Highlights
C&EN: Precise deuteration eases ‘heavy drug’ synthesis
10 September 2026Nickel catalyst swaps hydrogen for deuterium to produce drugs that are metabolized more slowly.
Engineering: Can ‘Superwood’ Replace Concrete and Steel?
25 August 2026Engineered woods aim to curb construction’s climate emissions.
ACS Central Science: These Graphene Experts Are Trying to Close the Reproducibility Gap in Two-Dimensional Materials Research
14 May 2026Too much work on graphene and related materials cannot be repeated — a problem that wastes time and holds back commercialization. New rules could help solve it.
C&EN Talented 12: Aisulu Aitbekova
13 May 2026Combining light and heat to produce sustainable chemicals.
C&EN Talented 12: Martina Benešová-Schäfer
13 May 2026Building targeting systems for radioactive cancer treatments.
TESTIMONIALS
“As an editor and reporter, Mark Peplow is fast, accurate, and versatile. He covers science policy and pure research with equal passion, and his writing combines a scientist’s precision with a journalist’s verve.” Tim Appenzeller
Former Chief Magazine Editor at Nature, now News Editor at Science
"Mark guided me through some of the most challenging stories I've written. These are pieces I might not have attempted were it not for his steady editorial hand." Linda Nordling
Freelance Journalist, South Africa
“Working with Mark is never anything other than a pleasure. He is the kind of editor that writers hope for: able to identify what needs fixing and what doesn’t, bringing to bear a wealth of knowledge, always clear, prompt and easy to talk with. Much of that comes from being a splendid writer himself.”
Philip Ball
Freelance Science Writer
Author Archives: Mark Peplow
C&EN: DMSO poses decomposition danger
Acids produced by heating dimethyl sulfoxide can trigger a runaway reaction.
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C&EN: COVID-19 antigen assay set to triple US testing capacity
Abbott aims to produce 50 million of the 15-minute, $5 tests per month.
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Nature: Can the history of pollution shape a better future?
The poisonous legacy of industry holds lessons, two books show.
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C&EN: Saliva tests show promise for COVID-19 surveillance at universities and workplaces
Protocols developed at University of Illinois and Yale School of Public Health join growing list of spit-and-test diagnostics.
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C&EN: Cryo-Electron Microscopy Reaches Resolution Milestone
Detailed protein structures are fuelingdrug-discovery efforts.
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C&EN: Artificial intelligence finds alternative routes to COVID-19 drug candidates
If drug-repurposing studies hit pay dirt, backup recipes could help antiviral manufacturers avoid supply chain problems.
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C&EN: Rapid COVID-19 testing breaks free from the lab
Fast, portable systems could help to deliver routine infection screening as countries ease lockdowns.
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C&EN: Enzyme screen unlocks easier route to 2-ketoacids
Computational analysis identifies aminotransferases that convert cheap amino acids into high-value molecules.
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Nature Biotechnology: Bioconcrete presages new wave in environmentally friendly construction
Living cells used in construction to create concrete, bricks or tiles could also soak up CO2.
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C&EN: Ester dance moves substituents around arene rings
Palladium catalyst offers unusual route to high-value compounds.
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