All features – Page 4
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FeatureAre everyday chemicals contributing to global obesity?
Research in animal models suggests the simple ‘energy in, energy out’ model doesn’t tell the whole story. Anthony King talks to researchers worried about obesogens
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FeatureFashion to dye for
Can colouring clothing be environmentally sustainable? Victoria Atkinson looks at how dyes have come full circle from their natural origins
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FeatureThe diamond synthesisers
Nina Notman takes a whistle-stop tour of the synthetic diamond industry and learns about some of the applications its lab-grown diamonds are being used for
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FeatureUnwrapping ancient Egyptian chemistry
From mummification to metallurgy, Rachel Brazil looks at the impressive chemistry used by this ancient civilisation
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FeatureCelebrating Louis Pasteur’s bicentenary
Mike Sutton reflects on the dramatic discoveries of Louis Pasteur, born 200 years ago
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FeatureThe brain chemicals that control what we enjoy
Researchers are trying to understand how orexins influence our appetites, and whether we can use them to treat addiction and obesity, explains Andy Extance
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FeatureWhen will molecular electronics make the connection?
Computer chips based on single molecules may remain a work in progress, finds James Mitchell Crow but the technologies developed along the way are being used by chemists to explore their reactions
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FeatureHow click conquered chemistry
Katrina Krämer tells the story of how click and bioorthogonal chemistry came to win the 2022 Nobel prize
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FeatureTiny delivery systems for cancer drugs
Encapsulating anticancer agents in nanoparticles can make them gentler on the rest of the body. Clare Sansom reports
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FeatureVisualising the Nobel nomination archive
Who nominated whom for the biggest prize in chemistry
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FeatureThe discovery of mass spectrometry
Mike Sutton traces how Francis Aston’s mass spectrograph shook up chemistry
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FeatureCan we clean Covid from the air around us?
Nina Notman talks to the experts about what is needed to remove pollutants and even infectious diseases from the air inside our homes, schools and offices
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Feature50 years of artemisinin
Jamie Durrani tells the story of how a wonder drug against malaria was discovered from a plant in a secret Chinese military project
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FeatureSoil searching
Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to understand – and improve – the health of the planet’s soil
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FeatureThe plant trade’s scientific secrets
Growers are using advanced techniques to mass-produce the next trendy houseplant. But Katrina Krämer finds that collectors’ demand for new varieties has also opened the door to deception and fraud
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FeatureCultured meat flexes its muscles
Rebecca Trager examines an emerging industry that is growing ‘meat’ outside of animals using cell lines cultivated in bioreactors
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FeatureHow a murder and a bombing cleaned up DNA profiling
The UK pioneered a forensic process to identify suspects from tiny amounts of DNA, but occasional flaws had big consequences. Andy Extance pieces together the whole story for the first time
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FeatureA lightning burst of chemistry
Trying to understand the chemistry that occurs around immensely powerful but short-lived lightning bolts is a feat in itself. James Mitchell Crow looks for a flash of inspiration
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FeatureA material future for fusion?
Nuclear fusion has been a dream for decades. Kit Chapman finds out about the latest developments that could help it fulfil its promise
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FeatureUsing genetics to personalise prescriptions
We’ve known for a long time that different people respond to certain drugs to very different extents, but now cheap DNA testing could make these disparities a thing of the past, as Ian Le Guillou reports