With pressure that crushes most underwater rovers, water below freezing, and pitch-black conditions, the deep ocean has scarcely been explored. Only a select few scientists have traveled to the deepest trench in the world’s oceans and little is known about the organisms that dwell there. Approximately 26% of the seafloor has been mapped, leaving the […]
Dark oxygen and metal bricks on the deep seafloor Read More »
Tartrazine, a dye commonly found in Doritos, has the ability to render tissues transparent in living mice. A team of researchers at Stanford University used theoretical physics to study how this dye changes how opaque body tissues interact with light, making them see-through. The components that make up living tissues have different refractive indices, which
All that and a bag of chips Read More »
Alchemy, considered the embryonic stage of modern chemistry, has led to the discoveries of many basic elements like carbon and iron. But the discovery of the so-called philosopher’s stone was a central motivation for the alchemical field. The distillation of a common yet surprising bodily fluid, urine, led to its discovery in the 1600s. Alchemists
From urine to phosphorus: A depiction of the first modern elemental discovery Read More »
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, have persisted in the environment for decades, earning the name “forever chemicals.” These man-made chemicals, found in nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, and grease-resistant packaging, have been manufactured since the 1940s, and have since impaired waters globally. PFAS contain carbon and fluorine bonds, one of the strongest bonds in
Not so forever chemicals: A new treatment for PFAS removal Read More »
The electron exists in a state of superposition: They inhabit multiple states simultaneously. For example, an electron can be in one quantum state as well as a different one. This doesn’t mean that it is in both states at once but that it is in a superposition of both states. It is both and none
You have just gotten back from a long day of work to eat dinner. You pick up your fork, take a generous scoop of food, and are instantly disappointed. Where is the flavor? Where is the satisfying reward of a savory meal? Luckily, the saltshaker on your table is an easy fix. However, this common
What Do You Mean Electric Chopsticks?! Read More »
