Biochemistry
The latest chemistry news and research on biochemistry, including proteomics, metabolism, enzymes and nucleic acid chemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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NewsDiscovery of light-activated proteins and their application in neuroscience wins Nobel prize in medicine
Optogenetics has helped researchers better understand the brain and is enabling new treatments for neurological conditions
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PodcastNobel prize in chemistry 2026: predictions
We discuss our picks for this year’s chemistry Nobel prize. Plus, are there certain traits that make a Nobel laureate?
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OpinionAutocatalytic networks could lie at the beginning of evolution
New modelling suggests how compartmentalised cross-catalysing networks can evolve adaptations that are passed on through chemical states
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ResearchElemental sulfur found in mammalian cells for first time
Analysis suggests that there could be tens of grams of S8 across a human body
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NewsWho will win the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry?
Annual list of ‘citation laureates’ includes scientists behind base editing, self-assembled monolayers, and those who improved our understanding of electron transfer in proteins
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OpinionSarah O’Connor: ‘There’s nothing that matches that thrill of discovery’
The natural product chemist talks growing up in New York, her dad’s late pursuit of a PhD, and her journey to plant chemistry and to Germany
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ResearchThe twisted chemistry of Narwhal tusks
Narwhal tusks grow in distinctive shape due to opposing chiral collagen fibrils
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FeatureCracking the ubiquitin code to unlock new drug targets
The approval of the first Protac cancer drug marks a turning point in medicine – but scientists are only beginning to decode the complex molecular language that makes it possible
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PodcastThermo Fisher data manipulation & the shrinking chemical recycling industry
We discuss fabricated images in Thermo Fisher’s online catalogue. And, what barriers are preventing chemical plastic recycling from taking off?
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ResearchChemical analysis of limpet shells reveals mechanism behind deep-sea migrations
Concentrations of barium, manganese and oxygen isotopes in shell layers provide evidence of where limpets live at different life stages
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OpinionTrust is easily broken and hard to rebuild
Thermo Fisher needs to be open and honest about data manipulation to reassure researchers
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FeatureMolecular ratchets: unlocking the chemistry of biological motion
Motor proteins power everything from muscle contraction to bacterial swimming. While replicating their chemically fuelled directional motion in the laboratory has proved difficult, researchers are making progress and developing molecular ratchets and motors that do useful work
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BusinessThermo Fisher antibody data manipulation is a breach of trust, say researchers
Science sleuths say the problem is impacting research progress and Thermo’s response falls short
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FeatureExtremophiles are rewriting the rules of life on Earth
Creatures that survive extreme conditions like mind-boggling temperatures and toxicity challenge how we define life. Bárbara Pinho finds out how it will impact how we search for life beyond Earth
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NewsAston University unveils new £6 million membrane research facility
The facility will investigate membranes for applications such as water purification and drug development
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ResearchProtein wrappers designed by AI solve membrane proteins’ solubility problem
Protein sheaths encapsulate membrane proteins while preserving their structure and function making them easier to study
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OpinionWould mirror life really threaten our own?
New modelling suggests that even if we could create cells based on mirror-image biomolecules, their natural counterparts would outcompete them in the wild
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ResearchPigeons navigate with ‘gut feeling’ powered by paramagnetic liver cells, study suggests
Homing pigeons might owe their navigational knowhow to iron nanoparticles in their liver
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ResearchStructure-led search tool set to refine how scientists explore metabolomics data
Platform can find molecules and substructures across massive public datasets
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ResearchElusive electronic effect could explain the origins of chirality for all life on Earth
Study suggests spin selectivity is different in enantiomers – altering their reaction rate – which ‘challenges a fundamental assumption in the field’