Thesis

Bruce C. Gibb takes a look at the complex cocktail of chemical compounds that make up gin.

Michelle Francl reminds us that you don't need to look like Einstein to be a scientist.

Louis Pasteur was a scientific giant of the nineteenth century, but, as Joseph Gal asks, was his most famous contribution to the understanding of chemistry — chirality — influenced more by his artistic talents?

Using a slide rule showed Michelle Francl where chemists' calculations are still stuck in the past.

Tenure is vitally important when it comes to the creation and promotion of knowledge — and Bruce Gibb explains why.

The chemical universe is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. Bruce Gibb reminds us that it's somewhat messy too, and so we succeed by recognizing the limits of our knowledge.

Michael Donnay and Michelle Francl want chemists to share the stories behind the work they do, and not be afraid to identify the heroines and heroes — and their epic adventures — that paved the way.

Researchers should spend more time doing science than cataloguing every last detail about how they get it done, argues Bruce Gibb.

Michelle Francl wonders just how old the water in her tea is.

Although Friedrich Stromeyer is best remembered for writing one of the founding works in plant geography — the forerunner to modern-day biogeography — his contributions to chemistry should not be underestimated, argues Malte C. Ebach.

When it comes to water and its unique properties, Bruce Gibb explains that although there is undoubtedly some mystery, there is certainly no magic.

Ksenija Glusac takes us on a journey through some of the most important light-driven reactions upon which nature and chemists rely.

Michelle Francl wonders if more chemists should be reading science fiction on the job.

A trio of recent discoveries in physics should be celebrated by everyone, even chemists, argues Bruce Gibb.

It is easy to overlook just how important temperature is when it comes to chemistry and Michelle Francl wonders if thermometers had a role in turning alchemists into chemists.

A day in the life of an academic, as told by Bruce C. Gibb.

Michelle Francl explores the concepts that could help non-chemists see the world more like those trained in the subject.

Carl Wilhelm Scheele had a hand in the discovery of at least six elements and contributed to the early development of chemistry in numerous other ways. Bruce Gibb looks into Scheele's story and considers why he doesn't get the credit that he deserves.

Michelle Francl looks at chemistry in a new light.

Bruce C. Gibb is organizing a workshop for two groups of scientists that study a similar topic, but rarely get together. The different perspectives they bring and the unusual set up of the meeting will hopefully lead to new ideas, but, as he suggests, they will also lead to the attendees leaving their comfort zones.