Here's The Terrible Thing That Happens When You Pour Grease Down The Drain
BI Answers: Why can't I pour grease down the drain?We've all been warned that pouring that delicious bacon grease down the drain is bad... but why is it bad?The answer lies in the chemistry that...
View ArticleI Ate Brain Candy For A Week To Make Myself Smarter And More Alert
I guess you'd have to call it Birchbox for cognitive pharmaceuticals.A company called Nootrobox will mail you brain-boosting pills on the regular for your choice of $30 or $60 a pop, depending on how...
View ArticleHere’s Why Stale Bread Is Hard, But Stale Chips Are Soft
BI Answers: Why does stale bread become hard, but stale potato chips become soft?It may sound like a riddle, but it's not: Your bread gets hard when it gets old and stale, while chips get softer. Ever...
View ArticleHere's What Science Says Is The Best Way To Cool A Case Of Beers
A lot of science is dedicated to big questions, like mapping the universe or figuring out which virus will try to kill us off next.But sometimes, scientists take what they've learned from their...
View ArticleHere Are The Innovations Likely To Win The Nobel Prize For Chemistry
The winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry won't be announced for a little while — Wednesday, October 8th, to be precise — but we may already have an idea of who might win, thanks to an annual...
View ArticleThe Definitive Explanation For Why Beer Gets Skunked
BI Answers: Why Does Beer Get Skunked?It's fall. Time for football tailgates, baseball playoffs, and Oktoberfest — which technically began in September, but no one is going to stop you from...
View ArticleWeird Crystal Can Absorb All The Oxygen In A Room — And Then Release It Later
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark say they've invented a crystal that pulls oxygen out of the air and even water. Apparently, just a spoonful of the stuff can suck up all the oxygen...
View ArticleWhy Coffee Tastes So Good
Most of what we taste we actually smell. The only sensations that we pick up in our mouth are sweet, sour, bitter, umami and salty.Without its smell, coffee would have only a sour or bitter taste due...
View ArticleStunningly Beautiful Chemical Reactions Captured On HD Video
Chemistry is beautiful.You don't have to just take my word for it — a pair of scientists recently captured the spellbinding magic that takes place when two substances combine on high-definition...
View ArticleA Mysterious Fire Has Been Burning In Turkey For 2,500 Years — And Now We...
Near the Olympos valley in southwestern Turkey, fires have blazed for at least the past 2,500 years, perhaps inspiring the fire-breathing Chimera in Homer's Iliad. Now we know why.This video originally...
View Article5 Science Facts You Learned In School That Are Totally Wrong
Let's start with a quiz...1. How many senses do you have?2. Which of the following are magnetic: a tomato, you, paperclips?3. What are the primary colors of pigments and paints?4. What region of the...
View ArticleScientists Have Figured Out What Color The Universe Is
Looking up at the sky on a chilly fall night, the universe looks like a big black curtain dotted by pearls of ivory and glimmers of sparkling diamond white.In reality, those tiny spots of light...
View ArticleChemistry Reveals Why Sriracha Tastes So Good
BI Answers: Why does Sriracha sauce taste so good?It adds kick to scrambled eggs, looks pretty on pasta, and even tastes good on pizza. Rumors that its southern California factory was closing spurned...
View ArticleScience-Based Hacks For Making Your Thanksgiving Meal Perfect
Thanksgiving dinner comes with a lot to orchestrate — turkey, stuffing, family, and everything else.There are high stakes, and while science can't necessarily solve awkward family conversation about...
View ArticleWatch Acid Turn Sponges Into Black Goo
If there was ever a video that illustrated why safety goggles need to be worn in the lab, this is it.The guys over at Slow Mo Lab have poured 98% concentrated sulfuric acid over a kitchen sponge, just...
View ArticlePhysics And Chemistry Explain All The Different Shapes Of Snowflakes
In the Northern Hemisphere at least, the idealised vision of Christmas involves snow.Whilst no one snowflake is exactly the same as another, at least on a molecular level, scientists have none-the-less...
View ArticleHere's What's Causing The Disgusting London Sewer Blockages
Christmas in London is threatened by a plague of disgusting greasy sewer blockages called fatbergs.Fatbergs are a persistent problem beneath London.In August, a team from Thames Water removed a...
View ArticleThere Are 20 Million Bubbles In A Glass Of Champagne, Plus Other Chemistry...
With New Year's Eve upcoming, a large number of people will celebrate by popping open a bottle of champagne.The bubbles in your glass may seem simple enough, but there's actually a wealth of...
View ArticleHere's Why Arsenic Is So Incredibly Deadly
This graphic is the first in a planned series looking at the effects and chemistry of a range of different poisons. As such, it seemed appropriate to start with one of the most well known poisons:...
View ArticleAnother Large Report Says Maligned Plastic Chemical BPA Is Safe
The chemical bisphenol A, used to stiffen some plastic food containers, poses no health risk to consumers of any age, including unborn children, at current levels of exposure, Europe's food safety...
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