Chemistry

Like the plant, a three-layered hydrogel can change shape then quickly return to original position

A sweet science activity

Scientists who made three of the newest elements talk about whether they will run out of room for more

Government study finds safety for unborn children, calming fears

Scientists are trying to convert carbon dioxide emissions into something of value—without using too much energy

A clarifying science project

Remarkably, a little heat can help because of plant chemistry

The smell of a chicken wards off one species of malaria-spreading mosquito—meaning the scent compounds, or the birds themselves, might help deter disease. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Peeled strips of single-layer carbon could be useful in electronic circuitry

The active ingredients are encapsulated in nanoparticles, which prevent the chemicals from seeping into the body

Graphics from the Scientific American archive provide a glimpse of the history and science of pyrotechnics

The element, crucial for medical scanners and chemical analysis, has been vanishing but a giant new field may lie beneath Tanzania