Excited by the prospect of future missions to the Jupiter system, Bruce Gibb explores the chemistry of Jupiter’s moons and wonders whether there could be life on Europa.

John Steele and Stephen Wallace discuss recent advances in the chemical and biotechnological synthesis of the prolific platform chemical adipic acid.

Lack of standardization, transparency and interaction creates information gaps in scientific publications. Through strategies such as voluntary information management, standardization of reaction set-ups, and smart screening approaches, this Perspective gives guidelines on how to improve data management in publications reporting chemical reactions, focusing on reproducibility, standardization and evaluation of synthetic transformations.

Nanopore label-free sequencing of DNA and RNA at the single-molecule level offers rapid readout, high accuracy, low cost and portability. This Review surveys technologies underpinning commercial and academic nanopore sequencing, and examines how underlying biochemical advances can fuel future developments in nanopore-based protein sequencing.

The presence of halogens in halogenated organic pollutants has negative impacts on the environment; however, they serve as valuable sources for halogenation reactions. Now it has been shown that transfer chlorination reactions enable the repurposing of halogenated organic pollutants for the synthesis of chlorides and bromides.

Deciphering the sulfation and sialylation codes of ganglioside glycans is impeded by the limited accessibility of well-defined structures. Now, an integrated chemoenzymatic strategy has been developed for efficient synthesis of a comprehensive 65-membered ganglioside glycan library, enabling an extensive exploration into their structure–function relationships using glycan microarray technology.

Chemical probes that selectively react with histidine could afford functional insight for those located in vital protein regions, but the moderate nucleophilicity of histidine and interference from other residues pose challenges. A singlet oxygen and chemical probe relay labelling approach demonstrates high selectivity, enabling comprehensive histidine profiling and providing crucial functional insights.

Plant asparaginyl endopeptidases that function preferentially as transpeptidases naturally catalyse the head-to-tail cyclization of plant peptides. Using substrate mimicry and reaction optimization, their function has now been repurposed to catalyse intermolecular isopeptide bond formation on diverse peptide and protein substrates.

The discovery of anaerobic ammonium oxidation, termed anammox, has changed views on ammonium activation in biology, but no synthetic models of this reaction have been identified. Now biological anammox, catalysed by three metalloenzymes, is shown to be replicable by a single copper sulfide mineral.

The σ-type cyclopropenium cations (CPCs) are unstable species and currently underdeveloped. Now, an iodine(III)-based cyclopropenyl transfer reagent has been developed, which can generate electrophilic cyclopropenyl-gold(III) species as equivalents of σ-type CPCs. The synthetic potential has been demonstrated by the transfer of σ-type CPCs to terminal alkynes and vinylboronic acids.

In molecular biology, few molecules have had as profound an impact as Cas9. Madeleine King, Kayla Perry, Mitchell McAndrew and Audrone Lapinaite discuss how this multifunctional molecular tool of genetic engineering is revolutionizing multiple fields.

Environmental contamination is in the news more than ever. Shira Joudan introduces key concepts to talk about what happens to chemicals in the environment and what chemists should consider in their day-to-day lives, both at work and at home.

John Steele and Stephen Wallace discuss recent advances in the chemical and biotechnological synthesis of the prolific platform chemical adipic acid.

Excited by the prospect of future missions to the Jupiter system, Bruce Gibb explores the chemistry of Jupiter’s moons and wonders whether there could be life on Europa.

Serotonin is known by many names — in science as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) or enteramine, and in popular culture as the ‘feel good’ chemical or the ‘happy hormone’. Cameron Movassaghi and Anne Andrews discuss the knowns and unknowns of this well-studied yet elusive neurotransmitter.

Becoming an assistant professor brings with it several challenges, one of which is developing new relationships that can be professionally and personally beneficial. Shira Joudan reflects on getting to know people at a new institution, having different types of relationships, and how they help with happiness and success.