Groundbreaking research led by Simon Woodward,a professor of synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Nottingham, has proved how a catalyst (a small atomic-sized ‘machine' that knits together new molecules) in organo-copper chemistry works.

Over the past half-century, scientists have shaved silicon films down to just a wisp of atoms in pursuit of smaller, faster electronics.

Sometimes things that are technically defects, such as imperfections in a material's crystal lattice, can actually produce changes in properties that open up new kinds of useful applications.

A team of scientists and engineers from UCLA and Japan's University of Shizuoka has discovered a new mode of enzyme catalysis, the process that speeds up chemical reactions.