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Running rings around molecular wires
25 June 2012 Research
Polyynes stabilised with chemical loops could be turned into wires for molecular electronics
Molecular chaperones caught on film
23 March 2012 News Archive
Thousands of snapshots of chaperone proteins at work have given researchers a unique insight into how they function
Getting stuck in
29 November 2011 
Feature
Nature produces a wide variety of glues that outperform all synthetic adhesives. Michael Gross looks into this sticky subject
Anarchy in the proteome
29 July 2011 Feature
15 years ago, the idea that proteins might be functional without a well-ordered 3D structure was heretical. But Michael Gross discovers, a little flexibility can go a long way
New hope for malaria drugs as sickle cell protection unravelled
3 May 2011 News Archive
Understanding how the sickle cell anaemia gene protects its carriers from malaria may lead to new therapies
Origin of life experiments revisited
21 March 2011 News Archive
Forgotten samples of Stanley Miller's add clues to the origin of life
The spiders' apprentices
30 November 2010 Feature
For years scientists have tried and failed to artificially reproduce the properties of spider silk. Michael Gross untangles the latest strands of research
Kiss of death for cancer cells
31 October 2010 News Archive
Scientists have deciphered the surprising structure of the perforin pore, which delivers lethal enzymes that kill cancer cells in the body
Spinning around
28 April 2010 Feature
Electron spin resonance is emerging as a valuable analytical tool with a wide range of uses. Michael Gross reports
What's bugging the bees?
28 January 2010 Feature
Insecticides, pathogens, stress? Michael Gross reports on possible explanations for the mysterious vanishing of honeybee colonies
DNA to direct and switch off chemo
28 July 2009 News Archive
Researchers in the US have used DNA strands to target chemotherapy and switch it off if unwanted side effects appear
Bubble-wrapped frogs
29 May 2009 Feature
Tropical frogs create remarkable foams to protect their spawn. Exploration of the underlying chemistry has only just begun, as Michael Gross discovers
Quick-switching carbon nanotube displays
19 May 2009 News Archive
Chinese researchers have shown that thin carbon nanotube films can serve as incandescent displays that switch on and off faster than LCDs
Efficient solar cells could work in tandem
1 May 2009 News Archive
An efficient new dye-based solar energy system could built into a doubly-active solar cell
Light-guided hydrogels direct cell growth
2 April 2009 News Archive
Physical and chemical microenvironment of cells can be manipulated using light-responsive hydrogels
Is DNA nanotechnology coming of age?
30 March 2009 Feature
DNA nanotechnology has moved a long way since its first public appearance in 1991 - and its first applications are already on the horizon, says Michael Gross
Capsules with flexi-pores open wide
19 March 2009 News Archive
Researchers have shown that a molecular capsule with flexible pores can admit over-size guest molecules.
Cracking wood gently
30 September 2008 News Archive
Ionic liquids and solid catalysts combine to hydrolyse cellulose without aggressive acids
Hot chillis evolved to kill fungi
11 August 2008 News Archive
Study confirms spicy capsaicinoids defend fruit from microbes
Light drives plastic motor
12 June 2008 News Archive
A plastic that stretches in response to light can drive an engine
Improving photodynamic cancer therapy
30 May 2008 News Archive
Chemists have developed new compounds that can help to focus the activity of light-activated drugs with pinpoint accuracy
Aluminium's vaccine boost explained
1 April 2008 News Archive
Researchers have shown how 'alum' adjuvants make vaccines more effective
Chemical wheel could boost computers
11 March 2008 News Archive
Researchers in Japan have created a molecular assembly that could allow 16 bit parallel processing
Sea cucumbers inspire switchable material
6 March 2008 News Archive
Composite can flip between rigid and flexible states - just like the skin of the sea-bed scavenger
Modified nanotubes catalyse fuel cell
29 February 2008 News Archive
Platinum nanoparticles boost methanol oxidation
Modified nanotubes catalyse fuel cell
27 February 2008 News Archive
Platinum nanoparticles boost methanol oxidation
Rubber that heals itself
20 February 2008 News Archive
A rubber-like material can mend itself when cut or broken
Nanofibre tape is sticky stuff
18 February 2008 News Archive
Surgeons and climbers could benefit from new materials inspired by gecko's feet
Machines get a taste for espresso
11 February 2008 News Archive
Nestlé researchers have developed a robot that can predict the taste of coffee within minutes
A DNA crane for molecular building sites
31 January 2008 News Archive
A DNA strand attached to the tip of an atomic force microscope can build nanoscale structures
Turning gas into fuel cheaply
23 January 2008 News Archive
Fuel cell converts methane to methanol at lower temperature and pressure
Chemists tame the uranyl ion
16 January 2008 News Archive
A new uranium compound sheds lights on how to make the element more manageable in future
