Here’s the weekly summary of both new chemistry research and studies that have been in the news. This week features research on a potential link between selenium seawater concentrations and mass extinctions, how to determine the sex of fingerprint-leavers, and more. As always, links to further articles and original research papers are provided below, as well as further studies of interest not included in the graphic.

Note: links to studies behind a journal paywall are indicated with (£). Studies without this symbol are open access, and can be accessed and read for free.

Featured Stories

Self-folding, remote-controlled graphene crawlers: [Article] [Study]

Determining sex of fingerprint leavers with amino acids: [Article] [Study (£)]

Seawater selenium drops preceded mass extinctions: [Article] [Study (£)]

Removing americium from spent nuclear fuel: [Article] [Study (£)]

Hydrogen bonding involving phosphorus detected: [Article] [Study (£)]

Other Stories This Week

Spike in methane plumes from under North-West US coast: [Article] [Study (£)]

Graphene sensor detects different volatile compounds: [Article] [Study]

Delivering platinum anti-cancer drugs orally: [Article] [Study (£)]

‘Trampolining’ droplets could help produce ice-free surfaces: [Article] [Study]

Antibiotic can eliminate bacteria within cells: [Article] [Study]

Beaver dams cause increased levels of downstream methylmercury: [Article] [Study (£)]

Protein nanoreactor monitors reaction at molecular level: [Article] [Study (£)]

Chemical markers help reveal stroke damage: [Article] [Study (£)]

Vitamin C kills tumour cells with hard-to-treat mutation: [Article] [Study (£)]

Sterol eye drops could help treat and even reverse cataracts: [Article] [Study (£)]

Soil acidification beginning to reverse in parts of US: [Article] [Study (£)]

Paper device uses electric field to separate DNA: [Article] [Study (£)]

Keep track of older ‘This Week in Chemistry’ posts on the category page, or via the #TWIChem hashtag on Twitter.

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