Rather than a potential triumph, the compostable plastics we use look increasingly like a tragedy. Andy Extance looks at the problems and seeks solutions
Spurred by advances in energy-harvesting materials, a new generation of advanced implantable biomedical devices is emerging that does away with the bulky battery. James Mitchell Crow reports
Not just a marine issue, new research shows microplastics are also changing agricultural land. Bárbara Pinho finds out how and what we can do to prevent it affecting our food
David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper won this year’s Nobel prize in chemistry. Jamie Durrani investigates the origins of a biochemistry revolution
Instruments in space have studied the planet’s atmosphere and surface, and are now being joined by powerful new ones, finds Andy Extance
Analytical techniques have come a long way, but what does the future hold? Rachel Brazil asks the experts what they’d like to see
Andy Extance looks into the latest in Alzheimer’s disease, pain and memory
Researchers are on a quest to outsmart and overcome the sophisticated security system of the brain. Julia Robinson reports on some of the approaches being studied
Jamie Durrani speaks to researchers exploring how epigenetic changes in the brain affect drug-seeking behaviours
Nina Notman speaks to the researchers unpicking the many ways the climate crisis is impacting our oceans – and vice versa
Across the world, scientists use a variety of techniques to analyse and treat water to ensure it’s safe for us to drink. Julia Robinson talks to some of the people involved
As the chemical industry decarbonises, will it require more water? Angeli Mehta looks at whether there is enough to go round
Synthetic chemists are finally mastering the assembly of interlocked molecules held together by the mechanical bond, find James Mitchell Crow
Alongside supramolecular stalwarts, budding bonding forms are vying to be valuable, finds Andy Extance
Chemical bonds are part of the way chemists rationalise the behaviour of atoms in the conditions of the world around them. Tim Wogan looks at how they are affected when those conditions change
One year into the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian chemists face blackouts and missile strikes
Since the full-scale invasion began, Anastasia Klimash has been talking to chemists in Ukraine to find out how they are being affected
Mike Sutton looks at how Mendeleev’s patience revealed periodicity in the elements
20 years on, Kit Chapman investigates how a scientific scandal unfolded
Yuri Oganessian tells us how nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson were made
The venerable chart of elements has inspired and entertained in its first 150 years. Hayley Bennett looks at some of its weird, wacky – and wise – incarnations
Tim Wogan looks at what recent astronomical discoveries have added to our understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis, and the mysteries that remain
From the law of octaves to the periodic table as we know it, Mike Sutton traces how chemists put their house in order
Our understanding of what an element is has evolved over the years, but it’s still a tricky concept to nail down. Philip Ball investigates
Did life start on land or underwater?
A series of missions to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn has revealed their potential to harbour life. Nina Notman looks to the skies
Rachel Brazil tries to untangle the alphabet soup of life
To understand how chemistry became biology, some chemists are eschewing simple reactions to study complex systems with many reactants and products. Rachel Brazil peers through the tangle
Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to recreate what the first cells were like, or to make their own versions
A series of missions are set to reveal the hidden secrets of the asteroids. Nina Notman explores the science of space rocks
Why do so many biological molecules exist in just one chirality – and how did it emerge? Rachel Brazil reflects on life’s strange asymmetry
Do you know your cold compound from your London dry? Nina Notman sorts through the botanicals to find the perfect cocktail
Studies suggest that our fruit and vegetables are losing nutrients. Bárbara Pinho examines the evidence and looks at the implications of a ‘nutrient collapse’
Andy Extance looks at the culinary reaction cascade that goes beyond Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner and has worrying links to health
Katrina Megget finds there’s more to tea than just a great brew – it’s also chemically complex
Thousands of papers have been published on curcumin’s healing potential, but its usefulness is not yet proven, finds Andy Extance
Nina Notman discovers that controlling crystal structures and emulsions is the key to good chocolate
Nina Notman talks to the wine detectives uncovering the flavour molecules in our favourite tipples
Nina Notman reveals how breast milk research is inspiring a new generation of infant formulas and opening the door to therapeutic advances
Nina Notman opens her lab notebook to find a recipe fit for a queen
Can chemistry help Nina Notman make a better curry?
Hayley Bennett tells the story of a Black chemist who studied energetic materials – and ways to detect them
Could a Japanese scientist, whose claim to have discovered an element was dismissed, been right all along? Kit Chapman investigates
More than 200 years ago, a female chemist introduced the concept of catalysis and made early steps towards photography. Rachel Brazil develops her story