Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Finding the central science

Chemistry’s lack of visibility in relation to other disciplines, such as astronomy and life sciences, means it is in danger of becoming the forgotten science. How can chemists discuss their work with the public so that we retain our position as the central science for future generations?

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Searching for science.
Fig. 2: A comparison of Australian Government federal investment in research and development since the 1970s, when data was first collected.
Fig. 3: A comparison of projects funded by the Australian Research Council from 2001–2015.

References

  1. Milkman, K. L. & Berger, J. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 13642–13649 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Goldberg, A. F. G. & Chemjobber, C. A comprehensive overview of chemical-free consumer products. Nature Chemistry http://blogs.nature.com/thescepticalchymist/2014/06/a-chemical-free-paper.html (2014).

  3. Hodges, L. Why Exeter University defends the closure of its chemistry department. Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/why-exeter-university-defends-the-closure-of-its-chemistry-department-481424.html (2006).

  4. Jacob, C. Found. Chem. 9, 57–64 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Scott, A. Chemistry makes a comeback in the U.K. Universities, Schools. Chem. Eng. News 91, 79–82 (2013). March 18.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Service, R. F. Budget crunch could dissolve Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. Science https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/budget-crunch-could-dissolve-berkeley-s-college-chemistry (2016).

  7. Australia’s STEM Workforce (Australian Government, 2016).

  8. Randviir, E. P., Illingworth, S. M., Baker, M. J., Cude, M. & Banks, C. E. F1000Research 4, 798 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Brunning, A. The Chemistry of Spider Venom. Compound Interest http://www.compoundchem.com/2015/05/21/spider-venom/ (2015).

  10. Hall, A. Hidden force looking machine. University of Bath Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies Blog https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/csct/2016/hidden-force-looking-machine/ (2016).

  11. John Travis. Twitter’s science stars, the sequel. Science http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/10/twitters-science-stars-sequel (2014).

  12. Wolf, L. K. 20 chemists worth following on Twitter. Chem. Eng. News https://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i39/20-Chemists-Worth-Following-Twitter.html (2014).

  13. Cantrill, S. 100 chemists on Twitter. Chemical Connections https://stuartcantrill.com/2014/09/22/100-chemists-on-twitter/ (2014).

  14. Hardy, M. C., Carter, A. & Bowden, N. Palgrave Comm. 2, 16093 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Australian Government Department of Industry and Science. Science, Research and Innovation Budget Tables (Australian Government, 2016).

  16. Gregg, P. C., Greive, K. A., Del Socorro, A. P. & Hawes, A. J. Aust. J. Entomol. 49, 1–9 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Eddy, R. M. J. Chem. Educ. 77, 514–517 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Berdonosov, S. S., Kuzmenko, N. E. & Kharisov, B. I. J. Chem. Educ. 76, 1086–1088 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Newbold, K. B. et al. Health Risk Soc. 16, 547–564 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Hanna-Attisha, M., LaChance, J., Sadler, R. C. & Champney Schnepp, A. Am. J. Public Health 106, 283–290 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Kay, M. Chemosphere 18, 1177–1180 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Zingaro, R. A. Environ. Int. 19, 167–178 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Smith, R. B., Karousos, N. G., Cowham, E., Davis, J. & Billington, S. J. Chem. Educ. 85, 379–380 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Bushardt, R. L., Massey, E. B., Simpson, T. W., Ariail, J. C. & Simpson, K. N. Clin. Interv. Aging 3, 383–389 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Berenbeim, D. M. Manag. Care Q. 10, 1–5 (2002).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Bregnhoj, L., Thirstrup, S., Kristensen, M. B., Bjerrum, L. & Sonne, J. Pharm. World Sci. 29, 109–115 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Radosevic, N., Gantumur, M. & Vlahovic-Palcevski, V. Pharmacoepid. Drug Saf. 17, 733–737 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Mamun, K., Lien, C. T. C., Goh-Tan, C. Y. E. & Ang, W. S. T. Ann. Acad. Med. Singapore 33, 49–52 (2004).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Zhang, N. J., Terry, A. & McHorney, C. A. Ann. Pharmacother. 48, 741–751 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Beers, M. H. Arch. Intern. Med. 157, 1531–1536 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Wyatt, N. & Stolper, D. Science literacy in Australia (Auspoll, 2013).

  32. Steinke, J. et al. Sci. Commun. 29, 35–64 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Hayles, E. H. et al. Aust. NZ J. Obstet. Gyn. 56, 185–191 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Beard, F. H., Hull, B. P., Leask, J., Dey, A. & McIntyre, P. B. Med. J. Aust. 204, 275 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Service, R. F. Chemists launch preprint server http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2000/08/chemists-launch-preprint-server (2000).

  36. Weeks, J. R., Kuras, J., Town, W. G. & Vickery, B. A. J. Chem. Inf. Comp. Sci. 42, 765–766 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Warr, W. A. J. Chem. Inf. Comp. Sci. 43, 362–373 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Widener, A. ACS launches chemistry preprint server. Chem. Eng. News http://cen.acs.org/articles/94/web/2016/08/ACS-launches-chemistry-preprint-server.html (2016).

  39. The Chemistry PhD: The Impact On Women’s Retention (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008).

  40. Wang, L. LGBT chemists seek a place at the bench. Chem. Eng. News 94, 18–20 (2016). October 17.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Currie, J. & Hill, B. Higher Educ. Policy 26, 65–82 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Hardy, M. C. Admin. Sci. 6, 16 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Hardy, M. C. Nature 512, 136 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Hardy, M. C. et al. R. Soc. Open Sci. 4, 170548 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Science, Research and Innovation (SRI) Budget Tables (Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, 2018); https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/science-research-and-innovation-sri-budget-tables

  46. Grants Dataset (Australian Government Australian Research Council, 2016); https://www.arc.gov.au/grants-and-funding/apply-funding/grants-dataset

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all the chemists on Twitter who regularly share information and ideas about the importance of effectively communicating about chemistry. Dr Raychelle Burks provided valuable feedback on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret C. Hardy.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Twitter: @DrMaggieHardy

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Webster, R., Hardy, M.C. Finding the central science. Nat. Chem. 11, 857–862 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0308-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0308-8

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing