News
EPA to revoke emissions limits on fossil fuel power plants
Trump administration estimates that its action will save over $300bn, but opponents criticise decision to ‘eliminate limits on climate pollution’
Simple technique makes it easier to access and exploit hydrogen radicals
Does the discovery of a new coronavirus upend the Covid-19 lab-leak hypothesis?
UK funding agency to spend £66 million on new methods for engineering the mitochondrial genome
China’s scientific rise is being driven by returning expertise – especially chemists
Growing confidence of Africa’s chemical societies brings chemistry’s benefits to continent
In depth
Record low European river levels threaten chemical freight and process cooling
Cutting off bulk barges leaves few options for high-volume gaseous cargoes, where road and rail options are unsuitable
Thermo Fisher antibody data manipulation is a breach of trust, say researchers
Science sleuths say the problem is impacting research progress and Thermo’s response falls short
Explainer: Potential explosives found at Antarctic explorer laboratories
New Zealand sounds warning about explosive material inside Antarctic huts used by Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton
What kind of damage has RFK Jr’s health department inflicted on vaccine research in the US so far?
Since becoming health secretary in early 2025, Robert F Kennedy Jr has confirmed the worst fears of his critics
25 years ago click chemistry changed science. What happened next?
Barry Sharpless and his team first introduced the concept of ‘clicking’ molecules together 25 years ago
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
Benchmark flaws may be distorting AI drug-discovery leaderboards
Audit identifies subtle but consequential issues, such as conflicting labels and train–test leakage, in numerous benchmark datasets
Combining AI with experiments to solve real-world materials problems
CuspAI’s Materials Foundry partner network includes 45 technology, data and materials chemistry companies to make and test its predictions
US National Science Foundation putting $380 million into building ‘self-driving’ labs
North Carolina State is one of the institutes receiving a $20 million grant aims to advance an autonomous chemistry lab
Protein wrappers designed by AI solve membrane proteins’ solubility problem
Protein sheaths encapsulate membrane proteins while preserving their structure and function making them easier to study
AI model fills in the gaps in crystal structures by placing missing hydrogen atoms
Model may help fix existing structures in the database or better simulate new materials
Could AI research assistants speed up scientific discovery?
Google’s Co-Scientist and Futurehouse’s Robin can help scientists generate hypotheses, design experiments and analyse data
‘Human-in-the-loop’ approach could cut costs of robotic labs by 90%
Reducing costs may democratise field by making self-driving labs more accessible
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
Worldwide
Deadly ammonia leak at fertiliser plant in Iraq
Two dead and 114 injured in incident at state-operated plant in Basra industrial area
Growing confidence of Africa’s chemical societies brings chemistry’s benefits to continent
Chemistry organisations on the continent are looking to professionalise and get involved in setting standards in their home countries
Australia sues 3M over firefighting foam PFAS contamination
Government claims 3M withheld and misrepresented information about environmental risks
China’s scientific rise is being driven by returning expertise – especially chemists
Top performing chemists are increasingly likely to go back to China, analysis find
UK funding agency to spend £66 million on new methods for engineering the mitochondrial genome
Aria announces support for 19 research projects that aim to develop tools to make precise, controlled changes to mitochondrial DNA
Aria chair steps aside after conflict of interest concerns over role at Anthropic
Japan finalises joining the EU’s flagship research programme Horizon Europe
Is the US witnessing the start of a brain drain of chemists to China?
STFC’s £160 million cost-cutting plan prompts concern over future access to key UK research facilities
Scientists produce more novel but less disruptive work as they age
Analysis poses tough questions on who should receive more funding – younger researchers or older ones?
EPA to revoke emissions limits on fossil fuel power plants
Trump administration estimates that its action will save over $300bn, but opponents criticise decision to ‘eliminate limits on climate pollution’
30 US universities ordered to audit foreign research partnerships
Pentagon says review must be finished by the end of August to maintain federal funding
EU relaxes methane and carbon emission rules
Methane regulation fines delayed carbon trading restrictions eased amid concerns over energy supply and security
Is the US witnessing the start of a brain drain of chemists to China?
Chemical engineer Chris McDonald appointed as UK’s science minister
New four-year US student visa limit could force international research PhDs to leave country mid-programme
Chemical recycling plants closing in EU and US
Science department abolished as UK’s new prime minister Andy Burnham appoints first cabinet
‘Losing an entire generation of scientific talent’: top US universities accepted 15% fewer PhDs
Chemistry delivers £60.5 billion to the UK economy and makes local economies more resilient, says RSC report
EPA to revoke emissions limits on fossil fuel power plants
Trump administration estimates that its action will save over $300bn, but opponents criticise decision to ‘eliminate limits on climate pollution’
Climate change driving extreme acidification of North American streams that threatens life in them
Oxidation of sulfides in melting permafrost acidifies stream and leaches toxic metals from minerals
Could lab-grown cocoa be the solution to the climate and supply chain woes plaguing chocolate?
Companies are ready to begin supplying chocolate makers with cell-based cocoa powder in early 2027
Industrial emissions of feedstock chemicals are hindering recovery of ozone layer
Emissions of certain ozone-depleting chemicals could delay the ozone layer’s recovery by six to 11 years
The genius narrative isn’t inspiring – science biographies for children may send a demotivating message
Analysis of over 400 children’s books finds ideas around early interest in science and innate ability could turn young readers away from science
Socioeconomic background still holding back students in chemistry, RSC report finds
Access is only the first step to making the chemical sciences inclusive