by helping charge move seamlessly between layers in the device.
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27 May 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Enzyme protects bacteria from toxic gold
GolR reductase might be harnessed to purify the precious metal from electronic waste.
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16 May 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Claims of water turning into hydrogen peroxide spark debate
Latest study on droplets spontaneously forming hydrogen peroxide tackles ozone contamination questions.
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28 April 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Nitrous oxide harnessed for phenol synthesis
Nickel catalyst helps greenhouse gas prove its worth as a chemical reagent.
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21 April 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Buckyballs boost ethylene glycol synthesis from syngas
C60 acts as electron reservoir for copper catalyst, improving production of ethylene glycol from CO.
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29 March 2022: Nature
The race to upcycle CO2 into fuels, concrete and more
Companies are scrambling to turn the greenhouse gas into useful products — but will that slow climate change?
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This article was republished in Spanish in the July 2022 issue of Investigación y Ciencia
9 March 2022: Nature
African leadership underpins success of malaria drug trial
Urgent research to bolster disease defences demands equitable responsibility and ownership between partners.
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9 March 2022: ACS Central Science
Solar Panels Face Recycling Challenge
Researchers and companies are preparing for a looming tsunami of photovoltaic waste.
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This story also appeared in Chemical & Engineering News
14 February 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Satellites spy huge methane emissions from oil and gas sites
Two surveys—one global, the other focused on Turkmenistan—reveal shocking extent of avoidable greenhouse gas emissions.
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13 February 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
MOF catches xenon and krypton
Porous material could trap radioactive gases released during nuclear fuel treatment.
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13 January 2022: Chemical & Engineering News
Record-breaking molecular magnet
Dilanthanide complexes could pave the way for a new breed of powerful permanent magnets.
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15 December 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Flame retardants form potentially toxic derivatives in city air
Risk assessment of organophosphate esters combines laboratory studies, environmental screening, and computer modeling.
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15 December 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Glionitrins synthesized for the first time
Asymmetric organocatalysis forges tricky carbon-sulfur bond in antibacterial and anticancer molecules.
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7 December 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Bismuth binds peptides to make bioactive bicycles
Metal-thiol complexes offer simpler way to screen bicyclic peptides.
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26 November 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Iodine thruster makes space debut
New ion drive offers cheaper, more compact alternative to traditional xenon-based thrusters.
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26 November 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Californium complex offers bonding insights
Unusually orange crystal contains a californium-carbon bond that is largely ionic.
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22 November 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
A simply smashing ammonia synthesis
Mechanochemistry may offer greener way to unite nitrogen and hydrogen to make key fertilizer ingredient.
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17 November 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Halogenated azidopyridines fill gap in click chemistry toolbox
Handled with care, the compounds could be useful building blocks for medicinal chemistry.
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15 November 2021: ACS Central Science
Unlocking the Lanthanome
The discovery of bacteria that depend on lanthanides is providing new ways to detect and extract these crucial metals.
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This story also appeared in Chemical & Engineering News
12 November 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Hydrogel battery could power bio-implants
Small lithium-ion battery is as soft as human tissue.
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10 November 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Reactor converts methane to heavier hydrocarbons without forming CO₂
A scaled up version of the process could help to curb methane venting and flaring at remote oil sites.
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26 October 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Graphene transistor detects SARS-CoV-2 in less than a minute
Device uses DNA probes to identify COVID-19 virus RNA with speed and high sensitivity.
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25 October 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Protein could unlock new sources of rare-earth elements
Lanmodulin can extract and purify technology metals from electronic waste and coal ash.
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13 October 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Chain-link molecules form squishy crystals
A metal-organic framework built from catenanes is surprisingly elastic.
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7 October 2021: Nature Biotechnology
Nanotechnology offers alternative ways to fight COVID-19 pandemic with antivirals
A new wave of funding focuses on antiviral nanomaterials as pandemic countermeasures.
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1 October 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Uranium nitride triple bond is surprisingly covalent
NMR spectroscopy reveals an outlier of actinide bonding and provides a convenient method to assess bonding in other metal-nitrogen complexes.
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22 September 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Aptamer-nanopore sensor detects only infectious viruses
DNA-based device might offer rapid COVID-19 test that is not fooled by dead virus.
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21 September 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Phospha-bora-Wittig reaction makes its debut
A new variant of the classic Wittig reaction offers a route to phosphaalkenes.
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2 September 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Thorium-thorium bonding marks actinide milestone
Unusual crystalline complex shows unexpected σ-aromaticity.
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1 September 2021: New Scientist
Why the UK doesn’t need a new coal mine
Coke-based steel-making generates billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and accounts for 7 to 9 per cent of all human-made CO2 emissions.
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20 August 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN Talented 12: Derya Baran
Solar power innovator is creating organic materials for cheaper, more efficient photovoltaics.
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C&EN Talented 12: Emilie Ringe
Plasmonics pioneer is harnessing the potential of magnesium nanoparticles.
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4 August 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Mirror-image polymerase makes mirror gene and more
L-DNA offers new twist on information storage.
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You can hear more about mirror DNA in this interview I recorded for the BBC World Service programme Science in Action (listen from 15:50).
31 July 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
The structure of bleach
X-ray crystallography of sodium hypochlorite plugs long-standing gap in literature.
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16 July 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
How many chemical elements does it take to build a car?
Detailed inventory shows that electric vehicles are more vulnerable to material supply challenges than gas guzzlers.
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12 July 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Copper catalysts team up for chiral amide synthesis
Blue light powers a radical route to ubiquitous functional group.
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9 July 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Ultrasound boosts battery recycling
Rapid process recovers valuable metals from old electrodes.
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23 June 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Retina protein may be a magnetic compass for birds
Cryptochrome 4 forms radical pairs that could guide the migration of the European robin.
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18 June 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
X-rays activate cancer drug
Radiation removes molecular mask to free anti-cancer agent, offering simultaneous chemotherapy and radiotherapy with fewer side effects in mice.
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14 June 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
COVID-19 test used in UK mass screening program receives stinging rebuke from FDA
US health agency’s warning for Innova raises fresh questions about efficacy of ‘Operation Moonshot’ antigen test.
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13 June 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Can industry decarbonize steelmaking?
Major steelmakers and disruptive start-ups look to hydrogen and renewable electricity to make green steel.
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You can hear more about green steel in this interview I recorded for NPR’s Here and Now.
This feature was part of a package of three articles that won C&EN the Software and Information Industry Association’s 2022 award for ‘Best Climate Change Coverage’.
9 June 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Polyacetylene comes full circle
Synthesis of cyclic polyacetylene offers fresh take on classic semiconducting polymer.
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16 May 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Catalytic patch activates cancer drug
Microneedle array carries palladium nanoparticles that switch on local melanoma treatment, avoiding side effects.
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30 April 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
MXenes make durable solid lubricants
Titanium carbide nanosheets offer low friction and long-lasting wear resistance.
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24 March 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Tandem catalyst converts propane to propylene
Nanoparticles unite platinum and indium oxide catalysts for better yields at lower temperature.
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23 March 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Pesticide breakdown products found in hundreds of US streams
Extensive environmental survey of pesticides and their transformation products reveals potential for hidden toxicity.
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12 March 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Which air purification technologies can tackle COVID-19?
Air-cleaning devices that claim to remove SARS-CoV-2 have hit shelves, backed by varying levels of data.
