Morning everyone, it's research highlight time!

Apart from having a really cheesy headline(credit goes to Gav), my piece is on a double-whammy in silicon chemistry: the first compound with two C=Si double bonds AND the first metal-substituted silene — in the same compound.

Steve tackles some total synthesis, writing about Phil Baran's assault on (+)-cortistatin A, where they had to use a side door to access a ring-expanding cascade. There's more about this over on Totally Synthetic.

And finally...how are your knees? If they're suffering from osteoarthritis or acute pseudogout, chances are they've got crystals of calcium phosphate in them. Read Gav's highlight about how the crystal culprits can be detected with magnetic beads.

Neil

Neil Withers (Associate Editor, Nature Chemistry)