Andy Extance
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Bag of chemicals posing as a science journalist. @ABSW board member; director at @exempirical, widower. Not here anymore - check me on Bluesky or LinkedIn.
Articles by Andy Extance
Microsoft’s split-personality retrosynthetic AI is a fast learner
Bringing together two different AI models built to ‘think’ in entirely different ways reduces failures and hallucinations that can arise when they perform an important chemical task – retrosynthesis. Source: © Microsoft Planning a synthesis by working backward. Retrosynthesis starts with a target molecule and proposes successive disconnections into simpler precursors until purchasable building blocks are reached.
300MW electrolyser construction starts off Spanish ‘hydrogen valley’
In September, Spanish energy company Moeve started building a 300MW solar-powered electrolyser to make CO2-emission-free ‘green’ hydrogen in Huelva, in the south of the country. The Spanish government is contributing €300 million (£260 million) towards the over €1 billion cost of the site.
Protein degrading breast cancer drugs navigate bumpy road to market
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted limited approval to two innovative protein-degrading drugs for breast cancer, even though evidence for their overall effectiveness is unclear. AstraZeneca’s Etcamah (camizestrant) binds tightly to oestrogen receptors, disrupting their function and changing their shape, prompting their degradation.
Protein degrader approval offers hope to relapsed multiple myeloma patients
Following impressive early results, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first example of what Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) calls the CELMoD class of molecular glues. The FDA gave accelerated approval to iberdomide (Zenbexus) in a combination therapy including anti-cancer monoclonal antibody daratumumab, for use when multiple myeloma patients stop responding to prior treatments.
Cremig, knusprig, zart: Das unterschätzte Mundgefühl
Hintergrund Lesedauer ca. 10 Minuten Drucken Teilen Mundgefühl: Der Geschmacksfaktor, den viele unterschätzen Das Gefühl, das eine Speise oder ein Getränk im Mund erzeugt, bestimmt maßgeblich über den Geschmack. Ungewöhnliche Experimente mit Metallststäben und künstlichen Zungen sollen klären, wie verschiedene sensorische Empfindungen entstehen.
Combining AI with experiments to solve real-world materials problems
Cambridge, UK-based computational chemistry company CuspAI has formed a network of 45 organisations, aimed at discovering new functional materials using artificial intelligence (AI). The AI Materials Foundry includes tech giants like Facebook parent company Meta and chipmaker Nvidia. It also involves high-profile companies spanning the automotive, chemical, solar power and semiconductor industries, as well as scientific data providers.
Mundgefühl: Warum viele diesen Geschmacksfaktor unterschätzen
Hintergrund Lesedauer ca. 10 Minuten Drucken Teilen Mundgefühl: Der Geschmacksfaktor, den viele unterschätzen Das Gefühl, das eine Speise oder ein Getränk im Mund erzeugt, bestimmt maßgeblich über den Geschmack. Ungewöhnliche Experimente mit Metallststäben und künstlichen Zungen sollen klären, wie verschiedene sensorische Empfindungen entstehen.
Chemical treatment slashes emissions of making hydrogen from plastic waste
6 hours ago Motorsport is evolving. The electrification of racing may have met a few bumps along the road, but there are plenty of other innovations alongside changing powertrains. One company is pioneering new approaches revolving around the most important fuel for motorsport – fan engagement. Veloce Media …
Chemical treatment slashes emissions of making hydrogen from plastic waste
Driven by recycling limitations in South Korea, chemists have made hydrogen from plastic waste with less than half the carbon dioxide emissions of current industrial hydrogen production. Though researchers have previously produced hydrogen from plastic, Woo-Jae Kim from Ewha Womans University and colleagues reduce the energy needed by adding a pretreatment step. They also minimised the reaction’s carbon dioxide emissions.
AI agents accelerate catalyst discovery from simulation to scale-up
Artificial intelligence tools are transforming catalyst research, with new AI agents capable of completing in minutes what once took computational chemists days.
