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Firework colors are created by different chemicals combinations — here's what...
It may be Independence Day, but there's nothing revolutionary about the way your 4th of July fireworks are made.Fireworks have been built from a mix of explosive powder, chemicals, and glue for ages....
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Sunscreen doesn't always shield beachgoers from burns — and so these...
Two chemists have found a way to make sunscreen work better. The treatment boosts the body's ability to deflect ultraviolet rays which cause sunburns and cellular DNA damage. The molecule created is a...
View ArticleThe fascinating way helium changes your voice
Inhaling helium and talking like Daffy Duck is a classic party trick. But not many know how helium works. Helium is much lighter than air, so sound waves move much faster through the gas. This...
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The chemical reason gold makes a perfect currency
I think most of you reading this right now are aware that gold is unlike any other metal, certainly any other element.It doesn’t play by the same rules as iron or tin or aluminum, and its value has...
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Scientists may be able to discover new drugs by 'challenging' organisms with...
I was cutting my grass when the battery in my iPod died.Instead of enjoying the distraction of music, my brain switched to its usual nerd mode of thinking about molecules. Within a few passes of cut...
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Science explains why coffee tastes better when you buy it from a coffee shop
Coffee from a cafe tastes different than home-brewed for a number of reasons: the type of brew, water, grind, and freshness of the bean.There are two families of coffee brews and depending on which you...
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The Nobel prize in chemistry goes to scientists who developed a way to see...
Three researchers who developed a way to see the basic molecules of life in three dimensions won the 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.Jacques...
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Here's what the images that just won the Nobel prize in chemistry look like...
Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson were awarded the 2017 Nobel prize in chemistry Wednesday for developing cryo-electron microscopy.The technique allows researchers to see the...
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This is the real reason onions make you cry
Onions are a staple of many dishes, but we use it at a cost. When chopping them up, many of us feel our eyes start to sting, then we start crying.There are plenty of old wives' tales about how to stop...
View ArticleThere's a metal that melts in your hand and is safe to play with — here's how...
Gallium is a silvery metal and element number 31 on the Periodic Table, and it melts at 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a temperature low enough for gallium to melt in your hand — and unlike the liquid...
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Crushing an egg into your coffee sounds disgusting — but it makes an...
Americans take their coffee many ways: hot, poured over ice, cold-brewed overnight, and even infused with nitrogen.Crushing an egg (shell and all), whisking it with freshly ground coffee, and boiling...
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What happens to your body after you die
There's no fighting it; each of us will die at some point. What happens next is a fascinating — if frightening — natural process.Without preservation techniques like embalming or mummification, your...
View ArticleRaw eggs are actually less nutritious than cooked eggs — here's why
Why shouldn't you eat raw eggs? The risk of salmonella infection isn't the only problem. You're also robbing yourself of protein.One egg contains about 6 grams of protein. In their natural state, these...
View ArticleThis 'magic trick' isn't really turning gold into silver
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Brewing a perfect cup of coffee requires the right water — and pure H2O is...
Water — the biggest ingredient in coffee by weight — can make or break the flavor of a freshly brewed cup, according to a chemist-barista research team.Tap water brings out better flavor in coffee,...
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Guinness cans hide a weird plastic ball — here's how it works and why it...
Guinness cans and bottles fizz and bubble when you open them.Plastic devices called widgets blast the stout beer with nitrogen gas to give it a creamy head.In cans, widgets are spherical; in bottles,...
View ArticleWhy soda tastes different in a can or bottle
People often have strong opinions about how they drink their soda. Some people prefer it in a can, others prefer a glass or plastic bottle. While soda companies claim that the recipe doesn't change,...
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NASA 'tasted' complex organic compounds in a blast of water from one of...
Enceladus, an ice-encrusted moon of Saturn, hides an ocean of saltwater that blasts ice into space.NASA flew its Cassini spacecraft through the ice geysers in 2015.Scientists continue to analyze the...
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The fascinating chemistry that goes into a fireworks display
The fireworks you enjoy every 4th of July are the result of a chain of chemical reactions.When a firework container is lit, its contents of colored explosives called "stars" light up the sky.The colors...
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Firework colors are created by different chemicals combinations — here's what...
It may be Independence Day, but there's nothing revolutionary about the way your 4th of July fireworks are made.Fireworks have been built from a mix of explosive powder, chemicals, and glue for ages....
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