Chemistry

  1. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Organic

    These days you might think organic refers just to food. But it has a completely different meaning in chemistry.

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  2. 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.

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  3. 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.

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  4. 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.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    These bubbles treat wounds

    New research shows bubble-powered drugs can travel upstream, against the flow of blood, to seal wounds shut.

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  6. 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.

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  7. 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.

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  8. 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.

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  9. 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.

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  10. 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.

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  11. 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.

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  12. 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.

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