Chemistry

  1. Tech

    Microscopy techniques win Nobel Prize in chemistry

    The award goes to three scientists who developed fluorescence microscopy, which allows researchers to see single molecules just a billionth of a meter across.

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  2. Chemistry

    Lasers wrest oxygen from carbon dioxide

    By zapping oxygen molecules off carbon dioxide, an experiment hints that Earth may have had breathable air long before the dawn of plants.

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  3. Chemistry

    Interstellar chemical resembles building blocks of life

    A molecule detected in the space between stars resembles amino acids, suggesting those building blocks of life share a similar origin.

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  4. Tech

    Solar cell powers water-to-hydrogen conversion

    High efficiency could make perovskite solar cells useful for generating environmentally friendly fuel.

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  5. Tech

    Hydrogen made using sunlight, cheap materials

    Photosynthesis-inspired fuel cell uses water to make hydrogen gas and could feature in next-generation cars.

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  6. Planetary Science

    Moon’s farside hints at violent volcanic explosions

    The spread of the element thorium in the moon's Compton-Belkovich region suggests that silica volcanoes there once had violent explosions.

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  7. Materials Science

    Buckyballs, diamonds inspire new synthetic molecule

    Hitching a hollow ball of carbon to a diamond-shaped lattice yields a useful piece of electrical circuitry.

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  8. Chemistry

    Liquid salts break through armored bacteria on skin

    Compounds called ionic liquids can penetrate bacterial biofilms on skin to deliver antibiotics to potentially life-threatening infections.

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  9. Anthropology

    Richard III ate like a king before biting the dust

    King Richard III’s brief reign included a sudden shift to eating fancy food and drink.

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  10. Chemistry

    Molecular cage traps rare gases

    Organic compound could cull valuable xenon from the air and detect cancer-causing radon in homes.

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  11. Chemistry

    Boron atoms take on buckyball shape

    The first boron buckyball-like molecule could be used for storing hydrogen, scientists suggest.

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  12. Animals

    Mysterious neurotoxin may help flatworms kill prey

    Tetrodotoxin, the deadly chemical in pufferfish, could help flatworms transform their earthworm prey into puddles of goo.

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