Highlights
New Scientist: We need more radioactive drugs. Can we make them from nuclear waste?
22 April 2026The rise of a new generation of radiotherapies means we will soon need much greater quantities of radioactive atoms. That’s why companies are scrambling to refine them from all manner of radioactive waste.
Science: Whistleblower alleges Finnish startup’s vaunted solid-state battery isn’t what it claims
22 April 2026Donut Lab’s assertions of lightning-fast charging and high energy storage have led to a criminal complaint.
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.
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
Technologist: Europe’s cyberdefence
From organised crime to technical failures, Europe’s cyber-defender sees no shortage of challenges.
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Chemistry World: Thinking ahead
PhD courses must prepare students for a life after research.
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Nature: Graphene sandwich makes new form of ice
Unusual square structure suggests how flattened water can zip through tight channels.
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The Pharmaceutical Journal: Energy restriction could tackle drug-resistant epilepsy
Shutting down a metabolic pathway that fuels misfiring neurons can suppress seizures in mice, find researchers who predict a fresh approach to developing antiepileptic drugs.
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Nature: Structural biologist named as next president of Royal Society
Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan will replace Paul Nurse in December.
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Scientific American: Nanotech Bandages Detect Health Trouble and Deliver Medicine
New materials will be able to alert doctors to problems and deliver fine-tuned drugs.
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Spectrum: Eben Upton, The Raspberry Pi Pioneer
He just wanted to help some kids learn to code. Five million units later, his $35 computer has sparked a revolution.
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Chemistry World: The enzyme hunters
Danish company Novozymes is scouring the world for enzymes that make industrial processes more sustainable.
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Chemistry World: A large life, fully lived
Carl Djerassi leaves many legacies besides the contraceptive pill, says Mark Peplow.
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C&EN: Polymers Brighten Hopes For Visible Light Communication
Two semiconducting organic polymers give off a pleasant white light that simultaneously carries data at high speed.
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