A new preprint study from researchers in the US has concluded that the environmental impact of cultivated meat is probably ‘orders of magnitude’ worse than traditional beef, based on current and near-term production methods. But experts are divided on whether the study, which has yet to undergo peer review, makes valid assumptions. Cultivated meat, which […]

Using time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy, researchers have directly observed the metal–alkane charge-transfer interactions that occur during C–H activation. The method offers synthetic chemists a better understanding of C–H activation reactions and could help guide the design of new catalysts. The project, led by Raphael Jay and his team at Uppsala University, Sweden, set out to experimentally evaluate […]

A new analysis of previously undisclosed industry documents by academic researchers in the US appears to confirm that chemical companies have known for more than 60 years about the health hazards posed by exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discharged from their facilities, but actively worked to suppress knowledge. PFAS are a class of […]

Before life on Earth, there had to be reactive organic molecules. Iron-rich nanoparticles from meteorites and volcanism could have catalysed conversion of CO2 on early Earth into such molecules, according to researchers in Germany. The group mimicked deposits on early Earth using particles from crushed meteorites and volcanic ash. The experiments also replicated the hot […]

A new technique demonstrated by researchers in the US combines x-ray characterisation with scanning tunnelling microscopy to achieve both single-atom resolution and chemical specificity of atoms on surfaces. The synchrotron x-ray scanning tunnelling microscopy (SX-STM) technique even provides information about the atoms’ oxidation states. Since its invention in 1981 by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer […]

Friendships, rivalries, nationality and other ‘nonscientific’ factors had a role in determining the winners of the Nobel prize in chemistry in its first 70 years a new study finds, while the number of nominations a scientist received had little influence. The Nobel Committee for Chemistry invites about 3000 scientists to nominate every year, and only […]

An artificial ligament that integrates more strongly with the host’s bone than the best clinical material has been created using intertwined carbon nanotubes. When the nanotube ligament was transplanted into the legs of rabbits and sheep, they were able to run and jump normally once they had healed from the surgery. Ligaments connect bones together, […]

Pay and pensions for academics on permanent contracts compare well to those in other sectors, while sick pay is significantly more generous, according to a new report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). They also fare well when it comes to annual leave, maternity and paternity arrangements, and sabbatical opportunities. However, newer academics can […]

Regular readers of my series of posts on English mathematical practitioners in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries might have noticed the name John Davis popping up from time to time. Unlike most of the other mathematical practitioners featured here in the early modern history of cartography, navigation, and scientific instrument design, who were […]