Analytical Chemistry podcasts

The Chemical Breakdown team looks ahead to the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry. Host Mariana Kneppers discusses possible research areas and laureates with Jamie Durrani and Neil Withers, with additional predictions from the Chemistry World team. Topics include skeletal editing, GLP-1 research and analytical techniques, alongside how previous prizes shape expectations. This is a predictions episode published before the prize announcement, rather than a report of confirmed winners.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell discuss two scientific stories from the Nature Briefing. The first concerns a technique for detecting lead that may help researchers read damaged Roman scrolls from Herculaneum without unrolling the fragile, charred material. The second examines a biodegradable, paper-inspired edible battery and its potential use in medical devices inside the body. The publisher’s episode page and official podcast feed both identify this 25 September 2026 episode; the discussion lasts 11 minutes 32 seconds.

Mariana Kneppers, Neil Withers and Phillip Broadwith discuss molecular glues and efforts to target cancer-related proteins previously considered difficult to drug. They also explore how analysis of fibres and dyes helps researchers investigate and conserve the Bayeux Tapestry.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Meagan Cantwell and Andrew Lawler discuss archaeological evidence for psychoactive substances in pre-Inca Andean cultures, including how improved residue analysis informs interpretations of ancient rituals. Sarah Crespi then speaks with Noam Angrist about implementation science in education: moving from controlled studies to interventions that governments can deliver at scale in lower- and middle-income countries. The publisher provides the full episode, transcript and external audio.

Hosted by Sarah Crespi

Science journalists discuss why the food-borne illness cyclosporiasis is difficult to track and a new map of a major highway in the human nervous system. Leslie Chan then explains an ingestible metabolic probe that detects gut-microbiome enzyme activity from volatile signals in the breath.

Melissa and Jam are joined by Nicki Stewart for the second part of their forensic-chemistry series. They discuss the material left behind in a fingerprint and compare physical and chemical approaches to revealing latent prints, including powder adhesion, iodine, ninhydrin and cyanoacrylate fuming. The episode explains why the choice of method depends on the surface and the chemical composition of the trace, and why preserving and interpreting real evidence is more complicated than television depictions suggest.

Hosted by Melissa, Jam

Mariana Kneppers, Patrick Walter and Frankie Macpherson discuss a new molecular-simulation result combining quantum computing with conventional computational methods. They also investigate how an everyday laboratory item can contaminate microplastics measurements, illustrating the importance of tracing unexpected results back to experimental materials.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Emma Pewsey and Phillip Broadwith discuss formulations intended to make butyllithium reagents easier to handle while retaining synthetic performance. A second story examines how analysis of limescale in Pompeii’s public baths can reveal aspects of water use and life in the ancient city.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers