Stories by Emma Stoye

Peroxides at a Texas plant, owned by the company Arkema, are “one small step away from ignition”

Tower’s “skin” was filled with flammable core though fire-retardant versions were available; many more structures at risk

U.S. trade agency requires products say there is no scientific evidence for effectiveness

The scientist won a Nobel Prize for using ultrafast lasers to reveal chemical reactions 

Archaic humans used manganese dioxide to start fires, not—as thought—just for body paint

Made with nanoscale holes, the gold could be used as an electric switch

A compound called a sterol improves lens transparency in early tests

Plants, engineered to make extra substances that protect human cells, show GMO crops may improve health

Potentially ancient carbon sparks debate about when the first microorganisms appeared on Earth

Despite breathless headlines, it is not clear when completely new things from the wonder material will appear

A co-op hopes thousands of scientists can succeed where Big Pharma has failed

Toxic chemical can be replaced by a fluid of propylene glycol and small metal particles

Using light-emitting proteins in two different ways let researchers peer within living cells

Fillers like corn and twigs are turning up in ground coffee, but a new assay can detect the molecules