Headlines
Research
From tipsy worms to pigeon missiles: the quirky triumphs of the 2024 Ig Nobel awards
Chemistry prize rewards work that used worms as analogues of large polymers
US–China science and technology accord expires, maybe for the last time
Tea tree oil faces ban in UK and EU over reprotoxicity
Science community holds its breath again as consequential US presidential election looms
US industry braced for change as election looms
Nobel laureates urge European Commission president to fund science and appoint a research champion
In depth
Chemistry courses, departments face closure in the UK highlighting higher education’s financial woes
Courses are facing the axe at Aston University and the University of Hull, with others struggling
Electrification of process heat stands to slash industry’s emissions
Technologies available now can decarbonise most heat demand, but cost and infrastructure barriers still exist
Explainer: Why athletes are taking sodium bicarbonate supplements
Why runners are taking pills containing a common kitchen ingredient
Explainer: Why drug shortages happen and how can we reduce them?
Record-high numbers of drugs are in short supply, from chemotherapy and antibiotics to hormone replacements
Explainer: How is the US pharmaceutical patent system being misused?
What are ‘evergreening’ and ‘thicketing’ and what is being done to reform the system and aid competition?
Explainer: how chemistry powers heat pumps
Seen as an answer to low-carbon heating we look at how they work and what their future holds
Should scientists be paid when AI chatbots use their work?
Two major scientific publishers have recently sold access to research papers to train AIs at big tech firms
Labs across the globe networked by AI discover state-of-the-art emitters for lasers
Demonstration shows how algorithms could organise timing and match specialist equipment to experiments
Are we rushing ahead with AI in the lab?
Patience will be key to making machine learning indispensable – and practical – for chemistry
Brewing better Belgian beer with artificial intelligence
Machine learning tool can predict a beer’s taste and quality and which flavour compounds could improve it
Worldwide
17 dead in solvent explosion at Indian plant
Dozens more injured at pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer in Andhra Pradesh
Oil terminal fire and explosion in Guinea kills 18
Over 200 injured, and loss of fuel stores threatens power generation
New Zealand set to be first country to ban PFAS in cosmetic products
Environment agency says it is taking a ’precautionary approach’ to PFAS in nail polish, shaving cream, foundation, lipstick and mascara
Science community holds its breath again as consequential US presidential election looms
A lot is riding on the November election for university researchers and science advocates, who overwhelmingly back Kamala Harris
Chemistry courses, departments face closure in the UK highlighting higher education’s financial woes
Budget leaves Indian researchers searching for funding following cuts to universities
Public support high for recruiting best students and talent for UK universities
Caltech gets new theoretical chemistry centre that honours Nobel laureate
Science community holds its breath again as consequential US presidential election looms
A lot is riding on the November election for university researchers and science advocates, who overwhelmingly back Kamala Harris
Widespread signs of paper milling discovered in materials science and engineering papers
Metadata in images of scanning electron microscopes doesn’t match the make and model of the instrument in thousands of papers
US–China science and technology accord expires, maybe for the last time
Forty-five-year-old agreement has lapsed again but the US remains in contact with China on scientific cooperation
Science community holds its breath again as consequential US presidential election looms
A lot is riding on the November election for university researchers and science advocates, who overwhelmingly back Kamala Harris
US industry braced for change as election looms
Regulation, trade tariffs and innovation support top lists of concerns
Nicotine analogues emerging in e-cigarettes to evade regulations
Venezuela’s contested presidential election brings both chaos and hope
Explainer: Why drug shortages happen and how can we reduce them?
Budget leaves Indian researchers searching for funding following cuts to universities
Chinese-born chemist cleared of last conviction under US’s espionage probe
Spanish government unveils new cross-collaborative strategy for scientific policy
Explainer: How is the US pharmaceutical patent system being misused?
Carbon capture gets personalised touch to match best tech with right location
Holistic analysis combines models and experiments to find the sorbent that works for each industrial site
Warning that solar geoengineering could cause unexpected regional heating
Aerosol modelling study injects note of caution on strategy to control warming
Oil and gas industry emissions are not on track to hit climate goals
Several big firms have rolled back their targets, saying governments need to set pace with policy
Analysis of three French chemistry labs shows how they could halve their carbon footprint by 2030
Open-source tool helps researchers evaluate a series of carbon mitigation strategies
Indian scheme to provide 300 research grants for women
The announcement made by India’s science and technology minister aims to foster more cross-disciplinary research
Next president of the Royal Society of Chemistry will be Robert Mokaya
University of Nottingham chemist will begin his tenure in 2026
Gender equality report highlights progress and challenges for women in research
41% of the world’s researchers are female, but women are underrepresented as authors of papers and patents
Humphry Davy’s whole story – warts and all – deserves to be told
Offensive comments about other races and cultures are part of his legacy too
Universities in the UK beat national average on gender pay gap but large discrepancies remain
UKRI investigation clears diversity panel following science minister’s accusations of extremism
US researcher vows to appeal after losing her disability discrimination suit
Disability landscape report highlights barriers still facing disabled chemists
Royal Society of Chemistry announces grant to fund 10 projects tackling diversity issues