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Conclave: The chemistry behind the black and white smoke

This week, 133 cardinals have gathered in the Vatican to elect a new leader of the Catholic church. During their deliberations, the only indications of their progress are the regular plumes of smoke wafting from a freshly ...

Corpse flower's rare bloom aids forensic chemistry research

A corpse flower, aptly named Putricia, recently bloomed at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for the first time in 15 years. For forensic scientist Bridget Thurn, it was a unique opportunity to investigate the intersection ...

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Great British Bake Off finalist discusses the parallels between chemistry and baking
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Why doesn't water help with spicy food? What about milk or beer?
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Japan biochemist who discovered statins, Akira Endo, dies
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With the help of catalysts the chemical industry can be revolutionized and create a circular economy, say researchers
Analytical Chemistry
Chemist explores the real-world science of Star Wars
Analytical Chemistry
Many old books contain toxic chemicals—here's how to spot them
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The KATRIN experiment sets new constraints on general neutrino interactions
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Polymer coating extends half life of MXene-based air quality sensor by 200% and enables regeneration
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Polar vortex patterns explain shifting US winter cold despite warming climate
Quantum Physics
Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?
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Graphene-based artificial tongue achieves near-human-like sense of taste
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3I/ATLAS: Scientific paper details what's known about the third-ever interstellar object
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Higgs-boson properties clarified through decay pattern analysis
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Data transfer speeds increase significantly through new optical chip design
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Guests at a feast in Iran's Zagros Mountains 11,000 years ago brought wild boars from all across the land
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Why doesn't water help with spicy food? What about milk or beer?

Spicy foods taste spicy because they contain a family of compounds called capsaicinoids. Capsaicin is the major culprit. It's found in chilies, jalapeños, cayenne pepper, and is even the active ingredient in pepper spray.

Many old books contain toxic chemicals—here's how to spot them

In our modern society, we rarely consider books to be dangerous items. However, certain books contain elements so hazardous that they require scrutiny before being placed on the shelves of public libraries, bookstores or ...