The battery chemistry race shaping the future of electric vehicles
Science and global politics intertwine in the rivalry between lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides and lithium iron phosphate Cathode chemistry is central to EV competition: The electric vehicle battery market is largely shaped by a rivalry between lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathodes, which deliver high energy density and long driving range, and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes, which are cheaper, safer and longer‑lasting but traditionally offer shorter range.
Clean hydrogen project cancellations point to narrower future
Analyst data estimates that the low-emissions hydrogen industry either committed to final investment decisions or started building around a million tonnes per year of production capacity in 2025, but cancelled over 4.9 million tonnes’ worth. In most of the world, industry is curbing its ambitions as it struggles to find buyers willing to pay a premium for renewable hydrogen.
Opaque UK funding changes herald cuts to facilities and research programmes paused
Source: © Max Alexander/Science Photo Library The UK’s national synchrotron faces a funding squeeze. The funding council that oversees it and other big science infrastructure projects has been asked to make savings of £162 million by 2030 Scientists have expressed frustration over strategic changes at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as some funding programmes have been paused, while support for some large facilities shrinks.
Microplastics in the human body: scientists debate research methods and contamination concerns
Source: © Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images Research has shown that microplastics can be shed by a range of food packaging. But how much has been getting into our bodies? Scientists have disagreed over methods used in a number of high-profile studies that found microplastics throughout the human body. Having been criticised, the researchers who worked on them say that the scientific community must continue to improve on these results.
This AI has chemical expertise - and helps synthesize 35 new drugs and materials
Chemical synthesis is the process of creating complex chemical compounds from simpler precursors.Credit: Andrew Lambert Photography/SPL Searching for blockbuster drugs and wonder materials is an arduous task for chemists. To make their promising compounds, they must trawl through millions of known chemical reactions, with hundreds of thousands more added annually, and then test whether it is possible to synthesize them.
How Africa’s largest refinery is redefining Nigeria’s oil economy
Key Insights Nigeria is now home to one of the world’s largest oil refineries. After years of importing transportation fuels, the country is on the road to being self-sufficient. Built in an era of slowing fossil-fuel consumption, the refinery remains a gamble. On the outskirts of Nigeria’s former capital, Lagos, the colossal $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery promises a crude awakening. It is already the largest refinery globally to use a lone "single train” distillation system.
The Antarctic manganese mystery
Why the Amazon Isn’t the World’s Only “Lung” Worth Saving What if everything you thought you knew about the world’s “lungs” was just part of the story? The Amazon Rainforest has captured global attention as …
Antarctic ocean carbon absorption study reveals manganese mystery affecting climate predictions
RRS Sir David Attenborough scientists are trying to measure the potentially crucial role of ocean manganese, finds Andy Extance. But how do you do cutting-edge science in the inhospitable Southern Ocean? Climate and ecosystem concerns: The Southern Ocean absorbs about 40% of human carbon dioxide emissions, aided by phytoplankton and krill. However, climate change threatens this process, with declining krill populations and uncertain phytoplankton growth challenging carbon absorption predictions.
Medical inhalers climate impact: greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving 200 miles per inhaler
Propellants in asthma inhalers produce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving 200 miles, yet most healthcare systems overlook this climate impact. New low-carbon alternatives are in development, Andy Extance reports, but barriers remain High climate impact of MDIs: Metered dose inhalers (MDIs) use propellants with high global warming potential (GWP), making them a significant contributor to healthcare-related emissions – one inhaler can equal the emissions from driving 200 miles.
Arvinas Pfizer seek partner for vepdegestrant protein degrader drug after disappointing clinical trial results
Arvinas and Pfizer, co-developers of vepdegestrant – the most advanced of the new bifunctional protein degrader drug class – are jointly seeking a new partner to bring it to market. The firms are looking to out-license the selective oestrogen receptor degrader (SERD) after clinical trial results published in March showed vepdgestrant works, but didn’t outperform existing treatments.
