Chemistry World Podcast

In this episode, we bring the latest from the recent temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and discuss the presence of potential explosives at the historic Antarctic bases of explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott with Phillip Broadwith and Frances Briggs. The US and Iran have recently signed a form of agreement to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. But will this be enough to ease costs of resources, or has too much damage already been done? And, representatives from New Zealand have warned about the possible presence of explosive materials inside the Antarctic Laboratories left behind by explorers Robert Scott and Ernest Shakleton. We explain the chemistry underpinning the substances. 

This week, we discuss the latest challenges facing US science outlined by president of the US National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt in her outgoing address as well as the unique chemistry underpinning wool's incredible properties with Neil Withers and Rebecca Trager. Marcia McNutt gave her final address as president of the US National Academy of Sciences earlier this month, warning of turmoil for science in the wake of further proposals by the White House to restrict funding. We discuss highlights from the event. And, how does the chemical composition of wool contribute to its material properties? We explore this staple fabric and its uses beyond clothing.

This week, we look back at how far click chemistry has come in the last 25 years and discuss the strange bonding behaviour of some of the largest elements on the periodic table with Mason Wakley and Frances Briggs. It started as a review paper in 2001 that has since been cited almost 20,000 times, becoming one of the most influential chemistry papers ever written. Click chemistry has revolutionised the way we build molecules. But what defines a click reaction, and what does the future hold? And, new research has revealed experimental evidence of how covalent bonding affects the 5f orbital in early actinides. We discuss the challenges of studying these elements.

This week, we discuss the latest milestone in quantum computational modelling and reveal the common laboratory item causing strange readings in microplastics research with Frankie Macpherson and Patrick Walter. A new hybrid workflow involving two IBM quantum computers and two powerful supercomputers has allowed researchers to model a protein–ligand system containing up to a record 12,635 atoms. What does this mean for the future of quantum computing?  And, a recent study has found an unsuspecting source of contamination in microplastics research, distorting measurements of atmospheric pollution. We discuss the underlying cause.

This week, we are celebrating Chemistry World's Battery Week with a special battery-themed episode! We discuss the race between cathode materials for electric vehicles and a new photocatalyst capable of turning plastic waste into hydrogen and value-added chemicals, with Neil Withers and Patrick Walter. A race between competing battery cathode materials is heating up, the winner of which will shape the future of electric vehicles. But which will come out on top? And, we discuss a new photocatalyst that could change the way we recycle plastics and battery acid, demonstrating how waste streams could be transformed into resources. We explore what this could mean for building a truly circular economy.  To register for more Battery Week activities, check out: https://www.chemistryworld.com/collections/energy-storage-and-batteries

This week, we discuss vanadium's potential in the medical field and the changes you can make in our lab to reduce your carbon footprint, with Jennifer Newton and Emma Pewsey. Many are familiar with vanadium's role in metal production, but did you know that it has a history of research as a potential medicine? We explore the little-known story of vanadium's medical potential. And, how can your lab contribute to a more sustainable world? We discuss the areas where you can make a meaningful change.

This week, we discuss how to ensure experimental instruments are truly inert and chemistry's answer to the fate of the Mary Celeste, with Phillip Broadwith and Mason Wakley.  A new study has demonstrated how unexpected results can arise from experiments using seemingly inert materials. How do we avoid the effects of these accidental reagents? And, scientists may have found the answer behind what happened to the crew of the infamous ship the Mary Celeste. We explain how chemistry may fill the gaps.

This week, we discuss the peculiarities of water's behaviour and how science sleuths are fighting disinformation with Philip Robinson and Emma Pewsey. A recent study from researchers at Stockholm University has found the existence of a critical point in supercooled water, which could prove the existence of two types of water. How did they do it, and what does this mean for our understanding of this fundamental substance?  And, in the growing age of disinformation, how can we equip ourselves to discern fact from false data? We discuss the latest wave of science sleuths aiming to provide us the tools.   Resources to start your sleuthing: Learn about best practice with the Cosig collection of open science integrity guides Engage in post-publication peer review at PubPeer Software for detecting image manipulation: ImageTwin and Proofig Keep up to date on the latest problem papers identified using the Problematic Paper Screener and Retraction Watch Database

This week, we discuss team discuss the boundaries of the atom and breakdown the US's plan to eliminate synthetic food dyes with Jennifer Newton and Phillip Broadwith. The atomic radius of an atom is a concept we are taught from early in our chemistry careers, but for such an important value its definition remains ambiguous. Why is there no single answer to the size of an atom? And, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced last year that the US will phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes in foods. But what are these chemicals, and what concerns exist around their consumption?  

This week, we discuss reflections from this year's American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting and the latest advances in plasma chemistry with Rebecca Trager and Mason Wakley.  The annual meeting of the AAAS kicked off in Phoenix, on the heels of the recent minibus spending package announcement, as well as the rescinding of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. We'll fill you in on some of the conversations that took place that weekend.  And, plasma is often described as the fourth state of matter, but what exactly is it made of? We'll explain it's make-up and dive into how chemists are learning to unlock its power.

