Chemistry World Podcast

This week, we discuss the latest challenges facing US science outlined by president of the US National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt in her outgoing address as well as the unique chemistry underpinning wool's incredible properties with Neil Withers and Rebecca Trager. Marcia McNutt gave her final address as president of the US National Academy of Sciences earlier this month, warning of turmoil for science in the wake of further proposals by the White House to restrict funding. We discuss highlights from the event. And, how does the chemical composition of wool contribute to its material properties? We explore this staple fabric and its uses beyond clothing.

This week, we discuss the latest milestone in quantum computational modelling and reveal the common laboratory item causing strange readings in microplastics research with Frankie Macpherson and Patrick Walter. A new hybrid workflow involving two IBM quantum computers and two powerful supercomputers has allowed researchers to model a protein–ligand system containing up to a record 12,635 atoms. What does this mean for the future of quantum computing? And, a recent study has found an unsuspecting source of contamination in microplastics research, distorting measurements of atmospheric pollution. We discuss the underlying cause.

This week, we discuss vanadium's potential in the medical field and the changes you can make in our lab to reduce your carbon footprint, with Jennifer Newton and Emma Pewsey. Many are familiar with vanadium's role in metal production, but did you know that it has a history of research as a potential medicine? We explore the little-known story of vanadium's medical potential. And, how can your lab contribute to a more sustainable world? We discuss the areas where you can make a meaningful change.

This week, we discuss the peculiarities of water's behaviour and how science sleuths are fighting disinformation with Philip Robinson and Emma Pewsey. A recent study from researchers at Stockholm University has found the existence of a critical point in supercooled water, which could prove the existence of two types of water. How did they do it, and what does this mean for our understanding of this fundamental substance? And, in the growing age of disinformation, how can we equip ourselves to discern fact from false data? We discuss the latest wave of science sleuths aiming to provide us the tools. Resources to start your sleuthing: Learn about best practice with the Cosig collection of open science integrity guides Engage in post-publication peer review at PubPeer Software for detecting image manipulation: ImageTwin and Proofig Keep up to date on the latest problem papers identified using the Problematic Paper Screener and Retraction Watch Database

This week, we discuss reflections from this year's American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting and the latest advances in plasma chemistry with Rebecca Trager and Mason Wakley. The annual meeting of the AAAS kicked off in Phoenix, on the heels of the recent minibus spending package announcement, as well as the rescinding of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. We'll fill you in on some of the conversations that took place that weekend. And, plasma is often described as the fourth state of matter, but what exactly is it made of? We'll explain it's make-up and dive into how chemists are learning to unlock its power.

This week, we discuss new butyllithium formulations and ancient limescale chemistry with Emma Pewsey and Phillip Broadwith. New bench-stable tert- and n-butyllithium formulations developed by Merck KGaA, should make organometallic chemistry safer and more accessible. What's different about these formulations and how do they work? And a team based in Germany have managed to reconstruct the history of water sources used in Pompeii from an unlikely source: limescale. We discuss the findings and what chemistry can tell us about our past.

This month we introduce our new puzzles page, discuss the implications of Trump for science and meet Yuri Oganessian, the only living person with an element named after him

This month we discuss the ubiquitous nature of food fraud and its detection

This month we discuss unconscious bias and other reasons why science is sexist

This month we consider the dawning of a new epoch as we discuss Gaia Vince's Adventures in the Anthropocene

This month, we learn how to leave the calories out of fine chocolate, and discover the earth might be older than we thought

This month we meet chemisty Nobel winner,Thomas Lindahl, and we learn how bio-markers might be used to determine the time of death

This month, we chart a course through chemical space and discover the potential problems of cleaning up Sellafield