AI-generated medical data can sidestep usual ethics review, universities say
Medical researchers at some institutions in Canada, the United States and Italy are using data created by artificial intelligence (AI) from real patient information in their experiments without the need for permission from their institutional ethics boards, Nature has learnt.
Chemists observe individual valence electrons during ammonia dissociation using SLAC's X-ray laser in unprecedented detail
Source: © Ian Gabalski/Stanford/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Chemists at a giant x-ray laser in the US have studied a reaction in the most extreme detail yet, watching individual valence electrons as ammonia dissociates. ‘For the first time here, we were able to track just a single valence electron,’ says Ian Gabalski, a PhD candidate at Stanford University in California.
Why China is leading perovskite solar commercialization
China is by far the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter, but the country also has an outsized role in low-carbon energy infrastructure. It already dominates silicon-based solar panel manufacturing, and now it's leading the world in bringing much-hyped perovskite solar technology into mass production (PDF). Across the world, perovskites attract both enthusiasm and skepticism.
Sarepta gene therapy deaths highlight tragic rare disease dilemma
Regulators block Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment after fatal side-effects outweigh questionable efficacy US-based Sarepta Therapeutics is in turmoil after revealing that three patients taking its gene therapies have died this year. The deaths drove the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ask Sarepta to halt shipments of Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec), which targets Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Explainer: The chemistry of permastink and how to prevent it
Andy Extance reluctantly noses out ways to avoid throwing away smelly polyester sportswear Even if you’ve never heard the word permastink, if you’re a runner or know one, you’ve likely encountered the smell itself. And if you’ve ever felt the urge to throw away clothes suffering from it, you know the impact it has on the environment: consuming and wasting resources. Permastink refers to an unpleasant odour that won’t wash out of clothes, a smelly, stubborn squatter.
How decarbonisation will help the UK’s last refineries survive
Carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen are central to any possibility of supplying liquid fuels compatible with net zero, reports Andy Extance Decarbonisation as a survival strategy: UK refineries are under pressure from global competition, environmental regulations and declining fuel demand. Companies like Essar Energy Transition (EET) at Stanlow are investing in low-carbon technologies – especially hydrogen and carbon capture – to remain viable and avoid closure.
What are the prospects for making green hydrogen straight from seawater?
On the west bank of China’s Pearl River estuary, in Zhuhai, researchers are using renewable energy and seawater to shrink the petrochemical industry’s carbon footprint, via ‘green’ hydrogen. Scientists from Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) are building a pilot plant to directly split seawater into oxygen and hydrogen. This is a massive scientific challenge because seawater can be corrosive and chemically complex.
A guide to navigating AI chemistry hype
The world is awash with news about artificial intelligence tools, including those intended to help chemists. But are the tools useful, a threat, or even worth the attention? It's hard to know, especially when developers are making bold, exaggerated claims. Some of us have little background knowledge with which to critically assess this new technology.
Reprocess, reuse, repeat: greener recycling of perovskite solar cells cuts costs
Researchers in Sweden and the US say that chemically recycling perovskite solar cells could cut their costs, making them more competitive with the leading technology – crystalline silicon modules. Feng Gao’s team at Linköping University, Sweden, has developed a technique to cheaply and repeatedly take apart solar cells made of perovskite materials and make new high-performance devices. The conditions they use are environmentally friendly, primarily water based.
My Climate Protest Arrest Shows the Problem with ‘Social Tipping Point’ Theory
Eyeing the bruises on the knuckles of the police officer arresting me, I took a deep breath and explained why we need to act faster to avoid climate catastrophe. Standing on a traffic island in London, I looked straight into his body-worn video camera, and hoped the speech would make it to the courtroom.
