All articles by Frances Addison
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ResearchCrispr editing of certain genes could trigger cell death
Researchers identify more than 3000 spots in the human genome where gene editing could cause toxic side effects and genomic instability
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NewsChemistry appears less often in news than biology or medicine
But chemical research has a strong presence in patents, study finds
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ResearchPolyatomic molecule cooled to almost absolute zero
Ultracold calcium monohydroxide created in magneto-optical trap
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PodcastA Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury – Book club
Learning about chemistry through poisons and murders
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ResearchTriple Leidenfrost effect found in bouncing droplet pairs
Droplets of different liquids placed on a hot surface perform a bouncy dance before merging – sometimes with explosive results
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ResearchFirst carbon-making microbes discovered
Mysterious black material produced by deep sea archaea and bacteria found to be carbon
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ResearchLiquid crystals under pressure create squid-like camouflage
Pneumatic membranes trigger full-spectrum colour shifting on demand
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ResearchMirror image enzyme constructs longest ever mirror DNA strand
Since chirally inverted DNA is more stable than its natural counterpart, it can be used to encode secret messages
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ResearchGlass folded into intricate origami shapes
Embedding silica particles into a polymer creates a bendable material that can be converted into glass
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ResearchChemists reconsider C–H and C–C bond length rationale
Quantitative proof for steric repulsion theory
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PodcastVampirology: The Science of Horror's Most Famous Fiend by Kathryn Harkup – Book club
A scientific investigation of vampires’ lust for blood and weakness to garlic
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ResearchTooth isotope analysis proves ancient Greek historians wrong
Analysis of ancient soldiers’ 2500-year-old remains suggests they were foreign mercenaries rather than the locals contemporary historians described
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ReviewDoomsday Book: The Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Threats
A great pick for anyone looking for intriguing solutions to global challenges present and future – as long as you’re okay with a bit of doom and gloom
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PodcastAzidoazide azide
A compound so explosively unstable that nobody has been able to measure how sensitive it is without it, well, exploding
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PodcastWritten in Bone: Hidden Stories in what We Leave Behind by Sue Black – Book club
From the horrific to the absurd, forensic anthropologist Sue Black’s new book is a true pageturner
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PodcastThe End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack – Book club
It’s the end times for our universe with five scenarios that of how it might meet its ultimate demise
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ReviewThe End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
Universe-ending scenarios made to fit our tiny human minds
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ReviewDeath By Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts
A book for anyone with an interest in science, death, Elizabethan literature and British history – or all of the above