Katharine Sanderson, freelance journalist
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Katharine Sanderson

I'm a science journalist specialising in the physical sciences. My day job is assistant news editor at Nature, but I have also spent time as a freelance journalist, and on staff as a reporter, also with Nature for several years. My writing career started at the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine Chemistry World where I was a features editor and reporter. I've got a BSc from Imperial College London, and a PhD from Cambridge University, both in chemistry.

I'm science writer in residence in the school of chemistry at the University of Leeds.

In 2005 I was named New business features journalist of the year by the UK's Periodical Publishers Association.

I write for a wide range of publications, including Nature, New Scientist, Research Fortnight, Chemistry World, BBC Focus, Science Uncovered, the Guardian, BBC Future

You can read an interview with me here
A full list of all my Nature articles is here

I split my time between the UK and France. 

Longer articles

Toxic shockers: Key chemicals to look out for
Pretty much everything in the modern world comes with a hidden cocktail of chemical extras. Get the facts on what to worry about
New Scientist 26th November 2014 (subscripion required)

The future's flat: the wondrous world of 2D materials
Graphene started it all, but even as we try to exploit its distinctive properties, a host of new materials just atoms thick are already in the works.
New Scientist 27th October 2014 (subscription required)

Nano magic: The power of powder to save energy
Can adding a special ingredient to coolants slash fuel bills and stir up an energy revolution?
New Scientist 4th July 2013 (subscription required)

Matters of substance

What is the universe really made of? Katharine Sanderson contemplates dark matter, dark energy and the nature of everything.
Cambridge Alumni Magazine July 2013 (page 20)

Press P to print
The use of 3D printers to create lab equipment, deliver reagents and even build biomaterials is on the rise. Katharine Sanderson installs drivers and prints away.
Chemistry World, 25th June 2013

Science's spiritual side
Some view science and religion as mutually exclusive. Most feel there
is some conflict between them. But this has not always been the case.
Chemistry World, 6th February 2013 (subs required, pdf here)

The race to stop a global killer
A deadly fungus sweeping the world is behind the mass death of hundreds of amphibian species. Researchers in Europe have teamed up to work out how to stop it – can they succeed?
BBC Future 21st November 2012 (Not available in the UK, for non-UK IP addresses try here)

3D printing: the desktop drugstore
Printers that create artificial limbs, cheap drugs and replacement organs could radically change medicine in poorer countries. But can this technology deliver? 
BBC Future 26th September 2012 (Not available in the UK, for non-UK IP addresses try here)

Vaccination: A durable design
Vaccines against cervical-cancer causing strains of HPV are good, but could be a lot better. Here's a look at how work is progressing.
Nature Outlook: Human papillomavirus 30th August 2012

Thanks to chemistry: A sweet invention
A look at human insulin's legacy - which reaches far beyond treating diabetes, and revolutionised the biotech industry
Thanks to Chemistry project - The Chemical Heritage Foundation January 2012

The life factory
Does biology have the monopoly on evolution? (subscription required)
New Scientist 1st Feb 2011

It's not easy being green
A look at the prospects for revamping chemistry as a sustainable enterprise
Nature 5th Jan 2011

Exoplanets cast doubt on astronomical theories
What do astronomers still need to learn about planets outside our solar system?
Nature 8th Dec 2010

Mars rover Spirit (2003 - 2010)
Obituary of the Martian rover Spirit
Nature 29th Jan 2010

Chemistry for the climate
Chemists claim that by mimicking photosynthesis in the lab, they could revolutionize fuel production within five years
Nature Reports Climate Change 18th September 2008

Cooked to perfection
Heston Blumenthal, chef-proprietor of the Fat Duck restaurant, uses chemistry to create unusual dishes. Katharine Sanderson talks to him.
Chemistry World May 2005

Latest news

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3D printing: the future of manufacturing medicine?

As the pharmaceutical industry shifts from mass manufacture towards personalised medicine, 3D printing could become part of the drug production line.
Pharmaceutical Journal
2nd June 2015
March of the synthesis machines
What impact will automated chemical synthesis have for  medicinal chemists?
Nature reviews drug discovery 30th April 2015 (£)
Clinical trials and tribulations
A shake-up of the way clinical trials are conducted is on the horizon, with the aim of improving access to medicines.
Pharmaceutical Journal 23rd April 2015.

