New research shows how organohalogen pollutants affect different tissue types in king penguins. The work shows how various contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and organochlorine compounds, find their way into the seabirds’ fatty and protein-rich tissues. Halogenated chemical pollutants are a global problem, found almost everywhere – in soil, rainwater, rivers and tap […]

Belgian scientists have developed artificial intelligence (AI) models that can predict the taste and quality of a given beer and even identify which flavour and aroma compounds can be added to improve it. Beyond beer, the team from KU Leuven suggests that its machine-learning tools could revolutionise the food and beverage industry. The researchers analysed […]

The continuous capture of physiological signals through human contact with wood has been successfully demonstrated with a novel ‘intelligent’ wood device. The chemically modified wood can be turned into a floor or a chair that can sense pressure and heat changes when an individual stands or sits on it. Wood’s natural abundance and mechanical properties […]

Robert ‘Bob’ Curl’s 1996 Nobel prize in chemistry medal, awarded for the joint discovery of fullerenes, has been sold at auction for over $440,000 (£352,000). The medal, which is crafted from 18-carat gold and plated in 24-carat gold, was auctioned by Nate D Sanders on 28 March. A total of four bids were placed with the […]

Electrical conductors can be strongly and reversibly adhered to soft matter such as gels or plant and animal tissue when a small electric field is applied. The surprising finding could find use in biomedical, materials or robotic applications. ‘I feel like I have found a secret in nature,’ says Srinivasa Raghavan, who led the research. […]

It’s hard not to love an element as special as carbon – but might chemists’ adoration be a problem? No other element is versatile enough to help make molecules enabling life, while also forming a beautiful and hard gem like diamond. ‘If carbon were a person, it would be somebody that has many faces and […]

Metal nanoparticles have been found in cannabis vaping liquids before they’ve even been heated. This runs counter to previous research that has suggested the metals released by cannabis electronic cigarettes come from particles emitted when their coils are heated. This discovery of metal contamination in cannabis vaping liquids that were less than six months old […]