Hayley Bennett
Hayley is a Bristol-based science writer interested in biology, chemistry, the environment and the intersection between science and the arts. She has written for The Guardian, BBC Focus, New Scientist and Mosaic, and is an author of several popular science books including Defining Moments in Science and 50 Chemistry Ideas You Really Need to Know.
FeatureThe archaeologists saving Africa’s ironworking heritage
The fires of traditional African iron smelters burned out a century ago and now the researchers dedicated to uncovering their stories are disappearing from the continent too, writes Hayley Bennett
FeatureThe science behind a ‘runner’s high’
Exercise addicts need to stop talking about getting their endorphin hit, writes Hayley Bennett, and start looking at endocannabinoids
FeatureHow do plants sense stress?
How does an organism without a brain or a nervous system sense when it’s under attack? Hayley Bennett presents the plant world’s strange yet sophisticated system for responding to wounding
OpinionBetty Wright Harris’s explosive career
Hayley Bennett tells the story of a Black chemist who studied energetic materials – and ways to detect them
FeatureThe incredible antibodies of sharks, llamas and camels
Sharks and llamas share a strange quirk of their immune systems. Hayley Bennett finds out how their ‘nanobodies’ could help us tackle Covid and a host of other diseases
FeatureThe curious case of the ancient brain
A 2000 year old decapitated Yorkshire man and the ancient proteins in his preserved brain might provide clues to modern diseases, as Hayley Bennett discovers
OpinionMarie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier the invisible assistant
Could her famous husband have played such a key role in ‘the new chemistry’ without her? Hayley Bennett investigates
OpinionJames LuValle, a chemist who broke the colour barrier
Sports or science? There was never really any competition for a Black Olympian who made significant contributions to Kodak’s colour film, as Hayley Bennett discovers
FeatureThe rise of ferrofluids
Magnetic liquids are taking off, Hayley Bennett reports, but not as their inventor once imagined
OpinionMargarita Salas: the marquesa of molecular biology
Hayley Bennett celebrates the Spanish biochemist who flourished during the Franco era
OpinionGhanaian biochemistry TV star Marian Addy
Marian Addy was the first female science professor in Ghana, who studied herbal medicine – and was a TV star
FeatureSewage sells: the hidden value of wastewater
An eye-opening visit to a waste water treatment works uncovers the surprising value in sewage. Hayley Bennett reports
FeatureThe art of the periodic table
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
PodcastOmega-3 fatty acids
Many consume cod liver oil due to 'a vague sense we should be taking them for something' – but what to the omega-3 fatty acids actually do?
FeatureReady for a Raman shift
Raman spectroscopy has been seen as a tool for physicists and chemists but Hayley Bennett finds it has the potential to cause a major shift in the way we do medicine
FeatureFrom folklore to pharmacy
Although many drugs have in the past come from plants, Hayley Bennett discovers that it’s hard work getting them approved today
FeatureChemistry beyond Moore's Law
Can anything replace the silicon in our mobile phones and laptops? The hunt is on, reports Hayley Bennett
FeatureArsenic and rice - a growing problem?
Hayley Bennett highlights rice’s natural affinity for arsenic and what researchers are doing about it
FeatureThe chemistry of the yellow jersey
Hayley Bennett tells the story of the 1948 Tour de France’s yellow jersey – and how synthetic fabrics came to dominate sportswear