Chemically recyclable polymers with thermal stabilities comparable to those of commercial plastics have been created by scientists in the US. The materials can be broken down into their building blocks and then reassembled into new plastic many times over – a dream for sustainable plastics, though one whose commercial reality might still be a long […]

There is significant movement afoot to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Europe – a class of persistent, highly mobile and potentially toxic compounds. The governments of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway have announced that by July 2022 they will formally propose to the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) that these chemicals be restricted […]

Switzerland will now be treated as a non-associated third country in the EU’s major research funding programmes, including Horizon Europe. The European commission’s decision comes during a period of rocky relations between the EU and Switzerland and could have damaging consequences for Swiss research. Although not an EU member, Switzerland has previously participated in European […]

Ethylene – a key feedstock in plastic manufacturing – is among the five top-selling compounds in the chemical industry. Now, two teams have independently discovered new electrocatalytic processes to prepare pure ethylene selectively and efficiently. Importantly, these reactions work under ambient conditions using abundant copper catalysts, providing a greener alternative to traditional solutions. Most ethylene […]

At June’s G7 meeting, leaders pledged to take action to decarbonise industrial sectors such as chemicals and petrochemicals by harnessing collective strengths in science and innovation. The chemicals sector has some catching up to do if it’s to achieve the deep decarbonisation required to put the world on track to avoid the most dangerous increases […]

A US federal grand jury has indicted four Chinese nationals for their alleged participation in a global computer hacking campaign to steal intellectual property and confidential business information related to various research areas, including chemicals and infectious diseases. The indictment, announced by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on 19 July and unsealed just days […]

Large and unusual DNA entities have been discovered coexisting in methane-metabolising microbes that may play a role in regulating global greenhouse gas emissions. They possess some of their host microbe’s genes, leading the team to dub them ‘Borgs’ after the Star Trek villain that assimilate the biology and knowledge of other organisms. Nineteen distinct Borgs […]

A gel that stops bleeding and sticks tissue together has been made using reptilase, an enzyme extracted from the venom of a pit viper. Visible light activates the bioadhesive, which also reduces bleeding by promoting blood clotting. Bioadhesives use chemical bonds or physical interactions between themselves and tissue to heal wounds. It’s important to prevent […]

Researchers in China have developed a way to create intricate three-dimensional structures out of glass by mimicking the ancient art of origami. Glass’ transparency, abrasion resistance and stability make it an extremely useful material, but traditional production methods either require harsh conditions or severely limit the complexity of structures that can be created. Now, researchers […]

I appear to have become something of a fan of the Cambridge University historian of science, Patricia Fara. The first book of hers that I read, and that some years ago, was Newton: The Making of a Genius (Columbia University Press, 2002), an excellent deconstruction of the myths that grew up around England’s most lauded natural philosopher […]