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Barrels

Feature

The chemistry of port

In Portugal’s Douro valley, centuries-old winemaking traditions meet modern chemistry to create a sweet and intense fortified wine. Bárbara Pinho talks to the experts about the compounds and reactions behind a festive favourite

10 gas cylinders and 1 inhaler

Feature

One medical inhaler can have the impact of 30kg of carbon dioxide

Propellants in asthma inhalers produce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving 200 miles, yet most healthcare systems overlook this climate impact. New low-carbon alternatives are in development, Andy Extance reports, but barriers remain

Microscopy image

Opinion

The lost treasure of electron microscopy

Unpublished images should be brought to light to aid science communication and speed up discovery

MOF

Opinion

‘Making MOFs is the most fun I have ever had in the lab’

A personal connection to the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry

Yeast

Opinion

The molecular mechanisms behind cell cognition

Condensate formation is central to how budding yeast cells decide their response to environmental and internal conditions

Dry powder inhaler

Inhaler propellant switch is worth the effort

By

Memories of a year spent testing new inhaler valve designs 

COP30

We’ll always have Paris… won’t we?

By

A decade on from Cop21, the Paris agreement has delivered change, but keeping it on track is getting harder 

Actor holding a skull with lab specs on

What can biochemists learn from drama?

By

How my acting background helps me build my scientific skills

Patient with inhaler

Don’t blame patients for the emissions of their inhalers

By

Alternatives with lower global warming potential are out there, but the onus can’t be on those suffering

The art of hosting successful chemical plant visits

By

Hosting visitors is fun and requires a lot of preparation

A robotic helping hand

By

Mechanical labmates are making huge progress, but there are still big challenges to overcome

Letters: November 2025

By

Readers discuss sustainable fuels, the magic of the placebo effect and the deaths of DFT and expensive calculators

Otto’s ozoniser and the value of nurturing inventors

By

Marius-Paul Otto (1870–1939) patently used his entrepreneurial spirit to clean up

Group photo

Careers

Choosing the perfect path to an industrial R&D career

Options abound whether or not you have a PhD

Actor holding a skull with lab specs on

Opinion

What can biochemists learn from drama?

How my acting background helps me build my scientific skills

Research

Traditional yoghurt recipe reveals ants’ fermentation power

Rebecca Trager meets a cross-disciplinary team investigating an ancient way to make yoghurt, which involved a trip to a tiny Bulgarian village

News

’Chemistry is incredibly complicated’: The interface between chemistry and art

Liverpool PhD student Emma Brass talks to Chemistry World about her AI-powered art installation 

News

Just 29% of the UK public have a personal interest in R&D

Survey results suggest ‘broad but shallow’ public support for research sector

Sponsored

Group photo

Choosing the perfect path to an industrial R&D career

Options abound whether or not you have a PhD

Actor holding a skull with lab specs on

What can biochemists learn from drama?

How my acting background helps me build my scientific skills

Visitors at facility

The art of hosting successful chemical plant visits

Hosting visitors is fun and requires a lot of preparation

Tattoos

The chemist who commemorates lab discoveries on his body

University of Nebraska’s drug design centre director is communicating his team’s scientific breakthroughs with tattoos and now has 29 on his arm