Highlights
C&EN: Europium complex harvests ambient energy to power minirobots
20 November 2025Inchworms can stroll for hours using scraps of heat from the environment.
Nature Biotechnology: Chemistry Nobel materials in the clinic
14 November 2025Human trials using metal–organic frameworks for drug delivery are underway, but challenges remain.
C&EN: Trace additive cleans up Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
31 October 2025A dash of bromomethane curbs carbon dioxide emissions from industrial process used to make olefins from syngas.
Nature: AI is dreaming up millions of new materials. Are they any good?
03 October 2025Critics slammed attempts by Google, Microsoft and Meta to speed up materials discovery. But behind the hype, there is progress.
Nature: How should ‘mirror life’ research be restricted? Debate heats up
16 September 2025Some researchers are calling for strict limits, while others speak out against prematurely halting basic science.
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: Flexible perosvkite solar cell sets efficiency record
A thin layer of bridging molecules boosts performance by helping charge move seamlessly between layers in the device.
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C&EN: Enzyme protects bacteria from toxic gold
GolR reductase might be harnessed to purify the precious metal from electronic waste.
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C&EN: Claims of water turning into hydrogen peroxide spark debate
Latest study on droplets spontaneously forming hydrogen peroxide tackles ozone contamination questions.
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C&EN: Nitrous oxide harnessed for phenol synthesis
Nickel catalyst helps greenhouse gas prove its worth as a chemical reagent.
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C&EN: Buckyballs boost ethylene glycol synthesis from syngas
C60 acts as electron reservoir for copper catalyst, improving production of ethylene glycol from CO.
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Nature: The race to upcycle CO2 into fuels, concrete and more
Companies are scrambling to turn the greenhouse gas into useful products — but will that slow climate change?
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Nature: African leadership underpins success of malaria drug trial
Urgent research to bolster disease defences demands equitable responsibility and ownership between partners.
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ACS Central Science: Solar Panels Face Recycling Challenge
Researchers and companies are preparing for a looming tsunami of photovoltaic waste.
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C&EN: Satellites spy huge methane emissions from oil and gas sites
Two surveys—one global, the other focused on Turkmenistan—reveal shocking extent of avoidable greenhouse gas emissions.
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C&EN: MOF catches xenon and krypton
Porous material could trap radioactive gases released during nuclear fuel treatment.
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