Stu Cantrill
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stuartcantrill.com
Stu Cantrill
@stuartcantrill.com
7.1K followers 2K following 870 posts
Husband, Dad, PhD, pedant, former Chief Ed of @natchem.nature.com, now Editorial Director at @NaturePortfolio.nature.com. Wine, chemistry, publishing, words & snark. Views ranty, but all mine. #ContaminatedBlood victim (affected). He/Him
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stuartcantrill.com
Well that was a rather pleasant evening! #WineSky #Wine #Bordeaux #Yquem
A composite picture of four bottles of wine. Top left: Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay 2023 Top right: Chateau Léoville Polyferré 1996 Bottom left: Stag’s Leap Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Bottom right: Yquem 2022
November 10, 2025 at 3:23 AM
stuartcantrill.com
Haven’t travelled to the US for a while, but it appears my towel theory still holds based on this NYC hotel room. If you wake up in a random hotel room not knowing where on Earth you are, if the biggest towel in the room is smaller than the TV, you’re probably in the US…
A towel draped over a TV, held on by a couple of plugs and a neck pillow. The towel is slightly wider than the TV (just), but it is not as tall.
November 9, 2025 at 12:40 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Nov 7th is the birthday of both Lise Meitner & Marie Curie. Of the 13 chemical elements named directly after real people (not mythological figures) only two are named after women: meitnerium and curium (the latter of which is named in honour of both Marie & her husband) #chemsky 🧪
A black & white picture of Lise Meitner sat on a chair while holding a book. There is a bookcase in the background A black & white picture of Marie Curie
November 7, 2025 at 9:49 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Not the most difficult game of ‘find the odd one out’ that I’ve ever played…
A window through which you can see a conference table in an office room. There are four lines of writing on the window which, top to bottom, read: Private Offices Coworking Meeting Rooms Happiness
October 24, 2025 at 9:33 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Happy Mole Day everyone - here's my favourite thing related to the mole. 'A mole of moles' courtesy of @xkcd.com

what-if.xkcd.com/4/

#ChemSky
Circles showing that a mole of moles makes a sphere slightly larger than our moon
October 23, 2025 at 3:54 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Question for the few #Jura wine geeks on here (including @winklorch.bsky.social) - this vin jaune was aged for 12 years without topping up?! Is that usual for #ganevat #vinjaune. I know Tissot does a 12 year one, but this surprised me!
A picture of a wine label on the back of a bottle of vin jaune that reads: ARBOIS APPELLATION ARBOIS CONTROLÉE Vin Jaune 2005 Ce vin issu du cépage Savagnin cultivé sur un sol de marnes irisées, a été élevé plus de 12 ans sans ouillage, juste protégé par son voile. et ses levures indigènes. MIS EN BOUTEILLE PAR SAS Anne et Jean-François GANEVAT LA COMBE - F39190 ROTALIER - FRANCE 15%vol PROQUIT DE FRANCE / PRODUCT OF FRANCE CONTENT DES SUITES / CONTANS SURTES
October 21, 2025 at 9:50 PM
stuartcantrill.com
‘Economics Nobel prize won by researchers who showed how science boosts growth’ by @philipcball.bsky.social in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Screenshot that reads: The award "underlies the importance in investing in science for innovation and long-term economic growth", says economist Diane Coyle of the University of Cambridge. "It's great to see the Nobel prize recognize the importance of this topic," adds innovation policy researcher Richard Jones of the University of Manchester, UK. "It's important that economists understand the conditions that lead to technological progress," he adds. The winners, says Coyle, "have long been on people's list of potential candidates".
October 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Good friends, good wine, good night!
Four bottles sitting on a table; the three on the left are all empty; a Ganevat trousseau from the Jura, a pomerol and a Sauternes. The last one is a half-empty bottle of prunelle de Troyes.
October 12, 2025 at 12:12 AM
stuartcantrill.com
Last bit of MOF stuff for the day… this is one of my very favourite cover lines from back when I was the Chief Ed of @natchem.nature.com… - was incredibly fitting for the paper too (rdcu.be/eJ4zt by @randallsnurr.bsky.social and co-workers) #chemsky 🧪
The cover of the Feb 2012 issue of Nature Chemistry. A series of connectors in various colours are connected with short straight rods. Off to the side is a pile of different coloured connectors. The main cover line is: Every MOF you make.
October 8, 2025 at 5:42 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Time to break out this pic of me being strangled by a future #Nobel Laureate in 2017… #Chemsky #chemnobel…
Omar Yaghi strangling me in 2017…
October 8, 2025 at 10:23 AM
stuartcantrill.com
It’s #chemnobel day. For me, and for quite a few other people who spent time in the Stoddart group, it will hit somewhat differently this year.

