Biodegradable batteries could be made from modified proteins
Coiled polypeptides modified with redox-active molecules make for eco-friendly single-use batteries
Carbon dioxide serves as carbonyl source in frugal process for making aromatic esters
Nanoscale confinement triggers strong base reactivity in process that shuns stoichiometric consumption of resource intensive reagents
Solo palladium in catalytic copper alloy reduces nitric oxide from vehicle exhausts
First system to work at low temperatures that doesn’t generate nitrous oxide
Uranium isotopes in ancient grains indicate early Earth was less hellish than textbook descriptions
Mass spectrometry technique that works on tiny samples refines understanding of Earth’s first geologic eon
Engineered cyanobacteria turn carbon dioxide into petrol substitute
Strategy transforms wild photosynthetic organism into a system that could reduce humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels
Selective graphene membranes could invigorate carbon capture technology
Concept shows promise as a way to sidestep the energy penalties of numerous industrial separations
Sewage sampling reveals how rich and poor live
Richer citizens taste for alcohol and poorer ones higher rates of prescription drug use revealed
Synthetic flame retardant compounds turn up as marine natural products
Finding an alga that biosynthesises halogenated anilines increases likelihood of finding an organism that can degrade the toxic compounds too
Electrochemistry can cut cement’s carbon footprint to virtually zero
Cement’s carbon emissions are a big problem for the industry but renewable energy could see the process go green
Glucose derivative replaces BPA in sustainable polycarbonate plastic
Transparent engineered plastic ditches hormone disruptor and lung irritant
Moon may be millions of years older than previously calculated
Analysis of hafnium and tungsten in Apollo 17 samples suggests the moon formed 50 million years after the solar system
Corrections promise more accurate CO2 measurements from space
Improvements to cavity ring-down spectroscopy could also benefit quantum science
Sinking wastewater from oilfields could be causing stronger earthquakes
Effects can continue for over a decade after disposal ends
Features
Sewage sells: the hidden value of wastewater
Concrete’s carbon problem
A persistent perfluorinated problem
Firing up an air pollution problem
What is the moon made of?
The problem of particulate air pollution
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Catalyst metal recovery adds greener notes to whisky production
Bacteria harnessed to make magnetite nanoparticles that can trap copper for click reactions
Impact of extra-terrestrial glycine delivery could have created nucleobase precursors
Quantum simulations show that comets and other celestial bodies may have not only delivered building blocks for life to Earth, but also synthesised them on impact
C–H fluoroalkylation tackles plastic waste
Photocatalytic method that upcycles aromatic polymers could breathe new life into rubbish
Caged gas blanket may explain why Pluto’s oceans are liquid
Ocean temperatures close to water’s freezing point may mean dwarf planet is hospitable to life
China identified as source of unexpected rise in CFC emissions
New production believed to be responsible for increasing levels of outlawed ozone-depleting chemical
Minty-fresh solvent for sustainable cross-couplings
Eucalyptol could replace diethyl ether, DMF, THF and toluene in many synthetic reactions
Mystery around actinides deepens as researchers challenge study on heavy elements’ origin
Was a giant supernova rather than a neutron star collision responsible for creating the solar system’s actinides?
Hippo dung drives savannah silicon cycle
Eating silicon-rich grass on land and spreading dung in rivers provides vital nutrients for microscopic diatoms
Converting waste plastic bottles into jet fuel
Simple three-step process generates minimal waste and diverts plastic from landfill
Violent stellar collision near early solar system created actinides
A single neutron star merger produced almost all curium and plutonium that ever existed in the solar system
Water found in asteroid dust collected by Japan's Hayabusa probe
Scientists calculate that half of the water on Earth could have been delivered by meteorites