Chemistry World Podcast

Author: Chemistry World

Join the Chemistry World team for interviews, news and in-depth discussions of issues facing the chemistry community.
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Language: en

Genres: Chemistry, Science

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Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes | The chemical breakdown podcast
Wednesday, 14 October, 2026

This week we discuss a new light-controlled technique that creates structural color and water repellent properties in polymer films and discuss our low-stakes mistakes with Mason Wakley and Frankie Macpherson. What do lotus leaves and plastic sheets have in common? We discuss how structural colour provides an alternative for pigments and chemicals and their environmental cost. And, have you ever panicked over a broken a piece of lab equipment or a ruined experiment, only to realize it wasn't as big a deal as you thought? This week, we are discussing our low-stakes mistakes, why they feel so dire in the moment, and what we can learn from them. Main stories: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/biomimetic-foaming-photopolymers-offer-new-waterproof-white-material/4024218.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/the-chemistry-world-team-shares-some-of-its-low-stakes-mistakes/4024104.article Headlines: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/merck-and-cos-us-antibiotic-withdrawal-sends-the-wrong-signals-for-combating-resistance/4024343.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/lunar-samples-returned-by-chinas-change-6-mission-contain-rare-highly-magnetic-iron-allotrope/4024261.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/two-accidental-nitroalkane-reactions-reveal-complementary-photochemical-routes-to-alkenes-and-unite-their-discoverers/4024314.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/syngenta-plans-to-close-grangemouth-manufacturing-site/4024349.article