Polymer maintains strength during regular use but selectively breaks down when exposed to a nickel catalyst
Resource could help reduce trial and error in synthesis
Acting at the gas-liquid-solid interface to permit carbon dioxide and water to react, the catalyst achieves 80% efficiency
Low-energy device is a ‘step forward’ for sustainable lithium mining
Not just a marine issue, new research shows microplastics are also changing agricultural land. Barbara Pinho finds out how and what we can do to prevent it affecting our food
David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper won this year’s Nobel prize in chemistry. Jamie Durrani investigates the origins of a biochemistry revolution
Instruments in space have studied the planet’s atmosphere and surface, and are now being joined by powerful new ones, finds Andy Extance
Analytical techniques have come a long way, but what does the future hold? Rachel Brazil asks the experts what they’d like to see
Testing small amounts of blood for the presence of disease markers could revolutionise how we detect cancer. Clare Sansom reports
AI prediction model often fails to identify fold-switching, helping show how it works and the limits of its usefulness
Machine-learning trained model could open up new opportunities in materials discovery
New tool could find use in food science and drug development
Anthony Green’s research group at the University of Manchester, UK, reengineers enzymes to have catalytic functions beyond those found in nature
Kidney and liver problems that killed the composer, as well as hearing loss, are associated with high lead levels
Byzantine silver plates were melted down to make many of the first Anglo-Saxon coins
Discovery that more than 80% of the tattoo inks sampled had unlisted ingredients prompts New York-based lab to launch a website providing chemical information to tattoo artists and their clients
Labs have an outsized environmental footprint but solutions are within reach
In just three simple steps rare earth element can be recovered, avoiding ‘ecologically devastating’ mining
Royal Society report warns that without intervention defossilisation of the chemicals sector will take many decades
Open-source tool helps researchers evaluate a series of carbon mitigation strategies
Managing our most precious resource
Disagreements surrounding non-thermal effects didn’t stop microwave reactors becoming a standard part of laboratory life
Escalating Israel–Hezbollah conflict and Gaza war increases the pressure and threat to researchers in the region
From November, 500 scientists affiliated with Russian institutions will be cut off from Cern research facilities due to ongoing war in Ukraine
Scientific integrity sleuths discovered 131 cases of publishers making unacknowledged changes
Africa represents 12.5% of world’s population but less than 1% of its research output
After a harrowing journey from his native Afghanistan one refugee chemist has found safety in a postdoc position in the UK