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.

Feature
How a murder and a bombing cleaned up DNA profiling
2022-07-18T09:41:00
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
Feature
Life’s chemistry goes through the looking glass
2022-05-03T09:20:00
Chemists were taught that natural systems only use L-amino acids. Andy Extance finds out just how wrong that is proving
Research
Vibrational reactivity control harnesses quantum realm to speed up chemistry
2022-04-08T06:30:00
‘Quantum phase control’ supercharges reaction between chlorine and singly deuterated methane at ambient temperature
Research
Unusual hydrogen bonds found in proteins help them bind their targets
2022-03-24T14:30:00
Weak interactions between hydrogen and carbon atoms have synthetic chemistry implications
Business
Patent office cements priority for Crispr gene editing in cells
2022-03-14T11:03:00
Nobel laureates’ failed challenge means companies may need extra patent licenses
Research
Vibrational spectroscopy distinguishes different diffusing isotopes
2022-03-08T15:10:00
Scanning transmission electron microscopy-based method tracks graphene growth with atomic precision
Research
IBM teaches reaction planning system to ‘speak enzyme’
2022-03-01T09:30:00
RXN seeks to use enzyme catalysis to make chemistry more sustainable and resource efficient
Research
Swimming molecules come under intense scrutiny
2022-02-17T14:30:00
Discoverers of enhanced diffusion in click cycloaddition reactions stand firm after other groups say they can’t reproduce the findings
Feature
How ammonia could decarbonise shipping
2021-11-09T10:57:00
Andy Extance discovers why the compound best known as a fertiliser is a surprising candidate to power enormous container ships
Feature
How a virus ancestor powers our memory’s chemistry
2021-08-23T11:05:00
Andy Extance tells the astonishing story of the Arc protein and its capsid forms, and the questions it poses
Research
Neural network scours vast chemical space to design drug-delivering peptides
2021-08-11T08:30:00
Oligonucleotide drug activity boosted 50-fold with peptide designed by machine learning algorithm
News
Machine learning delivers ‘human genome’ moment for proteins
2021-08-03T08:30:00
Protein structure prediction tools AlphaFold and RoseTTAFold take the latest steps towards maturity and make their software open source
Research
Electrochemical DNA on a chip sensor detects bacterial urinary tract infections faster
2021-07-06T13:26:00
Synthetic nucleic acid probes combine with tiny star-shaped electrodes tests for bacteria in less than an hour
News
Scientists build case for a UK x-ray laser more advanced than any in the world
2021-05-28T08:30:00
Support sought for facility with higher quality, shorter pulses, to begin operation after 2030
Feature
Computer-guided retrosynthesis
2021-05-24T10:08:00
Machine learning-based systems hope to outperform expert-guided reaction planning technology, finds Andy Extance
Research
Nitrogen deletion reaction offers ‘new way to think about molecular editing’
2021-05-13T08:38:00
Reagent inspired by decades-old research could save chemists a lot of headache when it comes to modifying molecules’ skeleton
Research
Rapidly alternating polarity stars in selective electrochemical reduction
2021-04-30T08:21:00
Rapidly fluctuating AC targets specific carbonyl groups in the presence of several reducible groups
Research
New definition of electronegativity fixes flaws left by Linus Pauling
2021-04-14T08:00:00
Revised version of Pauling’s formula enables better predictions for problem systems such as metal-containing molecules
Research
Tandem catalysis and smart design offer new route to polypropylene plastic
2021-03-19T10:09:00
Selective combustion of hydrogen by-product improves oxidative propane dehydrogenation yields
Feature
Flow chemistry surges forward
2021-03-15T15:58:00
The long-discussed technique could help make pharma manufacturing more distributed, finds Andy Extance, and create opportunities for chemists with the right skills

More by Andy Extance