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  • In grad school, there is time to focus on learning about your field and your project — and to keep up with the literature. Now, as an assistant professor, Shira Joudan explains how learning science is necessarily different as they manage multiple projects and a busy schedule.

    • Shira Joudan
    Thesis
  • Marinda Westerveld and Rita Petracca describe the current understanding of the biosynthesis of crotonyl-coenzyme A.

    • Marinda Westerveld
    • Rita Petracca
    In Your Element
  • Legacy energy production has generated a climate crisis and left in its wake a history of injustices that have disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. Integrating energy justice into the curricula and research of those who aim to fix this crisis is essential to equip students with the expertise needed to create and implement equitable energy solutions.

    • Casey M. Davis
    • Lacey S. Roberts
    • Michael F. Toney
    Comment
  • Jakob Farnung and Brenda Schulman detail chemical diversification that endows the protein ubiquitin with many important cellular functions.

    • Jakob Farnung
    • Brenda A. Schulman
    In Your Element
  • About two thirds of western society are extroverts, but the contemplative nature of science means that this is not true of the academic population. Bruce Gibb discusses extraversion and introversion in science and asks whether the movement towards larger projects involving teams of scientists is making it harder for introverts and for disruptive discoveries.

    • Bruce C. Gibb
    Thesis
  • Much natural-product-based drug discovery has depended on the practices of Indigenous Peoples, who have sometimes invested centuries of care into the cultivation and use of plant or fungal matter. However, the contributions of the original discoverers can be lost as the natural products are developed into pharmaceutical products.

    • Khalyd J. Clay
    • Ryan A. Shenvi
    Comment
  • Adam Noble discusses the diverse uses of eosin Y over its 150-year history, from its origin as a dye and pigment used by post-impressionist masters to its versatile reactivity as a catalyst in visible light photochemistry.

    • Adam Noble
    In Your Element
  • Before the internet, chemists used references books to find necessary information. Michelle Francl takes us on a journey through the weird and wondrous world captured in the most famous reference book of them all, known to some as the ‘Rubber Bible’.

    • Michelle Francl
    Thesis
  • When one says the word alcohol to a non-chemist, it is typically in reference to ethanol, the first alcohol discovered. Chi Chen, Mahlet Garedew, and Stafford W. Sheehan toast ethanol’s past, present, and future.

    • Chi Chen
    • Mahlet Garedew
    • Stafford W. Sheehan
    In Your Element
  • Going to conferences to share and learn about the latest science is a key part of being a researcher. Shira Joudan reflects on presenting their group’s research for the first time and guiding students through their first conference experiences.

    • Shira Joudan
    Thesis
  • The role of computers in the chemical sciences is changing. Previously the ___domain of the theoretical or computational chemist, advanced digital skills, including data analysis, automation and simulation, are becoming extremely relevant to all. Here, we discuss the importance of integrating digital skills into an undergraduate chemistry programme and highlight some work currently being carried out to achieve this.

    • Andrew R. McCluskey
    • Miguel Rivera
    • Antonia S. J. S. Mey
    Comment
  • Nitric oxide is at the heart of myriad environmental and biological processes. Pokhraj Ghosh and Timothy Warren explore the molecular interconnections and wide-ranging impacts of this molecule which is critical for the health of our planet.

    • Pokhraj Ghosh
    • Timothy H. Warren
    In Your Element
  • In his previous Thesis, Bruce Gibb introduced us to the chemistry of Jupiter’s moons. Now, he takes us on a tour of NASA’s Europa Clipper, the spacefaring chemistry lab set to revolutionize our understanding of Jupiter’s most intriguing satellite.

    • Bruce C. Gibb
    Thesis
  • In this issue we feature several articles that explore advances in the study of phase separation. They highlight some recently reported mechanistic features and progress in the methodology used to study it within cells, and they delve into the implications that phase separation has for select cellular functions.

    Editorial
  • A. Ken Inge pores over the history and applications of bismuth subsalicylate, from dispelling digestive distress to breaching bacterial biodefences.

    • A. Ken Inge
    In Your Element
  • In molecular biology, few molecules have had as profound an impact as Cas9. Madeleine King, Kayla Perry, Mitchell McAndrew and Audrone Lapinaite discuss how this multifunctional molecular tool of genetic engineering is revolutionizing multiple fields.

    • Madeleine B. King
    • Kayla N. Perry
    • Audrone Lapinaite
    In Your Element
  • Environmental contamination is in the news more than ever. Shira Joudan introduces key concepts to talk about what happens to chemicals in the environment and what chemists should consider in their day-to-day lives, both at work and at home.

    • Shira Joudan
    Thesis
  • John Steele and Stephen Wallace discuss recent advances in the chemical and biotechnological synthesis of the prolific platform chemical adipic acid.

    • John F. C. Steele
    • Stephen Wallace
    In Your Element