Food Science

One group of scientists says that they've figured out a way to make rice with fewer calories.

Why Would Cooling Rice Make it Less Caloric?

Scientists suggest a new way to prepare rice that they say could help slow the worldwide obesity epidemic

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Love Junk Food So Much?

The jury is still out, but some are suggesting that sodas, chips and fries trick the brain into thinking no calories were consumed

Peanut butter, known to the National Institute of Standards and Technology as SRM 2387.

The Weird World of Standard Reference Materials, From Peanut Butter to Whale Blubber

Get the full story behind a $761 jar of peanut butter and other exorbitantly priced everyday objects used by scientists

What Physics Tells Us About Making the Perfect Chocolate

Like carbon, the treat can take on many crystalline forms, so a master chocolatier must know how to temper it in just the right way

Is fine chocolate slipping through our fingers?

How to Save the Chocolate Tree Without Sacrificing Flavor

Demand, disease and climate change are threatening cocoa, but a new breed of clones could keep the treat abundant and tasty

You can thank these Theobroma cacao flowers for your brownie sundae.

You Wouldn't Have Chocolate Without Invisible Flies and Extreme Yeast

It takes a wild and temperamental menagerie to bring the beloved candy to store shelves. Bon appétit!

(Clockwise from top left) Katrin Macmillan, Ashutosh Saxena, Richard Lunt and Horace Luke are hard at work on exciting new projects.

Eight Innovators to Watch in 2015

From food science and robotics to solar tech and sustainable architecture, these folks are poised to do big things

The Science of Why Champagne Pops

The American Chemical Society takes a look at the science of champagne

Truffles Have a THC-like Substance in Them

This produces a euphoric smell that likely evolved as a way to trick animals into eating them

Lab-grown beef—it could be dinner.

Five Animal Products Scientists Can Now Grow In a Lab

In early experiments, scientists are growing meat in vitro and bioengineering yeast for dairy

Miracle fruit, or Synsepalum dulcificum, grows on bushy trees native to West Africa.

Can This Berry Solve Both Obesity and World Hunger?

At a playful café in Chicago, chef Homaro Cantu is experimenting with miracle fruit, a West African berry that makes everything a little sweeter

Probably not a picky eater.

Why Are You a Picky Eater? Blame Genes, Brains and Breast Milk

The complicated science behind picky eating is giving experts plenty of food for thought

The world's favorite edible bird.

Chinese Chickens May Have Been Domesticated 10,000 Years Ago

Bones found in ancient farming sites are lending insight into the origins of our favorite fowl

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Physicists Explain Why Coffee Is More Prone to Spills Than Beer

It all comes down to the foam

We're Running Out of Chocolate

We're eating so much chocolate that plants can't keep up

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This Artist Makes E. coli-Shaped Popsicles

For those who prefer plants to pathogens, there's popsicle cacti, too

Beni Meier's record-holding 2323.7 pound pumpkin.

How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin

Science!

Plants Can Sense When Insects Are Eating Them

Plants can sense munching vibrations that insects make, and respond accordingly with heightened defenses

The Science of Why Toothpaste Makes Food Taste Funny

Blame toothpaste's foaming action

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Instead of Growing Meat in a Lab, Why Not Make It Out of Plants?

"Plant blood" is the secret behind the I-can't-believe-it-isn't-meat company, Impossible Foods

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