A gel that stops bleeding and sticks tissue together has been made using reptilase, an enzyme extracted from the venom of a pit viper. Visible light activates the bioadhesive, which also reduces bleeding by promoting blood clotting. Bioadhesives use chemical bonds or physical interactions between themselves and tissue to heal wounds. It’s important to prevent […]

Researchers in China have developed a way to create intricate three-dimensional structures out of glass by mimicking the ancient art of origami. Glass’ transparency, abrasion resistance and stability make it an extremely useful material, but traditional production methods either require harsh conditions or severely limit the complexity of structures that can be created. Now, researchers […]

I appear to have become something of a fan of the Cambridge University historian of science, Patricia Fara. The first book of hers that I read, and that some years ago, was Newton: The Making of a Genius (Columbia University Press, 2002), an excellent deconstruction of the myths that grew up around England’s most lauded natural philosopher […]

High-resolution images of human metabolism have been caught on camera for the first time thanks to a new technique that can track glucose metabolism in a single cell. Tracking glucose could provide insights and even new therapies to treat cancer – a disease which often disrupts cellular metabolism. The new technology combines fluorescence resonance energy […]

Researchers in China and Hungary have discovered a new marine natural product with an unprecedented carbon skeleton and unusual structural features. The compound, which they’ve named benthol A, was isolated from unicellular algae known as dinoflagellates from the South China Sea. Marine organic compounds with long polyol carbon chains and many stereocentres are known as […]

A light-activated molecular switch could drive down the cost of a useful, but difficult to make γ-cyclodextrin. Cyclodextrins are ring-shaped structures typically made from six to eight glucose units. Their hydrophilic exterior and hydrophobic cavity makes them important host molecules used in supramolecular chemistry, with applications ranging from food chemistry to drug delivery. γ-cyclodextrin, made […]

Researchers in the UK have developed a fast and mild method for deconstructing SF6. The method converts the potent greenhouse gas into stable aluminium(iii) fluoride and sulfide compounds, which can serve as nucleophilic sources of F− and S2- in further reactions to make valuable organic products.  Due to its highly inert nature and excellent thermal […]

If ever a science fiction movie director were seeking inspiration for how to depict tiny robotic alien life forms, they need look no further than those created by a team of scientists in Bulgaria, Poland, the UK and China. Beginning as innocuous oily droplets about 20–40μm across floating in water, these structures take on faceted, […]

Scientists in South Korea have made a stable species that incorporates a superatom into another superatom. Superatoms are nanoclusters of atoms that display properties mimicking those of an elemental atom. The protons and neutrons from the constituent atoms cluster together to form a nucleus surrounded by a delocalised electron cloud, which behaves as one stable […]

Calls are growing for a global science-policy platform to oversee chemicals and waste, equivalent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). But there are concerns over how long it is taking for the UN to act on the proposal. In response, the Swiss government will table a resolution to establish a body at UNEA5.2, […]