LLMs are powering a new generation of #AI agents that could open up the field of computational #chemistry, speeding up research & materials discovery. In this piece for @chemistryworld.com I speak to the developers to find out their motivations & aspirations: www.chemistryworld.com/news/ai-agen...

AI agents set to democratise computational chemistry

Large language models are powering a new generation of AI agents that could transform computational chemistry from a specialist discipline into one any researcher can use, reports Julia Robinson

chemistryworld.com

I spoke to staff at @uniofleicester.bsky.social who told me at least 9 chemistry staff were at risk of redundancy under new proposals that would see the school of chemistry merge with the school of geography, geology and the environment: www.chemistryworld.com/university-o... @chemistryworld.com

University of Leicester chemistry department could lose at least nine staff under merger proposals

Staff warn cuts would leave the department without the resources to teach Leicester's growing student population

chemistryworld.com

Last week Susumu Kitagawa, Omar Yaghi and Richard Robson were awarded the #Nobelprize in #chemistry for their work developing metal-organic frameworks. Here I tell the story of how MOFs came to be - incl. an interview with Kitagawa himself! www.chemistryworld.com/features/how... @chemistryworld.com

How the pioneers of metal-organic frameworks won the Nobel prize

From wooden models to thousands and thousands of structures, Julia Robinson tells the story of how Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi won the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry

chemistryworld.com

The 2025 #NobelPrize in physiology or medicine has been awarded jointly to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell & Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries regarding the role of regulatory T cells in keeping the immune system in check. Read more here: www.chemistryworld.com/news/medicin... @chemistryworld.com

Medicine Nobel prize recognises discovery of protective ‘security guard’ regulatory T cells

Research explained how body protects itself from the immune system, offering new ways to treat autoimmune disease

chemistryworld.com

With 2 weeks until the chemistry Nobel prize is revealed, @clarivate.com has released its annual list of citation laureates - researchers who have had their work cited >2000x. But how does it decide who will make the cut? Find out here: www.chemistryworld.com/news/how-doe... @chemistryworld.com

How does Clarivate pick its potential Nobel prize winners?

Chemistry World talks to the head of research analysis at the Institute for Science Information on how they decide which researchers are producing Nobel-worthy research

chemistryworld.com

On 1 September, TPO – a chemical in gel nail polish – was banned in the EU after animal studies suggested it could be toxic to human reproduction. The news has prompted a lot of concern - this explainer tells you what you need to know: www.chemistryworld.com/news/why-has... @chemistryworld.com

Why has the EU banned a key chemical in gel nail products?

Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide is a photo-initiator used to harden nail polish under UV light

chemistryworld.com

University chemistry departments & course closures in the UK is leading to the emergence of ‘cold spots’ - areas where the subject cannot be studied within a reasonable travel time - says @rsc.org. Students from lower SE backgrounds could be affected the most: www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemist...

Chemistry ‘cold spots’ emerging across the UK, RSC warns

Some regions face a future with fewer chemists

chemistryworld.com

Why have women taken a back seat in the medical industry for so many years? Join us on 28 August to hear from two researchers – Bronwyn Graham and Francesca E Duncan – who are leading the charge to have women's health better represented and understood.

Women’s health: insights in research and inclusion

Learn about the history and importance of the gender gap currently impacting women's health sciences - Join us on 28 August

chemistryworld.com

Do we need a #ChemSky thread on insects in chemistry? This is a great article by @robinson-julia.bsky.social and it reminded me of the polystyrene munching Zophobas morio larvae from a few years back…

Chemistry World@chemistryworld.com · last yr.

By feeding tobacco cutworm larvae a diet of boiled kidney beans and agar with nanocarbon substrate, researchers synthesised oxygen-doped molecular nanocarbons. ‘This is an alternative, crazy option for synthetic chemists, for making molecules’ #ChemSky #ScienceSky #BioSky

From 1 June 2025, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes. In our latest explainer @adamcvean.bsky.social tells you everything you need to know about exactly what this means and why it is happening: www.chemistryworld.com/news/explain... @chemistryworld.com

Explainer: Why is the UK banning disposable vapes?

