Frances Addison
I studied medicinal and biological chemistry at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2016. Before joining Chemistry World in March 2019, I was a staff writer on Front Line Genomics.
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
- News
Chemistry appears less often in news than biology or medicine
But chemical research has a strong presence in patents, study finds
- Research
Polyatomic molecule cooled to almost absolute zero
Ultracold calcium monohydroxide created in magneto-optical trap
- Research
Triple 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
- Research
First carbon-making microbes discovered
Mysterious black material produced by deep sea archaea and bacteria found to be carbon
- Research
Liquid crystals under pressure create squid-like camouflage
Pneumatic membranes trigger full-spectrum colour shifting on demand
- Research
Mirror 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
- Research
Glass folded into intricate origami shapes
Embedding silica particles into a polymer creates a bendable material that can be converted into glass
- Research
Chemists reconsider C–H and C–C bond length rationale
Quantitative proof for steric repulsion theory
- Podcast
Book club – Vampirology by Kathryn Harkup
A scientific investigation of vampires’ lust for blood and weakness to garlic
- Research
Tooth 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
- Review
Doomsday 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
- Podcast
Azidoazide azide
A compound so explosively unstable that nobody has been able to measure how sensitive it is without it, well, exploding
- Podcast
Book club – Written in Bone
From the horrific to the absurd, forensic anthropologist Sue Black’s new book is a true pageturner
- Review
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
Universe-ending scenarios made to fit our tiny human minds
- Podcast
Book club – The End of Everything
It’s the end times for our universe with five scenarios that of how it might meet its ultimate demise
- Review
Death 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
