Six ways chemistry impacts everyday life: Science, Simplified


Chemical reactions are responsible for many of our experiences and the way we interact with the natural world. And while it’s easy to take for granted, the study of the chemical sciences has given us countless applications that address pressing global problems and support a healthy, functioning society.

1. Shaping Drug Discovery
New chemistry tools are accelerating the drug discovery process, providing streamlined routes of synthesis that make the search for new medicines faster, cheaper and easier. These include universal vaccines, neurodegenerative treatments and even landmark immunotherapies for addiction.

2. Sustaining Food and Fuel
Pioneering discoveries in chemistry have been critical for powering our high-energy world. Electrochemistry is vital for vital for satellites, automobiles and marine vessels, as well as various digital consumer products. Chemists also play an essential role in harnessing nuclear power and improving soil fertility for sustainable agriculture.

3. Going Green
To combat climate change, analytical tools and novel reactions can help detect and eliminate environmental contaminants; produce valuable materials with less pollutants; and recycle industrial waste to reduce the use of natural resources.

4. Repair, Regrow, Replace
By unraveling the pathways that control organ size and growth and screening for molecules that could repair tissue damage, chemical biologists are designing regenerative medicines that could restore heart cells, remodel scarred lung tissue and even reverse osteoarthritis.

5. Picturing Health
Disease diagnosis, monitoring and treatment depend on precise testing and medical imaging. Advances in chemical structure, radioactive tracing and probe technology have given way to high-resolution scanning, commonly used for cancer and neurological disease, and personalized blood tests to assess genetic risks.

6. Expanding Life’s Blueprint
Beyond our own genetic code, chemists are also expanding the biological blueprint to create synthetic life. This reprogramming could help model human disease, develop sophisticated gene therapies and even shed light on the origins of life on Earth.