Stereo Chemistry

C&EN Uncovered: Will Emerging Technology Lead Us Into A New Antibiotic Golden Age?

Wed, 30 Jul 2025

Are we on the cusp of a new era of Biochemical discovery?

In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, host Craig Bettenhausen speaks with C&EN reporter Max Barnhart about his recent C&EN cover story on the frontiers of bioprospecting for new antibiotics. Uncovered offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories pulled from the pages of Chemical & Engineering News. Check out Max’s story on the recent advancements of Bioprospecting.

Subscribe to Stereo Chemistry now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Credits

Executive producer: David Anderson

Host: Craig Bettenhausen

Reporter: Max Barnhart

Video + Audio Producer: Jeremy Barr

Episode artwork: Madeline Monroe

Music: Commercial Flow, Shutterstock

Contact Stereo Chemistry: Contact us on social media at @cenmag or email cenfeedback@acs.org.

Bonus Episode: 'Inflection Point' traces the serendipitous origins of PFAS

Wed, 16 Jul 2025

Inflection Point leans on C&EN’s 100-year archive to trace headline topics in science today back to their disparate and surprising roots. In each episode, we explore three lesser-known moments in science history that ultimately led us to current-day breakthroughs. With help from expert C&EN reporters, this new show examines how discoveries from our past have shaped our present and will change our future.

In our second episode, hosts David Anderson and Gina Vitale travel back in time to relive three events that ultimately led to the proliferation of PFAS. They also bring in C&EN reporter Britt Erickson to analyze how these ‘forever chemicals’ could shape our future.

Subscribe to Inflection Point now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

C&EN Uncovered: Can altering ocean chemistry fight climate change?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025

Can climate catastrophe be stymied by tweaking seawater chemistry?

In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, host Craig Bettenhausen speaks with C&EN reporter Fionna Samuels about her recent C&EN cover story concerning Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) as a method to combat climate change by increasing ocean alkalinity to absorb more CO2. Uncovered offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories pulled from the pages of Chemical & Engineering News. Check out Fionna’s story on engineering our oceans to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

Subscribe to Stereo Chemistry now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Credits

Executive Producer: David Anderson

Host: Craig Bettenhausen

Reporter: Fionna Samuels

Video + Audio Producer: Jeremy Barr

Episode artwork: Michael Sswat

Music: Commercial Flow, Shutterstock

Contact Stereo Chemistry: Contact us on social media at @cenmag or email cenfeedback@acs.org.

C&EN Uncovered: Turning tides for endotoxin testing

Mon, 31 Mar 2025

The drug industry may finally phase out using horseshoe crab blood. What took so long?

In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, host Craig Bettenhausen speaks with C&EN assistant editor Laurel Oldach about the use of horseshoe crab blood in pharmaceutical endotoxin testing, the challenges of transitioning to synthetic alternatives, and the regulatory hurdles involved.

Stereo Chemistry offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories pulled from the pages of Chemical & Engineering News. Check out Laurel’s story on the fight over horseshoe crab blood at https://cen.acs.org/safety/drug-safety/Turning-tides-endotoxin-testing/102/i34.

Subscribe to Stereo Chemistry now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bonus episode: Introducing Inflection Point

Tue, 25 Mar 2025

The new podcast Inflection Point leans on C&EN’s 100-year archive to trace headline topics in science today back to their disparate and surprising roots. In each episode, we explore three lesser-known moments in science history that ultimately led us to current-day breakthroughs. With help from expert C&EN reporters, this new show examines how discoveries from our past have shaped our present and will change our future.

In our first episode, hosts David Anderson and Gina Vitale travel back in time to relive three events that ultimately led to the development of green hydrogen. They also bring in C&EN reporter Craig Bettenhausen to analyze how this emerging technology could shape our future.

Subscribe to Inflection Point now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.