Chemistry

The first color photo of the Martian surface, taken in 1976 by the Viking 1 probe. To survive on Mars' surface, astronauts will need oxygen, which only exists in trace amounts in the Martian atmosphere.

A Robotic 'A.I. Chemist' Could Make Oxygen on Mars

In a lab on Earth, the machine created a catalyst from Martian materials that can extract oxygen from water, for astronauts to breathe or use as fuel

A photograph of the moon by the Apollo 17 crew on their return trip back to Earth. The new study analyzes material gathered from the lunar surface during the 1972 mission.

The Moon Is 40 Million Years Older Than Thought, Lunar Rock Samples Suggest

A new analysis of crystals from the moon pushes its age back to just 110 million years after the solar system formed

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci sometime between 1503 and 1519, the Mona Lisa is on display at the Louvre.

Scientists Are Still Unraveling the Secrets of the 'Mona Lisa'

A new chemical analysis sheds new light on how Leonardo da Vinci painted the iconic portrait

Could this innovation provide a solution to one of our era’s biggest scourges?

Scientists Have Created Synthetic Sponges That Soak Up Microplastics

Made from starch and gelatin, the biodegradable sponges remove as much as 90 percent of microplastics in tap water and seawater

The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry are displayed on a screen at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm during the award announcement on October 4. At the front are five vials filled with glowing quantum dots.

Explaining the Colorful Quantum Discoveries That Earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov won the award for their work developing tiny “quantum dots” that light TV displays and enable medical imaging

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Oppenheimer Has a Long History On Screen, Including the Time the Nuclear Physicist Played Himself

“There’s More to That” host Chris Klimek talks with a journalist about earlier depictions of the Manhattan Project scientist

Rosalind Franklin's work with X-ray imaging played an important part in the discovery of DNA's structure.

What We're Still Learning About Rosalind Franklin’s Unheralded Brilliance

Using new historical evidence, two scientists argue the female chemist was more involved in discovering DNA's structure than she got credit for

Angie Fogarty tested at least 100 different versions of her sensor before finding the perfect formula.

This 18-Year-Old Developed a Test to Find Out If Your Drink Has Been Spiked

The simple and inexpensive sensor detects the antihistamine in "Benadryl cocktails"

Lab-raised cockroaches adapted to maintain their glucose-focused sex lives while still avoiding sugary baited traps set by humans.

Cockroach Sex Is Evolving in Response to Pesticides

A new study highlights the insects' resiliency in spite of human attempts to kill them

To collect a saliva sample, technicians instruct a person to tilt their head for two to five minutes and spit the accumulated saliva into a sterile tube. The saliva-filled tube is kept on ice and sent to the laboratory to test for the presence of biomarkers for cancer or other diseases.

Is Saliva the Next Frontier in Cancer Detection?

Scientists are finding tumor signals in spit that could be key to developing diagnostic tests for various types of cancer

Australia's 2019 to 2020 wildfires destroyed more than 3,000 homes. New research shows how they also temporarily depleted the ozone layer.

Here's How Wildfires Can Destroy the Ozone Layer

Massive blazes like the ones in Australia three years ago deplete the crucial blanket surrounding our planet through chemical reactions in the atmosphere

Researchers used Barbie dolls to test liquid nitrogen's effectiveness at removing Moon dust simulants from a replica spacesuit. (Left: before spraying; center: after spraying; right: after spot cleaning)

NASA's Moon Dust Problem Might Finally Have a Solution

Researchers sprayed liquid nitrogen at spacesuit-clad Barbie dolls to test their novel idea

Large-scale production of green hydrogen is seen as an alternative to the use of fossil fuels in the coming decades. Latin America is well-positioned to play a large part in this new industry and already has several projects in the works.

Can Green Hydrogen Help Power Latin America?

In anticipation of future demand, several projects are underway in the region to produce this clean energy source

A video screenshot from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board showing the site of the derailed train.

Dead Fish and Chemical Smells Plague Ohio Community Two Weeks After Train Derailment

Health department officials will establish a clinic for residents experiencing symptoms

Smoke rises from the derailed train cars on Saturday, February 4.

Train Cars Carrying Toxic Chemicals Derail in Ohio

Black smoke rose from the site as officials released and burned chemicals to avert a potentially deadly explosion

Part of the set-up for the experiment: ordinary ice and steel balls placed in a jar

Scientists Have Created a New Type of Ice

It looks like a white powder and has nearly the same density as liquid water

Viking burial mound at Heath Wood being excavated

Vikings Brought Horses and Dogs to England, Study Finds

Cremated bone fragments suggest these animals were companions to the Vikings

An artistic illustration of Egyptian embalmers in the underground embalming workshop at Saqqara

The Surprising Substances Ancient Egyptians Used to Mummify the Dead

An analysis of 2,500-year-old embalming ingredients suggests some of them came from far-off places

People in Chicago fishing on Lake Michigan on December 25, 2021. The new study found particularly high levels of PFAS in fish from the Great Lakes.

Freshwater Fish Contain Harmful 'Forever Chemicals'

Eating one serving of locally caught fish could equate to drinking contaminated water for a month, a new study finds

The Pantheon's dome, the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, is still standing despite being nearly 2,000 years old.

'Self-Healing' Concrete May Have Preserved Ancient Roman Structures

The durable material could fill its own cracks, new research suggests

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