science wire

Researchers create a never-before-seen molecule and prove its exotic nature with quantum computing An international team of scientists from IBM, The University of Manchester, Oxford University, ETH Zurich, EPFL and the University of Regensburg have created and characterized a molecule unlike any previously known - one whose electrons travel through its structure in a corkscrew-like pattern that fundamentally alters its chemical behavior.

University of Warwick and MIT scientists reveal hidden microscopic networks on catalyst surfaces that could lead to cleaner and greener chemical processes. Catalysts are essential to modern industry, accelerating reactions used to produce everything from fertilisers and fuels to medicines and hydrogen energy.

Storing energy from sunlight and converting it into hydrogen days later is what a new material jointly developed by researchers from Ulm and Jena can do-even in the dark.

Study at the Universities of Bonn and Freiburg and University Hospital Bonn reveals previously unknown mechanism The powerhouse of the cells - known as mitochondria - appear to be able to influence the number of lipid droplets in the cell.

Advances in protein engineering have led scientists to explore the potential of enzymes in new ways, enabling them to catalyze reactions that do not occur in nature.

Waterloo researchers turning plastic waste into vinegar. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a way to turn plastic waste into acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar, using sunlight.

Sodium ion batteries have become a hot topic: They are considered to be cost-effective and widely available.

With the Winter Olympics just days away and the world's best athletes preparing to fight for medals, attention turns to a small but decisive factor in performance: ski and snowboard waxes. Two projects from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Technology (MEMTi), working with KV+ Sagl, ZHAW and Swiss-Ski, are racing to develop alternatives to fluorinated waxes-banned over environmental and health concerns but still considered the gold standard for speed.

A promising new scanning agent developed by researchers at the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh has proved suitable for further testing in humans, opening the way for further clinical exploration.

Plastic pollution is everywhere - including where you would least expect it, especially when it's in tiny particle form. Today, scientists are working to measure the consequences of this contamination. There's the pollution you can see - on the beach, on the roadside and in open-air landfills. And then there's the pollution you can't - on the peak of Mount Everest, deep inside the Mariana Trench, in clouds, in buildings, and in our water supply, food, blood and brain.

Scientists have found a way to make perovskite solar cells not only highly efficient but also remarkably stable, addressing one of the main challenges holding the technology back from widespread use. Perovskite has long been hailed as a game-changer for the next generation of solar power. However, advances in material design are still needed to boost the efficiency and durability of solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity.

A natural, superabsorbent material developed at the University of Waterloo could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of personal hygiene products like diapers, menstrual pads and tampons.

Thomas Magauer's research group has achieved a major breakthrough in natural product chemistry.

In nature, photosynthesis runs constantly, converting sunlight into chemical energy that all living organisms depend on to grow and survive.

Researchers have developed a process that can be used on site to render environmental toxins such as DDT and lindane harmless and convert them into valuable chemicals - a breakthrough for the remediation of contaminated sites and a sustainable circular economy.

We rely on batteries now more than ever, from our phones and laptops to electric vehicles. But the ones powering today's technologies aren't without their shortcomings.

A total of 70 UCL academics are featured in Clarivate's annual 'Highly Cited Researchers List' for 2025, which recognises the most influential researchers in their fields.

Chemical products such as medicines, plastics, soap, and paint are still often based on fossil raw materials.

A synthetic molecule derived from a natural omega-3 has shown promising results against this disease, which affects around 20% of Canadian adults Experiments carried out on cells in vitro and in labo

How can we best explain complex quantum systems? By using quantum systems that are easier to handle.

Chemists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and physicists from the University of Stuttgart are working together to develop new models to describe electrochemically controlled molecular self-organization.

Carnegie Mellon University chemistry Ph.D. candidate Abhrojyoti Mazumder struck gold with nanocluster research.

PET imaging offers first human evidence of altered brain chemistry in users of both substances; could pave the way for the development of medications to treat cannabis use disorder People who use both cannabis and tobacco show distinct brain changes compared to those who use cannabis alone, according to a new study led by McGill researchers at the Douglas Research Centre.

When machine learning is used to suggest new potential scientific insights or directions, algorithms sometimes offer solutions that are not physically sound. Take for example AlphaFold, the AI system that predicts the complex ways in which amino acid chains will fold into 3D protein structures. The system sometimes suggests "unphysical" folds-configurations that are implausible based on the laws of physics-especially when asked to predict the folds for chains that are significantly different from its training data.