Mason Wakley
I joined the Chemistry World team as a science correspondent in January 2026, having previously worked with the team as an intern in the summer of 2025 and later as a freelancer.
After a stint in research post-university, I realised that working in the lab wasn’t quite for me and that I much preferred talking about science than doing it. My background is in chemistry, though I enjoy covering all areas of science.
In my spare time, I like to run, crochet and cook – though not all at once.
ResearchCovid pandemic’s disruption of industrial activity drove surge in methane in early 2020s
Levels of methane-degrading radicals decreased as a knock-on effect of the pandemic
BusinessRethinking hydrogen peroxide production
Hydro-Oxy and Addible both aim to transform how industry produces and uses a ubiquitous oxidant.
Research‘Inverted metallocenes’ turn organometallic definition on its head
Complexes contain palladium-based rings bonded to non-metal anions
Research‘Living biosensor’ lights up to detect wine spoilage in real time
Genetically modified bacteria glow in high levels of acetic acid, a common signal that wine has gone bad
OpinionThe summer I became a science journalist
Mason Wakley on being a science writer intern at the Royal Society of Chemistry
ResearchGoogle’s AlphaGenome wants to do for DNA what AlphaFold did for proteins
Model predicts effect of mutations on sequences up to 1 million base pairs in length and is adept at tackling complex non-coding regions
ResearchFluids used to preserve Charles Darwin’s Galápagos Island specimens probed by Raman spectroscopy
Non-invasive technique enables better care of historic samples
NewsAI research tools benefit individual scientists but may slow scientific progress
There may be a conflict between personal and collective gain in the sciences
NewsPublic values scientists but fewer feel informed about science, UK survey finds
Survey will provide government with insights on how the public perception of science could be improved
NewsQuantum dot pioneer and Nobel prize winner Louis Brus dies at 82
Brus shared the 2023 chemistry Nobel prize with Alexei Ekimov and Moungi Bawendi
NewsLandmark €4.55 billion investment in Ireland’s research sector and universities announced
Plan targets research, education and innovation
NewsSyrian government renews commitment to destroy chemical weapons programme
UN officials welcome opportunity to eliminate country’s programme ‘once and for all’
ResearchAnomeric effect cannot be explained by hyperconjugation alone
Computational studies suggest this textbook principle is governed by a range of factors
ResearchSupramolecular gels improve performance of aircraft deicing fluids
Made using low-cost reagents, the gels could be more sustainable than current anti-icing products
ResearchShedding light on how photoactive crystals respond in real time
Lauren Hatcher discusses her work developing techniques for time-resolved crystallography
NewsWhat could the future of nanoscience look like?
Nanotechnologists think the next 25 years will bring advances in quantum computing, novel materials and medicine
ResearchSimple yet elusive ortho-phosphite anion finally synthesised
Researchers suggest synthetically versatile anion could be a more sustainable source of phosphorus
ResearchProbability model guides synthesis of interwoven catenane structure
Organic cage-like compounds selectively form intricate structure during one-pot synthesis
ResearchExquisite stereochemical control will allow creation of millions of unique polymers
New method take inspiration from established techniques like those used to synthesise DNA
BusinessTaking aerogel insulation from spacecraft to living space
Nanoplume’s bio-based materials are super-insulating but also cheap and scalable