Potent coronavirus drug candidate designed using 3D structure of key viral enzyme
Inhibitor of Sars-CoV-2 protease shows promise in early animal tests
Universal blood for transfusion could be created by hydrogel ‘camouflage’
Antigen-shield can prevent serious immune response to incompatible blood group
Counterintuitive catalyst gives purer products when used in less enantiopure form
Unusual example of ‘hyperpositive’ nonlinear effect is a first for asymmetric catalysis
Engineered neurons synthesise their own conductive polymer coating
Cell-specific electric stimulation could help be used with bioelectronic prostheses or treat diseases like epilepsy
Mechanical protecting group shields molecules from stress and strain
Catenane makes force-activated molecules more resistant mechanical bond breaking
Universities prepare for new normal as pandemic forces UK to shut down for three weeks
Labs and lectures wound up as students and staff are left anxious about their futures
‘Liquid biopsy’ blood test accurately predicts cancer by detecting DNA methylation
Power of AI harnessed to identify 50 different cancers before symptoms have even begun to emerge
Mechanochemistry drops the ball in MOF synthesis
Acoustic mixing proven as a simple, quick and readily scalable process for making MOFs with varying levels of complexity
Mystery of where early Earth’s life-fuelling phosphates came from may have been solved
Meteorites have been source of building blocks for primordial life
DNA instructions pack proteins into unique crystal structures
Process could aid discovery of materials that exploit specific protein functions, such as drug molecules or biocatalysts
![An image showing a [2]catenane](https://d2cbg94ubxgsnp.cloudfront.net/Pictures/415x277//0/0/4/504004_fja0c01757_0007.jpeg_49119.jpg)
Structure-based AI tool can predict wide range of very different reactions
Molecular properties, enantioselectivities, yields and relative conversion can all be modelled by the same program
Automated radial synthesis could usher in era of chemistry ‘server farms’
System to streamline small molecule production could bring state-of-the-art chemistry to many more teams
Targeted nanoparticles swell-up to kill cancer cells
Nanoparticles covered with charged ligands can kill errant cancer cells but leave normal cells unharmed
Porous hydrogel cleans dirt and grime from Jackson Pollock masterpieces
Twin-chain polymer gel can safely removes grime from contemporary artworks
Ceramic could help slash lithium extraction costs by as much as 80%
New technology removes need for high temperatures and toxic reagents
Early warning signals in chemical system akin to those of stock markets and ecosystems
Prior to collapse, critical slowing down observed in oscillating chemical system
Sunshine keeps lithium-air battery working in the extreme cold
Temperature limitations of solid-state electrolyte sidestepped with photothermal technology
Iron rain every evening on ultra-hot giant exoplanet
Spectral data shows iron condensing on planet’s nightside
Cheating bacterium becomes antibiotic-tolerant at expense of other species
Coexistence triggers counterintuitive antibiotics response in bacteria, which could be used to tackle hardy species
Rotaxane–gold complex is in good shape for catalysis
A new type of catalyst containing a mechanically planar chiral rotaxane shows promise for organic synthesis
A whole new world for barium, including first ever non-ionic barium fluoride
Ligand tames barium, making precursor to first barium–tin and first molecular barium–fluorine bond
Metallic trihydrogen oxide could explain ice giants’ strange magnetic fields
Compound stable under extreme conditions might be source of Uranus’ and Neptune’s enigmatic magnetosphere
Fossilised bones inspire long-term DNA data storage
Earth alkali salts found to stabilise synthetic DNA
Unlocking geological time capsules with analytical chemistry
Blavatnik award winner Kirsty Penkman discusses her research developing techniques to date fossils
Automatic conformer investigator takes tedium out of exploring low-energy chemical space
Quantum chemical calculations drive program that quickly and easily builds up plausible ensembles of molecular conformers
Laser-lit honeycomb polymer boosts bacterial bioelectricity
Technique delivers orders-of-magnitude increase in microbial fuel cell current
Snakes swap toxic toads for fireflies but retain unique chemical defence
Defensive toxins reveal evolutionary shift in snakes’ diet
First three-component artificial immune system made of DNA-studded gold nanomachines
DNA machines could interface with biological systems to make intelligent medicines