Budget restrictions bite for Europe's space mission hopefuls

Plans to capture an asteroid and travel to other planets are culled from European Space Agency shortlist.
Nature 30th March 2015
Complex molecules made to order in synthesis machine
Automated clipping together of modular building blocks shows promise for drug discovery.
Nature 12th March 2015
Eels use electricity to remote control prey movements
The ability of electric eels to shock their prey with a 600-volt blast is well known, but exactly how the fish orchestrate their attacks has remained a question as murky as the waters they hunt in.
New Scientist 4th December 2014
Photons double up to make the invisible visible

People have infrared vision — and it could be the result of pairs of photons combining their energies to appear as one 'visible' photon.
Nature 1st December 2014.
Ephemeral superheavy atoms coaxed into exotic molecules
If you were ever to get excited about a chemical reaction, now might be the time. An international team has managed to make a chemical compound containing the superheavy element seaborgium.
Nature blog
19th September 2014
Water-splitter could help make fuel on Mars
A cunning way to split water into oxygen and hydrogen in two distinct steps could be a boon to both astronauts and future Earthlings.
New Scientist, 11th September 2014
Natural products offer new hope for the honeybee
Small molecules help explain how a devastating bee-killing bacteria works.
Chemical and Engineering News, August 6th 2014
Building a nanorobot
How can nanotechnology help battle disease?
Guardian nanomedicine supplement, 29th March 2014
Irreversible kinase inhibitors gain traction

