Chemistry

It’s hard to smell them underwater, but corals, like all living things, release a range of volatile chemicals.

Why Are Scientists Studying Coral's Smell?

Gassy chemicals may tell tales of coral health and climate change

Seventeen-year-old Dasia Taylor was named one of 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the country’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

This High Schooler Invented Color-Changing Sutures to Detect Infection

After winning a state science fair and becoming a finalist in a national competition, Dasia Taylor now has her sights set on a patent

Medieval women viewed birthing girdles, or long pieces of parchment inscribed with religious invocations and drawings, as protective talismans.

A Medieval Woman Wore This 'Birthing Girdle' to Protect Herself During Labor

Researchers found traces of bodily fluids, as well as milk and other materials associated with pregnancy, on the ten-foot long parchment

Einsteinium was first created in 1952 in the aftermath of the first hydrogen bomb test on the island of Elugelab, which is now a part of the Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean.

Scientists Take Fundamental Measurements of Einsteinium for the First Time

The highly radioactive element was first created in a 1952 hydrogen bomb test

A group of perovskite solar cells that have been treated with capsaicin.

Chili Pepper Compound Increases Solar Cell Efficiency

Adding capsaicin, the chemical responsible for making chili peppers spicy, improved the efficiency of solar cells in experiments

YInMn Blue derives its name from its chemical components: yttrium, indium and manganese.

For the First Time in 200 Years, a New Blue Pigment Is Up for Sale

Researchers discovered YInMn Blue in 2009. Now, you can purchase a tiny tube of the bright blue paint for $179.40

A new chemical process uses an iron-based catalyst to turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel. So far the process has only been proven effective in lab settings, but if researchers can scale it up it could lessen the climate impact of air travel.

Scientists Use Iron to Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Jet Fuel

If the chemical reaction at the heart of the process can be scaled up, it could help reduce the carbon footprint of air travel

Researchers identified the black substance as a mixture of burnt rubber, oil and feces.

Black Smudge on Diary Page Reveals 1907 Arctic Expedition's Tragic End

New analysis suggests explorer Jørgen Brønlund spent his final hours trying—and failing—to light a petroleum burner

Coho salmon returning from its years at sea to spawn, seen near the Suquamish Tribe's Grovers Creek Hatchery.

Researchers Reveal Why Seattle Salmon Bite the Dust After Rainstorms

A chemical found in car tire debris washes off roads into waterways, killing coho salmon returning to spawn

AlphaFold's protein structure in blue is shown overlaid with the lab results in green for two kinds of proteins.

Breakthrough A.I. Makes Huge Leap Toward Solving 50-Year-Old Problem in Biology

Proteins are vital biological molecules, and it can require years of lab-based experiments to tease out the 3-D shape of just one

A new chili pepper-shaped device that connect with a smartphone to reveal how much capsaicin is in a hot pepper.

This Chili-Shaped Smartphone Accessory Can Measure a Pepper's Spiciness

New device can measure concentrations of capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their burning heat

Detail of a medical treatise from the Tebtunis temple library with headings marked in red ink

Why Did Ancient Egyptian Scribes Use Lead-Based Ink?

A new study uncovers the science behind ancient writing traditions

Plastics can take hundreds of years to naturally degrade in the environment, something this new combination of enzymes can accomplish in a matter of days.

Engineered 'Super Enzyme' Breaks Down Plastic

The new enzyme could allow for infinite recycling of common PET plastic used in water bottles and clothing

Historical pressings of seaweeds, such as this kelp, have proved to be a scientific boon for researchers.

Scientists Use Century-Old Seaweed to Solve a Marine Mystery

A treasure trove of data trapped in pressed seaweed helps explain the collapse of Monterey Bay's sardine fishery in the 1950s

Researchers prepared meals made out of maize, wheat and venison every week for a year.

Millennia-Old Cookware May Be the Key to Recreating Ancient Cuisine

A year-long experiment's ingredients, tools and cleaning techniques imitated early culinary practices as closely as possible

Some animals eat the leaves, but the venomous spines are certainly enough to discourage humans from getting too close.

How Venomous Australian Stinging Trees Cause So Much Pain

The trees may look fuzzy, but they’re covered in tiny needles that can cause months of pain

Prototype biodegradable flip-flops made using algae.

Researchers Use Algae to Make Biodegradable Flip-Flops

The shoes break down in about 18 weeks under the right conditions

Cars line up at a drive-in coronavirus testing site in Miami Gardens, Florida, in late June. Testing in many states has been hampered by bottlenecks and long delays, problems that could be eased by the rapid, simple tests scientists are now developing.

Scientists Are Racing to Develop Paper-Based Tests for Covid-19

Inexpensive—and potentially at-home—tools could take only minutes to tell if someone is infected

Excavations at this site in Israel's Negev Desert yielded evidence of olive oil soap manufacturing dating back roughly 1,200 years.

Archaeologists Find 1,200-Year-Old Soap Factory in Israel

To create the cleaning concoction, ancient workers mixed olive oil with ashes from saltwort plants

Allied freighters ablaze in the harbor of Bari, Italy, after the German attack.

How a Chemical Weapons Disaster in WWII Led to a U.S. Cover-Up—and a New Cancer Treatment

The physician who led the investigation into a deadly explosion in Italy found the truth, and some hope

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