The Chemical Breakdown

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

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

The Chemistry World team examines research on CAR-T immunotherapy for bladder tumours, including results in mice and the challenges of treating solid cancers. A second discussion considers how incorrectly assigned spectral features may have affected interpretations of defects in carbon materials.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Jamie Durrani discuss changes affecting UK science policy and investigate the chemistry of deteriorating concrete in Ireland. The materials discussion examines the roles of mica, iron-sulfide minerals, oxidation and subsequent chemical reactions in structural damage.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Frankie Macpherson and Phillip Broadwith discuss allegations about manipulated antibody-validation images in Thermo Fisher Scientific's catalogue and the questions they raise for research integrity. They also examine the technical and commercial difficulties facing chemical recycling of plastics.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Jamie Durrani revisit the Seveso chemical disaster and its lasting health and regulatory consequences. They also discuss membrane materials designed to separate hydrocarbons with less energy than conventional refinery processes, connecting materials research to industrial efficiency.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Frances Briggs reflect on 25 years of click chemistry and its spread into medicine and materials research. A second discussion examines covalent bonding in actinide elements and the experimental challenges of understanding how the heaviest atoms share electrons.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

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

Mariana Kneppers, Patrick Walter and Neil Withers compare competing cathode materials for electric-vehicle batteries and the tradeoffs among cost, safety and performance. They also discuss a photocatalyst that uses spent car-battery acid to help convert plastic waste into useful chemicals.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers

Mariana Kneppers, Mason Wakley and Neil Withers discuss two questions about genetic information. They examine AlphaGenome, a machine learning model designed to predict molecular effects of DNA variants across long sequences, and consider its potential use in genetics research. The episode then turns to the RNA world hypothesis: the proposal that RNA-based systems preceded DNA genomes and cells during the early history of life. The discussion links contemporary tools for studying the genome with chemical questions about life's beginnings.

Hosted by Mariana Kneppers