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22 February 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Europium reveals billion-year pause in mountain formation
Chemical anomalies in zircons highlight hidden geology of the Proterozoic’s ‘boring billion,’ a time of evolutionary stasis.
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10 February 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Milder synthesis takes the pressure off carbon-based nanothreads
Using furan as a starting material boosts production of diamond-like polymers.
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6 February 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Einsteinium complex isolated
Experiments using scant nanograms of element 99 lead to first measurement of an einsteinium bond length.
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27 January 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Diamonds really are forever
At pressures five times greater than at the Earth’s core, diamond still retains its usual structure.
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23 January 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Beryllium doubles down on nitrogen bonding
Complex contains first example of a multiple bond between an s-block metal and nitrogen.
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20 January 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Catalyst boosts prospects for fuel-cell vehicles
Platinum-molybdenum carbide spurs water-gas shift reaction, solving catalyst poisoning problem.
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19 January 2021: Chemical & Engineering News
Surface swabbing helps researchers get a handle on COVID-19 cases
Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 on high-contact surfaces could enable community surveillance to preempt outbreaks.
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14 December 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Light-powered hydrogen sensor plays it cool
Sensitive chip uses palladium-decorated titanium dioxide to detect traces of flammable gas at room temperature.
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4 December 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Can the UK’s ambitious Operation Moonshot screening program for COVID-19 achieve liftoff?
Researchers question accuracy of rapid antigen tests and criticize government’s lack of transparency in multibillion-pound program.
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20 November 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Cheaper cryo-EM on the horizon
Thermo Fisher hopes $1 million microscope could broaden access to microscopy method used to determine protein structures.
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18 November 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Oxidant may offer a boost to greener rockets
An alternative to polluting ammonium perchlorate shows promise as a propellant ingredient.
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1 November 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
How one university built a COVID-19 screening system
Campus testing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign holds important lessons about the strengths and limitations of routine testing regimen.
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22 October 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Click chemistry sees first use in humans
Targeting mechanism could help to avoid side effects of powerful anticancer drug.
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8 October 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Database brings clarity to chemical weapons lists
Molecular structures and other identifiers will help to compare and contrast chemical warfare agents controlled by three different international frameworks.
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16 September 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
DMSO poses decomposition danger
Acids produced by heating dimethyl sulfoxide can trigger a runaway reaction.
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3 September 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
COVID-19 antigen assay set to triple US testing capacity
Abbott aims to produce 50 million of the 15-minute, $5 tests per month.
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31 August 2020: Nature
Can the history of pollution shape a better future?
The poisonous legacy of industry holds lessons, two books show.
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21 August 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Saliva tests show promise for widespread COVID-19 surveillance at universities and workplaces
Protocols developed at University of Illinois and Yale School of Public Health join growing list of spit-and-test diagnostics.
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18 August 2020: ACS Central Science
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Reaches Resolution Milestone
Detailed protein structures are fuelingdrug-discovery efforts.
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Reprinted in C&EN
14 August 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Artificial intelligence finds alternative routes to COVID-19 drug candidates
If drug-repurposing studies hit pay dirt, backup recipes could help antiviral manufacturers avoid supply chain problems.
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10 August 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Rapid COVID-19 testing breaks free from the lab
Fast, portable systems could help to deliver routine infection screening as countries ease lockdowns.
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24 July 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Enzyme screen unlocks easier route to 2-ketoacids
Computational analysis identifies aminotransferases that convert cheap amino acids into high-value molecules.
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13 July 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Ester dance moves substituents around arene rings
Palladium catalyst offers unusual route to high-value compounds.
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8 July 2020: Nature Biotechnology
Bioconcrete presages new wave in environmentally friendly construction
Living cells used in construction to create concrete, bricks or tiles could also soak up CO2.
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26 June 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Accuracy of COVID-19 antibody tests questioned
Systematic review finds that the quality of diagnostic results strongly depends on when patient samples were taken.
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26 June 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Developing countries face diagnostic challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic surges
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics is at the forefront of efforts to expand testing in low- and middle-income countries.
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11 June 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Electrochemistry cuts CO₂ footprint of synthesizing ethylene oxide
Strategy adds to toolkit for greening the chemical industry.
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5 June 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
X-ray method solves mystery of metallic ammonia
Researchers study how solvated electrons behave inside the classic reagent used in Birch reductions.
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21 May 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Genetically-engineered malaria vaccines show promise in the clinic
Inoculating people with weakened parasites may generate stronger immune response than the current malaria vaccine.
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15 May 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Artemisinin raises hopes and fears amid COVID-19
Researchers test Artemisia annua extracts against the novel coronavirus, while the WHO cautions that herbal remedies made from the plant could boost malaria resistance.
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7 May 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Magnetic liquid frees microfluidics from friction
Conveyor-belt effect in the liquid speeds sensitive cell samples with less pressure.
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28 February 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Simple synthesis for shapeshifting molecules
Bullvalene’s constant metamorphosis could be exploited in sensing applications.
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23 February 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Porous ionic liquid captures alcohols and CFCs
Cage-like structures could enable selective separations in continuous-flow systems.
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16 February 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Boron-nitrogen compound is close cousin of benzene
The latest ‘inorganic benzene’ has pronounced aromaticity.
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13 February 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Biorefinery turns birch wood into renewable chemicals
Lignin breakdown produces phenol and propylene, offering a low-carbon alternative to fossil-fuel-based processes.
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6 February 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Zeolite membrane finds holey purpose in methanol synthesis
Porous sodium aluminosilicate separates water from gases in high-temperature reaction.
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28 January 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Boron makes quadruple bond with rhodium
RhB is the first diatomic molecule with a four-fold bond to boron.
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28 January 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Porphyrin wheel sets record as largest aromatic ring
With 162 delocalized electrons, giant ring has global aromaticity.
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21 January 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Rhodium photocatalyst does double duty to generate hydrogen
Air-stable complex uses light to catalyze production of solar fuel.
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17 January 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Mechanoacid polymer signals a smash hit
Stress-induced acid formation shows location and timing of damage.
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15 January 2020: Chemical & Engineering News
Carbon capture drives metal purification
Amine teams up with carbon dioxide to isolate metals from mixtures, offering economic incentive to trap greenhouse gas emissions.
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13 December 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Northvolt is building a future for greener batteries
Swedish firm aims to feed a booming electric vehicle market with more-sustainable lithium-ion batteries.
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9 December 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Nickel catalyst fends off air attack
Air-stable complex offers a more convenient approach to coupling reactions.
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20 November 2019: Nature Index
Brexit shadow hangs over EU partnerships
Uncertainty about the United Kingdom’s role in EU science is damaging research networks.
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16 November 2019: Scientific American
Plasma Scalpel Takes On Cancer
New tool enters a pivotal pilot study.
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15 November 2019: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Melissa Denecke
As a division director at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Denecke is using nuclear technologies to meet sustainable development goals.
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Reprinted in C&EN
28 October 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Automation for the people
Training a new generation of chemists in data-driven synthesis.
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25 October 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
3-D printer can build meter-tall objects in just a few hours
Cooling system helps printer to build bigger structures in less time.
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9 October 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
3-D printing forms superstrong, fracture-resistant ceramics
Polymerization method overcomes brittleness of silicon oxycarbide.
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6 September 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Chemists build the tiniest spectrometer from a single nanowire
Device could pave the way for miniature analytical instruments.
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3 August 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Rusty film generates salty shock
Metal nanolayer produces electricity from flowing brine.
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2 August 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Catalysts turn racemic mixtures into single enantiomers
Light-driven deracemization process may offer general strategy for turning unwanted isomers into more useful mirror-image forms.
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31 July 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Dichlorination catalyst eschews chlorine gas
Chloride salts are the sole source of halogen atoms for addition reaction with alkenes.
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28 July 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Organic semiconductor photocatalyst does double duty
Graphitic carbon nitride simultaneously drives reduction and oxidation reactions.
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17 July 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Twisted fibers strengthen artificial muscles
Three groups report polymer yarns that respond to electrical, thermal, or chemical stimuli, which may find use in robots and medical devices.
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12 July 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Electrochemistry of single molecules under the microscope
AFM explores relationships between charge, bonding, and structure.
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5 July 2019: Nature Biotechnology
Click chemistry targets antibody-drug conjugates for the clinic
Bioorthogonal chemistry, already a workhorse of drug discovery research, prepares for the leap into human testing.
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5 July 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Fishing uranium from the ocean with a spider-silk line
Artificial fiber extracts more uranium from seawater, and does it more quickly, than rival materials.
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3 July 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Solvent steers chiral synthesis
(R)-limonene gives polymer a right-handed twist so it can serve as a chiral scaffold for a metal catalyst.
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20 June 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Light gives enzyme a radical new role
Chemists redeploy reductase enzyme to form lactam rings.
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14 June 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Magnet doubles hydrogen yield from water splitting
Aligning the spin states of oxygen intermediates overcomes a bottleneck in electrolysis.
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25 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Prohibited CFC production pinpointed to northeast China
Region’s emissions of ozone-depleting trichlorofluoromethane rose sharply over past decade.
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23 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Electrified reactor could slash climate impact of industrial hydrogen production
Replacing gas combustion with renewable electricity to heat steam-methane reformers would cut global CO2 emissions.
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16 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Living cells don nanoparticle armor
Tough coatings protect cells and augment them with magnetism and fluorescence for possible biotech applications.
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13 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
MOFBOTS could carry drugs to specific targets in the body
Swimming corkscrew robots fitted with cargo-carrying crystals.
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8 May 2019: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Christoph Krumm
This chemist wants to reduce the environmental impact of detergents.
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Reprinted in C&EN
7 May 2019: Nature Reviews Chemistry
Women’s work
Academic chemistry is haemorrhaging talented female researchers. However, a barrage of new initiatives aims to stem the flood.
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4 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Xenon-124 sets half-life record
Dark-matter experiment measures rare radioactive decay.
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2 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Perovskite device mimics light receptors in human eye
Photodetector matches sensitivity and color perception of rod and cone cells in the retina.
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1 May 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Molecular data-storage system encodes information with peptides
Text and images translated into molecule-based archives can be read with mass spectrometry.
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20 April 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Ocean survey tracks rising plastic pollution
Historical records reveal that plastic debris in the North Atlantic has soared since the 1990s.
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10 April 2019: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Jackie Ying
Using nanomaterials to develop inexpensive medical technologies.
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Reprinted in C&EN
27 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Glass beads help robots deliver minuscule amounts of reagents
ChemBeads offer microgram dosing of solid reagents for high-throughput reaction screening.
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27 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Stir bar contamination may inadvertently catalyze reactions
Traces of metal nanoparticles embedded in used magnetic stirrers can interfere with chemical reactions.
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23 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Methane caged inside C60
Trapping strategy enables quantum studies on single molecules.
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18 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Molecular motors join forces in a metal-organic framework
Crystalline scaffold helps to organize tiny machines.
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14 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Bitcoin poses major electronic-waste problem
A global race for the cryptocurrency is consuming vast amounts of energy and materials.
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11 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Acoustic robot races through chemical reactions
Using ultrasound to dispense reagents could accelerate the development of synthetic methods for drug discovery.
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9 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Recovering rare earths from fertilizer waste
A biological acid extracts the valuable elements from phosphogypsum.
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4 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Chemists explore the periodic table’s actinide frontier
Investigations of the table’s shadowy realms are enjoying a renaissance.
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4 March 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Synthetic cells protect DNA circuits
Encapsulation strategy could eventually help DNA-based computers to diagnose diseases or dispense drugs.
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29 January 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Open-source drug discovery takes aim at malaria and neglected diseases
Global collaborations share molecules and data to bring medicines to the developing world.
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16 January 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
3-D printed lattices mimic crystalline materials for extra strength
Lessons from metallurgy help to create strong, lightweight structures.
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14 January 2019: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Kenichiro Itami
This chemist is creating molecules to boost the world’s food supply.
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Reprinted in C&EN
8 January 2019: Chemical & Engineering News
Developing a rapid attack against parasitic worms
Preclinical compound targets Wolbachia bacteria that are essential for nematode reproduction.
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14 December 2018: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Serena Corr
This materials scientist is helping preserve the iconic warship Mary Rose, once part of King Henry VIII’s navy.
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Reprinted in C&EN
30 November 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Polymer film banishes defects from perovskite solar cells
Protective layer could help to improve the stability of the promising photovoltaics.
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22 November 2018: Chemistry World
The end point
In his final column, Mark Peplow gives his verdict on careers, collaboration and public engagement.
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9 November 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Hundreds of pollutants found in polar bears’ blood
Arctic animals may face greater threat from persistent organic pollutants than previously thought.
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6 November 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Protein captures lanthanide traces
Lanmodulin shows huge preference for binding lanthanide ions over more abundant calcium and may help bacteria to glean rare earths.
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2 November 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Single-molecule magnet controversy highlights transparency problems with U.K. research integrity system
Universities’ reluctance to reveal details of such cases could undermine public trust in research, experts say.
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This article was shortlisted for the Association of British Science Writers’ Steve Connor Award for investigative journalism in 2019.
25 October 2018: Chemistry World
Evidence in the fake news era
Independent scientific advice is about to collide with partisan politics.
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21 October 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Enzyme discovery causes a stink
Indolacetate decarboxylase produces skatole, responsible for the smell of manure—and perhaps halitosis.
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16 October 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Fluorinated coating is utterly repellent
Transparent, self-healing film fends off more than 100 liquids, including concentrated acids and low-surface-tension solvents.
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10 October 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Silver tarnishing inspires semiconductor synthesis
Simple method imitates metal corrosion to form sheets of silver atoms protected by organic ligands.
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4 October 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Synthetic biology cracks blue rose case
Indigoidine pigment gives the flower an unnatural hue.
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25 September 2018: Chemistry World
Diverse interests
Grassroots initiatives and larger projects are both vital weapons in the battle for equality.
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10 September 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Chemists tie most complex molecular knot to date
With help from ring-closing metathesis, researchers tangle ligands into 324-atom loop.
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23 August 2018: Chemistry World
Time to rewrite the textbooks
How science corrects is an important lesson in the classroom.
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15 August 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Egyptian mummy gives up embalming secrets
Groundbreaking tests on 5,500-year-old body reveal prehistoric practices and evidence of ancient trade.
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26 July 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Mass spectrometry spots forged poems
Nondestructive method authenticates works of Robert Burns, one of Scotland’s most famous writers.
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24 July 2018: Chemistry World
The China CFC dilemma
New production breaking the Montreal Protocol demands a concerted response.
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23 July 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Lights, camera, reaction!
Although some kinks are still being worked out, the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility is now giving researchers an unprecedented view of the inner workings of molecules and materials.
