All articles by Hayley Bennett
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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
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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
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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
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OpinionBetty Wright Harris’s explosive career
Hayley Bennett tells the story of a Black chemist who studied energetic materials – and ways to detect them
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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
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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
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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
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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
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FeatureThe rise of ferrofluids
Magnetic liquids are taking off, Hayley Bennett reports, but not as their inventor once imagined
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OpinionMargarita Salas: the marquesa of molecular biology
Hayley Bennett celebrates the Spanish biochemist who flourished during the Franco era
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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FeatureChemistry beyond Moore's Law
Can anything replace the silicon in our mobile phones and laptops? The hunt is on, reports Hayley Bennett
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FeatureArsenic and rice - a growing problem?
Hayley Bennett highlights rice’s natural affinity for arsenic and what researchers are doing about it
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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