The Universe in a Cup of Coffee
You think it's just a beverage, but it's a whole lot more
By Lydia Chain
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
When you pour a cup of hot coffee, there’s a surprising amount of chemistry and physics brewing in your mug.
That rich coffee aroma rises from the steam because roasting coffee beans converts bitter chlorogenic acid into a diverse set of compounds. Some smells you’d expect-fruity, spicy, earthy, vanilla-but there are a few surprises (cabbage??). And adding a splash of milk or sprinkle of sugar sets off a chain of physical reactions. Convection makes the cold milk sink while the interactions between milk and coffee molecules create the milky swirls. Brownian motion also will spontaneously mix the coffee over time, no need for a stirrer.
Watch Reaction’s newest video below to learn more about what happens inside your morning pick-me-up, and how it relates to the chaos of the universe.
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