High-energy compound could be rocket fuel for round-trip to Mars
US researchers have created a new high-energy compound suitable for rocket fuel. The boron-containing compound could make return flights from Mars possible, says the group at the University of Albany, New York.
How nanoparticle patterns are being used to stop counterfeiters
A Danish research group has invented a legally binding fingerprint for individual consumer items that is based on random nanoparticle patterns.
Researchers look at how psilocybin targets brain circuits to relieve pain
Researchers have investigated how psilocybin targets brain circuits to relieve pain. A single dose of the compound reduced pain and depression-like behaviours in lab mice with nerve injury and inflammatory pain. Those effects lasted for almost two weeks.
EU Industrial Accelerator Act proposal welcomed
The EU Commission’s proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) has been welcomed by the European chemical industry association, Cefic, as having the potential to accelerate industrial decarbonisation and strengthen resilience and competitiveness. Cefic adds, however, that more is needed, particularly on the demand side, where public procurement provisions remain limited for the chemical sector.
Antibiotics: World Health Organization publishes three target product profiles
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published three new Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for antibiotics designed to address key drug-resistant bacteria causing infections in at-risk populations worldwide.
These octopus-inspired new materials can change colour and texture
A group in the US has created the first ever materials that can change colour and texture, inspired by nature. Octopus and cuttlefish are famed for their ability to change not just colour but texture to blend into their background.
Lithium: Remaking the global supply chain
A short video clip posted on social media by Tesla in January 2026 served as a perhaps modest introduction of a major development: the electric vehicle maker’s new lithium refinery – the largest in North America – becoming operational.
Click chemistry helps scientists map cellular targets of drugs
A collaboration between researchers in the US and Canada has yielded a method that reveals precisely where drugs end up in a mammalian body. Their method used click chemistry and was demonstrated with two cancer drugs, afatinib and ibrutinib.
US specialities return to growth
US speciality and fine chemical volumes grew slightly by 0.2% to reach 3.52m t in January 2026, compared with a 0.8% drop in December 2025 and a 0.4% increase in November 2025. This also compares with a better-than-expected 0.4% growth in overall US industrial production in both November and December 2025.
Middle East crisis results in global supply disruption
About 20% of the world’s oil and liquid natural gas is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, with about 20m barrels of crude oil and oil products usually passing through the narrow sea passage each day.