Seems the right time to share a couple of passages from the eulogy I gave at Fraser’s funeral earlier this year.
A screenshot of text that reads: Fraser lived his life at a hundred miles an hour. But it wasn't always the best thing for him or for those closest to him. In an interview following the award of the Nobel Prize in 2016 he recalled his time growing up on a farm and said that that had instilled in him the work ethic of a honeybee. Nobody would doubt that he had that. He also talked about having the strength of a horse and the hide of an elephant; what he didn't mention is that he could also be as stubborn as a mule. He did things his way and was rarely persuaded to do otherwise. This bloody-mindedness undoubtedly contributed to his incredibly successful career. While those who didn't really know him will measure his contributions through the prizes he won, his real professional legacy is not those prizes, it is the people who passed through his lab and shared in his scientific journey. Yes, he changed science, but he changed lives too - including mine and many of those here today. I learned a lot from Fraser: some chemistry, how to make slides for presentations, how to always include a noun after the word 'this', and a few random Scottish words that I'm still not convinced he didn't just make up.
October 8, 2025 at 6:46 AM
stuartcantrill.com
Well, that was a night! #EnglishWine @gutterstarswine.bsky.social
16 bottles of wine lined up on a window sill. A menu celebrating 5 years of Gutter & Stars winery: CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF GUTTER & STARS WEDNESDAY 1st OCTOBER 'Sparklife' Col Fondo 2023 Sea Bream Crudo, Lightly Pickled Cucumbers & Seaweed Togarashi ‘I Wanna Be Adored' Bacchus 2020 'Daylight Upon Magic' Chardonnay 2020 'Hope Is A Good Swimmer' Pinot Noir 2020 Cornish Line-Caught Bonito, Koji Cherry-Smoked Soy Ponzu, Fried Rice & Angel Hair Nori 'Rip It Up' Orange Bacchus 2021 'Play It Cool' Chardonnay 2021 'Shadowplay' Pinot Noir 2021 Cold Smoked Mackerel, Roast Celeriac Cream & Nitsume 'Fight The Power' Ortega 2022 'Rage Against the Dying Light' Rose 2022 'All My Friends' Chardonnay 2022 Pan-Fried Hake, Coco de Paimpol Beans, Slow Cooked Zucchini, Marjoram, Basil & Garlic 'Love Steals Us From Loneliness' Bacchus 2023 'Honey Bear' White Blend 2023 'The Dark End Of The Street' Pinot Noir 2023 Pan-Fried Gurnard, Aubergine Puree & Kohlrabi Leaf Kimchi 'Punka' MVB Rose 2024 Base 'Four Stars Out Of Five' Pinot Gris 2024 'Corridor Of Uncertainty' Ortega 2024 Blackberries with Koji Strawberry Juice & Dulce De Leche
October 1, 2025 at 11:25 PM
stuartcantrill.com
It’s October 1st. Stop it.
A picture of a chocolate Santa on a supermarket shelf
October 1, 2025 at 5:50 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Sounds fun.
A screengrab that simply reads: 24th International Forging Congress (IFC)
October 1, 2025 at 10:19 AM
stuartcantrill.com
For those gin connoisseurs who don’t want any of that inorganic or supramolecular gin nonsense. I mean, if you’re not drinking gin ‘tuned at the molecular level’, can you even bear to look at yourself in the mirror?
A bottle of Linden Leaf gin ‘8’, described on the label as ‘Organic Molecular Gin’ The back of the gin bottle, with the following text on the label: LINDEN LEAF 8 Organic Molecular Gin Linden Leaf gins are crafted and tuned at the molecular level. We combine the art of distillation with the very latest science and technology m. Gin 8 is refreshing and summery, with complex citrus overtones. It is an exquisite blend of 8 exotic botanicals, including Kaffir lime, yuzu and grains of paradise, layered over a core of subtle, organic juniper. Enjoy it neat, on ice, paired with a gentle tonic, or in the very finest cocktails.
September 18, 2025 at 1:26 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Labour MPs posting about the Hillsborough Law being laid before Parliament – including Nick Thomas-Symonds on X/Twitter. In this spirit, can one of the Labour MPs on here get Nick to answer questions he's being asked on X/Twitter about the #contaminatedblood scandal & interim payments for estates?
A Twitter/X post from Nick Thomas-Symonds about the Hillsborough Law which says: No more cover-ups. No more lies. We're putting a legal duty on public servants to tell the truth. The Hillsborough Law will create a culture of honesty in the public sector and make sure no-one faces an injustice like the Hillsborough disaster again. ---- A picture in the tweet has a black bacground and on it is white text (below a torch) that says: Labour is delivering the Hillsborough Law to ensure truth can never be concealed by the state again.
September 17, 2025 at 9:32 PM
stuartcantrill.com
I have the best friends (thank you, you know who you are 😀)
Screenshot of a WhatsApp message that reads: I may or may not have just bought you more gin, sorry but the label looked too cool 😂😂😂
September 5, 2025 at 2:27 PM
stuartcantrill.com
I’ve seen worse sunsets…
The sun setting below the cloud deck in Teide National Park. In the foreground are rocks and small brush plants. Mt Teide, a volcano can be seen in the distance on the left and clouds can be seen on the right. The distant island of La Palma can be seen peeking through the cloud.
August 28, 2025 at 4:53 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Tonight I did not enjoy drinking >>>
A bottle of white wine on a table. The name on the label is ‘ALONE’
August 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM
stuartcantrill.com
The not-quite Borromean rings of Fontainebleau (if you closed the circles they would be Borromean rings).

