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We all annoyed our parents with these and broke vases with these and chased these down the street into traffic and, on rainy days when we were bored, melted these in the microwave. But what actually makes superballs work? More »
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Over 2000 nuclear tests took place between 1945 and the signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996, with the United States and Soviet Union combining for over 1700 explosions. More »
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Aphrodisiacs have a rich and often-told history — but what about their opposite? Throughout history, people have tried to find ways to suppress sexual desire. People have used methods ranging from saltpeter to cornflakes to modern-day chemical castration, with mixed success. More »
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If you've ever visited Old Faithful and the other geysers at Yellowstone National Park, you've likely come away with two reactions. First, it's one of the most captivating sights in all of nature. Second, the place stinks like rotting eggs. More »
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Almost 30 years after Daniel Shechtman noticed something weird in his lab, he finally won a Nobel Prize for chemistry. But before that, his strange discovery resulted in him being asked to leave the lab for bringing disgrace upon his colleagues. More »
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What you're looking at here are two incredible examples of a phenomenon known as fano flow, which show non-newtonian fluids appearing to defy the laws of physics...only they aren't defying any laws at all. More »
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The microalgae Nitzschia cf pellucida is only a couple of micrometers across, yet this tiny organism has the ability to wage deadly biochemical war to strip its surroundings of competition. More »
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90% of North Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis. When ingested by itself, caffeine is extremely bitter — not the type a flavor many of us want lingering on our taste buds. More »
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Seriously. This map suggests that unless you live in California, a smattering of states out East, or a small handfull of other states sprinkled across the country, you're looking at a very grave problem when it comes to scientific illiteracy in your community's youth (and, presumably, its population in general). Come to think of it, this map should really concern you, no matter where you live. More »
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Chances are, you are reading this with both hands gripping a mug of coffee. Whether that coffee has caffeine in it or not depends on whether it's the morning or the afternoon. But how does the caffeine get stripped away from a caffeinated bean? Find out. More »
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The famous Barking Dog Experiment combines a few chemicals in a tube and causes explosions that sound, most people say, like barking dogs. I say they sound a little more like phasers, or other ray guns. Learn a little chemistry, listen to a few explosions, and judge for yourself. More »
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Sometimes you just have to escape from a sticky situation. And when that happens, you need some kind of diversion to confuse people so they won't come after you. That's why Batman (and various stage magicians) have given us the wonder of smoke bombs. But how do you make them yourself? More »
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A group at The University of Bristol have come up with the world's first magnetic soap. At first, this sounds like just another interesting technological leap from soap on a rope — plus a way to combine two of the world's coolest things, soap and magnets. But actually, this invention could have a much more vital purpose. More »
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In late 2010, NASA scientists announced the discovery of microbes in California's Mono Lake that used arsenic instead of phosphorus in their DNA. The study quickly came under intense criticism — and now we may be about to refute it entirely. More »
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Romans used an artificial sweetener, Sugar of Lead, to sweeten and preserve their foods without taking on additional calories. More »
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You probably think of your nervous system as a kind of computer network, or some kind of electrical system that passes nerve impulses around. But in reality, the miraculous journey of a signal thorough your nervous system is a story that involves cell biology, chemistry and physics. Your brain contains 30 billion neurons, and each of them is a staggering achievement. More »
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Every year, Edge.org poses a question to a hand-picked group of the world's "most complex and sophisticated minds." Then they publish the responses. More »
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The world's smallest ear doesn't belong to any animal. Instead, it's a tiny piece of gold suspended in a laser beam. It can hear sounds a million times fainter than any human ear can, making it a powerful acoustic microscope. More »
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WARNING: turn your volume down before watching this video. And while you're at it, go read this post, paying close attention to the parts that address the pitfalls of liquid nitrogen bomb assembly. More »
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Sulfur hexafluoride is one of the densest gases out there. It's so thick that it's possible to pour it into a container like a liquid and float a tinfoil boat on it. Check out the boat that floats on nothing. More »
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Most of us think of liquid nitrogen as an extinguishing force, but it can, at times, rage against the dying of the light . . . bulb. Find out why a smashed light bulb stays lit if it's dipped in liquid nitrogen. More »
