Highlights
Nature: Fresh claim of making elusive ‘hexagonal’ diamond is the strongest yet
04 March 2026After decades of debate, researchers say that they have found the clearest evidence yet for this rare form of carbon.
C&EN: Copper finally joins the metallocene club
17 February 2026More than 70 years after ferrocene’s discovery, cuprocene fills a long-standing gap in the sandwich menu.
C&EN: Lighting a better path for biobased furans
16 January 2026Photocatalytic hydrolysis offers a shortcut for renewable chemicals.
C&EN: Gas looping boosts efficiency of carbon nanotube production
22 December 2025Methane pyrolysis reactor recycles process gases to improve output of nanotubes and hydrogen.
C&EN: Enhanced rock weathering shows little climate benefit in large trial
18 December 20253-year Swiss study underscores the importance of site selection to maximize CO2 sequestration.
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
Chemical & Engineering News: Polymer film banishes defects from perovskite solar cells
Protective layer could help to improve the stability of the promising photovoltaics.
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Chemistry World: The end point
In his final column, Mark Peplow gives his verdict on careers, collaboration and public engagement.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Hundreds of pollutants found in polar bears’ blood
Arctic animals may face greater threat from persistent organic pollutants than previously thought.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Protein captures lanthanide traces
Lanmodulin shows huge preference for binding lanthanide ions over more abundant calcium and may help bacteria to glean rare earths.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Single-molecule magnet controversy highlights transparency problems with U.K. research integrity system
Universities’ reluctance to reveal details of such cases could undermine public trust in research, experts say.
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Chemistry World: Evidence in the fake news era
Independent scientific advice is about to collide with partisan politics.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Enzyme discovery causes a stink
Indolacetate decarboxylase produces skatole, responsible for the smell of manure—and perhaps halitosis.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Fluorinated coating is utterly repellent
Transparent, self-healing film fends off more than 100 liquids, including concentrated acids and low-surface-tension solvents.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Silver tarnishing inspires semiconductor synthesis
Simple method imitates metal corrosion to form sheets of silver atoms protected by organic ligands.
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Chemical & Engineering News: Synthetic biology cracks blue rose case
Indigoidine pigment gives the flower an unnatural hue.
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