This week, we discuss the new deep learning model AlphaGenome and visit the very beginning of life on Earth with Mason Wakley and Neil Withers. Google DeepMind has released a new deep learning model that can predict the effect of small changes to DNA sequences up to one million base pairs in length. What does this new tech mean for our understanding of the human genome?  And, how did life start on Earth, before the first cell came to be? We discuss the RNA world hypothesis and breakdown the chemistry it's built on.

This week, we discuss new butyllithium formulations and ancient limescale chemistry with Emma Pewsey and Phillip Broadwith. New bench-stable tert- and n-butyllithium formulations developed by Merck KGaA, should make organometallic chemistry safer and more accessible. What's different about these formulations and how do they work? And a team based in Germany have managed to reconstruct the history of water sources used in Pompeii from an unlikely source: limescale. We discuss the findings and what chemistry can tell us about our past.

Welcome to the first episode of our latest podcast series, The chemical breakdown. Each week, we'll dive deeper into two stories we've covered here at Chemistry World. We'll provide insight into the facts, why you should care, and what it means for the chemistry community. We'll also give you that week's headlines to keep you up to date on what's happening in the chemistry community. And finally, we'll end each episode with a brief section on what was happening this week in chemistry history.  This week, we discuss total synthesis and halogen-bond catalysis with Jennifer Newton and Jamie Durrani. The field of total synthesis has endured for almost 200 years, but with mounting funding pressures and shifting priorities, what will the future hold? And halogen-bond catalysis is an emerging technique that many chemists might not have encountered. We'll delve into where it came from and the potential uses of this exciting new tool.

This month we introduce our new puzzles page, discuss the implications of Trump for science and meet Yuri Oganessian, the only living person with an element named after him

Six-toed cats and misconceptions in genetics are discussed in this months podcast

This month we discuss the ubiquitous nature of food fraud and its detection

This month, we discuss how to write quality scientific papers

This month we discuss unconscious bias and other reasons why science is sexist

This month we learn of the problems that arise from mining rare metals in David Abraham's The Elements of Power

This month we consider the dawning of a new epoch as we discuss Gaia Vince's Adventures in the Anthropocene

Our book club podcast considers simple language in science as we discuss Randall Munroe's new book, Thing explainer.

This month, we learn how to leave the calories out of fine chocolate, and discover the earth might be older than we thought

In this podcast, we learn why does asparagus make your wee smell, as we discuss Andy Brunning's new book

This month we meet chemisty Nobel winner,Thomas Lindahl, and we learn how bio-markers might be used to determine the time of death

We probe the nature of scientific language with Michael Gordin's bestseller, Scientific Babel

This month, we chart a course through chemical space and discover the potential problems of cleaning up Sellafield

In the first of a brand new podcast series, we get together to discuss 'A is for Arsenic: the poisons of Agatha Christie'

In this months podcast, we discuss Ebola and malaria vaccines in the pipeline, the history of peer review, and managing the mountain of chemical data

In this space special, we learn how to study comets surfaces, and speak to a Nobel Prize winner about his 20-year-old prediction proving to be correct

We ask, does graphene live up to the hype, and discuss injectable electronics that unfold in the brain

What makes food sweet? How do we protect against food alteration? New e-paper, and possible treatment for ebola

We find out how nanotoxicology could be holding back development, and ask if 'patent or perish' should be the new academic adage

How do you smell? We discuss a controversial theory about odour detection, and investigate forensic toxicology

How cephalopods teach chemists about camouflage, and new ways to convert carbon dioxide into useful materials

Cannabis, peanuts and explosive investigations – all in the February 2015 Chemistry World podcast

How a new nanoparticle iron supplement can treat anaemia, and a run down of chemists in the new year honours

How nitrogen can make green explosives and why molecular communication might produce chatty nanobots

We speak to Eric Betzig about his Nobel prize-winning research, and find out how thermoelectric materials can be made more efficient

We speak to Jason Sello about the hunt for new antibiotics, and Monique Simmonds explains the chemical role of botanical gardens

We speak to Paul Clarke about the challenges of natural product synthesis and discuss the pros and cons of perovskite solar cells

This month, how artificial comets may explain the origins of asymmetry in life. Plus, we speak to Martyn Poliakoff

We speak to artist Briony Marshall and art detective Warren Warren about the more artistic sides of chemistry

We speak to Tom Brown, the 2014 Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year, and find out why cells spend so much time doing nothing

We speak to the 'sultan of synthesis', Phil Baran, and Peter James explains how labs can save cash on energy bills

Why are researchers boycotting a conference? How can Raman spectroscopy reveal the true colours of paintings? And how can shrimp shells help clean the ocean?

This month, synthetic DNA bases and chemistry using smartphones

This month, alternatives to animal testing and exploring actinide chemistry

This month, we examine the controversy surrounding the Turin shroud and explore the history of crystallography

We discover how spin chemistry guides migrating birds and explore the science of cheese

Michelle Francl helps us tackle chemophobia, and we discover the history, art and science of alloys with David Dye