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Dramatic reductions proposed for US science agencies by Trump administration evaporate
Final 2026 budget figures, passed by Congress and signed into law, reject significant cuts that the White House had proposed
Feature
How RNA reveals clues to life’s origins on Earth
The discovery of catalytic RNA transformed our understanding of life’s beginnings. Clare Sansom explores how the RNA world hypothesis bridges the gap between non-living chemistry and the first cells
Feature
How soft electronics are transforming medical devices
Degradable pacemakers and artificial neurons showcase how flexible, tissue-compatible electronics are revolutionising medicine. But translating these materials from lab bench to clinic requires solving complex structure–function relationships
Research
Was the ‘Baghdad battery’ really two cells?
A new study suggests it had an ‘outer’ cell that reacted with air to supply a higher voltage. But was it a battery at all?
Research
Atomic physics gets its own ‘periodic table’ that covers highly charged ions
New table could help with the redefinition of the second and creation of the next generation of atomic clocks
Opinion
To PhD or not to PhD? That is the question
Undergraduate student Umaymah Ahmad finds out what it’s like to go into academic research
‘Living biosensor’ lights up to detect wine spoilage in real time
Genetically modified bacteria glow in high levels of acetic acid, a common signal that wine has gone bad
Amino acids weave organic molecules into chiral knots
Rare chiral Solomon links formed in single step
Lithium-free battery breaks voltage barrier for ultra-cheap energy storage
Three nitrile molecules identified as fresh targets for life-hunting astronomers
Google’s AlphaGenome wants to do for DNA what AlphaFold did for proteins
Fluids used to preserve Charles Darwin’s Galápagos Island specimens probed by Raman spectroscopy
Stable copper superatom breaks carbon dioxide electroreduction records
Was the ‘Baghdad battery’ really two cells?
Atomic physics gets its own ‘periodic table’ that covers highly charged ions
Is it cold in here?
Labs in Delhi, Aberdeen and Arizona will have different ideas of ‘room temperature’
In 2023, the UK was the first country to approve a Crispr therapy. How’s it doing?
Disconnect exists between the media hype around gene-editing treatment and the reality for patients
Bench-stable butyllithium & secrets of Pompeii’s limescale
Carbon border taxes may do more harm than good
Sabic offloads petrochemicals and plastics plants in Europe and Americas
Trump’s attack on science is shaking industry’s foundations
New reagents take the burn out of butyllithium
Funding boost for Grangemouth whisky waste-to-chemicals firms
Plastic recycling’s perfect storm
The summer I became a science journalist
Mason Wakley on being a science writer intern at the Royal Society of Chemistry
Is it cold in here?
Labs in Delhi, Aberdeen and Arizona will have different ideas of ‘room temperature’
Crispr therapies will change medicine but there will be challenges along the way
The first treatments making use of Crispr gene editing may suffer some early hiccups
Carbon border taxes may do more harm than good
Industry argues UK proposals are flawed and will not promote decarbonisation
To PhD or not to PhD? That is the question
Undergraduate student Umaymah Ahmad finds out what it’s like to go into academic research
Trump’s attack on science is shaking industry’s foundations
By dismantling scientific enterprise, the US risks ‘taking a hammer to our miracle machine’
Three centuries of Roman limescale reveals a dirty secret about Pompeii’s public baths
Carbon isotope ratios suggest that pre-aqueduct, the water was often contaminated with human waste
Alexandra Navrotsky: ‘I don’t think you attract people to science by big initiatives’
The nanogeoscientist on the importance of people to good science, the recent turnaround on diversity, equity and inclusion and why she will never be a professional artist
Textiles in the age of sustainability: alternative methods for fabric dying and treatment
Learn about advances in sustainability of textile production – join us on 31 March
From bean to brew: the chemistry behind the perfect cup of coffee
Join us on 26 February to discover the chemistry behind the aromas and flavours of one of the world’s favourite beverages
Walter Kohn: from kindertransport and internment to DFT and the Nobel prize
Explore the legacy of Walter Kohn, the 1998 joint winner of the Nobel prize in chemistry
Restoring integrity: tackling fraud and data manipulation in scientific research
Learn how you can fight back against fraudulent research and paper mills
Opinion
The summer I became a science journalist
Mason Wakley on being a science writer intern at the Royal Society of Chemistry
Webinar
Textiles in the age of sustainability: alternative methods for fabric dying and treatment
Learn about advances in sustainability of textile production – join us on 31 March
Opinion
Is it cold in here?
Labs in Delhi, Aberdeen and Arizona will have different ideas of ‘room temperature’
Careers
Abigail Mortimer’s career in glassblowing
Since starting as a trainee 17 years ago, her collaborative creations have underpinned teaching and research at the University of York’s chemistry department
Podcast
Bench-stable butyllithium & secrets of Pompeii’s limescale
In this episode, we discuss the latest formulations designed to make a set of fiery reagents safer, explore what limescale can tell us about ancient civilizations and hear the latest headlines.
Sponsored
Biphenyl: 20 years of Restek innovation
How Restek’s Biphenyl column changed chromatography
Explainer: the Welch Award in Chemistry
Many people have never heard about one of the biggest awards in chemistry. Chemistry World sets the record straight.
Optimising method transfer in regulated environments
Learn how to minimise risk and promote data quality with data-driven approaches and digital tools
SYNTHIA for chemists: faster route design
Discover how SYNTHIA accelerates retrosynthesis by helping chemists design, compare and refine routes with customisable filters and commercial building blocks
Developing a CITK protein degrader using the QuicTPD™ platform
Learn about the latest technology to accelerate the design of cancer treatments
Lab Innovations 2025 returns to shape the future of laboratories
Scientists, researchers, engineers, industry leaders and innovators gather for UK’s must-attend industry event
X-Pulse 90: expanding the capabilities of benchtop NMR spectroscopy
Learn how X-Pulse 90 is delivering a step change in benchtop NMR by providing flexibility without compromising performance
Why understanding our foraging instinct is the key to using statistical tools
Your inner hunter-gatherer is stopping you solving problems
The summer I became a science journalist
Mason Wakley on being a science writer intern at the Royal Society of Chemistry
Abigail Mortimer’s career in glassblowing
Since starting as a trainee 17 years ago, her collaborative creations have underpinned teaching and research at the University of York’s chemistry department
AI research tools benefit individual scientists but may slow scientific progress
There may be a conflict between personal and collective gain in the sciences
To PhD or not to PhD? That is the question
Undergraduate student Umaymah Ahmad finds out what it’s like to go into academic research
Alexandra Navrotsky: ‘I don’t think you attract people to science by big initiatives’
How to make academic service activities count
Deaths of municipal technicians in Zimbabwe from noxious gases linked to lack of chemistry expertise
Building the future of separation science
One year on, Trump’s second term has upended US science
In times of strife, should you hold a work Christmas party?