Tim Wogan
After initially planning to study English at university, I decided that, just in case I turned out not to be the next Hillary Mantel, it might be better to devote my life to my other great love – science, where I believed I was sure to make great discoveries. Three years studying physics at Cambridge University disabused me thoroughly of that notion, and, having learned that I was never going to make a notable discovery of my own in a world full of infinitely better scientists than I was, I decided to return to plan A and make my living writing about theirs instead. I studied science communication at Imperial College London and, after a brief internship as a reporter on the European news desk of Science, I’ve been writing freelance. Since 2019, I’ve been living in the US.
ResearchPowerful rare-earth free magnet ‘evolved’ and refined by machine learning algorithm
Combination of iron, cobalt and boron points to alternatives to metals beset by geopolitical battles
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AI beats human experts when it comes to peptide design
Algorithm throws up some counter-intuitive structures in contest
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Homogeneous catalysis boosted by electrochemical recovery of precious metal complexes
Process can recover metals from industrially important catalysts
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Bond switching stops hard ceramic from cracking under stress
Deformable silicon nitride absorbs compression stress through gradual phase change
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Machine learning navigates vast materials space to discover new high-performance alloys
Neural net suggested unusual element combination to create better Invar alloys
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Explainer: How do sunscreens safely protect our skin?
And which is best – inorganic or organic sunscreens?
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Diamond capsules allow ambient analysis of high-pressure samples
Crystalline forms of argon and neon can now be analysed using techniques that would previously have been impossible
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Electrons become chiral reagent in polymer synthesis
Chiral polymer made from completely achiral chemicals using only electrons’ angular momentum
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Visualising sigma orbitals opens path to new understanding of surface chemistry
Photoemisssion orbital tomography extended beyond pi orbitals
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Metallic deuterium made at pressures rivalling those found at the centre of a planet
Synthesis could aid study of high-pressure superconductors
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Highly stable aerogel could protect firefighters and spacecraft from extreme heat
Amorphous structure studded with nanocrystals survives stress and strain that would break an ordinary aerogel
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Liquid metal boosts platinum catalyst’s activity 1000 times
Gallium containing single platinum atoms outperforms solid platinum catalysts in electrochemical methanol oxidation
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Organometallic boost pushes perovskite solar cells to record efficiency, stability
Device survives 1000 hours of solar illumination with minimal power loss bringing commercialisation of cheaper cells closer
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Spotlight shone on sped up photochemical reactions in droplets
Light can produce ‘hot spots’ in aerosols that supercharge reaction rates
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Radiation discovered to be a major overlooked source of natural gas generation in shales
Uranium and thorium may be responsible for producing a significant portion of hydrocarbons in some fracking wells
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Plasmonic catalyst smashes record for reducing vital chemical feedstock
Chalcogenide catalyses reduction of nitroaromatics used in everything from paints, plastics and pharmaceuticals
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Solar cells kept clean of dust and dirt with electrostatic wipe down
Electrode adaptation repels dust and could save billions of litres of water and millions in maintenance costs
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Magnetic fields can have a huge impact on reactivity of ultracold molecules
Probability of a reaction occurring increases 100-fold and points to quantum control of chemistry
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Epigenetic MRI offers a way to understand how the brain learns
First tests in humans could be as little as year away, researchers claim
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New phenomenon ‘quantum friction’ explains water’s bizarre properties
Theory offers explanation why water behaves oddly when flowing through nanoscale carbon-based channels
