Andy Extance
Before becoming a full-time science writer, Andy Extance worked for six and a half years in early-stage drug discovery research, followed by brief stint in silicone adhesive and rubber manufacturing.
However, when he had his first feature – on a cause of common heart-related problems in new drug candidates – published in Chemistry World in 2004, the course of his career shifted. After working as news editor for Compound Semiconductor magazine, he went freelance in 2009. Today Andy’s science writing explores everything related to chemistry, from Earth’s environment to space, from food to fusion, and from solar cells to how we smell.
ResearchCations pairs exhibit surprising attraction
‘Complex of complexes’ containing silver and iodonium ions experience an unprecendented interaction
- Research
Walking protein’s tiny steps measured with germanium nanospheres
Highest ever resolution measurements suggests answer to kinesin dispute
- Research
Molecular firing range allows surprisingly specific bond breaking
At energies equivalent to temperatures of several thousand Kelvin fragmentation is unexpectedly precise
- Research
Single atom catalysts double up to link oxidation and reduction
Photosynthesis inspires dual electrolytic system where iron-supporting shell envelops palladium-supporting ‘yolk’
- News
Lack of support undermines minority and female chemistry PhDs
US survey shows importance of peers and finances in graduate schools
- Research
Chemists tame shamanic addiction treatment
Animal experiments show modified structures remove ibogaine’s hallucinogenic and heart-harming effects
- Feature
2020: the year the world changed
Andy Extance discovers how scientists around the world have responded to the pandemic, working on solutions from drugs and vaccines to hand sanitiser and PPE
- Research
Tyre compound driving mystery salmon deaths identified after years of chemical detective work
Previously unknown substance washes from roads to spawning streams – and likely has wide impact on aquatic ecosystems
- News
UK reaches the gigahertz NMR level – behind other nations
New instruments push the limits of this vital analytical technique – but other countries are already reaching even higher fields and frequencies
- Research
Room temperature superconductivity finally claimed by mystery material
At high pressures carbon–hydrogen–sulfur compound becomes superconducting at 15˚C
- Research
Super-cool study finds hints as to why water is so weird
Preventing complete freezing down to 135K supports theories suggesting a two-state mixture exists
- Research
Carbon bond formation reproducibility runs into reagent stability problem
Solid sodium alkoxides react with carbon dioxide and can hamper performance – but sometimes improve it
- Research
Liquid hydrogen rethink has astronomical implications
Machine learning simulates smooth transition between states, which could affect giant planets
- Research
Viewpoint shift designs drug binding proteins from scratch
New method focuses on the groups touching amino acid side chains
- Research
IBM seeks to simplify robotic chemistry
RoboRXN system extends AI approach to extracting and checking chemistry information from patent literature to programming automation
- Research
Sound choreographs chaotic reactions
Bass tones create reproducible patterns in unpredictable out-of-equilibrium systems
- Research
Twists of orange odorant reveal smell secrets
Modifying octanal produces hard-to-get information about olfactory receptors
- Business
Questions surround deadly Beirut blast
Ammonium nitrate explosion that killed at least 135 appears to have been caused by poorly-stored cargo from an abandoned vessel
- Research
NMR findings suggest solution to enhanced diffusion dispute
Energy release rate may solve the puzzle of why the phenomenon is seen in some systems but not others
- Research
Common inactive drug ingredients not as inert as thought
38 out of 639 excipients tested interact with toxicity-related proteins, some reaching levels that might produce unwanted effects