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Listen to a podcast about the EuXFEL HERE
16 July 2018: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Ting Zhu
This chemical biologist is building the mirror image of nature’s molecular machinery.
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6 July 2018: Nature
The Flint water crisis: how citizen scientists exposed poisonous politics
A review of two books on broken pipes and promises in Michigan.
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27 June 2018: Chemistry World
Shaking up the knowledge economy
UK Research and Innovation is poised to reshape the research funding landscape.
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11 June 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Perovskite progress pushes tandem solar cells closer to market
Rapid improvements in the stability and efficiency of perovskite-silicon tandem cells are raising commercial hopes.
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7 June 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Ancient organic molecules found on Mars
Curiosity rover also reports data on the red planet’s mysterious methane plumes.
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22 May 2018: Chemistry World
Escaping the postdoc trap
Low pay and gloomy career prospects are thwarting the next generation of researchers.
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16 May 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Rise in CFC emissions threatens ozone recovery
Rogue trichlorofluoromethane likely originates from production facilities in East Asia.
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6 May 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Periwinkle gives up its cancer-busting secrets
Key enzymes in complex biosynthesis could enable alkaloid production.
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3 May 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Bone nanostructure revealed by electron microscopy
Crystalline needles of bone mineral form helical patterns around collagen fibrils.
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26 April 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Scattered light weighs single biomolecules
Microscopy technique monitors protein aggregation and molecular binding in real time, without fluorescent tags.
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25 April 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Ultrasound triggers porous nanoparticles to attack tumors in mice
Metal-organic framework forms particle-embedded porphyrin-zinc complexes that generate reactive oxygen species.
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17 April 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Semiconductor silver sulfide stretches like metal
As the first known room-temperature ductile inorganic semiconductor, the material could boost flexible electronics applications.
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13 April 2018: Chemistry World
What now for the world’s chemical weapons watchdog?
Attacks in Salisbury and Syria show that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons needs to evolve.
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29 March 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Catalyst frees hydrogen from seawater
New solar-powered electrolysis system avoids briny bugbears like chlorine production.
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19 March 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Astatine forms halogen bonds
Union between halogen and electron-donor could help develop radiotherapy agents that rely on the uncommon element.
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15 March 2018: Chemistry World
Live long and prosper
Perovskite solar cells need better stability testing if they are to flourish.
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13 March 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Nerve agent attack on spy used ‘Novichok’ poison
Chemical weapon used in U.K. assassination attempt was developed by Soviet Union during Cold War.
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12 March 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Looking for cheaper routes to malaria medicines
Efforts to produce low-cost synthetic artemisinin gain momentum with help from Gates Foundation.
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8 March 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Assassination attempt of Russian spy sparks chemical forensics investigation
U.K. officials want to know who poisoned Sergei Skripal with a ‘rare’ nerve agent.
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23 February 2018: Chemistry World
China powers up
Huge investments and cutting-edge research are helping China to pioneer innovations in clean energy technologies.
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21 February 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Polar bear hair inspires stealth fabric
A cape made from porous fibers traps heat and hides a bunny from night-vision cameras.
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20 February 2018: Chemistry World
When evidence isn’t enough
The UK debate over folic acid highlights science’s role in public health ethics.
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12 February 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Kesterite solar cells get ready to shine
Ambitious research programs aim to overcome the roadblocks keeping these materials out of commercial solar cells.
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2 February 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
How lanthanides keep volcanic bacteria alive
Coordination complex reveals why rare-earth elements give methanol dehydrogenase enzyme a boost.
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23 January 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Shaking up gold and palladium
Mechanochemical method makes noble metal compounds without solvents or harsh reagents.
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22 January 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Robot arm carries nanoscale cargo
Fast-moving DNA origami device controlled by electric field.
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16 January 2018: Chemistry World
A question of reproducibility
Survey of metal–organic frameworks raises concerns about the reliability of adsorption data.
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9 January 2018: Chemical & Engineering News
Rewritable paper goes technicolor
Metal-ligand complexes display a range of long-lasting colors that can be erased on demand, allowing paper to be reused.
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18 December 2017: Chemistry World
Academic versus predator
Researchers must halt the rise of predatory journals by cutting off their supply of papers.
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11 December 2017: Chemical & Engineering News
Metal-organic framework compound sets methane storage record
Sol-gel synthesis boosts the capacity of a common porous material.
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6 December 2017: Chemical & Engineering News
DNA origami hits the big time
New set of techniques enables the mass-production of micrometer-sized DNA structures.
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28 November 2017: Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Cryo-electron microscopy makes waves in pharma labs
Companies hope the Nobel Prize-winning imaging methodology will reveal biomolecule characteristics that can guide drug discovery projects.
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21 November 2017: Chemical & Engineering News
Beetles get by with a little help from their friends
Symbiotic bacteria with stripped-down genomes break up plant cell walls for their hosts.
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20 November 2017: Chemistry World
The diversity challenge
Science is becoming more inclusive, but gaps remain.
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17 November 2017: Chemical & Engineering News
Titanium nitride probe records more neurons than ever before
Neuropixels device can simultaneously record signals from hundreds of nerve cells.
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23 October 2017: Chemistry World
Flare paths
The US government must stop trying to roll back regulations that curb gas flaring.
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11 October 2017: Nature
Explosive moments in the laboratory
Mark Peplow surveys a gorgeous gala of reactions in Theodore Gray’s new book.
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4 October 2017: Nature
How fracking is upending the chemical industry
As shale-gas compounds flood the market, chemists are working out the best ways to convert them into the ingredients of modern life.
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15 September 2017: Chemistry World
Harvey’s hard lessons
The chemical fires triggered by extreme flooding in Houston demonstrate the need to improve risk management.
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22 August 2017: Chemistry World
Isotopes and islands
The UK has a solution to the potential shortage of technetium-99m – but that’s no reason to be complacent about leaving Euratom.
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19 July 2017: Chemistry World
The dark side of dichloromethane
Policymakers and industry must take steps to curb emissions of popular solvent.
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15 June 2017: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Stosh Kozimor
Actinide chemistry reveals unusual bonds and offers a novel form of cancer treatment.
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A version of this story subsequently appeared in Chemical & Engineering News.
14 June 2017: Chemistry World
Plastic Surgery
Chemists have a key role to play in pushing back the tide of plastic waste.
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26 May 2017: Chemistry World
Peering into the future
Peer review must change if it is to serve the scientific community.
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16 May 2017: Scientific American
Print, Wipe, Rewrite
Nanoparticle coating allows paper to be reused more than 80 times.
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15 May 2017: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Peter Hore
Radical pairs created in a protein could act as a magnetic compass in birds.
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9 May 2017: Nature Biotechnology
Astex shapes CDK4/6 inhibitor for approval
Fragment-based drug discovery gives Kisqali (ribociclib) a helping hand to market.
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26 April 2017: Nature
The next big hit in molecule Hollywood
Superfast imaging techniques are giving researchers their best views yet of what happens in the atomic world.
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14 April 2017: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Graham Hutchings
Gold might seem like an unlikely catalyst, but it’s poised to slash mercury pollution from plastics manufacturing.
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31 March 2017: Science
Enzymes offer waste-to-energy solution
Facility digests unsorted garbage to produce green power but could threaten recycling.
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21 March 2017: Chemistry World
How to resist threats to science
Broader forms of activism are needed to protect evidence-based policy.
