Gut feeling for obesity
Obesity is an epidemic affecting much of the Western world. But having the right combination of gut bacteria can help protect against both obesity and diabetes, Jasmin Fox-Skelly reports
Rewriting Biology
By editing or even writing the DNA of microbes, synthetic biologists promise to accelerate the sustainable manufacture of agrichemicals, drug molecules and other valuable compounds, reports Anthony King
Fantastic Plastic
A new type of monomer derived from amino acids and proteins borrows techniques from the pharmaceutical industry – and could lead to a host of new plastics in future, reports Lou Reade
Business not as usual
The coronavirus outbreak is expected to trigger big economic and political changes that will inevitably affect major parts of the global chemical industry, reports Sean Milmo