Ice-cream without the crunch
14 January 2008 News Archive
Fragments of gelatin can suppress the growth of ice crystals in frozen food
Portable organs
20 December 2007 Feature
A combination of medical research and engineering could bring an end to the era of putting precious human organs on ice to keep them alive for longer. Michael Gross reports
Haem's secret life as a hormone exposed
7 December 2007 News Archive
Best known as blood's oxygen carrier, haem may also be a signalling molecule
Flash memory enters another dimension
3 December 2007 News Archive
Enhanced data storage with layers of gold nanoparticles
Blood transfusion risk explained
8 October 2007 News Archive
Missing nitric oxide may be why banked blood is a risk to some patients
Grapevine genome reveals wine's flavour secrets
26 August 2007 News Archive
Genetic profile could help in breeding new disease-resistant or health-giving varieties
Goat antidote
23 July 2007 News Archive
Gram quantities of a potent chemical-weapon antidote have been produced in goats' milk
Predicting how proteins fold
6 July 2007 News Archive
Researchers have developed new ways of simulating the folding of membrane proteins, which could aid drug development
Cold chemistry
5 July 2007 News Archive
Chemical reactions at extremely low temperatures, for instance in interstellar clouds, can run at surprisingly fast rates
Virulence from the deep sea
3 July 2007 News Archive
Genetic traits of chemosynthetic bacteria living in the deep sea have evolved into virulence traits in common gut bacteria
Transistor tuned to ion channel
2 July 2007 News Archive
Living cells coupled to transistors pick up the cellular response to serotonin as an electronic signal.
A mirror for the moon
21 June 2007 News Archive
Researchers have coated an ionic liquid with a reflective surface, making it (almost) suitable for a Moon-based telescope
Further integration of micro fluidics and mass spec
17 May 2007 News Archive
Glass microchip combines microfluidic channels with a nanospray emitter for electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Titan's tholins
11 May 2007 News Archive
Spectroscopic measurements used to study the formation of large and complex organic molecules making up the atmosphere on Saturn's moon
Protein printboard
2 May 2007 News Archive
'Molecular printboard' technique builds protein biochips with unprecedented control over binding specificity, strength, and orientation
Deadly beetles intercept bee's warnings
30 April 2007 News Archive
Parasitic beetles invade the hives of honeybees in America with the help of the bees' own alarm pheromone
Molecular trees bear fruit
27 April 2007 Feature
Polymers that grow like trees have been around for nearly three decades. Now they are on the verge of realising their potential, as Michael Gross reports
The actinides, not so unpredictable after all
28 March 2007 News Archive
Theoretical framework accounts for unexpected properties of the late actinides (plutonium, americium and curium)
Eat isotopes to live longer
22 March 2007 News Archive
Deuterium and carbon-13 could be used to suppress the ageing reactions attributed to reactive oxygen species
Nanowires go round the bend
9 March 2007 News Archive
Template spokes bend rigid nanowire into wheel
Nature's supramolecular chemistry
6 March 2007 News Archive
Molecular biology meets metal oxide chemistry.
The last retort
1 March 2007 Last Retort
There are more than 140 million registered users on MySpace
Immune system guardian against HIV identified
23 February 2007 News Archive
Researchers surprised to find that active genes on X chromosomes are more heavily methylated than inactive versions.
X labelling springs a surprise
23 February 2007 News Archive
Researchers surprised to find that active genes on X chromosomes are more heavily methylated than inactive versions.
Nano-pumpkins fitted for drug delivery
12 February 2007 News Archive
Surface modification of polymerised nanocapsules.
Nanoparticles bond like atoms in a molecule
18 January 2007 News Archive
Hairy ball theorem used to get isotropic nanoparticles linking up in a chain.
Bioassays work on paper
16 January 2007 News Archive
Printing technique produces small volume reaction chambers for low-cost bioassays.
Fixing the nitrogen balance
10 January 2007 News Archive
New analysis of the global nitrogen cycle suggests nitrogen fixation and denitrification are closely coupled in space and time.
Nano-clots target tumours
8 January 2007 News Archive
Researchers have constructed nanoparticles that home in on tumours and partially block their blood supply
Ancient protein moonlights in the eye
12 December 2006 News Archive
Bacterial enzyme coopted for supporting role in vertebrate eye lens
Hydrogen generation mimics photosynthesis
5 December 2006 News Archive
Efficiency of splitting water with sunlight reaches new heights
Synthesis success after 30 years
28 November 2006 News Archive
Chemists finally make moenomycin antibiotic from scratch
Nanoribbons put electrons in a spin
15 November 2006 News Archive
Calculations predict that some graphene nanoribbons behave as half-metals, making them a useful material for spin-based electronics (spintronics).