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7 March 2017: Chemical & Engineering News
Fractious fractions teased from crude oil
Separation method corrals key compounds to improve petrochemical processing and pollution assessment.
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24 February 2017: Chemistry World
Going soft
Undergraduate chemists need to learn soft skills like teamwork and communication to boost their career prospects.
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24 January 2017: Chemistry World
One small step …
Disagreements over the definition of a chemical step underlie much broader questions.
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22 January 2017: Scientific American
Blind Medicine
Millions of patients depend on a rare radioactive form of one element to scan them for disease. But the old nuclear reactors that provide it are shutting down.
READ MORE (subscription required)
22 December 2016: Chemistry World
The art of the nuclear deal
Donald Trump must restart nuclear cooperation with Russia or risk a return to the cold war.
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16 December 2016: ACS Central Science
Rebooting the Molecular Computer
The idea of using single molecules as key components in computers has been around for more than 40 years. What progress is it making?
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A version of this story subsequently appeared in Chemical & Engineering News.
8 December 2016: Nature
Graphene-spiked Silly Putty picks up human pulse
‘G-putty’ is so sensitive that it can track even the steps of a small spider.
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16 November 2016: Nature Index
Closing the channel of opportunity
Uncertainty surrounding Britain’s future in EU research could be as damaging to science as the prospect of funding cuts once it leaves the union.
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10 November 2016: Chemistry World
Trump, unleashed
The best hope for the world is that the president-elect was lying about his policies.
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7 October 2016: Chemistry World
More than just toys
This year’s Nobel prize could shift molecular machines into high gear.
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19 September 2016: Chemistry World
The innovation game
The latest G20 summit unveiled a blueprint showing world leaders take science seriously.
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18 August 2016: Chemistry World
Exoplanets are our final frontier
Chemists will be integral to the hunt for biosignatures on distant worlds.
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17 August 2016: Nature
Fantastic Plastics
Polymers have infiltrated almost every aspect of modern life. Now they are being stretched to their limits.
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16 August 2016: ACS Central Science
The Record Breakers
Researchers who push molecules to the extremes are not just seeking superlatives—they are blazing a trail into uncharted chemical territory.
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7 July 2016: Chemistry World
Beyond Brexit
UK researchers must argue loudly and clearly for a settlement that safeguards science.
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29 June 2016: Chemistry World
Slippery customers
The troubled history of perfluorinated chemicals shows why the overhaul of US chemicals regulation is so welcome.
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16 June 2016: Chemical & Engineering News
Perovskite phosphor boosts visible light communication
Flashy nanocrystals help LEDs send data in the blink of an eye.
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7 June 2016: Chemistry World
Power to the people
Tesla’s Gigafactory is set to be a milestone for electric vehicles.
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26 May 2016: Chemical & Engineering News
Parmesan test can detect cheesy imposters
Real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese does not contain cyclopropane fatty acids, found in the milk of cows fed fermented fodder.
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16 May 2016: Nature
Mirror-image enzyme copies looking-glass DNA
Synthetic polymerase is a small step along the way to mirrored life forms.
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13 May 2016: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Makoto Fujita
His “crystalline sponge” is helping researchers figure out the architecture of organic molecules.
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11 May 2016: Nature
A chemist’s contradictions
A review of ‘The Experimental Self: Humphry Davy and the Making of a Man of Science’.
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6 May 2016: Nature Biotechnology
Citizen science lures gamers into Sweden’s Human Protein Atlas
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3 May 2016: Nature
UK graphene inquiry reveals commercial struggles
Concerns about the University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute reflect a broader decline in industrial research and development.
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26 April 2016: Chemistry World
Shadow of Chernobyl
Taking the long view on the cost of nuclear power.
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13 April 2016: The BMJ
The 100 000 Genomes Project
Part research project, part commercial stimulus, this enormous sequencing programme could usher genomic medicine into mainstream use.
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7 April 2016: Chemistry World
Family friendly science
The perception that young scientists need to sacrifice family life for a career in research must change.
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28 March 2016: Chemical & Engineering News
Stale beer? There’s an app for that
Brewers could use a smartphone to read a simple colorimetric test for beer freshness.
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24 March 2016: Spectrum
The Digital Underground
London’s Crossrail Is a $21 Billion Test of Virtual Modeling.
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(appeared with related story ‘My Subterranean Tour of London’s Crossrail’)
4 March 2016: Nature
Liquid metal ‘balloons’ offer room-temperature soldering
Invention could help the microelectronics industry to connect circuit-board components without risking heat damage.
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26 February 2016: Chemical & Engineering News
Tiny enzyme tweak expands substrate palette
Changing just two amino acids transforms a picky aldolase into a cosmopolitan catalyst.
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23 February 2016: Nature
Synthetic malaria drug meets market resistance
First commercial deployment of synthetic biology for medicine has modest impact.
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10 February 2016: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Christina Smolke
The synthetic biology pioneer discusses how she reprogrammed yeast to produce opioids.
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9 February 2016: Chemistry World
The toxic tale of the Flint water crisis
The city’s dilemma highlights serious regulatory failings but demonstrates the empowerment offered by citizen science.
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18 January 2016: Chemistry World
A farewell to chemical arms
As chemical weapons stockpiles dwindle, international efforts must guard against renewed arsenals.
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15 January 2016: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Kristopher McNeill
The environmental chemist hopes to reduce our impact on the planet by planning ways to tackle pollution before it happens.
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4 January 2016: STAT
Crusading editor aims to shake things up in science
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22 December 2015: Chemistry World
How science can improve research collaboration
An evidence-based approach could help chemists found better investigative partnerships.
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17 December 2015: Nature
Borophene joins 2D materials club
Graphene inspires atom-thin acolyte made from pure boron.
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19 November 2015: Chemistry World
O Canada…
Canada’s new prime minister could make the nation a model of evidence-based policymaking.
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13 November 2015: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Deji Akinwande
The nanotechnology researcher discusses recent achievements in making electronics out of atom-thin materials.
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6 November 2015: Nature Biotechnology
Industrial biotechs turn greenhouse gas into feedstock opportunity
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22 October 2015: Chemistry World
The carbon capture challenge
Economics holds the key to solving climate change.
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30 September 2015: Chemical & Engineering News
Porphyrins Run Rings Around Each Other
Supramolecular Chemistry: Concentric nanorings mimic photosynthetic complexes.
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18 September 2015: Chemistry World
After Tianjin
China’s appalling chemical safety record demands a global response.
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15 September 2015: Technologist
Life after Skype
Estonian programmer Jaan Tallinn helped create the file-sharing application Kazaa and then the famous video-call system. Now he wants to save the world.
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9 September 2015: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with John Maier
The spectroscopist discusses the search for buckyballs in deep space.
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2 September 2015: Nature
The tiniest Lego
Inspired by biology, chemists have created a cornucopia of molecular parts that act as switches, motors and ratchets. Now it is time to do something useful with them.
