In a strange twist, researchers have accidentally discovered a flowing suspension of a gel, called a sol, becomes solid gel again when it’s diluted further – going against all previous conventions. This odd behaviour was discovered accidentally by master’s student Cyprien Muller at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, working in Bert Meijer’s group. Muller […]

The chemical industry in the US was responsible for $5.2 trillion (£4.3 trillion) – or approximately a quarter of the country’s GDP – and employed 4.1 million people in the country in 2020, according to new analysis released by the US National Academies. The report, two years in the making, was drafted by a panel […]

The French group that in 2020 produced the most convincing evidence yet that hydrogen forms a metallic state at high pressures has now shown that at even higher pressures deuterium can become metallic. These findings support the theory behind the 2020 claims, and may also assist in the study of novel high-pressure superconductors. In theory, […]

As we have seen in previous episodes, Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605) was one of the leading natural historians of the sixteenth century. The first ever professor for natural history at the University of Bologna. Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522 – 1605). attributed to Ludovico Carracci. Source: Wikimedia Commons He created the university’s botanical garden, one of the oldest still […]

To do their jobs properly, scientists need stability. They need secure sources of funding. They need to be able to collaborate with other researchers across the globe, without unnecessary barriers. But there’s a huge question mark hanging over the UK’s involvement in major scientific programmes like Horizon Europe – the world’s largest multinational research fund. […]

In a world first, kerosene has been synthesised using solar energy, water and carbon dioxide in a fully integrated solar tower setup. An array of 169 spherical reflectors concentrated solar radiation onto a reactor mounted on a tower near Madrid, Spain providing the thermal energy for the conversion. The reflectors deliver around 50kW of solar […]

Researchers based at Russian institutions are more likely to publish in predatory journals if their university leader already does so, according to new analysis. The authors of the study, analysed the work of 1386 rectors – the most senior officials at Russian universities – over a 10-year period and found that 149 officials had published […]

A year ago Switzerland was ignominiously ejected from the EU’s major research funding programmes. As a result, scientists in Switzerland are warning that R&D is suffering with some fearing that the country’s chance of re-joining these programmes are already fading. While not an EU member, Switzerland had previously participated in research programmes like Horizon 2020 […]

The UK government has published more details on its proposals to support UK science, should the country be ejected from Horizon Europe. But scientific organisations warn that association to the EU’s research programmes is still their preferred option and greater clarity is required on the government’s ‘plan B’ option. Continuing UK participation in European research […]

Chemours has asked a US appeals court to vacate the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) new, stricter safety standards for GenX, which was included in updated health advice the agency issued last month for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water. The company uses GenX (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt) as a […]