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
Category Archives: Highlights
Biodegradable battery could melt inside the body
Medical implants would monitor vital signs or dispense therapies before vanishing.
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Lights, Camera, Acrimony!
Physicists and engineers face off over how to make room for more data.
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Cellulosic ethanol fights for life
Pioneering biofuel producers hope that US government largesse will ease their way into a tough market.
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The value of trust
Rebuilding a damaged relationship with researchers should be a top priority for the new boss of the UK’s physical sciences funding agency.
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Nuclear energy: Meltdowns, redux
Two accounts take contrasting lessons from nuclear accidents, finds Mark Peplow.
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2013 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge
Science and the National Science Foundation present the winners of the 2013 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
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Beijing smog contains witches’ brew of microbes
Metagenomic survey reveals traces of pathogens and allergens in the city’s air.
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Virtually excellent
Assembling a dream team of international researchers could offer a useful snapshot of the UK’s strength in chemical engineering.
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Cheap battery stores energy for a rainy day
Quinone could make flow-battery technology competitive with current storage methods.
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The morning after the night before
Replacing alcohol with a more benign drug sounds like a great idea, but it faces insurmountable hurdles.
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