C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)

Turning ocean carbon into biodegradable plastic System is first to pull carbon dioxide from the ocean and convert it to valuable product

Researchers have invented a system that captures carbon dioxide from ocean water and converts it to succinic acid, a key monomer used to make the commonly used biodegradable plastic polybutylene succinate. cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

NIH decision looms about caps on scholarly-journal publishing fees Researchers are pleased about possible limit to publishers’ profits but say the proposed change is imperfect

The US National Institutes of Health will soon release a plan to cap academic-journal publishing fees. Some outside experts say there are better ways to rein in publishing costs. cen.acs.org/policy/publi... #chemsky 🧪

Climate Week comes to New York City Attendees focused on concrete solutions and workable business plans

From Sept. 21 to 28, people and organizations working on climate change from all kinds of angles gathered at dozens of locations across the city for more than 1,000 events. cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪 #ClimateWeekNYC

Visible light powers molecular motors, easing key barrier Quantum dots let rotary motors spin under gentler light than ultraviolet

Chemists have long dreamed of developing tiny molecular machines, but even the most widely studied motors spin only under harsh UV. Now researchers have shown that these motors can run on visible light when they are paired with quantum dots & a helper molecule.
cen.acs.org/materials/mo... #chemsky 🧪

Chemistry is quantum computing’s killer app Quantum computers could help chemists better understand and develop catalysts, photovoltaics, and more

Researchers have dreamed about using quantum computers to simulate chemical systems since the 1980s. Quantum chemists think these machines could help researchers develop new catalysts, high-temperature superconductors, and more.

#NobelPrize #chemsky 🧪 cen.acs.org/articles/95/...

To upgrade quantum computers, researchers look to materials science Scientists need to improve the basic elements of quantum circuits—qubits—to push their machines to the next level of quantum weirdness

This year’s #NobelPrize in Physics has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of #quantum technology, including quantum computers: cen.acs.org/materials/el... #chemsky 🧪

Atomic stopwatch measures tunneling time Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN): Keeping you up to date with the chemistry news that matters most. Published by the American Chemical Society.

Quantum tunneling is the spooky phenomenon by which particles can cross through barriers that shouldn’t be surmountable. And it’s more than a textbook curiosity—photosynthesis relies on tunneling, as does nuclear fusion in the sun.

#NobelPrize cen.acs.org/physical-che...

Quantum tunnelling trio win the 2025 physics Nobel John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis get the award for demonstrating quantum mechanical effects at the macroscale

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis have won the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physics for experiments that revealed quantum behavior in electrical circuits, showing that even systems made of billions of atoms can obey the strange laws of the quantum world: cen.acs.org/people/nobel... 🧪

Podcast: The mind-bending innovations that built quantum computing Hosts David and Gina enter the quantum realm to trace the evolution of this futuristic technology

This year’s #NobelPrize laureates conducted experiments on a chip that revealed #quantum physics in action. Learn more about historical moments that were meaningful to the development of #quantum computers: cen.acs.org/physical-che... #chemsky 🧪

Climate Week comes to New York City Attendees focused on concrete solutions and workable business plans

Climate Week NYC was full and energetic; read the highlights of what I saw and learned in C&EN :

cen.acs.org/environment/...

#ClimateWeekNYC #climateChange #business @cenmag.bsky.social

NIH decision looms about caps on scholarly-journal publishing fees Researchers are pleased about possible limit to publishers’ profits but say the proposed change is imperfect

Researchers are pleased about the #NIH possibly introducing caps on #OpenAccess fees its grantees can pay from their funding but say the change is imperfect—my latest for @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/policy/publi...

@jeremymberg.bsky.social, @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca, @pamherd.bsky.social

Quantum tunnelling trio win the 2025 physics Nobel John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis get the award for demonstrating quantum mechanical effects at the macroscale

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis have won the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physics “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.” Stay tuned for the full story to come! cen.acs.org/people/nobel... #chemsky 🧪

Monoclonal antibody maker sees opportunity as COVID-19 vaccines fall off Invivyd is developing drugs meant to stave off the worst outcomes of the virus

I wrote about Invivyd's strategy here last month in
@cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...

Why yogurt fermented with live ants is so delicious Scientists explore a traditional Balkan recipe that uses the insect and its microbiome as fermentation

Ants usually get into yogurt by accident. But a research team recently added the insects on purpose while reviving a traditional recipe. cen.acs.org/food/ferment... #chemsky 🧪

This molecule turns your tongue into a flu detector Flu sensor for early screening tastes like thyme if you’re sick

What if you could taste an early flu infection? Chemists report a molecular sensor that, when placed on an infected tongue as a thin film or gum, will release thyme’s main flavor compound, thymol. cen.acs.org/analytical-c... #chemsky 🧪

Interest grows in cell therapy for autoimmunity A flurry of financial activity from cell therapy companies focused on regulatory T cells

According to the immunologist Alice Denton, researchers have been speculating for a while that regulatory T cells might win a #NobelPrize because the findings are so important: cen.acs.org/people/nobel...

