Frances Addison
Digital content assistant, Chemistry World
I studied medicinal and biological chemistry at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2016. Before joining Chemistry World in March 2019, I was a staff writer on Front Line Genomics.
ResearchCrispr editing of certain genes could trigger cell death
Researchers identify more than 3000 spots in the human genome where gene editing could cause toxic side effects and genomic instability
NewsChemistry appears less often in news than biology or medicine
But chemical research has a strong presence in patents, study finds
ResearchPolyatomic molecule cooled to almost absolute zero
Ultracold calcium monohydroxide created in magneto-optical trap
PodcastA Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury – Book club
Learning about chemistry through poisons and murders
ResearchTriple Leidenfrost effect found in bouncing droplet pairs
Droplets of different liquids placed on a hot surface perform a bouncy dance before merging – sometimes with explosive results
ResearchFirst carbon-making microbes discovered
Mysterious black material produced by deep sea archaea and bacteria found to be carbon
ResearchLiquid crystals under pressure create squid-like camouflage
Pneumatic membranes trigger full-spectrum colour shifting on demand
ResearchMirror image enzyme constructs longest ever mirror DNA strand
Since chirally inverted DNA is more stable than its natural counterpart, it can be used to encode secret messages
ResearchGlass folded into intricate origami shapes
Embedding silica particles into a polymer creates a bendable material that can be converted into glass
ResearchChemists reconsider C–H and C–C bond length rationale
Quantitative proof for steric repulsion theory
PodcastVampirology: The Science of Horror's Most Famous Fiend by Kathryn Harkup – Book club
A scientific investigation of vampires’ lust for blood and weakness to garlic
ResearchTooth isotope analysis proves ancient Greek historians wrong
Analysis of ancient soldiers’ 2500-year-old remains suggests they were foreign mercenaries rather than the locals contemporary historians described
ReviewDoomsday Book: The Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Threats
A great pick for anyone looking for intriguing solutions to global challenges present and future – as long as you’re okay with a bit of doom and gloom
PodcastAzidoazide azide
A compound so explosively unstable that nobody has been able to measure how sensitive it is without it, well, exploding
PodcastWritten in Bone: Hidden Stories in what We Leave Behind by Sue Black – Book club
From the horrific to the absurd, forensic anthropologist Sue Black’s new book is a true pageturner
ReviewThe End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
Universe-ending scenarios made to fit our tiny human minds
PodcastThe End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack – Book club
It’s the end times for our universe with five scenarios that of how it might meet its ultimate demise
ReviewDeath By Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts
A book for anyone with an interest in science, death, Elizabethan literature and British history – or all of the above