Hayley Bennett
Hayley Bennett is a freelance science writer and editor based in Bristol, UK. She covers biology, chemistry and the environment and, in over a decade of writing, has tackled everything from the origin of life to feeding tea to cows. Her articles have appeared in BBC Focus, Chemistry World, The Guardian, Mosaic, Nature, New Scientist, The Observer, Science Uncovered and the Telegraph. She spent a number of years covering environmental research and putting together in-depth reports for Science for Environment Policy.
She co-authored The big questions in science in 2013 and published her first solo book, 50 chemistry ideas you really need to know, in 2015. Now Hayley has a son, she spends two days a week chasing him around and three days a week writing. She also runs, bikes, slow-cooks, admires monkey puzzle trees, volunteers at junior parkrun, paints (walls) and takes pictures.
FeatureSniffing out the science of smells
What makes a bad smell smell bad? Sniff out the chemical culprits behind obnoxious odours
ArticleThe chemistry behind leaves changing colour and falling from trees
Explore what causes the seasonal shift in foliage and how to use this as context when teaching colour changes
FeatureVitamin supplements
What’s in them, why we need them and how you can use them to teach titration
FeatureWhat links chemistry, cakes and colour?
Discover how regulations spoil the look of our sweet treats – and the chemistry behind it all
FeatureThe science behind sustainable home insulation
Are plastics the best option for saving energy in our homes, as well as saving the planet?
FeatureDecomposition in daily life
Introduce your students to some applications of decomposition reactions: clean energy, bleach and baking
FeatureWhat are you swimming in?
Swimming pool disinfection is essential for public health but carries some risks of its own
FeatureToiletries and cosmetics: what’s on the label?
What do all those terms on the ingredients list mean?
SoundbitePolymer chemistry is printing noses
Learn more about a novel application of polymer chemistry to help reconstruct the faces of skin cancer patients
SoundbiteThe race for fast-charging cars
Learn how chemists are redesigning batteries to create new, fast-charging options for the future electric cars
SoundbiteBattle of the hand sanitisers
Are quaternary ammonium compounds just as good at killing Covid-19 as alcohols?
FeatureYour place or mine? The local business of lithium mining
Lithium-ion batteries will power the next generation of electric cars, but how can we mine lithium with minimal impact on the environment?
FeatureConcrete solutions to sustainable materials
Enhance your teaching of materials and explore how new types of concrete could reduce carbon emissions
FeatureCoronavirus: should we be sanitising our shopping?
Chemists are busily working out how long Covid-19 remains viable on various surfaces – here’s what we know so far
Magnificent moleculesSulfur hexafluoride
A gas widely used in electrical devices with 23,500 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide
