All Feature articles – Page 4
View all stories of the same content type.
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FeatureHow Crispr went from niche to Nobel
Katrina Kramer tells the story of how Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna developed the gene editing tool that won them the 2020 Nobel prize in chemistry
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Room temperature superconductors
A dream since electricity was first harnessed humanity is tantalisingly close to achieving this goal
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Direct observation of the transition state
The mystery of precisely what happens when one chemical reacts to form a new one is now being revealed in ever greater detail
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Unnatural selection in chemical systems
Great strides have been made in the lab with chemical systems that ape life’s behaviour
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Manipulation of matter at the atomic level
In the first in our series looking at chemistry’s holy grails from 25 years ago we examine how matter can now be controlled at its most basic level
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Artificial enzymes: catalysis by design
Enzymes are nature’s ultimate catalysts and chemists are now on the verge of making their own versions from scratch
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Artificial photosynthesis: solar water splitting
The chemistry to mimic ones of nature’s greatest feats still has some hurdles to overcome
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Homogeneous C–H activation
In the final instalment of our grails series we look at how picking and choosing which bond to target holds the promise of transforming organic molecules at will
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Human chemical communication
Nina Notman sniffs out the evidence for human pheromones and chemical cues
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The drive to recycle lithium-ion batteries
Electric vehicles are surging in popularity but Patrick Hughes asks what happens once their batteries are no longer fit for purpose
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Using ions to connect life to machines
Ionotronic materials are beginning to show how life’s signals can be aligned with electronics. James Urquhart speaks to the scientists who are exploring the emerging frontier
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Ammonia synthesis goes electric
James Mitchell Crow finds that the outlook for renewables-powered electrochemical ammonia production is beginning to brighten
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Why is cystic fibrosis so hard to treat?
Claire Jarvis talks to the scientists trying to find new drugs to treat the inherited lung condition
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The function of folding
Can chemists make molecules that fold up as well as proteins? Rachel Brazil talks to the people trying to create foldamers
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The complex chemistry of fire
Despite its ubiquity in human life, chemists have still barely unlocked what’s happening amid the flames. Kit Chapman reports
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Atmospheric water harvesting
With drought threatening many parts of the world, Nina Notman explores technologies for sucking water out of thin air
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Metalloenzyme mastery
There are natural metalloenzymes that make difficult chemistry look easy. James Mitchell Crow talks to the bioinorganic chemists figuring out how to copy them
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Clearing the air
Nina Notman explores the role technology can play in cleaning pollutants out of air before we breathe them in
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The difficulties of drugging our brains
Following the withdrawal of many large pharma companies from central nervous system research, Andy Extance finds new drug development patterns are emerging
