https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/chemistry/RSS feed for ChemistryenThu, 16 Jul 2026 20:04:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-meteorite-crashed-into-a-new-jersey-home-in-2024-now-scientists-say-it-contains-some-of-the-building-blocks-of-life-180989138/The Hillsborough meteorite belongs to a rare class of rocks from space, according to a new study. It holds amino acids and other organic compounds, as well as evidence of salty waterThu, 16 Jul 2026 20:04:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-meteorite-crashed-into-a-new-jersey-home-in-2024-now-scientists-say-it-contains-some-of-the-building-blocks-of-life-180989138/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-astronomers-find-sugar-in-the-space-between-stars-providing-new-clues-about-the-origins-of-life-on-earth-180989122/Sugars are crucial components of RNA and DNA, the basis of all known organisms alive today. In a new study, the sugar erythrulose was detected in a gas- and dust-filled cloud near the center of our Milky Way galaxyWed, 15 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-astronomers-find-sugar-in-the-space-between-stars-providing-new-clues-about-the-origins-of-life-on-earth-180989122/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-has-roman-concrete-lasted-for-millennia-a-1900-year-old-latrine-offers-new-clues-about-the-materials-impressive-durability-180989115/A chemical process called carbonation, which helps seal cracks, could help explain why many ancient Roman structures are still standing today. Researchers hope that the insights will lead to better modern-day building materialsTue, 14 Jul 2026 15:54:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-has-roman-concrete-lasted-for-millennia-a-1900-year-old-latrine-offers-new-clues-about-the-materials-impressive-durability-180989115/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-arctic-ocean-may-have-passed-a-crucial-tipping-point-that-could-harm-food-webs-and-worsen-climate-change-180989083/Sea ice loss seems to have triggered a decline in the nutrient nitrate, affecting the tiny organisms that form the foundations of marine food chains and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new studyWed, 08 Jul 2026 15:36:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-arctic-ocean-may-have-passed-a-crucial-tipping-point-that-could-harm-food-webs-and-worsen-climate-change-180989083/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-made-cells-that-feed-grow-and-reproduce-bringing-them-one-step-closer-to-building-life-from-scratch-180989070/The human-made cells show many hallmarks of life, but they can't make all their necessary internal structures or divide for very many generationsThu, 02 Jul 2026 19:53:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-made-cells-that-feed-grow-and-reproduce-bringing-them-one-step-closer-to-building-life-from-scratch-180989070/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-rover-spots-complex-carbon-on-the-red-planet-marking-yet-another-detection-of-a-building-block-of-life-180989043/Along with other recent discoveries, the new finding from Perseverance boosts the case that Mars once hosted conditions that could support living things—but it isn’t a definitive sign of ancient organismsTue, 30 Jun 2026 13:38:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-rover-spots-complex-carbon-on-the-red-planet-marking-yet-another-detection-of-a-building-block-of-life-180989043/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-rare-comet-made-history-as-the-third-known-interstellar-object-to-fly-through-our-solar-system-studies-are-now-revealing-the-mysterious-the-mysterious-conditions-in-which-it-formed-180989037/In the latest research, telescope observations of 3I/ATLAS examine its chemical structure and suggest that it took shape in a peripheral region of a relatively calm planetary systemMon, 29 Jun 2026 16:02:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-rare-comet-made-history-as-the-third-known-interstellar-object-to-fly-through-our-solar-system-studies-are-now-revealing-the-mysterious-the-mysterious-conditions-in-which-it-formed-180989037/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tongas-enormous-volcanic-eruption-cleaned-up-part-of-its-own-methane-emissions-in-2022-hinting-at-a-way-to-fight-climate-change-180988893/Researchers analyzed satellite imagery of the volcanic plume and found evidence that the potent greenhouse gas had broken down. The work could inform artificial interventions aiming to mitigate global warming, scientists sayThu, 04 Jun 2026 16:14:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tongas-enormous-volcanic-eruption-cleaned-up-part-of-its-own-methane-emissions-in-2022-hinting-at-a-way-to-fight-climate-change-180988893/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/glittering-gold-can-stay-shiny-for-centuries-scientists-say-theyve-figured-out-why-the-precious-metal-is-so-resistant-to-tarnishing-180988881/When the metal is split, the atoms on its surface rearrange themselves into a very stable pattern that doesn't easily react with oxygen in the air, a study suggestsThu, 04 Jun 2026 15:26:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/glittering-gold-can-stay-shiny-for-centuries-scientists-say-theyve-figured-out-why-the-precious-metal-is-so-resistant-to-tarnishing-180988881/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gin-and-tonic-is-a-cocktail-with-a-storied-history-dont-overlook-scotlands-connection-to-the-classic-180988875/The country’s scientists, doctors, merchants and distillers all played significant roles in transforming the simple combination that packs a complicated mythologyTue, 02 Jun 2026 14:23:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gin-and-tonic-is-a-cocktail-with-a-storied-history-dont-overlook-scotlands-connection-to-the-classic-180988875/