Matter and Its Interactions

  1. Materials Science

    Astronauts may be able to make cement with their own pee

    Lunar dust and a compound found in urine might one day be used to build future dwellings on the moon, a new study finds.

    By Lisa Grossman
  2. Physics

    Physicists foil classic oobleck science trick

    Cornstarch and water — best known as oobleck — solidifies upon impact. Researchers used a new technique to make it stay liquid.

    By Emily Conover
  3. Animals

    This tube worm’s glowing slime may help sustain its own shine

    Snot oozed by a marine tube worm can glow for up to 3 full days. The secret of how this works might lead to long-lasting lights that glow on and on.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  4. Life

    Planets with hydrogen skies could harbor life

    Microbes can live in a hydrogen atmosphere. This points to new space worlds that host alien life.

    By Lisa Grossman
  5. Chemistry

    Ancient recipes helped scientists resurrect a long-lost blue hue

    Led by medieval texts, scientists hunted down a plant and used its fruit to make a blue watercolor with mysterious origins.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  6. Animals

    Traces from nuclear-weapons tests offer clues to whale sharks’ ages

    Traces left by nuclear-bomb testing in the 1950s and ‘60s can help researchers learn how old a whale shark is.

    By Maria Temming
  7. Climate

    Did rain put the Kilauea volcano’s lava-making into overdrive?

    Scientists share strongly conflicting opinions about why Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano spewed an overabundance of lava in 2018.

    By Megan Sever
  8. Physics

    Science offers recipes for homemade coronavirus masks

    New studies provide data on what types of mask materials protect best against the virus that causes COVID-19. They also point to the value of a really snug fit.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  9. Chemistry

    COVID-19 victims could breathe easier with these innovations

    Feared equipment shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted research teams to develop novel technologies to help oxygen-starved lungs.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  10. Chemistry

    Rock Candy Science 2: No such thing as too much sugar

    Making rock candy at home takes a lot more sugar than you might think. Why? This experiment will show you why.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  11. Environment

    Here’s one way to harvest water right out of the air

    Need water but you have no access to rain, lakes or groundwater? Materials known as metal-organic frameworks could be used to slurp that water from the air, new data show.

    By Sid Perkins
  12. Chemistry

    Batteries should not burst into flames

    Because lithium-ion batteries power modern life, they need to store a lot of energy. Now scientists are focusing on making them safer.

    By Carolyn Wilke