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
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Freelance Science Writer
Category Archives: Highlights
C&EN: Lanthanide orbitals spring a reaction surprise
Not known for their outgoing nature, 4f orbitals have been caught steering a reaction for the first time.
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Nature Index: How the US tech industry is shaping the transition to green energy
Major investments to fuel AI’s power demands are not the only way big tech is having an influence.
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Engineering: Electric Vehicle Market Slowly Edges Toward Solid-State Batteries
Companies are gradually overcoming technical challenges with batteries that offer longer driving range and safer operation.
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C&EN: ‘Berkelocene’ puts exotic berkelium in a sandwich
Researchers find bonding surprises at the extreme end of organometallic chemistry.
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Nature: Can this revolutionary plastics-recycling plant help solve the pollution crisis?
A world-first facility has a new way to break down ‘unrecyclable’ plastic waste.
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C&EN: Slow proteins may contribute to many chronic diseases
Reactive oxygen species in cells cause proteins to link up through disulfide bonds, reducing their mobility.
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Engineering: Hydrogen Hubs Arise in the United States
Public funding brings producers and users of clean hydrogen together to boost adoption of the gas.
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C&EN: Simple method converts fluorspar into fluorochemicals
Generating common fluorinating agents directly from the mineral avoids the dangers of hydrogen fluoride.
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Science: Coming of Age
Twenty years after the ballyhooed discovery of graphene, the atom-thin carbon sheets are finding their footing.
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C&EN: Recycling DNA origami nanostructures
New methods could drive down costs and waste in burgeoning applications.
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