How pearls achieve nanoscale precision
Mollusks do what humans can't.
In research that could inform future high-performance nanomaterials, a University of Michigan-led team has uncovered for the first time how...
This smart material could switch between heating and cooling in minutes
As anyone who has ever parked a car in the sun on a hot summer day knows, glass windows are great at letting sunlight...
Are human burial practices messing up Earth’s ecosystems?
Life depends on death — living things die, decompose and eventually become nutrients for other life.
But when humans die, we’re often embalmed and buried...
Liquid metal could be cheap and efficient CO2 converter
Engineers from UNSW have helped discover a cheap new way to capture and convert CO2 greenhouse emissions using liquid metal.
The process can be done...
Scientists find new way to store data with dyes
As the world’s data storage needs grow, new strategies for preserving information over long periods with reduced energy consumption are needed.
Now, researchers reporting in...
Hydrogel tablet could purify contaminated river water in an hour
Researchers have created a new hydrogel tablet that can rapidly purify contaminated water.
One tablet can disinfect a liter of river water and make it...
Scientists find greener way to extract and separate rare earth elements
A new method improves the extraction and separation of rare earth elements—a group of 17 elements critical for technologies such as smart phones and...
New fabric could protect against both biological and chemical threats
A Northwestern University research team has developed a versatile composite fabric that can deactivate both biological threats, such as the novel coronavirus that causes...
How simple changes could turn pizza into award winning pie
This week our host, Sam, chats with renowned baker Peter Reinhart and learns how a couple of small chemistry tweaks can transform a terrible...
How the harmful mercury gets into the sea
Every year, 2,000 metric tons of gaseous mercury are released into the atmosphere by coal-fired power stations and mining activities.
The harmful substance then adopts...