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An attempt to win a small court battle this week has put Mountain Dew in peril of losing a much larger war. PepsiCo, the soft drink's parent company, defended itself against a man who claimed he found a dead mouse in a can of the citrus soda. More »
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Back in November, we challenged you to guess the medium used to create these eye-catching images. Finnish artist Erno-Erik Raitanan had produced the series by cultivating bacteria samples on color negative film. More »
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In the 1980s, Daniel Schechtman theorized the existence of quasicrystals, bizarre materials between crystals and glasses that could never exist except in the laboratory. But now his impossible crystals have turned up in a Russian mountain. More »
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The macro and the micro were linked through an ingenious experiment published last week. Scientists from Michigan State University showed that the way molecules shift energy around, is governed by the same principle that allows figure skaters to shift speeds during a twirl on the ice. Find out how chemistry and physics link up in one glowing molecule. More »
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Ever notice that 'eighty proof' liquor is only forty percent alcohol? Why do booze-makers feel the need to inflate their numbers like this? More »
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One lure of space travel is the possibility that we might find a source of energy on another world. Now, a study published this month in The Astronomical Journal suggests that remote, frozen planetoid Pluto may harbor complex hydrocarbons like ethane and butane that are used as fuel here on Earth. These hydrocarbons, if confirmed, would also help explain the reddish-brown color we've seen on Pluto's surface. More »
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Researchers who synthesized an artificial sex pheromone have just discovered that it's most useful application so far is . . . killing cockroaches? More »
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What if washing your favorite T-shirt didn't require any washing whatsoever? Well, guess what. Science says it's possible. Chemical engineers in China say they've developed a cotton fabric that cleans itself — all it needs is a little sunlight. More »
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When pharmaceutical companies get a patent on a new molecule, they have 20 years to recoup the cost of developing a drug out of it. Two decades sounds like a long time, but clinical trials eat several of those years, leaving only a handful of years to earn back the money spent bringing the drug to market. So pharmaceutical companies look for loopholes in the law. Here are three shady things these companies do to extend their patents - and rake in more cash from consumers. More »
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A special kind of lab-created opal can be used to carry several encrypted messages at the same time. Find out how it can keep secrets for someone — and tattle on that same person — depending on what you spray it with. More »
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For centuries, we've used a dye derived from lichens to provide the red coloring for food and fabrics. This dye contains a compound called orcein, and we've just discovered its most remarkable property: it can fight Alzheimer's disease. More »
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If the world needs a new field of science, can you simply create one from scratch? That's the question of a group of researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The scientists recently chronicled the twenty-five year journey of sustainability science, a newly coined field with the goal of advancing society without destroying our planet. So how close did they come to creating a new discipline? More »
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Everybody knows that scientists have an unconventional sense of humor — and paleontologists and astronomers are known for naming some of their discoveries in a whimsical fashion. But chemists and biochemists are required to stick to a strict set of naming conventions. Nevertheless, sometimes researchers get a little freedom and give a molecule a clever name, based on something about its chemical properties. More »
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The answer definitely isn't 32 degrees Fahrenheit, even if that's the freezing point of water. If the conditions are right, water can remain liquid all the way down to minus 55 degrees. Just another way water is bizarrely amazing. More »
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So you're out of vanilla for your annual Thanksgiving upside-down cake. Try peach schnapps. Out of eggs for baking? Give it a shot with some olive oil. Or corn starch. Or a mashed banana. A team of researchers mined recipe sites to find out what can be swapped for what. Turns out that almost any ingredient is replaceable. More »
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Looks like ants aren't the only insects that actively engage in chemical warfare. An international team of researchers has shown for the first time that golden orb web spiders imbue their web-silk with a potent ingredient that keeps invading ants off their turf. More »
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It's our chemical all-star team of death. We've got historic poisons that have claimed the lives of millions in a sinister manner, along with a couple of chemicals that might be in your home. Contact with any of these, in the right dose, will send you running for a hastily scribbled bucket list. More »
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Many suspense and science fiction novels have characters locked in small, sealed rooms, waiting for rescue or looking for a way out. Find out how long a person would realistically have in a situation like this, and why oxygen deprivation is only half the problem. More »
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Yesterday's article got you down on coffee? Looking for another daily stimulant? Coca leaf tea, or mate de coca to the locals, has been used in many South American countries for millenia and is more prevalent in the region than coffee. More »
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