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In 2017 Professor Frances S. Ligler was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her inventions in portable optical biosensors. Professor Ligler now talks to Nature Chemistry about the challenge of developing new sensor designs into reliable products, and some of the pitfalls to avoid in the development process.
Claire Murray ponders on the attraction benzene — a small, seemingly simple molecule — has long exerted on scientists, some of the insights gained through its exploration, and the varied applications found for this hexagonal ring and its derivatives.
Jennifer Rudd reflects on how, in recent history, carbon dioxide has been largely vilified for its role in global warming. Yet responsibility for the current climate crisis lies squarely with humans, not a molecule that is crucial for life on Earth.
Athina Anastasaki from ETH Zürich talks to Nature Chemistry about her career, her research in polymer chemistry and the challenges she dealt with in her academic pathway.
Miao Hong, based at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, tells Nature Chemistry about her work in sustainable polymer design and her thoughts about the future of this field.
Chemistry plays a key role in tackling today’s challenges and ensuring a sustainable future. Since 2019, IUPAC has been identifying technologies with the potential to advance our society and improve our quality of life.
Amina Schartup relates how our understanding of methylmercury has changed in the 170 years since it was discovered — as well as some of the disasters that occurred along the way.
Lara Mosunmola Lalemi, PhD student at the University of Bristol and founder of the Creative Tuition Collective, shares with Nature Chemistry some of her projects — from climate chemistry to social justice — to improve our environment in all senses of the term.
John Woodland and Kelly Chibale retrace the tumultuous history of quinine from a medicine — used as a tool for colonialism — to a puzzling chemical target, a fluorescence standard and a key ingredient in popular drinks.
Jennifer Leigh and Jennifer Hiscock, both from the University of Kent, UK, share with Nature Chemistry the origins of the Women In Supramolecular Chemistry (WISC) network, as well as some of the projects underway to try to help change the culture of this area of chemistry from the bottom up.
Sibusiso Biyela, science communicator and journalist in South Africa, talks to Nature Chemistry about the decolonization of science through science communication.
The periodic table of elements should be celebrated not only for the order it brings, but also for the fascinating stories underlying this icon of science, suggests Juris Meija.
Jeremy Frey, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Southampton and principal investigator for the AI3SD Network+, talks with Nature Chemistry about the perils of uncertainty in the quality of machine learning data and the synergies between AI and other technologies.
