There is very little doubt that Aristotle (384–§22 BCE) is the predominant figure in the narrative of the history of European science in the twenty-two centuries from 400 BCE to 1800 CE, and even after that he remains a central figure in the discourse. The general literature on Aristotle as a philosopher would fill a […]

New methods of upcycling plastic waste into high-value chemical feedstocks could provide a crucial economic incentive to improve future rates of plastic recycling. By exploiting reactive chemical groups present in degraded plastics, two research teams have developed new ways of preparing valuable products using robust and established chemistry. Despite huge pressure to address the growing […]

US researchers have observed a phenomenon known as ‘quantum superchemistry,’ in which ultracold atoms undergo chemical reactions at a faster rate than usual. The effect was predicted theoretically more than 20 years ago, but this is one of the first times the phenomenon been seen. One of the main reasons that superchemistry – in which […]

A new US National Academies report adds weight to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) findings on the health risks associated with formaldehyde, which have attracted fierce criticism from the chemical industry. However, the report also suggests that the agency makes some needed clarifications to its draft assessment. When EPA released its latest health assessment of […]

Earlier this year, a team of chemists created extraordinary electrical conductance in polystyrene, a usually non-conducting polymer, without altering its chemical makeup. Another group lowered the melting temperature of DNA so that it could fold into ‘origami’ structures at lower temperatures – again, without changing the molecules’ structure. And yet another research team managed to […]

The iron atom at the centre of ferrocene has been oxidised for the first time. A metal–organic framework (MOF) facilitates the transformation, which converts ferrocene into a stretched, high-spin state that can accept oxygen from the air. Ferrocene contains an iron atom sandwiched between two cyclopentadiene rings. Ever since it was first made over 70 […]

The UK Competition & Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to fine Advanz Pharma for charging the National Health Service (NHS) ‘excessive and unfair’ prices for liothyronine tablets has been upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The decision means that Advanz Pharma, together with its two former owners, private equity groups Hg Capital and Cinven, face combined […]

A new class of molecular ‘photoswitch’ – stable in the solid state – can store solar energy upon excitation with visible light. This overcomes some critical challenges of conventional energy storage structures, such as thermal stability and optical sensitivity beyond the UV spectrum – both attractive properties towards scale-up and commercialisation. ‘Our compounds store solar […]

Levels of potentially harmful organic compounds in the dust aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are higher than those found in US and western European homes. It is the first time persistent organic chemicals have been detected in a non-terrestrial environment, and the team that carried out the analysis says that the findings will inform […]

Rising energy costs, supply shortages and extended delivery times triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia–Ukraine war have had a ‘profound effect’ on science facilities across Europe, according to a key body that advises European policymakers on research infrastructure. The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure (Esfri) notes in its latest report that synchrotrons have been […]