The approval of Boehringer Ingelheim's anticancer drug afatinib highlights the growing enthusiasm for once-shunned irreversible kinase inhibitors.
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 30th August 2013
Nanotech's Sunday best
Amidst fears of nanobots crawling under our skin, or "grey goo" infiltrating our world, there are some areas where consumers are happily embracing nanotechnology
Guardian (Nanofutures website) 20th August 2013
Big ambition for nanotechnology
Could nanotubes be the next big thing for detecting disease early? One high school student in the US hopes so.
Guardian (Nanofutures website) 26th July 2013
Straight talk with...Doris Meder and Geert Van Minnebruggen
Q&A with the directors of an ambitious Europe-wide project to democratise access to large-scale life-sciences facilities.
Nature Medicine 8th July 2013
Putting nanotechnology regulation under the microscope
An international survey suggests current regulations are sufficient to ensure products containing nanotechnology are safe – but should more be done?
Guardian (Nanofutures website) 25th June 2013
Mapping the mind with nanotechnology
The Brain Initiative is combining neuroscience with nanotechnology in the world's biggest project to understand the mind.
Guardian (Nanofutures website) 30th May 2013
Turning point: Lucy Collinson
A microbiologist changes career paths and learns the nuances of microscopy and management
Nature 1st May 2013
Nanotechnology: the world's smallest meal
Can the food industry avoid the mistakes of GM and put nanoketchup on the UK's menu?
Guardian (Nanofutures website), 27th April 2013
What you need to know about nano-food
The big questions around small food.
Guardian (Future of food supplement), 27th April 2013
DNA folding takes a fresh direction
Interlocking grids guide the production of two- and three-dimensional structures.
Nature 22nd March 2013
Stealth nanoparticles sneak past immune system’s defences
Artificial protein fragment could enable nanobeads to deliver drugs where they're needed.
Nature 21st February 2013
Charity's hiring woe highlights lack of tech know-how in NGO community
UK-based charity's struggle to recruit a technology policy advisor highlights a dearth of interest in technology among Western NGOs and funding agencies, insiders say.
SciDev.Net 13th February 2013
Explosive power makes silicone robot jump
Kaboom! Controlled explosions in the legs of this silicone 'soft robot' make it leap higher than 30 times its own height. 
Nature 8th February 2013 (more video here) 
Diamond defects shrink MRI to the nanoscale
Technique could be sensitive enough to detect structure of a single protein.
Nature 31st January 2013
Bloggers put chemical reactions through the replication mill
Online project seeks crowd-sourced help to reproduce chemists' published results.
Nature 21st January 2013
Nanomachine mimics nature's protein factory
An tiny machine that can build short peptides, much like the ribosome, has been made.
New Scientist 10th January 2013
Earthworms roped into making quantum dots
Is it time chemists abandoned their white coats in favour of trowels? Ordinary earthworms can put together substances with unusual light-emitting properties.
New Scientist 2nd January 2013 (subs reqd)
Fast DNA origami opens way for nanoscale machines
Molecules can now be folded into shapes in minutes, not days.
Nature 13th December 2012
Sprinkled nanocubes hold light tight
Device based on scattered silver cubes could scale up light absorption for solar power
Nature 5th December 2012
Revolution's aftershocks still rattling Egyptian universities
Fight for campus access symptomatic of larger problems facing scientific research.
Nature 22nd November 2012
Bid to curb fried-food chemical goes cold
Acrylamide levels still too high in Europe’s food, says report. 
Nature 30th October 2012
How to boil water without bubbles
Coating helps hot metal hang onto protective vapour layer that prevents explosive boiling 
Nature 12th September 2012
Super-stretchy jelly can take a hit
Mix-and-match hydrogel is most resilient yet (video)
Nature 5th September 2012
The secret to a clean beach? Dogs that harass gulls
Water quality rises after dogs chase gulls from a Lake Michigan beach 
C&EN 31st August 2012
In-law infighting boosted evolution of menopause
Conflict between generations of unrelated childbearing women affects offspring survival 
Nature 23rd August 2012
Amino acid provides shortcut to drugs
Organocatalyst halves synthesis of prostaglandin family 
Nature 15th August 2012
Stinky rocks hide Earth's only haven for natural fluorine
Chemists settle centuries-old debate about what causes 'fetid fluoride' to smell
Nature 11th July 2012
Turning point: Rachel O'Reilly
Polymer chemist describes her path to independence
Nature Jobs, 6th June 
Trade rules must be tightened to halt frog-killing fungus
Q&A with Mark Auliya on policy efforts that might protect amphibians from fatal disease
Nature 1st June 2012
The glass is already half full for nano-based water treatments
How nanotechnology can help give us all a clean glass of water to drink
Guardian (nanotechnology world website) 22nd May 2012
Plastic Logic exits e-reader market
Young company changes strategy to stay competitive
Nature 21st May 2012
Universities clash by the Nile
Two Egyptian academic institutions claim rights to the same buildings.
Nature 1st May 2012
Make your own drugs with a 3D printer
Print out the tubes and flasks needed then print in chemical inks. A technology that could change the way chemists work.
New Scientist 17th April 2012 (subs required)
Rat helps pinpoint pain model
Random screen of metabolites could open up new routes to drug targets
Nature 22nd January 2012
Russian Mars moon probe crashes down
Following the last moments of the doomed Phobos-Grunt spacecraft
Nature 16th January 2012
Mining molecular gastronomy
Theoretical physics spots that East Asian cuisine doesn't match flavours like Western cuisine
Nature 15th December 2011
Simulated Mars mission 'returns' to Earth
Mars 500 experiment ends, but how real was it?
Nature 4th November 2011
Artificial cells made to reproduce thanks to DNA
Fake cells with life-like characteristics come a step closer to reality
New Scientist 15th Sept 2011
Life-like cells are made of metal
More news about the possibility of non-carbon based evolving life 
New Scientist 14th Sept 2011
Chemistry resurrected at London university
Q&A with the man responsible for the decision
Nature 7th Sept 2011
King's brings back chemistry
Exclusive news that once-defunct department to be resurrected
Nature news blog 1st Sept 2011
Time for a power walk
Deformed droplets offer step-by-step way to charge up personal electronics
Nature 23rd Aug 2011
Pollutants' role in birth defects becomes clearer
Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons linked to neural tube defects
Nature 18th July 2011
Martyn Poliakoff Q&A
Green chemist and video star Martyn Poliakoff talks about his new role as foreign secretary to the Royal Society
SciDev.Net 8th July 2011
Calcified clue to ancient photosynthesis
Microbial mat gives new clues to photosynthetic past
Nature 6th July 2011
Nile University in peril
Egypt's new science city leaves future of not-for-profit research university unclear
Nature 29th June 2011
Mars mission arrives in 'orbit'
What's it like to be isolated for almost two years in a capsule as if you were on your way to the red planet?
Nature 9th Feb 2011


Contact

email:
katharine.m.sanderson@gmail.com


Twitter: @scrinders
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