There was chaos on the streets of Halajba in March 1988. In this corner of Iraq, at the time Iraqi Kurdistan, people had suddenly started experiencing cold-like symptoms – tight chest and nasal congestion…
Remains of a fertiliser plant and other buildings and vehicles after the plant exploded in West, Texas, USA, 17 April 2013.
EPA
At least 14 people – including a number of emergency services crew – died in an massive explosion on Wednesday night at a fertiliser plant in the small town of West near Waco, Texas. So what made the blaze…
Little does she know what she’s smearing on her face.
canonsnapper
Do you buy expensive moisturisers in a bid to combat the ravages of age, or does catching a mid-afternoon whiff of your pits have you reaching for the roll-on?
We smear various lotions and potions on…
The porous structure of metal-organic framework materials makes them perfect for storing and separating gases.
justus.thane
You may not immediately think of world records when you consider chemistry, but that’s exactly what some chemists are thinking about during their research. Many, working on something called metal-organic…
Many proteins make up the G protein-coupled receptor family, including the κ-opioid receptor (above).
Wikimedia Commons
Two US scientists have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the receptors that transmit signals such as light, taste or smell to cells.
Robert Lefkowitz (of Duke University…
Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka (pictured) were jointly awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for studies of G-protein-coupled receptors”.
The reason we can see, taste and smell, and even why our heart races when we get excited or scared, can be explained by the actions of a family of “gatekeeper” proteins known as G protein-coupled receptors…
Understanding Venus' atmosphere helps us understand Earth’s past, present, and a potential future.
Keith Mosley
SAVING THE OZONE: Part six in our series exploring the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – looks at the atmosphere…
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb’s report, released today, presents some serious concerns for the future of Australian science.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Chief Scientist Ian Chubb’s Health of Australian Science report, launched today at the National Press Club, starts on an optimistic note. Australian science is generally in good health: school students…
Iran is constructing nuclear power stations; that much is clear.
AAP
There is much concern that Iran is in the process of developing nuclear weapons. Such a development, we’re told, could induce Israel to launch a unilateral military strike with all types of unpredictable…
Love and neurochemistry go hand in hand.
brianwiese
You know the feeling: your heart’s beating faster, your pupils dilate, your palms are sweaty, and you’ve got a belly-full of butterflies. You’re in love and, yes, you’re “all shook up”.
The euphoria of…
Photosynthesis converts low-energy photons into usable energy; it may teach us how to do the same.
papalars
As the great spectre of climate change continues to loom large over the future, the search for viable, renewable energy sources is becoming ever more important.
Solar power has long been seen as a vital…
Chemicals tend to get a bad press, but we wouldn’t be here without them.
abiomkar
One of the best tricks of making a horror movie is not to show too much, allowing the imagination to create the monster. We can’t see molecules, which is what makes them scary. We fill this vacuum with…
Developing sustainable energy sources needs some of the country’s best and brightest.
x-ray delta one
Project: Develop hydrogen-based sustainable energyCost: $20 millionTimeframe: Seven years
Finding real green energy is a vital area of research. Is there an energy that meets the needs of its users…
We don’t know exactly how the Earth formed, but we know it was messy.
adametrnal
We know a lot about how humans evolved. But when it comes to our planet, we’re on shakier ground.
Inert (nonreactive) gases, such as helium, neon and argon, trapped inside the mantle (Earth’s thickest…
Africa desperately needs more advanced chemistry facilities.
John Duffell
Welcome back to If I had a blank cheque I’d … our series in which leading researchers reveal what they could do in their discipline if money were no object.
Today we hear from Brynn Hibbert, Professor…
They may have the same active ingredient, but fillers, colours and lubricants may vary.
Flickr/Harsh Vardhan
“Would you like the generic brand of that medicine?” It’s a question you’ve probably been asked, or at least heard, when picking up a prescription at your local pharmacy.
It’s likely you were told the…
