By Henry Dieckhaus Lava lamps! Who doesn’t love those bubbly little jars of fun-colored magical goo? These fascinating contraptions, originally […]
Continue readingCategory: Chemistry and Earth Science
Your Cells are Left-handed: The Chirality of Living Things
By Henry Dieckhaus Approximately 10% of people identify as left-handed if asked to write a sentence or throw a ball […]
Continue reading
Cancer Alley
by Mariah Jones The year is 1987. The place is a small southern town in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. Within two […]
Continue reading
Mouthwatering Munchables: The Maillard Reaction
by Siena Mantooth Crispy french fries, toasted brioche rolls, seared steak – what makes all these foods taste incredible? The […]
Continue reading
Hydrothermal Vents: The Origin of Life?
by Nicole Gadda Have you ever wondered how life on Earth began? If so, you’re not alone. Many scientists are […]
Continue reading
Zap, Crackle, and BOOM! The Science of Thunderstorms
by Nicole Gadda Most of us who have lived through a North Carolina summer have experienced a thunderstorm. Think of […]
Continue reading
Clouds and How They Form
by Madison Williams At some point in your life, you have likely looked up at the sky and saw clouds […]
Continue reading
It’s All Gouda: The Science of Making Cheese
by Margaret Dedloff We eat cheese as a snack, we put it on our pasta and our pizza, we even […]
Continue reading
Why are Blueberries Blue?
by Taylor Tibbs Versión en Español I can think back to the hot summers of my childhood bickering with my […]
Continue reading
Smelling Sulfur: the Chemical Culprit behind Eggs, Skunks, and Garlic Breath
by Bree Iskandar All of us are familiar with the distinctly unpleasant smells of rotten eggs, garlic breath, skunk spray, […]
Continue reading
The Chemistry of Tie-Dye
by Katie Acken The Chemistry of Tie-Dye If you’ve tie-dyed before, then you’ve actually set up a chemical reaction! This […]
Continue reading
The History of Hoodoos Through Science and Storytelling
By Rami Major Sprawling across tens of thousands of acres in southern Utah, tall rock spires poke like pointy fingers […]
Continue reading
The Science Behind Kombucha
By Riya Gohil One COVID/quarantine hobby I’ve picked up over the course of the last year has been brewing kombucha. […]
Continue reading
How Do We Track Down Alien Life?
By Brandon Le Does life exist outside the confines of our home planet? If this question captivates you, you’d find […]
Continue reading
The Chemistry of Fall Colors
By Taylor Tibbs It is that time of year again: the morning air is crisp and you can feel a […]
Continue reading
The Truth About BPA
By Gabrielle Quickstad Have you ever walked down the aisle of your local department store and taken a look at […]
Continue reading
The Flavor of Water
By Devina Thiono When you go to a different place, you may notice that the water tastes different than what […]
Continue reading
Percy Julian
By Jenna Beam When I started researching Percy Julian for this article, I was amazed by the extent of his […]
Continue reading
Making the World of Plastics More Transparent
By Candice Crilly Derived from the Greek word plastikos meaning “capable of being shaped or molded”, plastic is an umbrella […]
Continue reading
The Toxicologist
By Eva Vitucci Over 500 years ago, a man named Paracelsus stirred up the world of medicine. At that time […]
Continue reading