I’m forever cursed to see interlocking in patterns in things…
Fancy wall decorations in Chateau Fontainebleau featuring an interwoven pattern of crescent-type shapes in the centre. If each shape were completed into a circle, it would have the same topology as the Borromean rings. Fancy wall decorations in Chateau Fontainebleau featuring an interwoven pattern of crescent-type shapes in the centre. If each shape were completed into a circle, it would have the same topology as the Borromean rings. Fancy wall decorations in Chateau Fontainebleau featuring an interwoven pattern of crescent-type shapes in the centre. If each shape were completed into a circle, it would have the same topology as the Borromean rings.
August 14, 2025 at 5:08 PM
stuartcantrill.com
Current status:

(Graphic content warning: includes my feet 🫣)
Sun, sky, mountain, lake feet
August 11, 2025 at 8:37 AM
stuartcantrill.com
Pupillin - where (some of) the roads are named for grapes! #jura #jurawine
A street sign on a stone wall - the sign reads ‘Rue du Chardonnay’; in the top-left of the sign is a schematic picture of a bunch of grapes. A street sign on a stone wall - the sign reads ‘Rue du Ploussard’; in the top-left of the sign is a schematic picture of a bunch of grapes. A street sign on a stone wall - the sign reads ‘Rue du Savagnin’; in the top-left of the sign is a schematic picture of a bunch of grapes. An old rusted sign attached to a building; a red bunch of grapes with some green leaves can still be made out in the centre of the sign.
August 9, 2025 at 12:51 PM
stuartcantrill.com
In the Stephane Tissot shop in Arbois when this stack of books is delivered… cc @winklorch.bsky.social
A stack of Jura Wine books on a wooden cupboard with wine bottles in the background.
August 7, 2025 at 9:10 PM
stuartcantrill.com
And today’s:
Six bottles of wine sitting on a table.
August 6, 2025 at 6:57 PM
stuartcantrill.com
This was today’s haul:
Four tall bottles of wine from Alsace sitting on a kitchen counter
August 5, 2025 at 8:49 PM