Learn more about cell therapies for autoimmunity: cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic... #chemsky 🧪

Nobel week is basically the super bowl for science journalists, and @sarahbraner.bsky.social (with @laurahowes.bsky.social & @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social) gave us a strong opening play with their coverage of the med+physio prize!
(did i get the sports metaphor right?)

Anabella Villalobos has redefined how we treat neurological diseases This medicinal chemist has led decades of research on the central nervous system, pushing dozens of compounds into the clinic

Anabella Villalobos has redefined how we treat neurological diseases

This medicinal chemist has led decades of research on the central nervous system, pushing dozens of compounds into the clinic.

#HispanicHeritageMonth cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...

Immunity researchers win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Immunity researchers win the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi receive the prize for understanding how the immune system is kept in check. Read more: cen.acs.org/people/nobel...

#chemsky #immunosky 🧪

While I have writers bashing words out on a screen and calling other researchers for comment, please read this article from 2021 for why people are so interested in regulatory T cells cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...

The 2025 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.” Stay tuned for the full story to come!

Luis A. Colón has spent decades increasing diversity in the chemical sciences Graduate student <b>Deysi Gómez Cholula</b> talks with this analytical chemist about his award-winning mentorship

Luis A. Colón has spent decades increasing diversity in the chemical sciences

Graduate student Deysi Gómez Cholula talks with this analytical chemist about his award-winning mentorship.

#HispanicHeritageMonth
cen.acs.org/careers/dive... #chemsky 🧪

EPA begins ‘expeditious reviews’ of chemicals for data center projects As industry welcomes faster reviews for AI infrastructure, watchdogs sound alarms

The US Environmental Protection Agency this week began prioritizing chemicals used in data center infrastructure over others in its Toxic Substances Control Act reviews. cen.acs.org/policy/chemi... #chemsky 🧪

If AI tools can design harmful proteins, can AI tools also stop them? Analysis of biosecurity screening software finds, and fixes, vulnerabilities. Researchers call for more governance

If AI tools can design harmful proteins, can AI tools also stop them? Analysis of biosecurity screening software finds, and fixes, vulnerabilities. Researchers call for more governance. cen.acs.org/policy/chemi... #chemsky 🧪

Long spikes of crystals emanate from a single point. They glow bright blue but are slowly being overtaken by splotches of bright orange.

Congratulations to #CENChemPics September winner Prodipta Samadder, whose research focuses on using responsive crystals like this one to make new sensors and electronic materials: cen.acs.org/analytical-c...

Enter our contest at cen.acs.org/collections/...

Phosphine found in brown dwarf’s atmosphere The first-time finding of appreciable amounts of phosphine in a brown dwarf suggests it may be too soon to use the molecule as a sign of alien life

Scientists have predicted that phosphine should be present in the atmospheres of brown dwarfs, but it’s been missing from observations until now. cen.acs.org/physical-che... #chemsky 🧪

China’s K visa targets global STEM talent as US obstacles mount Beijing signals long-term immigration reform with K visa launch, but experts warn that the country may struggle to draw the talent it most desires

China’s K visa, which goes into effect Oct. 1, gives young science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals greater flexibility to enter the country and stay than previous visa types. cen.acs.org/careers/empl... #chemsky 🧪

Berkshire Hathaway to buy OxyChem for $9.7 billion With the sale, Occidental Petroleum will focus on oil and gas

In a deal that will take it out of the chemical business, Occidental Petroleum has agreed to sell its OxyChem unit to Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate managed by value investor Warren Buffett, for $9.7 billion. cen.acs.org/business/pet...

Q&A: Martín Salinas coaxes crops to make animal proteins Graduate student Natalia Gorojovsky talks with this chemical engineer about leading the way with a molecular farming biotech from Latin America

Martín Salinas coaxes crops to make animal proteins

Graduate student Natalia Gorojovsky talks with this chemical engineer about leading the way with a molecular farming biotech from Latin America.

#HispanicHeritageMonth cen.acs.org/food/food-sc... #chemsky 🧪

Designing an off switch for novel proteins Biochemically wrenching proteins off their targets may reduce unwanted side effects of drugs

There are two main levers one can pull when administering a drug: the potency of the drug molecule itself and the dose that you administer. Now, new research from the Institute for Protein Design details a potential third lever: adding in an “off” switch. cen.acs.org/physical-che... #chemsky 🧪