All articles by Ada McVean
-
Research
Isotope analysis reveals ‘mundane’ origins of remarkable dinosaur fossil site
Collapsing burrows, not volcanoes, killed the dinosaurs in China’s Yixian Formation
-
Research
Nanoscale peaks and valleys create long-lasting frost-resistant surfaces
Treatment could protect energy infrastructure and heat exchangers
-
Research
Easy to remove tag could make mRNA synthesis for vaccines quicker and cheaper
Chemical synthesis takes another step towards overtaking more complex enzymatic routes
-
News
The fate of Nobel prize medals
Over the years, Nobel prize medals have been stolen, dissolved and auctioned off. We trace what happened to them and the stories they can tell us
-
Research
Yellow food dye could give doctors a new way to look beneath the skin
Tartrazine can safely and reversibly turn the skin of mice transparent
-
Research
Discovery of ‘NO burst’ could help save world’s favourite banana from deadly fungus
Fungus found to flood host with nitric oxide to beat plants’ immune system
-
Research
Stonehenge Altar stone likely came from Scotland, not Wales
Mineral analysis matches sandstones from over 750km away
-
Opinion
Ijeoma Uchegbu: ‘My approach is always to be kind’
The innovative nanoscientist on the power of kindness and how she scrubbed eugenicists from campus buildings
-
Research
Pioneering preservative removal from ancient Greek ship allows accurate dating
Extraction of polyethylene glycol from ship’s wood enables radiocarbon recalibration
-
News
Colourant chemistry identifies ancient Greek workshop for Tyrian purple
Dye favoured by royalty was produced at site 3600 years ago
-
Research
Rodents’ striking orange teeth not down to iron-rich enamel as thought
Metal provides strength but the colour is the result of something else
-
Research
Static on steroids lets meat and fruit stick to metal at flick of switch
Electroadhesion could find biomedical and robotic applications
-
Research
Enzyme engineering makes blue denim greener
Environmentally friendlier alternative to indigo dye can now be made at a competitive price
-
Research
Blueberries’ blue is just skin deep, depending on structure not pigments
Non-spherical nanostructures explain the fruit’s colour
-
Research
E. coli rewired to shift carbon flow towards C4 chemicals
Bioengineering strategy creates evolutionary advantage linking cell growth with product formation
-
Research
D-trypsin synthesis enables sequencing of mirror-image proteins
Reversing the chirality of a protein-digesting enzyme could aid the development of mirror-image therapeutics
-
Research
Polar bear-inspired material could be the future of insulating textiles
Encapsulated aerogel fibre can be stretched, dyed and washed without signs of degradation
-
Research
‘Dolomite problem’ that has puzzled scientists for centuries may have finally been solved
Solution helps to explain the mystery of why common mineral won’t crystallise in the lab
-
Research
Insulin medicines more resilient to temperature than previously thought
Review suggests more lenient storage guidelines could make diabetes treatments more accessible