Prior to the ban, almost seventy million single-use e-cigarettes were being discarded each year in the UK - containing enough lithium for a thousand electric vehicle batteries

chemistryworld.com

Historically, sex and gender have been ignored when it comes to medical research, and it's led to a big difference in our understanding of women's health. @robinson-julia.bsky.social talks to the researchers and clinicians trying to address that gap. #ScienceSky

Fixing medicine’s gender gap

For centuries, the default subject in medicine research and training has been the male. Julia Robinson talks to the scientists and clinicians trying to improve things for the other 51% of humanity

chemistryworld.com

🚨 Today @chemistryworld.com launched a new collection on women's health. From menstruation to menopause, the articles reveal the stark gaps in medical research that have left women overlooked for far too long, and the people working to change the narrative: www.chemistryworld.com/collections/... 🔬💊

Women's health | Chemistry World

Many medical conditions affect only women, or affect them disproportionately, but women's health has historically been neglected in medical research. In this collection, we look at the gender gap in h...

chemistryworld.com

Over the past 3 years Web of Science owner @clarivate.com has been getting tougher on journals that fail to meet its quality criteria. I chatted to EIC Nandita Quaderi about why this is the case & how AI is helping them catch bad actors: www.chemistryworld.com/news/how-cla... @chemistryworld.com

How Clarivate is clamping down on bad actors in academic publishing

Clarivate's Nandita Quaderi tells Chemistry World why the firm has recently delisted over 100 journals

chemistryworld.com

With their bright colours & fruit flavours, slushies are enticing to children, but they are linked to more & more cases of glycerol intoxication. Experts now advise that children under 8 should steer well clear. Read more in our explainer: www.chemistryworld.com/news/why-are... @chemistryworld.com

Why are public health experts calling for new warnings on sugar-free slushies?

Reports of children falling ill have led to calls for public health advice to be updated

chemistryworld.com

In the latest chapter on the future of university #chemistry departments - Cardiff University has proposed merging chemistry with two other science schools to form a new school of natural sciences; up to 10 jobs in chemistry are at risk if plans go ahead: www.chemistryworld.com/news/cardiff...

Cardiff University proposes merging chemistry department with other schools

Up to 10 chemistry staff could be made redundant under the proposals

chemistryworld.com

Are #hydrogen cars the future of motoring? Some manufacturers are still optimistic - with new models set to be released in the coming years - but others think the race has already been run. Find out why in my latest piece for @chemistryworld.com www.chemistryworld.com/news/is-hydr...

Is hydrogen the future for cars? Manufacturers haven’t given up on it yet

Zero-emissions cars are dominated by batteries but some carmakers think hydrogen still has a part to play

chemistryworld.com

‘We received a large volume of correspondence that made it clear that students, employers and the chemistry and wider scientific community were concerned...' The full story on the University of Reading has now been published @chemistryworld.bsky.social: www.chemistryworld.com/news/repriev...

Reprieve for University of Reading’s chemistry department but redundancies loom

Proposed closure has been averted although MSc and MChem programmes will end

chemistryworld.com

Great to hear the news that the University of Reading council has decided that the department of #chemistry will be retained/not be merged into the school of pharmacy. There will be some restructuring but for now the department will stay open. Full story to come soon @chemistryworld.bsky.social

And, if you're interested in reading more about the current health of chemistry - from school level all the way to academia - our analysis (which we've been working on for most of the year!) is now online: www.chemistryworld.com/features/the...

The health of chemistry across the pipeline

More students in the UK are studying chemistry at A-level than 20 years ago, but how does that translate to universities?

chemistryworld.com

While I hate for my first post to be a negative one, this is an important one - the department of chemistry at the University of Reading is facing closure, the 4th possible closure to be announced this year in the UK. A final decision is to be made tomorrow: www.chemistryworld.com/news/univers...

University of Reading proposes closing its chemistry department next year

The university joins several others that are considering the future of their departments and undergraduate programmes

chemistryworld.com