Chemistry

  1. Archaeology

    Chemical residue reveals ancient Egyptians’ mummy-making mixtures

    Chemical clues in embalming vessels reveal previously unknown ingredients used to prepare bodies for mummification and their far-flung origins.

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  2. Environment

    Recycling rare earth elements is hard. Science is trying to make it easier

    As demand grows, scientists are inventing new — and greener — ways to recycle rare earth elements.

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  3. Environment

    Rare earth elements could be pulled from coal waste

    The scheme would provide valuable rare earth metals and help clean up coal mining’s dirty legacy.

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  4. Chemistry

    These chemists cracked the code to long-lasting Roman concrete

    Roman concrete has stood the test of time, so scientists searched ruins to unlock the ancient recipe that could help architecture and climate change.

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  5. Chemistry

    How rare earth elements’ hidden properties make modern technology possible

    Because of their unique chemistry, the rare earth elements can fine-tune light for many different purposes and generate powerful magnetic fields.

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  6. Planetary Science

    The last vital ingredient for life has been discovered on Enceladus

    The underground ocean on Saturn’s icy moon may contain phosphorus in concentrations thousands of times greater than those found in Earth’s ocean.

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  7. Chemistry

    How to make tiny metal snowflakes

    In a pool of molten gallium, researchers grew symmetrical, hexagonal zinc nanostructures that resemble natural snowflakes.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    ‘Forever chemicals’ may pose a bigger risk to our health than scientists thought

    PFAS are linked to obesity, cancers and more. Growing evidence of the chemicals’ risks has prompted new guidance for safe drinking water and consumer testing.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Louis Pasteur’s devotion to truth transformed what we know about health and disease

    Two centuries after his birth, Louis Pasteur's work on pasteurization, germ theory and vaccines is as relevant as ever.

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  10. Earth

    Catastrophic solar storms may not explain shadows of radiation in trees

    Tree rings record six known Miyake events — spikes in global radiation levels in the past. The sun, as long presumed, might not be the sole culprit.

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  11. Chemistry

    Mixing gold ions into whiskey can reveal its flavor

    By changing the spirit’s color, the formation of gold nanoparticles can reveal how much flavor a whiskey has absorbed from its wood cask.

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  12. Chemistry

    A way to snap molecules together like Lego wins 2022 chemistry Nobel

    Click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry allow scientists to build complex molecules in the lab and in living cells.

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