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27 August 2015: Chemistry World
Credit where credit’s due
Disputes over authorship can be a source of conflict in the lab. The solution is greater transparency
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13 August 2015: Nautilus
The Reinvention of Black
As the means of creating the color black have changed, so have the subjects it represents
READ MORE
28 July 2015: Chemistry World
Down to business
To make the economic case for research, scientists need to understand how commercialisation works, says Mark Peplow
READ MORE
13 July 2015: Chemical & Engineering News
Copper Clusters Convert Carbon Dioxide To Methanol
Catalysis: Four-atom copper fragments speed up greenhouse gas conversion without piling on the pressure
READ MORE
10 July 2015: ACS Central Science
A Conversation with Henry Snaith
The Oxford physicist is racing to bring perovskite solar cells to market
READ MORE
3 July 2015: Chemical & Engineering News
Peppermint Bombs Blast Bacterial Biofilms
Silica nanoparticles encapsulate peppermint oil droplets to break through microbial defenses
READ MORE
25 June 2015: Chemistry World
Europe’s science advice, redux
Will a new expert panel be any more effective than a chief science adviser?
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17 June 2015: Nature
Q&A: Maestros of graphene
Composer Sara Lowes has teamed up with materials scientist Cinzia Casiraghi at the University of Manchester, UK. The result, Lowes’ six-part Graphene Suite, premieres next week at the Graphene Week 2015 conference in Manchester, part of the European Union’s decade-long, €1-billion (US$1.1-billion) Graphene Flagship research programme. Lowes and Casiraghi talk crotchets, carbon chemistry and the commonalities between women in science and women in music.
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17 June 2015: Nature
Graphene booms in factories but lacks a killer app
Although the wonder material is being made in record volume, commercial success is elusive.
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1 June 2015: Chemistry World
Getting to know you
The public does not fear chemists, says Mark Peplow, it simply doesn’t know about them. Chemists must respond with better communication.
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21 May 2015: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Modified yeasts could be used to produce alkaloid drugs
Fermentation process could be used to produce thousands of plant-based pharmaceuticals, but raises the spectre of illicit drug production.
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15 May 2015: The Economist
Crystal clear?
Perovskites may give silicon solar cells a run for their money.
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27 April 2015: Chemistry World
An unfortunate oversight
The US Toxic Substances Control Act is in dire need of reform. That demands compromises.
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22 April 2015: Nature
A century of chemical warfare: nations reflect on grim anniversary
International community renews vows to eliminate stockpiles of chemical weapons as evidence grows of chlorine use in Syria.
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8 April 2015: Nature
The hole story
Swiss-cheese-like materials called metal–organic frameworks have long promised to improve gas storage, separation and catalysis. Now they are coming of age.
READ MORE
30 March 2015: Technologist
Q+A: Europe’s cyberdefence
From organised crime to technical failures, Europe’s cyber-defender sees no shortage of challenges.
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26 March 2015: Chemistry World
Thinking ahead
PhD courses must prepare students for a life after research.
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25 March 2015: Nature
Graphene sandwich makes new form of ice
Unusual square structure suggests how flattened water can zip through tight channels.
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23 March 2015: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Energy restriction could tackle drug-resistant epilepsy
Shutting down a metabolic pathway that fuels misfiring neurons can suppress seizures in mice, find researchers who predict a fresh approach to developing antiepileptic drugs.
READ MORE
18 March 2015: Nature
Structural biologist named next president of Royal Society
Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan will replace Paul Nurse in December.
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17 March 2015: Scientific American
Nanotech Bandages Detect Health Trouble and Deliver Medicine
New materials will be able to alert doctors to problems and deliver fine-tuned drugs.
READ MORE (subscription required)
28 February 2015: Spectrum
Eben Upton: The Raspberry Pi Pioneer
He just wanted to help some kids learn to code. Five million units later, his $35 computer has sparked a revolution.
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27 February 2015: Chemistry World
The enzyme hunters
Danish company Novozymes is scouring the world for enzymes that make industrial processes more sustainable.
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20 February 2015: Chemistry World
A large life, fully lived
Carl Djerassi leaves many legacies besides the contraceptive pill, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
12 February 2015: Chemical & Engineering News
Polymers Brighten Hopes For Visible Light Communication
Two semiconducting organic polymers give off a pleasant white light that simultaneously carries data at high speed.
READ MORE
2 February 2015: Nature
Graphene’s cousin silicene makes transistor debut
Creation of electronic device using atom-thin silicon sheets could boost work on other flat materials.
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2 February 2015: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Structure of translocator protein hints at role in disease
The detailed picture of translocator protein suggests that it may help to minimise the damage from reactive oxygen species.
READ MORE
26 January 2015: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Human Protein Atlas reveals drug targets
Map shows where 17,000 proteins are found in the body, including those affected by every approved drug on the market.
READ MORE
23 January 2015: Chemistry World
The big experiment
Plans to stop assessing school pupils’ practical work are the wrong solution to a genuine problem.
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9 January 2015: The Pharmaceutical Journal
FDA plays catch-up with Europe as it moves towards first biosimilar approval
The FDA has finally indicated it will approve the first biosimilar drug for the United States, years after Europe.
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8 January 2015: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Testosterone rollercoaster tackles prostate cancer
‘Bipolar androgen therapy’ helps patients with tumours that are resistant to conventional hormone treatments.
READ MORE
7 January 2015: Spectrum
Perovskite Solar Cell Bests Bugbears, Reaches Record Efficiency
Perovskite photovoltaic success story continues apace.
READ MORE
22 December 2014: Nature
Peer review — reviewed
Top medical journals filter out poor papers but often reject future citation champions.
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19 December 2014: Chemistry World
A bad business
Targets and assessments can boost productivity at universities – but only if they do not stifle creativity and alienate the academic workforce.
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19 December 2014: Chemical & Engineering News
Smartphone Microscope Sizes Up Single DNA Molecules
Medical Diagnostics: Lightweight phone attachment could lead to low-cost clinical tests in the developing world.
READ MORE
18 December 2014: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Bacteria’s protein machinery may offer antibiotic target
Bacteria use a molecular ruler to ensure that the polysaccharides are the right length to offer protection.
READ MORE
27 November 2014: Chemistry World
It’s time to speak up for Europe
Researchers in the UK benefit enormously from their country’s membership of the EU. They need to say so.
READ MORE
19 November 2014: Scientific American
Centipede and Snake Venoms Form a Basis for New Pain Drugs
Venom molecules could provide alternatives to addictive opiate drugs.
READ MORE
12 November 2014: Nature
Twisted light sends Mozart image over record distance
Vienna demonstration shows that the technology can boost data capacity of laser beams over long distances.
READ MORE
27 October 2014: Technologist
The audiophile
Without any technical expertise, four Danes have created award-winning upmarket headphones. Frederik Jørgensen, a co-founder of AIAIAI, describes the challenges of fusing design and audio engineering.
READ MORE
23 October 2014: Chemistry World
Two for the price of one
This year’s Nobel prizes show that chemistry truly is the central science.
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25 September 2014: Chemistry World
Good advice
Rather than axing his chief scientific adviser, the next president of the European commission should enhance the role.
READ MORE
25 September 2014: Spectrum
Cheap Solar Cells Offer Hydrogen Hope
Perovskite photovoltaics pack enough punch to split water.
READ MORE
24 September 2014: Chemistry World
Faster, cheaper, better
Microfluidics researchers are aiming to bring new diagnostic devices into mainstream medicine.
READ MORE
23 September 2014: Chemical and Engineering News
Researchers Develop Combinatorial Chemistry For Molecular Electronics
Surface Chemistry: New strategy offers rapid route to making novel macromolecules on surfaces that could be used as wires or transistors in devices.
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22 September 2014: Nature
Liquid-metal batteries get boost from molten lead
Technology could provide large-scale storage for energy from erratic sources such as wind or solar.
