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Chemistry

Researchers investigated Pompeii's water system, including the "water castle" pictured here, which served as the water distribution structure for Pompeii's aqueduct. 

New Research

The Public Baths of Ancient Pompeii Were Actually Pretty Gross—Until the Romans Built an Aqueduct

Hygienic conditions were poor in the city’s older bathing facilities, a new study reveals. The analysis sheds light on Pompeii’s water systems and residents’ bathing habits

Some octopuses have incredible camouflaging abilities. 

Inspired by Octopus Skin, This Synthetic Material Can Change Color and Texture on Demand

The animals’ camouflaging capabilities have long inspired humans. The new material could one day help researchers improve robotics or electronic screens

An artistic representation of exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b, on the left, and the pulsar it orbits, on the right

This Lemon-Shaped Planet Has an Atmosphere Unlike Anything Astronomers Have Ever Seen

The James Webb Space Telescope detected an atmosphere rich with carbon and helium, which is unexpected on this hot planet roughly 2,000 light-years from Earth

Research indicates that coral reefs have been tuning Earth's cycles for hundreds of millions of years. 

For More Than 250 Million Years, Coral Reefs Have Had a Major Influence on Earth’s Changing Climate

The planet has been flipping between two main modes of carbon recovery depending on the state of coral reefs, new research suggests

Researchers used more than 400 samples of materials, such as this carbon-rich substance, to train and test the new A.I. system. 

Cool Finds

A.I. Reveals Signs of Early Life in 3.3-Billion-Year-Old Rocks. Next, It Could Continue the Search in Space

The new approach looks at the distribution of molecular fragments in material, allowing for broad surveys in degraded specimens

Six species of North American bats—big brown bats (pictured), eastern red bats, Seminole bats, southeastern myotis, gray bats and Brazilian free-tailed bats—glow green under ultraviolet light, new research shows.

These Bats Glow Green Under UV Light, Joining a Growing List of Photoluminescent Mammals

A recent study identifies a consistent glow across six species of North American bats, but the underlying reason for the animals’ green gleam is still unclear

Psilocybe cubensis, a mushroom that produces the psychoactive compound psilocybin.

Magic Mushrooms Evolved Psilocybin Not Once, but Twice

Two different types of mushroom evolved the same psychedelic compound in completely unrelated ways, a recent study finds

Members of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry hold a model of a metal-organic framework during the 2025 prize announcement in Stockholm on October 8.

Architects of a New Kind of Molecular Structure Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Metal-organic frameworks can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny space—enabling advances that could help humans fight climate change and tackle other challenges

Conness Glacier.

New Research

By 2100, Humans Might See a Glacier-Free Sierra Nevada for the First Time Ever

A new study suggests some glaciers have existed on the California mountain range for the entirety of known human history in North America

An illustration of the Wolf 1130ABC triple system, which is composed of a red dwarf star (left), a white dwarf (center) and the brown dwarf where phosphine was detected (right).

Scientists Finally Found Phosphine on a Brown Dwarf. Here’s What That Means for the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

The detection could force astronomers to reconsider their chemical models

Saturn’s E ring contains grains of water ice from the underground ocean on its moon Enceladus.

Decades-Old Data From Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Hints at Favorable Conditions for Life

The Cassini spacecraft flew by the small, icy moon in 2008, collecting information that suggests it shoots out molecules that could enable life

Smoke from wildfires can cause off-putting, ashy flavors in wine.

Wildfires Are Ruining Your Favorite Wines. These Bacteria Might Be Able to Help

Microbes already growing on grape plants may help neutralize one of the compounds responsible for wildfire-exposed grapes’ off-putting flavors, new research suggests

The researchers captured "microlightning" as they bubbled methane and air through water.

What Actually Sparks Will-o’-the-Wisps? A New Study Traces the Science Behind the Mysterious, Wandering Lights

The ghostly phenomenon could be the product of a chemical reaction involving methane, researchers suggest

The newly identified tektites.

Cool Finds

Researchers Find Evidence of a Mysterious Giant Asteroid Impact, but They Don’t Know Where Its Crater Is

Special shards of glass, known as “tektites,” were hiding in plain sight in a museum collection

Researchers directly dated dinosaur eggs, which had filled with calcite crystals, in China.

Paleontologists Directly Date Dinosaur Eggs for the First Time, Shedding Light on the Cretaceous World 85 Million Years Ago

Using uranium-lead dating, researchers calculated the age of the eggs, rather than the sediments around them, at the Qinglongshan site in China

Some of the barrels off the coast of Los Angeles are surrounded by mysterious white halos in the sediment.

Metal Barrels Dumped Off the Coast of Los Angeles Are Encircled by Mysterious White Halos—and Scientists Think They Finally Know Why

At least some of the barrels contain caustic alkaline waste, which has made the surrounding ecosystems inhospitable to most life forms, a new study suggests

The dwarf planet Ceres, the only dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt, might have once been hospitable for life, according to a recent study.

Did the Dwarf Planet Ceres Once Host Life? Astronomers Suggest Chemical Energy Could Have Fueled Microbes Long Ago

Though no direct evidence of life has been found, models suggest Ceres had hot water shooting into its underground oceans billions of years ago, offering potentially hospitable conditions

The research team's glowing succulents, which lit up in shades of red, green and blue

Researchers Create Rechargeable, Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents

The team hopes their work, which is still in the early phases, might one day build the foundation for a novel sustainable lighting system

The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of 3I/ATLAS with its Wide Field Camera 3.

Telescopes Reveal Surprising Chemistry of a Rare Interstellar Object Passing Through Our Solar System

Called 3I/ATLAS, the object is only the third of its kind known to astronomers, and it’s likely been heading our way for billions of years, carrying pristine material from another star system

Researchers have developed a new, artificial supplement that can deliver crucial nutrients known as sterols to honeybee colonies and promote survival of larvae.

Researchers Develop a ‘Superfood’ for Honeybees to Fight the Drastic Decline of Their Colonies

Bees fed an enriched yeast supplement saw 15 times more of their larvae reach the developmental stage right before adulthood, according to a new study

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