Highlights
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.
Nature Nanotechnology: Brain–computer interfaces race to the clinic
12 December 2025Advances in materials science, microelectronics and semiconductor manufacturing are helping these devices to benefit patients.
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: 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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C&EN: Accuracy of COVID-19 antibody tests questioned
Systematic review finds that the quality of diagnostic results strongly depends on when patient samples were taken.
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C&EN: Developing countries face diagnostic challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic surges
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics is at the forefront of efforts to expand testing in low- and middle-income countries.
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C&EN: Electrochemistry cuts CO₂ footprint of synthesizing ethylene oxide
Strategy adds to toolkit for greening the chemical industry.
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C&EN: X-ray method solves mystery of metallic ammonia
Researchers study how solvated electrons behave inside the classic reagent used in Birch reductions.
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C&EN: Genetically-engineered malaria vaccines show promise in the clinic
Inoculating people with weakened parasites may generate stronger immune response than the current malaria vaccine.
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