READ MORE
29 August 2014: Chemistry World
The trouble with boycotts
Cutting academic ties with a censured state can do more harm than good.
READ MORE
28 August 2014: Nature
Social sciences suffer from severe publication bias
Survey finds that ‘null results’ rarely see the light of the day.
READ MORE
6 August 2014: Nature
The robo-chemist
The race is on to build a machine that can synthesize any organic compound. It could transform chemistry.
READ MORE
22 July 2014: Chemistry World
The creative stimulus
Innovative thinking may be difficult to turn on at will, but there are many ways to prepare for inspiration.
READ MORE
8 July 2014: Spectrum
Printed Diode Is Fast Enough to Speak With Smartphones
Simple component could help to connect everyday objects to the Internet of Things.
READ MORE
25 June May 2014: Spectrum
Perovskite Is the New Black in the Solar World
All the cool solar-cell scientists are working on perovskite photovoltaics.
READ MORE
25 June May 2014: Spectrum
Thin-film Solar Cells Freed From Toxic Processing
Cadmium chloride treatment replaced by benign magnesium chloride – a key ingredient in tofu.
READ MORE
23 June May 2014: Technologist
To frack or not to frack
Can America’s shale-gas revolution be repeated in Europe?
READ MORE
23 June May 2014: Technologist
Google’s shopping spree
The web giant is making a major push into artificial intelligence and robotics. What does this have to do with the search-engine business? And are robots on the battlefield the next step after driverless cars?
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23 June May 2014: Nature
EU science chief wants greater voice for experts
Anne Glover says that better access to evidence helps policy-makers to make informed choices.
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13 June May 2014: Chemistry World
A mind-blowing legacy
Alexander Shulgin’s research on psychoactive drugs shows how molecules can take on a life of their own once they leave the lab.
READ MORE
22 May 2014: Nature
US physics strategy collides with budget
Particle physicists seek international collaboration as domestic funding faces uncertain future.
READ MORE
15 May 2014: Chemistry World
It’s life, but not as we know it
A living cell that uses artificial bases in its DNA heralds a profound development for chemistry, says Mark Peplow.
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5 May 2014: Spectrum
Two Labs Get the Lead Out of Promising Perovskite Solar Cells
Photovoltaic cells made from perovskite materials have rapidly become one of the hottest areas in energy research over the past few years. But most of these materials have included the toxic metal lead, raising concerns about their environmental impact.
READ MORE
30 April 2014: Pharmaceutical Journal
Special delivery
Drug formulations that use nanoparticles to target and dispense therapeutic agents are making an impact in the clinic, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
28 April 2014: Nature
Ethanol fuels ozone pollution
Shifts in use between petrol and ethanol in São Paulo’s cars creates unique atmospheric chemistry experiment.
READ MORE
25 April 2014: Chemistry World
Frack and blue
Shale gas will do little to improve the competitiveness of Europe’s chemical industry, argues Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
11 April 2014: Chemistry World
The sultan of synthesis
Phil Baran is spurring organic chemists to rethink how they make complex compounds, as Mark Peplow discovers.
READ MORE
8 April 2014: Science
London Mayor Seeks to Form Biomedical ‘Golden Triangle’
Stronger links sought with Oxford and Cambridge to draw in venture capital and big pharma.
READ MORE
7 April 2014: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Skin scan offers new insight into drug transport
A technique that can follow the progress of topical drugs as they penetrate skin could help to improve formulations, avoid drug wastage and reduce the risk of overdoses.
READ MORE
4 April 2014: The Pharmaceutical Journal
EU guideline aims to deliver child-friendly formulations
But will industry find requirements easy to swallow?
READ MORE
2 April 2014: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Bespoke polymers carry cancer drugs to the clinic
Designer polymers that boost the effectiveness of their pharmaceutical cargo are poised for wider clinical use in the next few years.
READ MORE
1 April 2014: The Pharmaceutical Journal
Pharmaceutical industry fights back against counterfeit medicines
Pharmaceutical companies are rolling out a variety of innovations to combat a rising tide of counterfeit medicines.
READ MORE
28 March 2014: Chemistry World
A war on smog
Chemistry can be a force for good in tackling China’s pollution, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
24 March 2014: Nature
Biodegradable battery could melt inside the body
Medical implants would monitor vital signs or dispense therapies before vanishing.
READ MORE
20 March 2014: Nautilus
Lights, Camera, Acrimony!
Physicists and engineers face off over how to make room for more data.
READ MORE
12 March 2014: Nature
Cellulosic ethanol fights for life
Pioneering biofuel producers hope that US government largesse will ease their way into a tough market.
READ MORE
7 March 2014: Chemistry World
The value of trust
Rebuilding a damaged relationship with researchers should be a top priority for the new boss of the UK’s physical sciences funding agency.
READ MORE
19 February 2014: Nature
Nuclear energy: Meltdowns, redux
Two accounts take contrasting lessons from nuclear accidents, finds Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
6 February 2014: Science
2013 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge
Science and the National Science Foundation present the winners of the 2013 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
READ MORE
February 2014: Reflex
Opening up government
States are pouring information about budgets and public services onto the web – but efforts to measure the true impact of open data are only just beginning.
READ MORE (pdf)
31 January 2014: Nature
Beijing smog contains witches’ brew of microbes
Metagenomic survey reveals traces of pathogens and allergens in the city’s air.
READ MORE
30 January 2014: Chemistry World
Virtually excellent
Assembling a dream team of international researchers could offer a useful snapshot of the UK’s strength in chemical engineering.
READ MORE
8 January 2014: Nature
Cheap battery stores energy for a rainy day
Quinone could make flow-battery technology competitive with current storage methods.
READ MORE
6 January 2014: Chemistry World
The morning after the night before
Replacing alcohol with a more benign drug sounds like a great idea, but it faces insurmountable hurdles.
READ MORE
18 December 2013: Nature
HENRY SNAITH: Sun worshipper (part of ‘Nature’s 10: The people who mattered this year’)
An energetic physicist pushes a promising solar-cell material into the spotlight.
READ MORE
12 December 2013: Cosmos (cover story)
Spare Parts
Can 3D printing solve the organ donor shortage?
READ MORE
21 November 2013: Chemistry World
A century of isotopes
Once appalled by the military use of his discoveries, Frederick Soddy would pleased by his legacy today, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
20 November 2013: Nature
Graphene: The quest for supercarbon
Graphene’s dazzling properties promise a technological revolution, but Europe may have to spend a billion euros to overcome some fundamental problems.
READ MORE
7 November 2013: Nature
No firm proof Arafat was poisoned
Investigation claims evidence of polonium poisoning in death of Palestinian leader but draws no certain conclusions.
READ MORE
24 October 2013: Chemistry World
The judgement of your peers
A bit of hindsight goes a long way in measuring scientific quality, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
26 September 2013: Nature
Hormone disruptors rise from the dead
Broken-down pollutants reform in the dark, casting doubt on environmental risk assessments.
READ MORE
19 September 2013: Nature
Missing methane gas mystifies Mars scientists
Curiosity rover fails to detect previously recorded chemical in Martian atmosphere.
READ MORE
15 September 2013: Nature
Graphene makes light work of optical signals
Ability to convert light to electrical signals efficiently holds potential for high-speed computing.