Comprendre la Terre depuis l’espace : comment les satellites contribuent à la science
Shawn Kefauver a vu de ses yeux vu des compagnies pétrolières faire des “trucs louches” en Équateur. Mais le seul témoignage retenu par la justice a été celui de l’analyse des données enregistrées depuis l’espace à laquelle il a contribué. Pas le sien. Avec ses collègues, ce chercheur de l’université de Barcelone a eu l’idée d’utiliser le spectre lumineux enregistré par les satellites pour suivre les changements de la forêt amazonienne à proximité des installations pétrolières équatoriennes.
The promise of drugs that send proteins to the shredder
Andy Extance charts how research into revolutionary targeted protein degradation therapies is moving from serendipity to strategic discovery Revolutionary drug development: Targeted protein degradation therapies, which involve tagging disease-related proteins for destruction by the proteasome, are emerging as a revolutionary approach in drug development. This method can target proteins that traditional small-molecule inhibitors cannot, offering new treatment possibilities for various diseases.
Visible light-powered catalysts clean up ‘forever chemicals’
Chemists in China and the US have discovered catalysts enabling light-driven reactions that can break down fluorine-containing chemicals that are attracting concern as pollutants. Two research groups separately harnessed a powerful new class of carbon-based catalysts that help break bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms, avoiding using and producing other harmful chemicals.
Clearing up the compostable plastic mess
Rather than a potential triumph, the compostable plastics we use look increasingly like a tragedy. Andy Extance looks at the problems and seeks solutions When the BBC’s Blue Planet II aired in 2017, showing turtles trapped in plastic debris and puffins feeding plastic to their chicks, the material became public enemy number one. Half of British people said they’d pay more to avoid plastic waste according to a poll by survey company YouGov.
Proteins with multiple structures open up AlphaFold’s black box
Biochemists in the US have found limits to what AlphaFold, the usually highly accurate protein structure prediction artificial intelligence system developed by Google DeepMind, can do. Lauren Porter’s team at the US National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health looked at how AlphaFold performed with proteins that adopted more than one stable structure.
How satellite remote sensing is enhancing our understanding of Earth
Instruments in space have studied the planet’s atmosphere and surface, and are now being joined by powerful new ones, finds Andy Extance Deforestation monitoring: Researchers used data from Landsat satellites to detect deforestation in the Amazon rainforest near Ecuador’s oil facilities. This data was crucial in legal cases against oil companies for environmental damage.
James Webb Space Telescope reveals weather on exoplanets
The weather on the gas giant Ditsö̀ is literally alien. Clouds of solid quartz appear and disappear thanks to silicon and oxygen atoms continually evaporating from and then condensing in its atmosphere. Ditsö̀, also known as WASP-17 b, orbits a star 1,300 light-years from Earth. One side of the planet is perpetually locked so that it faces the star and is thus permanently illuminated as the dayside.
MDMA rejection poses questions for psychedelic drug trials
Decision prompts reflection over how psychotherapy is involved, regulating combination treatments and safeguarding patients The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected MDMA as a psychiatric treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). US based Lykos Therapeutics had hoped to get the active ingredient in the club drug ecstasy approved for use in combination with psychotherapy.
AI tool outperforms existing x-ray structure methods
5 hours ago Even the most loyal tech workers are throwing in the towel these days I read the email and it crushed my soul, because of whom it came from. "I'm done. Get me out of here." It wasn't exactly that concise. One would think the Last Great Employee in tech would be so focused and so driven that they would …
AI tool outperforms existing x-ray structure methods
Scientists in Denmark have used artificial intelligence (AI) to resolve a key challenge in crystal-structure determination for the first time, and have made the system freely available for other researchers to use. The University of Copenhagen’s Anders Madsen and his colleagues have developed a deep-learning system called PhAI that works out hard-to-determine information about the phase of x-rays that crystals have diffracted.