Alzheimer's century
2 November 2006 News Archive
Researchers worldwide are commemorating the centenary of Alois Alzheimer's first description of the dementia named after him
Death sentences for microbes
18 October 2006 News Archive
Researchers have used linguistic analysis to create new antimicrobial agents.
Brief encounter
16 October 2006 News Archive
NMR spectroscopists have developed a method to observe the initial encounter between two proteins before they form a stable complex
Miniature microbicides
9 October 2006 News Archive
Combining the features of two types of antimicrobial in a minimalist design has generated an efficient low-budget antibiotic.
Imaging for the masses
3 October 2006 News Archive
Researchers have adapted mass spectrometry to image the distribution of molecules in tissues or membranes.
Alzheimer's alphabet
21 September 2006 News Archive
Discovery of the normal healthy function of proteins that malfunction in Alzheimer's disease points to possible treatments.
Any colour so long as it's green
19 September 2006 News Archive
New anti-microbial polymer coating can be applied from aqueous suspension.
Iron chelates beat cancer
18 September 2006 News Archive
Iron entrapment in cancer cells bypasses resistance to chemotherapy.
Selective shortcut
6 September 2006 News Archive
Simple catalyst speeds up the synthesis of a chiral protected building block used in complex syntheses.
Antibodies in the greenhouse
4 September 2006 News Archive
Producing immunoglobulins in plants could yield gram quantities of these precious proteins.
Around the world
25 August 2006 Feature
The Earthwatch Institute, which has just celebrated its 35th birthday, supports vital research by dispatching fee-paying volunteers to project locations around the globe.
Biotronics branches out
24 August 2006 News Archive
Nanowire devices can communicate with individual nerve cells and their extensions.
Nanoparticle toxicity tested
16 August 2006 News Archive
The first direct in vivo comparison of nanoparticles with their equivalent bulk materials shows little difference in their toxic effects
Barcode for toxin sensors
14 August 2006 News Archive
Stripy nanowires detect different toxins or bioweapons
Catalyst cracks tough cellulose
13 July 2006 News Archive
Could straw furnish the fuel of the future?
Insecticide simplified
6 July 2006 News Archive
Structure-function analysis will help to tackle the growing problem of insecticide resistance.
Copper corrosion makes the print clock tick
27 June 2006 News Archive
A technique used to pinpoint the time at which new species of life evolved has been adapted to date historic prints.
Chemical origami
26 June 2006 Feature
Sensors with molecular probes that fold around their targets, in combination with electrochemical detection, are being heralded as the ultimate user-friendly 'just add sample' device. Michael Gross reports.
New twists on catalysis
1 June 2006 News Archive
Chemists around the world have discovered several new twists to improve the performance of asymmetric catalysts in hydrogenation reactions
A physiological role for healthy prions
30 May 2006 News Archive
The healthy version of the scrapie pathogen helps regulate intracellular copper ion levels.
Precious platinum photographs
18 May 2006 News Archive
A photograph printed in platinum and then modified with the gum bichromate process, has sold for nearly $3 million at Sotheby's.
Chilling warnings on receding permafrost
2 May 2006 News Archive
The annual loss of around one per cent of the world's permafrost areas could trigger the release of even more greenhouse gases.
Arrays learn to multitask
27 April 2006 News Archive
US researchers have increased the information density of microarrays without further shrinking the dimensions of the spots.
Plant virus fixed with antennae
16 March 2006 News Archive
Researchers in the UK have coupled a virus with redox-active molecules, creating particles they say could be useful in nanoelectronics.
Chemists crack cocaine detection
2 March 2006 News Archive
Researchers, including two high school students and a Nobel laureate, have created a sensitive, simple, cocaine sensor.
A DNA switch for RNA folding
27 February 2006 News Archive
US researchers have equipped a large RNA domain with a DNA switch, which they say can fold or unfold the RNA molecule at will.
Chiral catalysis on a chip
1 February 2006 News Archive
Chiral catalysis and analytical separation of the resulting enantiomers can now be performed on a single chip.
Cupid's chemistry
26 January 2006 Feature
Scientists are beginning to make sense of romantic love through modern imaging techniques and a multidisciplinary approach. Michael Gross uncovers the method behind the madness
Grammatical analysis for protein annotation
9 January 2006 News Archive
A linguistic approach could revolutionise the analysis and annotation of complex proteome data, an Italian protein expert has argued.
Chemists queue up for Cuban collaboration
4 January 2006 News Archive
Chemists from UK and Cuban universities will meet in Havana next week to discuss the application of chemistry in the life sciences.
Nanoscience from a chemist's perspective
23 December 2005 Review
Nanochemistry: a chemical approach to nanomaterials
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