Water is weird. A new type of ice could help us understand why
Ice cubes float in water because they’re less dense than the liquid. But a newfound type of ice has a density nearly equal to what’s…
Category: Chemistry
The last vital ingredient for life has been discovered on Enceladus
CHICAGO — The last key ingredient for life has been discovered on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus. Phosphorus is a vital building block of life, used…
How to make tiny metal snowflakes
Look closely at a snowflake, and you’ll observe a one-of-a-kind gossamer lattice, its growth influenced by ambient conditions like temperature and humidity. Turns out, this…
Catastrophic solar storms may not explain shadows of radiation in trees
A cryptic chemical signature of unknown origins, hidden for centuries inside the trunks of Earth’s trees, just became even more mysterious. In the last decade,…
A disinfectant made from sawdust mows down deadly microbes
A new, sustainable disinfectant made from sawdust and water can knock out more than 99 percent of some disease-causing microbes, including anthrax and several strains…
Oxygen-rich exoplanets may be geologically active
Humble oxygen is more than just a building block of life. The element could also help scientists sneak a peek into the innards of planets…
Wildfire smoke may ramp up toxic ozone production in cities
Wildfire smoke and urban air pollution bring out the worst in each other. As wildfires rage, they transform their burned fuel into a complex chemical…
Here’s the chemistry behind marijuana’s skunky scent
Scientists have finally sniffed out the molecules behind marijuana’s skunky aroma. The heady bouquet that wafts off of fresh weed is actually a cocktail of…
This eco-friendly glitter gets its color from plants, not plastic
All that glitters is not green. Glitter and shimmery pigments are often made using toxic compounds or pollutive microplastics (SN: 4/15/19). That makes the sparkly…
Lithium-ion batteries made with recycled materials can outlast newer counterparts
Lithium-ion batteries with recycled cathodes can outperform batteries with cathodes made from pristine materials, lasting for thousands of additional charging cycles, a study finds. Growing…
An easier, greener way to build molecules wins the chemistry Nobel Prize
Making molecules is hard work. Atoms must be stitched together into specific arrangements through a series of chemical reactions that are often slow, convoluted and…
Ink analysis reveals Marie Antoinette’s letters’ hidden words and who censored them
In a world torn apart by the French Revolution, doomed Queen Marie Antoinette exchanged secret letters with a rumored lover. Someone later censored them —…
Luis Miramontes helped enable the sexual revolution. Why isn’t he better known?
When Mexican scientist Luis Miramontes signed his lab notebook on October 15, 1951, he didn’t know he was documenting history. That day, he made a…
50 years ago, chemical pollutants were linked to odd animal behavior
Sea life’s chemical senses Science News, September 18, 1971 For fish and other underwater life, a sensitivity to chemicals plays the same role as the…
A pinch of saturated fat could make tempering chocolate a breeze
Glossy, velvety chocolate that snaps in the fingers and melts in the mouth is the chocolatier’s dream. But crafting cocoa confections with this optimal texture…
50 years ago, scientists developed self-destructing plastic
This plastic will self-destruct — Science News, August 7, 1971 Public indignation over litter and garbage has caused industry to ask chemists whether self-destroying, or quickly…
Many cosmetics contain hidden, potentially dangerous ‘forever chemicals’
A new chemical analysis has revealed an ugly truth about beauty products: Many may contain highly persistent, potentially harmful “forever chemicals” called PFAS. PFAS, short…
Gene-editing tool CRISPR wins the chemistry Nobel
Turning a bacterial defense mechanism into one of the most powerful tools in genetics has earned Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier the Nobel Prize in…
How does a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste?
About seven years ago, Kristin and Josh Mohagen were honeymooning in Napa Valley in California, when they smelled something surprising in their glasses of Cabernet…
Methanol fuel gives this tiny beetle bot the freedom to roam
A robot beetle goes the distance on its own thanks to a methanol-fueled micromuscle. Scientists envision that swarms of robotic insects could assist search-and-rescue operations…
A new portable device can reveal a chili pepper’s heat
Just how hot is your chili pepper? A new chili-shaped device could quickly signal whether adding the pepper to a meal might set your mouth…
Heating deltamethrin may help it kill pesticide-resistant mosquitoes
A few minutes in the microwave made a common insecticide about 10 times more lethal to mosquitoes in lab experiments. The toxin deltamethrin is used…
50 years ago, scientists caught their first glimpse of amino acids from outer space
Amino acids in a meteorite — Science News, December 5, 1970 [Researchers] present evidence for the presence of amino acids of possible extraterrestrial origin in…
Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms
Supercooled water is two of a kind, a new study shows. Scientists have long suspected that water at subfreezing temperatures comes in two distinct varieties:…
A new iron-based catalyst converts carbon dioxide into jet fuel
Today, airplanes pump a lot of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But someday, carbon dioxide sucked from the atmosphere could be used to power…
This weird chemical bond acts like a mash-up of hydrogen and covalent bonds
Chemistry students the world over are familiar with covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds. Now a study has revealed a strange variety of bond that acts…
Zinc-air batteries are typically single-use. A new design could change that
Zinc-air batteries have a lot going for them. They’re lightweight, compact and made of more sustainable, less flammable materials than other batteries. But they’re usually…
Plastic drinking water pipes exposed to high heat can leak hazardous chemicals
In August, a massive wildfire tore through the San Lorenzo Valley north of Santa Cruz, Calif., destroying almost 1,500 structures and exposing many others to…
Can room-temperature superconductors work without extreme pressure?
For decades, scientists quested after a room-temperature superconductor. Now that they’ve finally found one, the hunt is on for an even better material. Until last…
Phosphorus for Earth’s earliest life may have been forged by lightning
One key ingredient for life thought to be delivered to Earth by meteorites may have been homemade after all. The phosphorus that went into building…
‘Designer molecules’ could create tailor-made quantum devices
Quantum bits made from “designer molecules” are coming into fashion. By carefully tailoring the composition of molecules, researchers are creating chemical systems suited to a…
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills
It feels good to recycle. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from dutifully sorting soda bottles, plastic bags and yogurt cups from the…
A sweet father-son bond inspires tasty new molecule models
Thirteen-year-old Noah Shaw loves planets and has perfect pitch. He wants to be a scientist like his father Bryan Shaw, a biochemist at Baylor University…
Nanoscale nutrients can protect plants from fungal diseases
Chances are, most — if not all — of the produce in your kitchen is threatened by fungal diseases. The threat looms large for food…
Lightning may be an important source of air-cleaning chemicals
Lightning could play an important role in flushing pollutants out of the atmosphere. Observations from a storm-chasing airplane reveal that lightning can forge lots of…
A new technique could make some plastic trash compostable at home
A pinch of polymer-munching enzymes could make biodegradable plastic packaging and forks truly compostable. With moderate heat, enzyme-laced films of the plastic disintegrated in standard…