Long-Awaited Update Arrives for Radiocarbon Dating
Scientists who study organic materials from the past 55,000 years may see some changes in their data
Chemistry3501 articles archived since 1845
Bricks Can Be Turned into Batteries
Pumping cheap iron-oxide-rich red bricks with specific vapors that form polymers enables the bricks to become electrical-charge-storage devices.
Google’s Quantum Computer Achieves Chemistry Milestone
A downsized version of the company’s Sycamore chip performed a record-breaking simulation of a chemical reaction
Science Briefs from around the World
Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one from Antarctica about how there’s something funny about penguin poop.
Bread Science: A Yeasty Conversation
“Baking is applied microbiology,” according to the book Modernist Bread . During pandemic lockdowns, many people started baking their own bread. Scientific American contributing editor W...
How Could the Beirut Explosion Happen? Experts Explain
To get to the roots of disasters like this one, investigators rely on video footage, documents, interviews and other evidence
Future Cars Will Be Made of Magnesium
Originally published in August 1946
What Is Ammonium Nitrate, the Chemical That Exploded in Beirut?
The blast injured thousands and killed at least 78 people
Altered Mice Breathe Water instead of Air
Originally published in August 1968
Fluoridated Water Criticized as Socialized Medicine
Originally published in February 1955
Foxes Have Dined on Our Leftovers for 30,000 Years
An analysis of fox fossils found evidence that they scavenged from wolf and bear kills until Homo sapiens supplied plenty of horse and reindeer remains.
Mexico Caves Reveal Ancient Ocher Mining
Now submerged caves in the Yucatán Peninsula contain remains of ocher-mining operations that date back at least 10,000 years.
How Your Homes and Buildings Affect You
Journalist and author Emily Anthes talks about her book The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness.
One Mystery of Stonehenge’s Origins Has Finally Been Solved
Detailed testing of the chemical signature of the Neolithic monument’s most prominent large stones pinpointed where they came from
In Bee Shortage, Bubbles Could Help Pollinate
Soap bubbles are sticky enough to carry a pollen payload and delicate enough to land on flowers without harm.
Old Art Offers Agriculture Info
Art museums are filled with centuries-old paintings with details of plants that today give us clues about evolution and breeding practices.
Warning: Atmosphere Could Burst into Flames
Originally published in August 1846
Color-Changing Ink Turns Clothes into Giant Chemical Sensors
A silk-based substance could lead to new wearables
Thomas Edison Had a Crush on Iron
Originally published in January 1898
Science Briefs from around the World
Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about a 70-million-year-old mollusk fossil that reveals years back then had a few more days than we have now...
