Chemistry

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- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Organic
These days you might think organic refers just to food. But it has a completely different meaning in chemistry.
- Life
News Brief: Rare gem may hold earliest sign of life
This fossil, such as it is, offers no indication of what that life might have looked like. It merely holds carbon in a form typical of the type preferentially collected by living organisms.
- Environment
Mealworms chow down on plastic
Gut bacteria in mealworms break down polystyrene. Feeding plastic to the worms, or the germs they carry, could be a way to get rid of these wastes.
- Chemistry
Making caffeine content crystal clear
Many popular drinks contain caffeine — a stimulant that in high amounts can keep you up at night. One teen is now measuring just how much is in the beverages we drink.
- Health & Medicine
These bubbles treat wounds
New research shows bubble-powered drugs can travel upstream, against the flow of blood, to seal wounds shut.
By Meghan Rosen - Chemistry
Got milk? Do you know what’s in it?
One teen was dismayed to learn milk might host harmful pollutants. This prompted him to use his science fair project as a way to find out just what was in his favorite drink.
- Chemistry
Trio gets chemistry Nobel for figuring out DNA repair
Three researchers have won the 2015 Nobel Prize in chemistry for working out how cells fix damaged genetic material.
By Meghan Rosen and Sarah Schwartz - Chemistry
A teen turns an autumn chore into a science project
Many scientists are trying to turn plants into a renewable fuel. One teen decided to help, by extracting sugars from the dead leaves on his lawn.
- Planets
Picture This: Evidence of liquid water on Mars
Mars hosts surface salt deposits. They appear to come from seasonal water flows on the Red Planet, a new study concludes.
- Environment
Nanosilver: Naughty or nice?
Nanosilver is in many products, from socks to toothbrushes. The tiny particles kill microbes. But it’s still unclear whether they can harm us or the environment.
- Chemistry
Bacteria become source of ‘greener’ blue jeans
Manufacturing indigo to dye blue jeans now relies on harmful chemicals. But researchers have found a less polluting way to produce the blue tint: bacteria.
- Chemistry
Secret to rose scent surprises scientists
Scientists discovered the molecular tool that roses use to make fragrance. And it wasn’t what they expected.
By Beth Mole