Bárbara Pinho
I studied biomedical science in Portugal, where I grew up. In the last year of my degree, I discovered science communication and decided to give it a try. After winning FameLab Portugal, I decided to take a year out to try out some science communication gigs. I've worked as a children's science presenter in a museum, tutored teens, wrote for a couple of publications and learned how to serve the perfect cappuccino. In 2020 I finished an MSc in science communication and I'm now a freelance science writer. I'm also quite interested in policy and how science affects it.
ResearchMicroplastics passed on during cell division
New research sheds light on the influence of microplastics on cellular processes
ResearchPFAS linked to foetal metabolism disorders
‘Forever chemicals’ in the livers of unborn children can alter lipid metabolism and may increase the risk of metabolic disease in adulthood
FeatureIs modern food lower in nutrients?
Studies suggest that our fruit and vegetables are losing nutrients. Bárbara Pinho examines the evidence and looks at the implications of a ‘nutrient collapse’
Research‘Transformative’ carbonyl cross-metathesis used to synthesise alkenes
Two new catalytic methods can produce a broad range of Z- and E-alkenes with remarkable cross-selectivity, paving the way for more efficient organic syntheses
ResearchInorganic membrane could cut industrial separation costs
Membrane remains stable under harsh conditions that cause current materials to fail
FeatureFighting algal blooms with chemistry
These harmful events are the result of a complex interplay of factors, but Bárbara Pinho talks to the researchers finding out how they form and how we can stop them
ResearchCheaper method to capture carbon dioxide could shake up industry
Guanidinium sulfate-based clathrate salt can cage the gas cheaply and release it easily
FeatureThe long future of nuclear waste
Although enthusiasm for atomic energy has waxed and waned over the decades, Bárbara Pinho finds the question of waste has yet to be solved
FeatureOmega-3s and brain health
Modern diets can leave us short on essential fatty acids. Barbara Pinho looks into how this is affecting our health and our brains in particular
FeatureMethane – the other greenhouse gas
Bárbara Pinho looks at the problem of methane emissions and how scientists are trying to prevent them
ResearchAncient Mars meteorites’ organic chemistry cracked – and it’s not alien microbes
Study uncovers geochemical processes that formed organic compounds millions of years ago, at a time when the red planet still had liquid water
ResearchPorous material made by mimicking deep Earth conditions
Extreme temperature changes water’s properties so it can replace organic solvent
ResearchPossible dinosaur DNA discovered in 125-million-year-old fossil
But that doesn’t mean we can clone extinct species Jurassic Park-style
OpinionIn situ with Tebello Nyokong
The influential chemist on nurturing confidence in students and taking inspiration from the humanities
ResearchMethane mystery on Saturn’s moon rekindles search for life on other planets
Researchers struggle to explain suspicious amounts of methane on Enceladus while a new chapter opens in the debate around the source of Venus’s phosphine. Why is it so hard to decide what counts as a sign of life?
OpinionClara Immerwahr – out of her husband’s shadow
The tragic story of the chemist best known as Fritz Haber’s wife might not be as clear cut as many believe, finds Bárbara Pinho
OpinionMolly Shoichet: ‘We fail every day’
The Canadian biomedical engineer on failure, politics and celebrity science
ResearchNew family of glasses made from molten hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite
Materials could find uses in energy sector
FeatureThe growing problem of pesticide resistance
Weeds and other plant pests can no longer be controlled by chemicals as easily as they could. Bárbara Pinho talks to the scientists finding solutions
OpinionPrasanna de Silva: ‘Kindness plays a key role in academia’
The influential Sri Lankan chemist on serendipity, slowness and the excitement of Irish percussion