We’re all familiar with the TV episode where characters dream up an alternate universe, and wake up to their familiar one where everything goes back to ‘normal.’ This is typically regarded as a scientific plot device, though from a hard science point of view parallel universes are nothing to be scoffed at, as the study […]
As the largest scientific society currently existing, the American Chemical Society (ACS) serves many purposes for chemists, as well as scientists in other disciplines. It organizes national and regional meetings where researchers can present and share their data, provides members with job listings, offers educational training opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, it publishes a wide range of […]
Every fall semester, nearly a thousand bright-eyed freshmen take their seats for Chemistry 111, and told that throughout the course they will learn the story of the electron. It makes for a great cohesive semester (though famously challenging for the students), as the professors move through electron properties, atomic structure, and molecular orbitals to arrive at […]
I like to play a game whenever meeting someone new. I try and guess what the reaction will be when it’s discovered I am a chemist. The most common response is a look of terror and disgust, and the inevitable, “Oh I hated chemistry in high school!” The other most likely alternative is: “Does that mean […]
As Halloween approaches it seems like an appropriate time to have some fun and celebrate confectionery chemistry. We rarely think about chemical concepts when indulging a sweet tooth, but as chemistry is in everything, it’s time to explore our favorite treats in depth: Marshmallows: These squishy goods are produced by mixing gelatin, egg white, corn syrup, […]
We know that an equal amount of antimatter must have been simultaneously created during the Big Bang. But where is it?
We take science for granted in our daily lives, but science also reminds us how dangerous it is to hold beliefs without evidence.
Our nation’s electric grid system remains much the same as when it was first invented and installed, 140 years ago. That many soon change.
Hall’s new K value probes the tenuous relationship currently being built between science and social media and the pros and cons of linking the two.
When it comes to measuring our “carbon footprint,” most of us think of our cars and coal-burning plants. It’s time we also thought of our landscaping.
