All articles by Ada McVean
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NewsThe fate of Nobel prize medals
Over the years, Nobel prize medals have been stolen, dissolved and auctioned off. We trace what happened to them and the stories they can tell us
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ResearchYellow food dye could give doctors a new way to look beneath the skin
Tartrazine can safely and reversibly turn the skin of mice transparent
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ResearchDiscovery of ‘NO burst’ could help save world’s favourite banana from deadly fungus
Fungus found to flood host with nitric oxide to beat plants’ immune system
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ResearchStonehenge Altar stone likely came from Scotland, not Wales
Mineral analysis matches sandstones from over 750km away
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OpinionIjeoma Uchegbu: ‘My approach is always to be kind’
The innovative nanoscientist on the power of kindness and how she scrubbed eugenicists from campus buildings
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ResearchPioneering preservative removal from ancient Greek ship allows accurate dating
Extraction of polyethylene glycol from ship’s wood enables radiocarbon recalibration
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NewsColourant chemistry identifies ancient Greek workshop for Tyrian purple
Dye favoured by royalty was produced at site 3600 years ago
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ResearchRodents’ striking orange teeth not down to iron-rich enamel as thought
Metal provides strength but the colour is the result of something else
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ResearchStatic on steroids lets meat and fruit stick to metal at flick of switch
Electroadhesion could find biomedical and robotic applications
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ResearchEnzyme engineering makes blue denim greener
Environmentally friendlier alternative to indigo dye can now be made at a competitive price
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ResearchBlueberries’ blue is just skin deep, depending on structure not pigments
Non-spherical nanostructures explain the fruit’s colour
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ResearchE. coli rewired to shift carbon flow towards C4 chemicals
Bioengineering strategy creates evolutionary advantage linking cell growth with product formation
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ResearchD-trypsin synthesis enables sequencing of mirror-image proteins
Reversing the chirality of a protein-digesting enzyme could aid the development of mirror-image therapeutics
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ResearchPolar bear-inspired material could be the future of insulating textiles
Encapsulated aerogel fibre can be stretched, dyed and washed without signs of degradation
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Research‘Dolomite problem’ that has puzzled scientists for centuries may have finally been solved
Solution helps to explain the mystery of why common mineral won’t crystallise in the lab
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ResearchInsulin medicines more resilient to temperature than previously thought
Review suggests more lenient storage guidelines could make diabetes treatments more accessible
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ResearchAerophobic electrodes prevent bubble coalescence and boost mass transport
Hydrogel electrode coating improves the efficiency of gas evolution reactions
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ResearchElemental analysis sheds light on Pompeii victims’ final moments
New evidence suggests asphyxiation caused the death of seven people in new study
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ResearchMapping antibiotic’s binding of its target points to way to give drugs the killer edge
Technique that creates a comprehensive catalogue of mutations in antibiotic’s target reveals how drugs might be improved