NASA scientists have found that human cells exposed to near-infrared light from light emitting diodes (LEDs) grow 150 to 200 percent faster than cells not stimulated by the light. Researchers ... Read More

Do you know the answer? It has as much to do with chemistry as biology. I've included other factoids about eye color, including some that may surprise you.Why Babies Have ... Read More

To date, over 1500 terracotta soldiers have been excavated from part of the mausoleum of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shihuangdi. However, the pigment used to color the soldiers starts ... Read More

Sorry, I couldn't resist! Today's interesting new blurb comes from Nevada where KRNV Channel 4 in Reno reports on the (ongoing) dispute over the safety of the proposed Yucca Mountain ... Read More

Here's a look at a few of the past week's most popular search terms at About Chemistry: Hair Coloring Chemistry Alkali Metals Chemistry Sets Candy Triboluminescence Science Fair Ideas

You can make a real difference with your science fair project! Ali Botet's science fair project has lead to the voluntary recall of thousands of toy necklaces found to contain ... Read More

Today's Tip: The box in the upper lefthand corner of every page on the About Chemistry site is called Essentials. Did you know there's more to the Essentials box than ... Read More

The Body Farm is making news again. The article at Newsday.com tells about the chemistry of human putrefaction. Did you know: For bodies that have been dead longer than 3 ... Read More

Have you done your holiday shopping? I haven't even started! The hardest part (aside from the actual shopping) is coming up with age-appropriate gift ideas. Fortunately, there are science toys ... Read More

According to an article at MSNBC, hormonal contraceptives for men may soon be a reality. The contraceptive could be used in the same ways as female hormonal contraceptives, such as ... Read More

New! This hangman game makes a great quiz to make sure you know how to spell the names of the amino acids and to reinforce your knowledge of whether they ... Read More

Australian researchers are using tiny particles of iron to clean up pollution. The billionth of a meter particles of pure iron are highly reactive, meaning they will readily combine with ... Read More

Here's look at some of the most popular search terms at About Chemistry this past week. Trends in the Periodic Table Non-Metals Polyatomic Ions Functional Groups Xanthophyll

The Toronto Star has an excellent article about falling in (and out) of love, examined from the perspective of neurochemistry. Did you know that raw lust is characterized by high ... Read More

Of course, these aren't just any fish. These are manmade 'fish', designed by father and son team Robert and Daniel O'Brien of the Victoria, B.C., company, Flexible Solutions. The fish ... Read More

I recently wrote up a list of Materials That Glow Under Black Light. Since that time, I've experimented with a black light myself. What did I learn? For one, I've ... Read More

Do you play scrabble? If so, today's FoxTrot comic may amuse you. My husband (who always beats me at the game) was quick to point out that Jason mis-spelled his ... Read More

The sun and tanning beds can harm your skin... are chemical tanning products safer? This article discusses bronzers, self-tanning lotions and sprays, tanning accelerators, and pills. Learn how these products ... Read More

Confused about how to convert between atmospheres, pascals, and millimeters of mercury? This worked chemistry problem may helpful to you.Conversion Factors|Worked Problem Index

My first impulse upon reading this article was to say, 'well, duh!'. After all, most pesticides work by disrupting the biochemical reactions of aerobic cellular respiration... which takes place in ... Read More

Winter is on its way in the Northern Hemisphere, with folks closing up their houses and turning on heaters. These conditions can lead to higher concentrations of carbon monoxide in ... Read More

Find out why everyone wants to take a nap after Thanksgiving Day dinner. Let's talk turkey and learn about L-tryptophan and carbohydrate metabolism.Thanksgiving Chemistry|Chemistry for Holidays

Halloween may be in the past, but that hasn't slowed down the internal searches on the Chemistry site for the fake blood how-to. Here's a look at some of the ... Read More

I've added structures for several chemicals that have strange names or acronyms to the Chemical Structures index. Now you can take a look at DEAD, DAMN, warfarin, diurea, dUMP, BARF, ... Read More

Do you have a sweet tooth? Perhaps you prefer savory (umami) snacks? There's been dispute about whether taste preferences are cultural or inherited, but the recent identification of the sweet ... Read More

Here's a look at some of this past week's most popular search terms. You may have noticed that using the Search box gives you a set of sponsored links before ... Read More

Earlier this week, I mentioned that certain PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether) flame retardants have been found to accumulate in human tissues, with serious health implications. At that time, I mentioned ... Read More