Research
Breaking bonds and bringing disciplines together to replace one of chemistry’s most controversial molecules
Rebecca Trager meets an organic chemist catalysing the search for BPA replacements by connecting synthetic chemists, data scientists, toxicologists and polymer chemists
Liquid metal nanoparticles enable ultrafast fire detection
Elusive ‘dark matter’ diazo compounds captured from a human lung pathogen
US moves to roll back ethylene oxide exposure rules
Discovery of unique modification to plant’s carbon dioxide-fixing enzyme could boost crops
Electrostatic decatalysis offers a new way to suppress parasitic side reactions
In depth
Fragmented forensics in England and Wales has led to ‘postcode lottery’ with no fix in sight
Proposed forensics service would take over from individual police forces but is still likely years away
Clean hydrogen project cancellations point to narrower future
Plants actually being built tend to use hydrogen as feedstock, not fuel
Explainer: what is thermal paper?
Many thermal papers use toxic bisphenols, which react with dyes under heat to print text for receipts, labels and tickets
Explainer: Why is the US eliminating synthetic food dyes?
What’s the evidence for harm, and how does the US approach compare internationally
Explainer: What is epibatidine?
The science behind the dart frog toxin that was allegedly used to kill the Russian politician Alexei Navalny
Methanol poisoning: the chemistry behind how a toxic alcohol gets into drinks
Methanol in alcoholic drinks kills thousands every year. How does this toxic compound enter drinks, why is it dangerous and what can you do to stay safe?
Machine learning cuts complexity of computational calculations in catalysis
Software simulates 370,000 steps in under 100 hours, potentially cutting demand for time on supercomputers by orders of magnitude
Google’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
AI research tools benefit individual scientists but may slow scientific progress
There may be a conflict between personal and collective gain in the sciences
AI tool dramatically reduces computing power needed to find protein-binding molecules
New protocol is up to 10 million times faster than current docking-based methods
AI agents set to democratise computational chemistry
Large language models are powering a new generation of AI agents that could transform computational chemistry from a specialist discipline into one any researcher can use, reports Julia Robinson
AI flexes its protein design muscles for harsh environments
‘Creative architect’ can produce proteins that are four times stronger than natural counterparts
UKRI opens up grant proposal data to explore using AI to smooth peer review
Surging applications has led the UK’s main funder to look at ways to reduce the burden on reviewers
‘AI will have a very large impact on chemistry’: £100 million AI materials hub to be built in Liverpool
Aim-Hi project to speed use of AI in materials science and accelerate discovery science
Worldwide
Chemical recycling of plastics rises as oil crisis continues
Recovering feedstocks from hard-to-recycle plastic is potentially important in a more circular plastic economy
How air pollution is rewiring gut chemistry and fuelling chronic disease
The impact of air pollution on our bodies’ microbiomes is only just beginning to be uncovered
Working towards an Australian First Nations periodic table
Zahra Khan finds out how a team of scholars is working with the Gadigal to develop a chart that celebrates Indigenous knowledge of the chemical elements
As UK cuts airborne lab worries persist about future of funding following changes
Poor communication is being blamed by government ministers for concerns as research councils pause grants to revamp system
As UK cuts airborne lab worries persist about future of funding following changes
Poor communication is being blamed by government ministers for concerns as research councils pause grants to revamp system
Chinese Academy of Sciences proposes capping pay-to-publish fees for high-profile journals
Journals charging article processing charges for open access in excess of $5000 are likely to be hit
Fragmented forensics in England and Wales has led to ‘postcode lottery’ with no fix in sight
Proposed forensics service would take over from individual police forces but is still likely years away
Chemical recycling of plastics rises as oil crisis continues
Recovering feedstocks from hard-to-recycle plastic is potentially important in a more circular plastic economy
US moves to roll back ethylene oxide exposure rules
Environmental Protection Agency will relax limits on emissions from commercial sterilisers
As UK cuts airborne lab worries persist about future of funding following changes
Widening impact of conflict in Iran
‘A philosophical attack on the nature of science’
At least 41 dead in two industrial explosions in India
Clean hydrogen project cancellations point to narrower future
Ireland’s five-year plan for research aims to boost PhD numbers and spin-outs
Explainer: Why is the US eliminating synthetic food dyes?
Chemical recycling of plastics rises as oil crisis continues
Recovering feedstocks from hard-to-recycle plastic is potentially important in a more circular plastic economy
EPA moves to eliminate basis of greenhouse gas regulations
Legal challenges predicted as US environmental protection agency rescinds long-standing ‘endangerment finding’
Aria for chemist who wants to tackle key challenge of our age
Chemistry World spoke to Mark Symes, an electrochemist heading up Aria’s geoengineering programme
National scientific organisations consistently underrepresent women within their membership
Change is happening slowly but institutional processes continue to stymie the progression of women
Royal Society asks for help as it unveils interactive UK map charting memorialisation of women in science
Locations, landmarks and monuments dotted throughout the UK highlight the contributions of women
Royal Society of Chemistry calls for labs to become more inclusive for disabled chemists
Innovative thinking could address many of the problems that makes labs inaccessible