Labour’s persistent failure to address its electorate’s salient concerns is behind the protest vote, asserts DIANE ABBOTT
Just what the doctor (dis)ordered?
New research uncovers the structure of the crystals inside Pepto-Bismol, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and JOEL HELLEWELL
PEPTO-BISMOL, the US antacid drug, was first marketed in New York at the turn of the 20th century.
Its active ingredient is bismuth subsalicylate, technically a “salt” of bismuth. Bismuth salts have been known for their use in treating stomach upsets and bowel problems for centuries.
The medicine is effective for mild stomach ulcers, diarrhoea, and indigestion. One of the most surprising things about it is that it’s not known how bismuth subsalicylate actually works.
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It’s sunny times for the solar industry which is expected to continue to grow rapidly — but there are still major environmental issues with how solar cells are made, explain ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Natural hydrogen gas could be a replacement for fossil fuels, but its extraction could see developing nations face familiar patterns of land loss and resource theft, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Rox Middleton, Liam Shaw and Miriam Gauntlett look at the history of lasers, from cat toys to modelling the explosion of stars
Lithium is crucial for batteries — but because deposits form only under rare geological conditions, its extraction is a geopolitical flashpoint between the imperial West and the rest of the world, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT



