Bifurcating the population as either verbal or visual thinkers is one of the simplest ways to classify intelligence. Bruce Gibb argues that visual thinking is key to chemistry, and that teaching and testing must focus on this type of thinking rather than traditional approaches promoting verbal thinking skills.

Does the pursuit of scientific research based on a well-defined technological outcome hamper our ability to be creative? And does it limit opportunities to explore and develop fundamental areas of science that may ultimately lead to applications we hadn’t even thought of yet?

The ability to detect and quantify a given analyte at the molecular level is a long-lasting goal for analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. This Review highlights how single-molecule junctions (SMJs) have been used for analytical purposes, from the detection of isomers and reaction intermediates to the detection of proteins and nucleic acids. Different SMJ approaches are discussed, along with their advantages and limitations over bulk analytical techniques.

Governments worldwide are committing more funding for scientific research in the face of the ongoing pandemic and climate crises. However, the funding process must be restructured to remove the barriers arising from conscious and unconscious biases experienced by minoritized groups, including women, and particularly women of colour.

Generating aptamers for use as affinity reagents in analytical applications is important, but SELEX, the standard method for aptamer generation, is unable to select for pre-defined binding affinities. Now, by combining efficient particle display, high-performance microfluidic sorting and high-content bioinformatics, the method ‘Pro-SELEX’ can afford the quantitative generation of aptamers with programmable binding affinities.

The ortho-substituted phenyl ring is a basic structural element in chemistry. Now, 2-oxabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes have been developed as saturated bioisosteres of the ortho-substituted phenyl ring with improved physicochemical properties. Replacement of the phenyl ring with 2-oxabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes in marketed agrochemicals fluxapyroxad and boscalid improved water solubility, reduced lipophilicity and retained bioactivity.

The use of main-group elements in radical cross-coupling reactions has been little explored. Now, a low-valency bismuth complex has been shown to emulate the behaviour of first-row transition metals and undergo single-electron-transfer oxidative addition to redox-active electrophiles, leading to the development of a bismuth-catalysed C–N coupling reaction between amines and carboxylic acids.

Trihydrogen cations are abundant in interstellar space and play a vital role in both star and organic molecule formation. Now it has been shown that D₃⁺ cations can be directly produced through photoionization of molecular D₂–D₂ dimers.

Supramolecular structures are typically formed by the one-step self-assembly of building blocks. Now, a greater level of control has been achieved using stepwise non-covalent reactions under kinetic control. Two-dimensional block supramolecular polymers with tailored compositions and sequences were synthesized, and a site selectivity that is reminiscent of regioselectivity in covalent synthesis was observed.

Ribosomal incorporation of non-α-amino acid monomers into proteins is largely restricted to in vitro translation. Now, pyrrolysyl-transfer RNA synthetase variants have been shown to acylate tRNAs with α-thio acids, malonic acids, and N-formyl amino acids. This work represents a key step towards the programmed ribosomal synthesis of sequence-defined non-protein polymers in cellulo.

Rajeev K. Dubey and Frank Würthner discuss the colourful character of perylene bisimides and the impact of aggregation on their functional properties.

Getting started at a new institution and building a research programme can be an exciting period, but there is much to do in a short space of time. Shira Joudan reflects on her first month as an assistant professor, discussing the stresses of setting up a new lab and how it’s easier with a little help from your (new) friends.

Organisms that glow are perhaps eerie. Vadim Viviani ponders on the luciferin–luciferase systems responsible for their intriguing bioluminescence.

Bifurcating the population as either verbal or visual thinkers is one of the simplest ways to classify intelligence. Bruce Gibb argues that visual thinking is key to chemistry, and that teaching and testing must focus on this type of thinking rather than traditional approaches promoting verbal thinking skills.

Jane Liao and Allie C. Obermeyer explore the discovery, modification and applications of green fluorescent protein, best known for its use as a tool to cast light on cellular processes.

Does the pursuit of scientific research based on a well-defined technological outcome hamper our ability to be creative? And does it limit opportunities to explore and develop fundamental areas of science that may ultimately lead to applications we hadn’t even thought of yet?