The formation and structural dynamics of molecular ions in the gas phase have been monitored for the first time using high-speed electron diffraction combined with resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionisation. The new method overcomes some of the difficulties associated with exploring these chemical species, unlocking exciting opportunities in ion chemistry. ‘This remarkable achievement opens up a new […]

A thermodynamically stable example of the notorious ‘plumber’s nightmare’ structure has been created using a diblock copolymer by adjusting the interactions of the chain ends. The stability of the plumber’s nightmare structure – so called because the structure is so convoluted, an intricate tangle of tubes – is attributed to the interplay between the strength […]

By stabilising perovskites in a supramolecular assembly, US researchers have produced effective photoluminescent materials that can be formulated into thin films and 3D printer inks. The supramolecular approach simplifies the synthesis of the perovskites and could open the door to their wider use in light-emitting devices. A research team led by University of California, Berkeley […]

A microbiologist has won her case for unfair dismissal against a US federal agency after she blew the whistle on animal welfare and biosafety failures. The US Geological Survey (USGS) hired Evi Emmenegger as a fisheries microbiologist in 1994, and in 2006 promoted her to manager of the highest biosafety level containment laboratory at the […]

Well-ordered semiconducting graphene with a bandgap has been grown on the surface of silicon carbide by researchers in China and the US. The team was then able to make use of this unusual combination of properties in graphene to produce a transistor. The work could lead to direct integration between silicon electronics and high-power circuitry. […]

The UK government intends to introduce tariffs on carbon intensive products such as fertiliser and cement from countries that have a lower carbon price than the UK. The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) would come into force in 2027 and aims to reduce the risk of ‘carbon leakage’ , whereby production (and the associated emissions) […]

The UK should consider repurposing the mothballed Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in Leamington Spa into a facility for phage research, a cross-party group of MPs has said. Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that kill bacteria and are emerging as an important potential weapon to combat the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, more infrastructure and investment […]

What are water microdroplets? They’re just what they sound like: really tiny water droplets. A microdroplet is around 10μm in size, which is about 100 times smaller than a raindrop.. Water microdroplets are the focus of a live and contentious scientific debate. Studies suggest they can accelerate the rates of numerous organic reactions – in […]

Just as the period of dominance of Aristotelian philosophy in antiquity was succeeded by the rise to dominance of Stoicism and Epicureanism, as I documented in the fifth episode of the series, so they too began to lose their hold on the world of thought in late antiquity. From the middle of the third till the […]

Plans to demolish the building in which Marie Skłodowska-Curie – and her colleagues – prepared and stored radioactive material have been suspended after a last-minute intervention by the French Ministry of Culture. The Pavillon des Sources, in central Paris, was set to be decontaminated and then demolished as part of a development project by the […]