A rare meteorite that struck a Hillsborough, New Jersey, home in 2024 has been identified by NASA and the SETI Institute as a CM1/2 carbonaceous chondrite containing complex amino acids and organic compounds. Researchers suggest the rock, which originated in the asteroid belt, provides evidence that the chemical building blocks for life continue to be … Read more
Researchers have developed a new method called alkaline thermal treatment (ATT) to convert mixed plastic waste into high-purity hydrogen, potentially addressing both the global plastic pollution crisis and the demand for clean energy. According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the process uses sodium hydroxide to break down plastics … Read more
Airborne formaldehyde levels in 70 per cent of UK pathology laboratories regularly exceed European safety standards, according to research published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. While the UK maintains a legal exposure limit of 2.0 parts per million, researchers warn this threshold is outdated, leaving approximately 28,000 healthcare workers at risk of respiratory issues, cancer, … Read more
The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) has launched the DEL CoreBank Platform, a public drug discovery service that uses DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) technology to screen tens of millions of compounds simultaneously. This platform provides domestic researchers with a faster, more cost-effective alternative to expensive overseas outsourcing, aiming to accelerate the discovery of drugs … Read more
The Cosmic Recipe: Rewriting the Origins of Life on Earth For decades, the prevailing theory in astrobiology suggested that Earth was a barren rock, waiting for a celestial delivery service. Scientists long believed that the essential building blocks for life—specifically nitrogen and phosphorus—were ferried to our planet by icy asteroids from the cold, distant reaches … Read more
The Complete of the Finger-Prick? How Non-Enzymatic Sensors are Redefining Diabetes Care For decades, the gold standard for glucose monitoring has relied on enzymes—specifically glucose oxidase. While effective, these biological catalysts are notoriously finicky. They degrade over time, are sensitive to temperature fluctuations, and require strict storage conditions, often leading to sensor instability and the … Read more
The Era of “Accidental” Discovery: Repurposing Big Science For decades, the hunt for dark matter has been synonymous with gargantuan budgets and purpose-built facilities. From deep underground caverns to multi-million dollar laboratories, the prevailing logic was that finding the universe’s most elusive particles required the most expensive equipment. View this post on Instagram about Breaking … Read more
The New Frontier of Nuclear Mapping: Beyond the Sphere For a long time, the common perception of an atomic nucleus was a simple, round cluster of protons and neutrons. However, recent breakthroughs in laser spectroscopy are rewriting this textbook definition. Research from the University of Gothenburg has revealed that some of the heaviest elements in … Read more
The ‘Higgs Boson’ of Oxidation: How Observing Elusive Tetroxides Could Revolutionize Chemistry and Beyond For over half a century, scientists have theorized the existence of tetroxides – fleeting molecules believed to be crucial intermediates in oxidation reactions. Now, a groundbreaking study has achieved the first direct observation of these elusive compounds, opening up a new … Read more
Dry Ice Discovery in the Butterfly Nebula: A Cosmic Revelation The death of a star isn’t always a destructive blaze; sometimes, it’s a surprisingly delicate process. New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed the unexpected presence of frozen carbon dioxide – dry ice – within the dusty structure of the Butterfly … Read more