Highlights
Science: Nobel Prize honors researchers who showed how ‘handedness’ can emerge in chemistry
08 October 2026Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai win award for reactions leading to mirror-image molecules.
Nature: Chemists struggle to ditch hazardous solvents — even after decades of ‘green’ efforts
26 September 2026Laboratories are still using dangerous and carbon-intensive liquids much more often than environmentally friendly ones, according to a 40-year survey of patents.
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.
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
Category Archives: Highlights
C&EN: Bismuth binds peptides to make bioactive bicycles
Metal-thiol complexes offer simpler way to screen bicyclic peptides.
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C&EN: Iodine thruster makes space debut
New ion drive offers cheaper, more compact alternative to traditional xenon-based thrusters.
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C&EN: Californium complex offers bonding insights
Unusually orange crystal contains a californium-carbon bond that is largely ionic.
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C&EN: A simply smashing ammonia synthesis
Mechanochemistry may offer greener way to unite nitrogen and hydrogen to make key fertilizer ingredient.
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ACS Central Science: Unlocking the Lanthanome
The discovery of bacteria that depend on lanthanides is providing new ways to detect and extract these crucial metals.
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C&EN: Halogenated azidopyridines fill gap in click chemistry toolbox
Handled with care, the compounds could be useful building blocks for medicinal chemistry.
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C&EN: Hydrogel battery could power bio-implants
Small lithium-ion battery is as soft as human tissue.
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C&EN: Reactor converts methane to heavier hydrocarbons without forming CO₂
A scaled up version of the process could help to curb methane venting and flaring at remote oil sites.
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C&EN: Graphene transistor detects SARS-CoV-2 in less than a minute
Device uses DNA probes to identify COVID-19 virus RNA with speed and high sensitivity.
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C&EN: Protein could unlock new sources of rare-earth elements
Lanmodulin can extract and purify technology metals from electronic waste and coal ash.
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