Natural Chemistry

Chemistry and biology have always worked hand in hand. Biochemists explore the chemical properties that make biological processes work – revealing huge variety in the proteins, sugars, fats and acids that make up our metabolism, genetic code, cells and well… everything else. Chemistry is also vital when considering biocompatibility – how suited foreign chemicals might be to life inside the body. Artificial polymer blends, like these pictured, might be used to make implants – but the chemical properties of 'new' polymer mixtures are unknown. Here a new super resolution microscopy technique, zooms in on colourful dyes, some of which are repelled by oxygen-containing chemical groups, leaving black swirls in detailed chemical patterns invisible to the naked eye. Such details may make a difference when choosing biocompatible polymers and perhaps between a successful surgery and a rejected implant – underline the importance of keeping an eye on the chemistry.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Dongmin Lee, Uidon Jeong and Doory Kim
• Department of Chemistry, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
• Published in Science Advances, March 2025