Vegan leather shoes from mushroom mycelium and samples of vegan bio leather

New materials for sustainable fabrics

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Textiles based on agricultural waste, algae and fungi are being developed to improve the environmental impact of the fashion industry

Rupo Mapanga

My summer writing for Chemistry World

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Rupo Mapanga on being a science writer intern at the Royal Society of Chemistry

A-level chemistry

Why the chemistry community needs to engage with curriculum reviews

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A-level grade boundaries are one source of dissatisfaction for chemistry educators 

Our columnists

Philip Ball

Philip Ball is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster who explores the history and philosophy of chemistry

Illustration of exoplanet K2-18b from space showing a cloudy surface and its reddish star in the distance

Dimethyl sulfide signature may not indicate extraterrestrial life

But a microbial source of the signal from planet K2-18b would have interesting implications for evolution

Raychelle Burks

Raychelle Burks is an associate professor in the US and an award-winning science communicator and broadcaster.

Knife in butter dish

I can’t believe it’s not…

The analytical techniques revealing the true identity of what you spread on your bread

Nessa Carson

Nessa Carson is a synthetic organic research chemist based in Macclesfield, UK

Obsolete computer

The value of good software extends beyond its cost

Whether third-party or built in-house, thoughtful design and implementation can improve workflows and make science more inclusive

Chemjobber is a US-based industry insider, telling tales of tank reactors and organic obstacles

Man checking another man's clipboard

Are you fooling yourself?

Charles Piller’s Doctored and the reality of falsehoods in science

Derek Lowe is a medicinal chemist in the US, sharing wit and wisdom from a life spent in preclinical drug discovery

Female patient in consultation with doctor as part of a clinical trial

Women are not just another confounding factor in drug development

Ignoring physiological differences between the sexes is indefensible

Alice Motion

Alice Motion is an associate professor in Australia interested in citizen science, public outreach and education

Bernadine Healy

The women-led health projects doing things differently

Innovative approaches to awareness and participation

Chris Nawrat (aka BRSM)

Chris Nawrat (aka BRSM) is a process chemist at a major pharmaceutical company in the US

(-)-Scabrolide B

(–)-Scabrolide B (again!)

Proverbially, comparison may not bring joy – but it can be educational

Vanessa Seifert

Vanessa Seifert explores philosophical issues from the novel perspective of chemistry

Women of Salerno and Trota

How feminist bioethics can improve women’s health

From correcting research imbalances to placing value on lived experiences

Andrea Sella

Andrea Sella is a professor of inorganic chemistry in the UK with a passion for unravelling the unlikely origins of scientific kit

A hand taking a sample of soil

Way’s double silicates and what else he dug up from the soil

John Thomas Way’s practical advice also produced the first quantitative observations of ion exchange

Research landscape

Tired man working late

Can scientific curiosity and pressure to work long hours be balanced with well-being?

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Younger researchers must beware the trap that sees their scientific fervour take over their lives

Princeton University

‘Real danger in this moment’ for America’s research enterprise

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There are stark warnings for the US amid science agency cuts, terminated research grants and detained graduate students

Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Krystle McLaughlin

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An assistant chemistry professor at a small college in New York gets her career back on track, thanks to a tenure clock extension and teaching release

Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Liang Zhang

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Lockdown gave a young chemistry professor in China the space and time to consider the most worthwhile projects, and that has benefited his team

Putting research on the chopping block risks mortgaging countries’ futures

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Many countries in the global north are taking a short-sighted approach to their science budgets 

Forming bonds through Covid-19

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How studying chemistry helped ward off loneliness during the pandemic 

The right level of trust in the scientific literature

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An overreliance on what’s gone before can hinder innovation

Industry landscape

Fountain pen nib, writing

Letters: May 2025

2025-05-02T13:24:00+01:00By

Readers share memories of home chemistry and concerns about carbon capture, and more

Profiles

Robyn Norton

Robyn Norton: ‘We needed to make sure that women were included’

The pioneering global health researcher on the importance of including women in medical research, face-to-face networking and kindness

Bathabile Ramalapa

How Bathabile Ramalapa is making a place for chemistry in health innovation

The award-winning scientist is solving health problems in the global south and inspiring other girls to follow suit

Willie May

Willie May: ‘We need to find and support the “missing millions”’

The analytical chemist on growing up Black in Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s and his journey through NIST, academia and the AAAS presidency

Willie May: ‘We need to find and support the “missing millions”’

The analytical chemist on growing up Black in Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s and his journey through NIST, academia and the AAAS presidency

From professional ballet dancer to quantum chemist

Creativity has been central to James Shee’s career across both art and science

Hidden from view: being a scientific advisor for the emergency services

Stephen Yao’s expertise helps the emergency services deal with chemical incidents

Sara Shinton’s career developing research leaders

UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellows Development Network director is on a mission to improve research culture through good leadership

Jon-Paul Griffiths: ‘Starting a small company is a phenomenal experience’

The chief technology officer of Oxeco on spinning out, supporting entrepreneurs and the difficulties of identifying a market