Science

A photo of a woman looking at her smartwatch during a run outdoors

The science of smartwatches

By

How wearable tech uses chemistry to help monitor your health – with spectroscopy, battery technology and smart materials

Everyday science

An illustration showing a large dog's head sniffing out a man infected with coronavirus amid a crowd of socially distanced figures

Will doggy detectors sniff out Covid-19?

2020-06-23T08:22:00+01:00

How canines might help to find asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases of the coronavirus

An illustration showing the trading of hand sanitiser on the black market in coronavirus times

How the unscrupulous turn a profit from virus fears

2020-04-02T09:00:00+01:00

Why alcohol-based sanitiser found its way onto the black market and into stockpiles – and how it works against viruses

An image showing a policeman checking the methane content of a sheep's breath using a breathalyser

Can seaweed-eating sheep curb methane emissions?

2020-02-07T10:31:00+00:00

Seaweed may not be the silver bullet to farming’s methane problem

Scientists in their element

A photo of a man standing in front of a display case of different rocks

‘We can’t get rid of fossil fuels and not have an alternative’

2020-12-15T09:10:00+00:00By

Meet Phil Mercer, a chemist helping plan for a new lithium mine in Cornwall

A photograph showing Tom Welton

‘I went on my first anti-racism march when I was 14’

2020-10-08T09:00:00+01:00By

Meet Tom Welton, RSC president, ionic liquid guru and vocal advocate for inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences

Features

Illustrations showing the molecular structures of different allotropes of carbon

Allotropes of carbon

2020-12-14T12:27:00+00:00By

Use this infographic with your 14–16 classes to boost their knowledge of diamond, graphite, graphene and fullerenes

An image showing a coastal scene

Your place or mine? The local business of lithium mining

2020-11-30T10:23:00+00:00By ,

Lithium-ion batteries will power the next generation of electric cars, but how can we mine lithium with minimal impact on the environment?

An illustration of a man wearing a white napkin (head out of shot) with a knife and fork sitting down to a plate with a skull and crossbones on, warning of toxic foods

Toxins in food

2020-11-23T09:34:00+00:00By ,

Many foods contain toxins such as oxalic acid. How do we balance the risks and benefits to health?

A photo of reddish-brown smoke rising above a city, Beirut, indicating the presence of ammonium nitrate

Beirut explosion

2020-11-02T06:41:00+00:00By ,

How a warehouse of ammonium nitrate destroyed a capital city

A micrograph of a cross-section of a tree branch showing the cell wall and other materials

Making materials from biomass

2020-10-19T08:06:00+01:00By ,

Biomass is regularly used as fuel, but have we been overlooking this sustainable resource as a source of chemical building blocks?

A photo of food and plastic packaging on a table

Packaging promise

2020-09-14T10:44:00+01:00By ,

From polymers to nanoparticles, the new technologies helping to reduce food and wrapper waste