We’re teasing a T12 recipient each day this week leading up to our Talented 12 issue with the question: “If you were an element, which would you be?” Let us know if you can guess the T12-er and stay tuned for the full Talented 12 feature publishing soon!

In the first reported case of a wild animal actively applying a medically-active plant to a wound, researchers observed a Sumatran orangutan named Rakus treating an injury to his face. cen.acs.org/biological-che…

once again, I have girlbossed a little too close to the sun and must reap the consequences!

The real beautiful blood celebrities: enzymes that can trim off sugar molecules on the surface of type A and B blood cells to make them more universally compatible!
(by my fabulous science desk teammate sarah braner)
cen.acs.org/biological-che…

A lot of people probably know about Carolyn Bertozzi's bass by now. But did you know that Barry Sharpless has a custom guitar?

Fast facts:
It was made by Paul Reed Smith!
The fretboard is inlaid with a bunch of different molecules!
I saw it in person and took these pictures!

Having caterpillars poop out functionalized nanohoops might not be the most efficient way to do chemistry, but it's definitely fun! 10/10 for creative use of creepy crawlies!

I wrote about Ritter Lab's One Weird Trick (nitrate reduction) for less explodey diazonium chemistry:

cen.acs.org/safety/lab-saf…

Mission impossible: 5-membered heteroarynes (cue thrilling musical stinger)

Some supercool science from Courtney Roberts and team in my latest for C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) :
cen.acs.org/synthesis/Five…

Heteroaromatic rings with five sides and a triple bond are so strained that they were thought to be impossible to make. But now, researchers report that they’ve made 7-aza-2,3-indolynes by using nickel to stabilize the triple bond. cen.acs.org/synthesis/Five…

Do I play DND tonight (like I told the group I was going to), or do I find somewhere to celebrate the new Taylor Swift album?

This comes up semi-regularly so, a note to researchers: if a journalist approaches you for comment on someone else's work, you are not being asked to praise it, we are not trying to do anyone's PR, we just want your honest opinion so a non-expert reader can have some context

Congrats to all the new fellows! I can't wait to meet y'all in DC this summer--and see what you accomplish!

A future when tough polymer resins and composites could be made entirely from plant-based, recyclable components just got a little closer.
me for C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) :

Do you know a Hispanic or Latine chemist who's making waves? Nominate 'em for Trailblazers! More details here: