MS-PS1-2
Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
- Planets
The Perseverance rover split CO2 on Mars to make breathable air
This oxygen-making experiment shows that astronauts could one day make air to breathe and to help fuel their ride back home.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Metal
Metals are substances that can be elements, alloys or compounds. They all conduct heat and electricity and can be formed into different shapes.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Alkaline
Alkaline chemicals are basic — substances that produce hydroxide ions in solution.
- Chemistry
Extreme pressure? Diamonds can take it
Diamond retains its structure even at extreme pressures, which could reveal how carbon behaves in the cores of some exoplanets.
- Chemistry
A new catalyst turns greenhouse gas into jet fuel
The catalyst is an improvement over its predecessors. Made of cheap materials like iron, it produces jet fuel in a single step.
- Chemistry
A soil-based ‘concrete’ could make buildings green, even on Mars
A new soil-based material offers an alternative to concrete for 3-D printing environmentally friendly buildings.
- Environment
Old clothes soon may be recycled, not trashed
One day, clothes may be recycled almost as much as plastics and glass are now. See how chemists are moving us in that direction.
- Chemistry
Here’s how to make flip-flops biodegradable
Innovative flip-flops made from an algae-based plastic decompose in soil or compost. The comfy shoes also avoid use of fossil fuels.
- Environment
Batteries not included: This Game Boy look-alike doesn’t need them
Game Boy revolutionized the gaming industry. A newer version could help slow the rate of climate change.
- Chemistry
Study acid-base chemistry with at-home volcanoes
Baking soda volcanoes are a fun demonstration, and with a few tweaks they can be an experiment, too
- Chemistry
How to recycle ‘nonrecyclable’ plastics
A new process can convert some nonrecyclable plastics into a type that now can be reused. That could greatly cut down on wastes sent to landfills.
- Physics
The exotic ‘atom’ positronium surprises scientists
New measurements of a weird but simple atom, one without a nucleus, suggest it may have unexpected properties. Scientists find this troubling.
