Chemistry
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ChemistryExplainer: All about carbon dioxide
Animals and other life on Earth exhale carbon dioxide, which plants use for photosynthesis. But too much of this gas can perturb Earth’s climate.
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EnvironmentMicroplastic pollution aids viruses and prolongs their infectivity
The tiny plastic bits give these germs safe havens. That protection seems to increase as the plastic ages and breaks into ever smaller pieces.
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ChemistryWas that fingerprint left during a crime? A new test may answer that
In what could be a boon to forensics, Iowa State University chemists have come up with a way to analyze the age of fingerprints.
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PhysicsExplainer: Radiation and radioactive decay
Like clockwork, radioactive forms of some elements shed parts of themselves as they attempt to become nonradioactive.
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PhysicsExplainer: Radioactive dating helps solve mysteries
Knowing the decay rate of radioactive elements can help date ancient fossils and other artifacts.
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EarthFossil-fuel use is confusing some carbon-dating measurements
Carbon-14 dating of recent artifacts will soon give scientists confusing results. That’s another price society pays for its reliance on fossil fuels.
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ChemistryForensic scientists are gaining an edge on crime
Advances in forensic science are helping to recover invisible fingerprints and identify missing people from bits of tissue or bone.
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ChemistryScientists Say: Fluorescence
This property causes materials — including some animals’ skin, fur or feathers — to glow under light.
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EnvironmentThis chemist uses online videos to teach about the perils of microplastics
Imari Walker says her journey as a scientist and science communicator lets her talk about and advocate for her passion.
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ChemistryExplainer: What is a hydrogel?
These unusual materials have a host of unusual properties. You can even make a starch-infused version in your kitchen.
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Environment‘Forever’ chemicals show up in students’ school uniforms
Researchers found PFAS “forever chemicals” in kids’ school uniforms and other clothing. Studies have linked these compounds to health risks.
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Materials ScienceLet’s learn about microplastics
Microplastics have turned up everywhere from the highest mountains to the bottom of the ocean — and even inside animals and people.