Chemistry

Physics

Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms

A new experiment used ultrafast techniques to reveal high-density water transforming into low-density water at subfreezing temperatures.

Chemistry

A new portable device can reveal a chili pepper’s heat

The “Chilica-pod” measures levels of the fiery capsaicin compound in peppers.

Chemistry

Heating deltamethrin may help it kill pesticide-resistant mosquitoes

A simple chemical trick creates a much faster-acting form of a common insecticide, which could help fight malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses.

Genetics

Gene-editing tool CRISPR wins the chemistry Nobel

A gene-editing tool developed just eight years ago that has “revolutionized the life sciences” nabbed the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Agriculture

How does a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste?

Scientific explorations of terroir — the soil, climate and orientation in which crops grow — hint at influences on flavors and aromas.

Tech

Methanol fuel gives this tiny beetle bot the freedom to roam

A new robot insect uses energy-dense methanol as fuel, not batteries. It could be a blueprint for future search-and-rescue bots with long run times.

Earth

Smoke from Australian fires rose higher into the ozone layer than ever before

The catastrophic wildfires in Australia around New Year’s generated a massive smoke plume that still hasn’t dissipated in the stratosphere.

Science & Society

Real-life scientists inspire these comic book superheroes

Three scientists are publishing comics casting researchers as heroes, and hope the cartoon format and pared-down storyline can boost science literacy.

Chemistry

Here’s a clue to how this tube worm’s slime can glow blue for days

Mucus oozed by a marine tube worm can glow for up to 72 hours. New results suggest that the light may sustain itself through some clever chemistry.

Chemistry

Astronauts may be able to make cement using their own pee

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

Chemistry

Moisture, not light, explains why Munch’s ‘The Scream’ is deteriorating

Edvard Munch’s 1910 “The Scream” is famous for its loud colors. New insight into paint preservation could keep those pigments from fading out.

Chemistry

Ancient recipes led scientists to a long-lost natural blue

Led by medieval texts, scientists hunted down a plant and extracted from its tiny fruits a blue watercolor whose origins had long been a mystery.