Chemistry Interviews

New Ways to Monitor Diabetes

We explore how chemists at the University of Bristol are finding new molecules to monitor and treat diabetes...Charles Rennie, University of Bristol

Mapping a Mushroom Trip, Speedy genes and Magnetic Soap!

How mapping a mushroom trip could provide treatments for depression, the gene behind a winning racehorse, the world's first magnetic soap and the social networks of our ancestors...Robin Carhart-Harris, Imperial College London; Emmeline Hill, University College Dublin; Julian Eastoe, University of Bristol; Coren Apicella, Harvard Medical School.

Quitting Smoking, Exoplanets and Carnivorous Plants!

Why nicotine replacement may not be the key to kicking the habit, how most stars in our solar system have planets accompanying them, How Fungi could hold the key to tackling lead pollution and a new plants which makes a meal out of worms!Gregory Connelly, Harvard School of Public Health; Martin Dominik, University of St Andrews; Geoffrey Gadd, University of Dundee; Caio Pereria, State University of Campinas.

Malaria Vaccines, Looking but Seeing and Nanoscale Electric Cars!

A new target for Malaria vaccines, How seeing and paying attention to things uses separate parts of the brain and the world's smallest electric car...Julian Rayner, Sanger Institute; Masataka Watanabe, University of Tokyo; Paul Weiss UCLA; Karen Williams, Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School

Drug Addiction, Polluted Cyclones and Roaring Lions

This week's NewsFlash explores how smoking could pave the way for cocaine use, how our skin sees sunlight in order to protect us and the secret of being a roaring success...Amir Levine, Columbia University; Amato Evans, Virginia University; Elena Oancea, Brown University; Sarah Klemuk, University of Utah

The Microbiology of Cheese

Professor Martin Adams talks through how cheddar and stilton cheeses are made.Martin Adams, University of Surrey

Cryoprotectant Molecules - Nature's Anti-freeze

Freezing is a great way to slow down chemical reactions and this is why we use a freezer to stop food going off and why organs that are going to be transplanted are kept cold. Freezing can do serious damage to biological tissues, but some organisms have evolved very clever chemical ways around this. Lorna Dougan is biophysicist at Leeds University who's been trying to figure out how this works.Lorna Dougan, University of Leeds

Planting Vaccines, Detecting Lies and Paternal Men

A round up the week's science news including the planting of vaccines, lie detection, elements at risk and testosterone levels in fathers...Brian Ward, McGill University; Frances Wall, University of Exeter; Prashant Pillai, University of Bradford; Hassan Yugail, University of Bradford; Christopher Kuzawa, Northwestern University.

Carbon Capture and Utilisation - Planet Earth Online

Richard Hollingham explores the process of carbon capture and utilisation where the carbon removed from our atmosphere could be turned into bricks and mortar...Anthony Benham, Marco Drea, Mercedes Maroto-Valer, University of Nottingham

Planet Earth Online - Carbon Capture

Carbon capture and storage has been seen by the government as an important way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The idea is that you capture carbon dioxide emissions from industry and then you lock the gas away underground inside rocks out of harm. But what actually happens to the carbon dioxide once it’s down underground?Keith Bateman, Caroline Graham, Chris Rochelle; British Geological Society

Naked Engineering - Mass Chemical Manufacture

How do manufacturers make chemicals on seriously large industrial scales? We sent Meera Senthilingam and Dave Ansell to find out…David Compton, Industrial Chemicals Ltd

Computing Chemicals and Crystals

In order to design useful new compounds, we need to know exactly what structure any new chemical will take. Computer models, combined with more traditional crystallography, are leading the way in predicting how any given molecule will arrange itself...Dr Graeme Day, Cambridge University

Designer Enzymes - Beyond Biology

One of the most important chemical players in nature is the protein. The structure of a protein gives it specific chemical and mechanical properties. Predicting the structures of proteins could allow us to design brand new proteins and enzyems, to help catalyse a range of reactions. One man making significant headway in this direction is Professor David Baker from the University of Washington…Professor David Baker, University of Washington

SkyMine - Capturing Carbon for Profit

Skyonic have developed “Skymine”, a system that not only extracts CO2 but actually turns it into something they can sell!Joe Jones, Skyonic, Texas

Planet Earth Online - Carbon Dating

Radiocarbon dating is an extremely accurate and useful tool to date archaeological finds which contain any previously living material.Tom Higham, Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit

Planet Earth Online - Sediment Cores Tell History of the Thames

Wading into a river and digging until you get to the slime, soil, dirt and other matter at the bottom may not be everyone’s idea of a good day out - but, in the right hands, a core of river sediment can become an eye-opening time machine into the past...Chris Vane, British Geological Survey

Lasers Identify Key Molecular Structure in Tumours

Using lasers and over 100,000 hours of computing time, researchers have exposed the previously unknown molecular shape of epidermal growth factor receptors, EGFRs, which are known to be involved in the development of cancer...Dr Marisa Martin-Fernandez; STFC’s Central Laser Facility & Dr Martyn Winn; Computational Science and Engineering Department

Not Enough Nitrogen to Feed the World

Life needs accessible nitrogen - but for over 100 years we've known that the amount of nitrogen available may not be enough. Professor Jim Galloway explains why fertilising soil may cause more problems than it solves...Professor James Galloway, University of Virginia

The ITER project, using nuclear fusion to create energy

The world is united behind a project called ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Later this decade, it will attempt to recreate on earth the physics that powers the sun.Brad Nelson, chief engineer for the US branch of ITER

Green rust could start a green revolution

A special type of rust, called 'green rust', could be used to scrub contaminants from the environment to make for a greener future.Sam Shaw, University of Leeds