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Chemistry

New Research

Mosquitoes Can Smell Your Sweat

Researchers have identified a receptor in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that detect lactic acid and other compounds in human sweat

iPhones contain a gold concentration 100 times higher than that of a mineral resource geologists would describe as “high-grade"

What Happens When You Drop an iPhone Into a Blender?

Scientists ground up an iPhone 4s to reveal its chemical composition, highlight rare metals used in manufacturing and encourage device recycling

An animation of the eight color-coded bases of hachimoji DNA

Scientists Successfully Double the DNA Alphabet

“Hachimoji DNA” is structurally sound, offers new possibilities for data storage and raises questions about the molecular makeup potential alien life

Operation Ranch Hand has led to a multi-generational health crisis and an environmental catastrophe.

Trending Today

Court Rules ‘Blue Water’ Vietnam Veterans Are Eligible for Agent Orange Benefits

Sailors had long been excluded from health benefits related to the dioxin-tainted herbicide the military spread during the war

The chart was hidden amongst a trove of rolled-up papers in the school's chemistry building

Cool Finds

Periodic Table Found During Routine Cleaning at Scottish University May Be World’s Oldest

The chart, believed to date to 1885, was unearthed from storage room in the chemistry building at the University of St. Andrews

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has severed all ties with Watson

DNA Pioneer James Watson Loses Honorary Titles Over Racist Comments

The renowned scientist has a long history of controversial commentary on not only race, but issues spanning gender, religion and sexuality

Cool Finds

Your Christmas Tree May Be Turned Into Mouthwash One Day

A new sustainable chemical process can turn pine needles into a chemical feedstock for paint, food sweeteners, mouthwash and other products

In the late 19th century, Ellen Swallow Richards worked to equip women with the tools of chemistry.

Women Who Shaped History

The First Female Student at MIT Started an All-Women Chemistry Lab and Fought for Food Safety

Ellen Swallow Richards applied chemistry to the home to advocate for consumer safety and women’s education

Cool Finds

It’s True: Ancient Gauls Embalmed the Severed Heads of Their Enemies

Chemical analysis shows that ancient accounts of the warriors preserving heads using pine resin are accurate

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Ingenious Minds

Astrophysicist Michelle Thaller on Understanding Our Place in the Universe

Autodesk vice president Brian Mathews talks with the NASA science communicator about the search for life on other planets and why it’s important

A statue in Joachim Ronneberg's honor stands tall outside the city hall in Alesund

Trending Today

The Commando Who Foiled Hitler’s Atomic Ambitions Has Died

Norwegian resistance fighter Joachim Ronneberg led the raid that destroyed stock of “heavy water” Hitler needed to produce weapons-grade plutonium

Plastic on a beach in St. Helena.

New Research

Remote South Atlantic Islands Are Flooded With Plastic

In less than ten years, plastic pollution around St. Helena, East Falkland and Ascension Islands has increased tenfold, and 100 times in the last 30 years

New Research

Residue of Opium Poppy Found in Bronze Age Juglet

Whether the opium was consumed or used as oil for perfume or for anointing remains unclear

From L to R: Frances H. Arnold was recognized for her work in the directed evolution of enzymes, while George P. Smith and Sir Gregory Winter were honored for the phage display of peptides and antibodies

Trending Today

Three Evolutionary Scientists Share This Year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Frances Arnold, George Smith and Gregory Winter employed principles seen in evolution to develop proteins that tackle global chemical problems

The coating, if used on enough buildings at once, could also help deal with so-called “urban heat islands.”

This New Coating Could Help Keep Buildings Cool

The porous polymer uses tiny air holes to reflect all wavelengths of sunlight, cooling buildings far better than white paint

A Mobius strip.

The Mathematical Madness of Möbius Strips and Other One-Sided Objects

The discovery of the Möbius strip in the mid-19th century launched a brand new field of mathematics: topology

A postage stamp printed in Norway showing an image of Alfred Nobel, circa 2001.

Commentary

Should the Nobel Prizes Take a Year Off?

An award designed to go to those who benefit all humanity has a history of prejudice and controversy

Oils extracted from the citronella plant are a powerful mosquito repellent.

Why Plant-Based Mosquito Repellents Are So Hard to Make

Bug sprays with DEET feel oily and smell gross. But turning natural plant oils into commercial products isn’t easy

New Research

Genome Reveals When Opium Poppy Became a Painkiller

A combination of two genes over 7.8 million years ago was the first step to producing morphine and other narcotic compounds

Here’s What We Know (and Don’t Know) About Flushing Contact Lenses Down the Drain

Though they are tiny, the lenses add up—and might be infiltrating the environment

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