A nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique could offer a quick and simple way to identify hotspots in proteins for engineering new and more efficient enzymes. The team behind the work demonstrated the method by directing the evolution of a muscle protein that usually stores oxygen so that it became an effective eliminase enzyme. Protein engineers […]

An active learning algorithm has discovered high-entropy versions of Invar alloys – materials widely used for scientific instruments and industrial transportation of liquefied gases because of their tiny thermal expansion. The technique could have significant potential for searching huge ranges of potential material compositions to find a small number with desirable properties. The 1895 discovery […]

In two years, Europe has seen a four-fold increase in cases where the country of origin of the product containing Reach-non-compliant chemicals is ‘unknown’, according to recent analysis by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). The figure has jumped from 4% in 2019, to 12% in 2000 and then to 18% in 2021, and Cefic […]

The 11-storey building at the centre of Bangor University, UK, that once housed its chemistry department is scheduled for demolition. Three years ago, the university decided to end its chemistry courses and research activities as a cost-cutting measure, despite the chemistry community’s overwhelmingly negative response to the proposal. The institution’s decision was based on dramatically […]

Eighteen people were injured, 10 of them children, by an explosion at a science outreach event in Girona, Spain on 30 September. The accident – which involved the release of nitrogen gas and water vapour – happened during one of the demonstrations on European Research Night, co-organised by the local university. All those injured had […]

A global survey of chemical scientists in industry and academia by the Royal Society of Chemistry has found that 84% of respondents want to do more to improve the environmental sustainability of their labs, and 63% have already made changes in the last two years. These findings have spurred the launch of a new RSC […]

A new process converts mixed plastic waste into a single useful chemical feedstock. The procedure uses a combination of chemical and biological methods to upcycle three common plastics, and could offer a way to improve recycling processes by eliminating the need to first sort and separate different waste materials. ‘We wanted to develop processes that […]

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) has issued new draft drinking water guidelines for two particular per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These suggested safe levels are dramatically less stringent than the lifetime health advisories that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued in June, that have left the US chemical industry reeling. Issued on 29 September, […]

70.8% of the earth’s surface is covered by the world ocean; we normally divide it up–Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, etc.– but they are all interconnected in one giant water mass. The world ocean Source: Wikimedia Commons Only 29.2% of the surface is land but, on that land, there are many enclosed seas, lakes, […]

A spate of explosions and fires involving electric two-wheeled scooters in recent months has resulted in serious injuries and deaths in India. Similar incidents worldwide have prompted scrutiny of battery and charging technology used in such vehicles. These incidents have dampened public enthusiasm for electric two-wheelers –­ which are positioned as a significant element of […]