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.

Research
Liquid metal boosts platinum catalyst’s activity 1000 times
2022-06-17T08:35:00
Gallium containing single platinum atoms outperforms solid platinum catalysts in electrochemical methanol oxidation
Research
Organometallic boost pushes perovskite solar cells to record efficiency, stability
2022-04-28T13:30:00
Device survives 1000 hours of solar illumination with minimal power loss bringing commercialisation of cheaper cells closer
Research
Spotlight shone on sped up photochemical reactions in droplets
2022-04-21T08:30:00
Light can produce ‘hot spots’ in aerosols that supercharge reaction rates
Research
Radiation discovered to be a major overlooked source of natural gas generation in shales
2022-04-11T13:30:00
Uranium and thorium may be responsible for producing a significant portion of hydrocarbons in some fracking wells
Research
Plasmonic catalyst smashes record for reducing vital chemical feedstock
2022-03-31T13:30:00
Chalcogenide catalyses reduction of nitroaromatics used in everything from paints, plastics and pharmaceuticals
Research
Solar cells kept clean of dust and dirt with electrostatic wipe down
2022-03-17T15:14:00
Electrode adaptation repels dust and could save billions of litres of water and millions in maintenance costs
Research
Magnetic fields can have a huge impact on reactivity of ultracold molecules
2022-03-11T09:30:00
Probability of a reaction occurring increases 100-fold and points to quantum control of chemistry
Research
Epigenetic MRI offers a way to understand how the brain learns
2022-03-07T09:30:00
First tests in humans could be as little as year away, researchers claim
Research
New phenomenon ‘quantum friction’ explains water’s bizarre properties
2022-02-03T14:52:00
Theory offers explanation why water behaves oddly when flowing through nanoscale carbon-based channels
Research
Robotic production line gives 2D materials a twist to produce multilayer structures
2022-01-31T14:30:00
Precise fabrication of heterostructures with up to 80 layers will allow exploration of these materials’ exotic properties
Research
Single-celled marine organism first to be found releasing oxygen in the dark
2022-01-11T10:28:00
Discovery of new biological pathway in widespread archaea could transform understanding of oceans’ fertility
Feature
How elements are made beyond the stars
2022-01-05T11:45:00
Tim Wogan looks at what recent astronomical discoveries have added to our understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis, and the mysteries that remain
Research
Algorithm out of Google’s DeepMind finesses DFT calculations
2021-12-15T09:30:00
Machine learning creates algorithm that avoids large errors in solutions to certain problems
News
James Webb Space Telescope poised to provide insight into chemical evolution of universe
2021-12-08T14:30:00
Launch later this month could provide new understanding of exoplanets and the origins of heavier elements
Research
Perovskite frozen in MOF glass glows in rainbow colours
2021-11-11T13:30:00
Porous material preserves lead halide perovskite’s luminescent form while tailoring emission colour
Research
Flawless quasicrystals may be possible to synthesise simply
2021-10-28T08:30:00
Cutting misalignment should allow perfect structures to form
Research
Squeezed crystal becomes better catalyst
2021-10-21T13:30:00
Fine-tuning platinum’s lattice strain with removable atomic spacers boosts its catalytic activity by up to 50%
Research
Tiny shear forces have big effect on protein reactions
2021-10-15T08:35:00
Proteins react faster under the forces they experience when they squeeze through blood vessels
Research
New process could turn scrap metal into hi-tech steel in demand for cars and alloys
2021-10-08T08:30:00
Ultra-low carbon steel created electrochemically
Research
Semimetal study links spiral magnetism to Weyl fermions
2021-09-01T13:05:00
Findings may help explain spatial modulations seen in the magnetism of other rare earth intermetallic compounds

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