Chemistry Articles
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21 June 2012
The story begins on the morning of October 3rd 1799. A poor man can be seen in the gloomy dawn light gathering field mushrooms in London's Green Park. When he gets home, the mushrooms are cooked with...
15 December 2016
European scientists are joining forces to find out more about the impact of common chemicals on human health, with the...
01 December 2016
Trillions of pieces of plastic are floating in the oceans, potentially damaging human health, killing wildlife, and...
03 October 2016
Real life superheroes from the animal kingdom, and how they could help humanity.
26 September 2016
You've just created something new in the lab! Now, how do you find out what it is?
18 February 2016
Technology is helping halt the wave of fake drugs and their often lethal consequences.
28 January 2016
Researchers are getting ready to test a tobacco-powered aeroplane thanks to a new bio jet fuel...
04 January 2016
Should you New Year's resolution be to eat more Brussel sprouts? Discover the health benefits of the humble veg...
23 January 2015
90% of the world consumes caffeine. But are we addicted to the substance, and is it any good for us?
21 August 2014
Every chemical reaction on earth, from digesting food to powering a car requires a catalysis. We use man-made catalyses...
25 December 2013
It is London in the year 2037, and the artificial fog rolls off the Thames. A successful academic drug-hunter named...
15 October 2012
With the precision design of superalloy materials we are able to manufacture materials that can cope with most of the...
14 August 2012
Less than 5% of the nitrogen added to crops to feed animals ends up as meat in our mouths. The rest is wasted and...
21 June 2012
The psychedelic drug psilocybin, the active principal of magic mushrooms, was once thought to have promising medical...
18 February 2012
Ocean deadzones are triggered by nitrogen-fuelled bursts of microorganisms. So how does this happen and what can we do...
19 August 2011
Leukaemia is a deadly cancer of the blood affecting over 250,000 people every year, many of which are children. It isn...
21 April 2011
Countless atomic recipes and crystal arrangements mean there are literally trillions of possible materials that could...
25 October 2008
Surprising as it sounds, one of the world's top tipples a century ago was laced with cocaine. And although the...
16 July 2008
Simpsons fans will know only too well the opening sequence to the cartoon in which Homer discovers, during his commute...
22 December 2007
Snowflakes form when water vapour condenses directly into ice crystals, and for many years writers have used their...
06 November 2007
Ask anyone who made the world’s best violins and they’ll inevitably answer "Stradivari". But science is...
14 July 2007
Why re-invent the wheel when Nature has already come up with the best solution? Becky Poole explores the field of...
07 July 2007
Mention plastics and most people think of polythenes, perspex and other oil-based nasties that never break down. But...
03 June 2007
There was a time when almost every action movie seemed to involve the hero or villain becoming swamped in quicksand,...
21 March 2007
As the world focuses on carbon dioxide, are more dangerous agents of global warming creeping up unnoticed? Lucy...