How a new strategy aims to break the catalytic speed limit
Conventionally, one way to speed up important and useful chemical reactions is to think about the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, says Paul Dauenhauer from the University of Minnesota, US. But the chemical version doesn’t involve anyone tasting porridge. Known as the Sabatier principle, it instead considers how strongly molecules bind to the surface of a catalyst. ‘The fastest catalysts bind molecules to the surface neither too weakly nor too strongly,’ Dauenhauer explains.
The catalyst speedup toolkit
A rundown of the various strategies scientists are exploring to cheat the Sabatier limit Paul Sabatier, joint winner of the 1912 Nobel prize in chemistry, introduced a principle surrounding the ideal characteristics of a catalyst, specifically relating to how strongly it should bind reactants and products. In the Sabatier principle if reactants adsorb too weakly, the catalyst remains too far away from them and doesn’t get the chance to accelerate their transformation to products.
How can your lab cut water use in reflux reactions?
If you work in a lab where you run chemical reactions under reflux conditions, you’ve likely considered the downsides of using water in your condenser. Such experiments heat a solvent to boiling, using a condenser above the reaction vessel to cool and capture the vapour produced, returning it as liquid to the vessel. Traditionally, chemists cool Liebig condensers using flowing water at rates estimated at 1 to 4 litres a minute.
Why don’t we know how antidepressants work yet?
In labs at Imperial College London, UK, researchers are studying how tiny groups of neurons and other cells only just visible to the naked eye respond to antidepressants. Parastoo Hashemi’s team hopes that these ‘mini-brain’ organoids will finally help us understand how drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) work in full-sized brains. 2024 marks 50 years since researchers published the first paper on the first SSRI, fluoxetine, which came to market as Prozac in 1988.
Brain chemistry basics
Andy Extance looks into the latest in Alzheimer’s disease, pain and memory Our brains are massively complicated – and so too are the biggest biochemical issues affecting them.
How the James Webb Space Telescope Is Revealing the Weather and Chemistry on Planets around Other Stars
In collaboration with C&EN. The weather on the gas giant Ditsö̀ is literally alien. Clouds of solid quartz appear and disappear thanks to silicon and oxygen atoms continually evaporating from and then condensing in its atmosphere. Ditsö̀, also known as WASP-17 b, orbits a star 1,300 light-years from Earth. One side of the planet is perpetually locked so that it faces the star and is thus permanently illuminated as the dayside.
Electronic cooling device is part fridge, part muscle
By chemically modifying a soft film material, researchers in China have developed an especially lightweight, small and flexible refrigeration system, the most efficient of its kind.1 The device, developed by Xiaoshi Qian of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and colleagues, uses an electrical field to move the film and drive heat into and out of it. ‘This is the first experimental demonstration of materials that can serve as cooling and an artificial muscle,’ Qian tells Chemistry World.
Screening reveals thousands of ‘undrugged, yet druggable’ proteins
By screening 407 compounds directly in cells scientists in Austria and the US have found that they bound with 2305 proteins not previously known to have any such interactions. Georg Winter at the Centre for Molecular Medicine (CEMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna and colleagues used the large compound collection to create an openly accessible dataset.
First mirror-image cyclodextrins come together ‘like Lego’ Original
The first L-cyclodextrins have been synthesised in the lab – these rings of six to eight sugar units are the mirror-image structures of more common D-cyclodextrins. Fraser Stoddart’s team at Northwestern University in the US used a straightforward one-pot strategy to make the substances in half-gram amounts. Source: © Yong Wu et al/Springer Nature Limited 2024 ‘We have made L-cyclodextrins in a very efficient and scalable manner,’ says Yong Wu, who synthesised the compounds.
Carbon’s allotrope explosion demonstrates how the element is both versatile and fickle
New pure carbon materials are relatively easy to predict but challenging if not impossible to make, experts tell Andy Extance It’s hard not to love an element as special as carbon – but might chemists’ adoration be a problem? No other element is versatile enough to help make molecules enabling life, while also forming a beautiful and hard gem like diamond.
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