READ MORE
11 September 2013: Nature
Engineered bacterium hunts down pathogens
E. coli microbe seeks out and destroys invaders without harming helpful bacteria.
READ MORE
6 September 2013: Chemistry World
Misconduct: on the blog and in the open
When formal investigations of research misconduct are opaque and sluggish, it is inevitable that chemists will take to the blogs to debate suspicious papers, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
4 September 2013: Nature
Easy route to stable silver nanoparticles
Cheap synthesis offers edge over gold particles for biomedicine and solar cells.
READ MORE
4 September 2013: Chemistry World
Iron catalyst offers nitrogenase clues
Complex can reduce dinitrogen to ammonia in solution,and may help to explain how bacteria fix the gas.
READ MORE
4 September 2013: Chemistry World
Bursting with life
Synthetic biology is shifting into high gear. To truly thrive, it needs chemists, says Mark Peplow.
READ MORE
28 August 2013: Chemistry World
Chemistry’s grand challenges
What are the big problems for the next generation of chemists to work on? Mark Peplow takes up the gauntlet.
READ MORE (subscription required)
27 August 2013: Chemistry World
Self-assembling yarn shows its strength
Chinese chemists have pulled a thread as strong as polypropylene from a simple mix of monomers.
READ MORE
21 August 2013: Nature
Neolithic chefs spiced their food
Mineral grains from garlic-mustard seeds found in 6,000-year-old cooking pots.
READ MORE
20 August 2013: Proto
Technetium: Nuclear Medicine’s Crisis
With conventional sources of technetium already under pressure, a collision between politics, business and science is forcing a shake-up in the way this essential isotope is made, and in the path it takes to hospitals.
READ MORE
6 August 2013: New Scientist
Food vs Man
What you eat can exert surprising amounts of control over your mind and body, finds Mark Peplow.
READ MORE (subscription required)
15 July 2013: Funding Insight
Horizon scan: Synthetic biology blossoms
Funding opportunities abound as the UK positions itself to be a world leader in this nascent field, says science journalist Mark Peplow.
READ MORE (subscription required)
11 July 2013: Chemistry World
The nonclassical cation: a classic case of conflict
Mark Peplow celebrates decades of debate about the structure of the 2-norbornyl cation.
READ MORE
24 June 2013: Chemistry World
Fear and loathing
Facts are not enough to tackle chemophobia.
READ MORE
10 June 2013: Nature
Rock samples suggest meteor caused Tunguska blast
Grains from Siberian peat bog may be remnants of the biggest Earth impact in recorded history.
READ MORE
5 June 2013: Nature
Two techniques unite to provide molecular detail
Raman spectroscopy souped up with scanning tunnelling microscopy hones in on individual atoms and bonds.
READ MORE
4 June 2013: Nature
Chemical forensics confirm French wine had early roots
Ancient jars hold residue of 2,500-year-old vintage.
READ MORE
June 2013: Reflex
Reinventing the toilet
The winners of Bill Gates’ challenge must now prove that their concepts really work.
READ MORE (pdf)
June 2013: Reflex
Interview
Peter Dobson, academic director of the University of Oxford’s Begbroke Science Park, offers his tips on surviving one of the biggest challenges for a new business – the “valley of death.”
READ MORE (pdf)
30 May 2013: Chemistry World
Helium reserves under pressure
The fate of one of the world’s main sources of the gas hangs in the balance, and the global helium market faces a period of turbulence that could send prices soaring.
READ MORE
23 May 2013: Nature
The anatomy of sleep
The ebb and flow of neurotransmitters switches our brains between sleep and
wakefulness in carefully regulated cycles.
READ MORE
3 May 2013: Nature
US bill would keep helium store afloat
Russia and Qatar prepare to dominate market as gas price inflation puts researchers under pressure.
READ MORE
28 April 2013: Nature
Protein gets in on DNA’s origami act
Engineered bacteria make self-assembling tetrahedra.
READ MORE
May 2013: Chemistry World
A fixation with nitrogen
Despite decades of work to develop alternative ways to make ammonia, the Haber–Bosch process is here to stay, Mark Peplow discovers.
READ MORE (subscription required)
17 April 2013: Chemistry World
Sanofi launches malaria drug production
Erratic supplies of a critical chemical have long denied millions of people in the developing world the malaria therapies that could save their lives. Now an effort to create a more reliable source is finally bearing fruit.
READ MORE
11 April 2013: Chemistry World
Pesticide bee buzz needs more evidence
One thing’s for sure: the bees are not happy.
READ MORE
26 March 2013: Nature
Military history: Dinner at the Fission Chips
Mark Peplow assesses a chronicle of the blighted US and Soviet communities that fuelled the nuclear arms race.
READ MORE (subscription required)
26 March 2013: Nature
Planck snaps infant Universe
(for the print edition of Nature).
READ MORE
21 March 2013: Nature
Planck telescope peers into primordial Universe
Analysis of cosmic microwave background backs sudden ‘inflation’ after Big Bang.
READ MORE
19 March 2013: Nature
Waterproof transistor takes cell’s electric pulse
Necklace of gold nanoparticles can sense single electrons.
READ MORE
14 March 2013: Chemistry World
Hydrogen’s false economy
Proponents of hydrogen-powered vehicles have long argued that it is the future of motoring. But today, their dream is almost as distant as ever – and increasingly serves as a distraction in the quest to cut greenhouse gas emissions by replacing petrol.
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13 March 2013: Nature Outlook
The accelerator
Gold can speed up a multitude of chemical reactions — so why isn’t it widely used in industry?
READ MORE
March 2013: Reflex
Patents: a broken system
They’re meant to encourage innovation, but nowadays the biggest winners
are not inventors but lawyers. Costly battles among hi-tech giants are sparking fresh calls for reform, but there are no quick fixes.
READ MORE (pdf)
28 February 2013: Nature
King’s ‘lionheart’ gets a forensic exam
Analysis of heart of Richard I shows that Christians practiced embalming.
READ MORE
20 February 2013: The Economist
Light work
Silicon could replace the expensive, toxic quantum dots being used in lighting and display technologies.
READ MORE
13 February 2013: Nature
Malaria drug made in yeast causes market ferment
Synthetic biology delivers combination therapies into an uncertain market.
READ MORE
6 February 2013: Chemistry World
Royal Institution’s chemical heritage for sale
If the RI is to have a future, it cannot be separated from its past, says Mark Peplow.
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30 January 2013: Nature
History of science: Elements of romance
Mark Peplow explores chemistry’s golden age — and its brushes with Romanticism — at London’s Royal Society.
READ MORE (subscription required)
23 January 2013: Nature
Polymer can turn swimming pool to jelly
Stiff supergel mimics cell scaffolding and melts when cooled.
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20 January 2013: Nature
Ceramics surprise with durable dryness
Hardy water-repelling lanthanide oxides tackle extreme engineering challenges.
READ MORE
10 January 2013: Nature
Molecular robot mimics life’s protein-builder
Ribosome-inspired nanomachine links amino acids in pre-determined sequence
READ MORE
[Selected items pre-2013]
28 March 2011: Nature
Chernobyl’s legacy
A journey to the heart of the exclusion zone, on the 25th anniversary of the nuclear accident.
READ MORE
1 December 2007: Chemistry World
The gift of science
In praise of the chemistry set.
READ MORE
13 February 2006: Nature
A comet’s tale
Scientists are just beginning to examine the pieces of a comet brought back to Earth by NASA’s Stardust mission. Mark Peplow tagged along to one lab to watch researchers examine their prize catch.
READ MORE
