In profile

An illustrated portrait of Donna Blackmond

Donna Blackmond: ‘I often get my best ideas in the middle of the night’

An illustrated portrait of Alan Aspuru-Guzik

Alán Aspuru-Guzik: 'Science is at a crossroads'

An illustrated portrait of Margaret Brimble

Margaret Brimble: 'Spiroketals are my favourite molecules'

An illustrated portrait showing Fraser Scott; the background is an Edinburgh Landscape drawn in Paul Kenton's style

Fraser Stoddart: 'Even when I'm sleeping, I average 40mph'

An illustrated portrait of Cathleen Crudden

Cathleen Crudden: 'I played clarinet for the Pope'

An illustrated portrait of Omar Yaghi

Omar Yaghi: 'MOFs are the most beautiful compounds ever made'

An illustration of Jin Quan Yu

‘I taught my local restaurant how to make noodles’

In Situ - Maki Kawai, portrait illustration

Maki Kawai: 'Researchers in Japan should speak English'

In Situ - Peter Atkins, portrait illustration

'I used to have a golden Rolls Royce...'

Helen Sharman portrait illustration

Helen Sharman: 'I remember the last view I had of the Earth...'

  • Donna Blackmond: ‘I often get my best ideas in the middle of the night’

  • Alán Aspuru-Guzik: 'Science is at a crossroads'

  • Margaret Brimble: 'Spiroketals are my favourite molecules'

  • Fraser Stoddart: 'Even when I'm sleeping, I average 40mph'

  • Cathleen Crudden: 'I played clarinet for the Pope'

  • Omar Yaghi: 'MOFs are the most beautiful compounds ever made'

  • ‘I taught my local restaurant how to make noodles’

  • Maki Kawai: 'Researchers in Japan should speak English'

  • 'I used to have a golden Rolls Royce...'

  • Helen Sharman: 'I remember the last view I had of the Earth...'

Latest reviews

Diversity and opportunity

The Last retort illustration

Reimagining the Nobel prize

By

Honor discoveries, not discoverers

An image showing a chemist, a civil engineer and a data scientist contributing to a better society

Am I really a scientist?

By

Whether in a lab, an office or on a stage, we are no strangers to wrestling with self-identity 

An image showing the cover of Superior

Superior: The Return of Race Science

By

Angela Saini’s latest book is a powerful deconstruction of the research around race

An image showing book pages being turned

Cutting-edge history

By

Rewriting the textbooks is our duty, because credit and recognition are much more than a reward for the individual. We use them to show what we value, and what matters to us – what lies behind us to be discovered is just as important as what lies ahead

Question marks on a scientific experiment

Design of experiments

Quizzes and resources to help you to become better at designing experiments. Created in partnership with JMP

Ethics

An image showing Shekhar C. Mande

Image manipulation allegations hit Indian toxicology institute

Investigation launched after images in as many as 130 papers questioned

An image showing He Jiankui at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing

Chinese gene-edited babies at higher risk of premature death

Loss of gene knocked-out by rogue geneticists found to be linked with higher mortality in human genome database

An illustration showing the hand of a person throwing paper in the trash bin

Misconduct not mistakes are the chief reason chemistry papers are retracted

Analysis prompts call for publishers to be more open about the reasons a paper is withdrawn

Safety

Pocketful of trouble index image

On the spot: pocketful of trouble

What would you do if you found a mystery substance in your lab coat pocket?

An image showing a researcher dressed in sandals and wearing shorts, pondering at a sign on a laboratory door which shows that shorts may not be worn

What not to wear: lab edition

Your health and safety advisor is not your personal stylist

An image showing chemistry students in a laboratory

1% of chemicals end up on benches in undergrad labs

First effort to quantify spillages points way to improving chemical handling

On the spot

Pocketful of trouble index image

On the spot: pocketful of trouble

On the spot tyre fire index image

On the spot: tyre fire

Nitrous on the spot Index

On the spot: nitrous injection

On the spot july index image

On the spot: car coolant

  • On the spot: pocketful of trouble

  • On the spot: tyre fire

  • On the spot: nitrous injection

  • On the spot: car coolant

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