chemistry

"Resilient" People Are Actually Just High

Hamilton Nolan · 10/10/13 03:42PM

Some people are noted for having a good deal of resilience—being able to deal with the traumas of life with equanimity and nobility, bouncing back ever stronger after tribulations. Yeah... more like they're a bunch of god damn junkies, according to science.

Taylor Berman · 10/09/13 07:36AM

The 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three American researchers for their computer simulations of “complex chemical systems” like photosynthesis and combustion. Martin Karplus of Harvard, Michael Levitt of Stanford, and Arieh Warshel of USC will share the prize as well as its $1.2 million payout

Are There Atoms of Abraham Lincoln in My Body Right Now?

Hamilton Nolan · 02/27/13 04:00PM

The time has come for "Hey, Science," our relentlessly scientific weekly feature in which we have your most provocative and/ or dumb scientific questions answered by real live scientists (or related experts). No question is too smart for us to tackle, quite unfortunately. This week, scientists ponder the question: Are there atoms of Abe Lincoln in my body right now??

Snowflakes Should Just Get Over Themselves

Hamilton Nolan · 12/29/11 03:03PM

Kid hormones! Chemical knot! Fish legs! Pigeon counting! Fluid dynamics! Elephant toes! Space station! Snowflake pictures! And a calendar reform motion, debated and denied! It's your Thursday Science Watch, where we watch science—unsuccessfully!

They Found the Sea Monster's Lair!

Hamilton Nolan · 10/10/11 04:25PM

Science stars! Kraken lair! Saturn rings! Persistent chemist! Envious mind! Foreign insects! Baltimore telescope! Ancient language! And a serious geological epochal debate! It's your Monday Science Watch, where we watch science—perilously!

Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry Was Bullied by His Chemist Peers

Seth Abramovitch · 10/06/11 02:59AM

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which some refer to as "the Gay Super Bowl of Chemistry," has been awarded to 70-year-old Israeli scientist Daniel Schechtman for his discovery of "quasicrystals." It sounds like something you might buy on QVC, but they are actually metal atoms arranged in such a way as to resemble Islamic mosaics, and they have significantly altered how chemists view solid matter.

New Infinity Math Is So Over Your Head, Just Forget It

Hamilton Nolan · 08/01/11 04:36PM

New math! Fancier chips! Higgs Boson! Humongous fungus! Acid bases! Sea monster! Asteroid pictures! Fecal bleed! And everyone's best friend is dropping in for the summer! It's your Monday Science Watch, where we watch science—not that you would understand!

Is There Anything That Milk Cannot Do?

Hamilton Nolan · 04/04/11 04:15PM

Meteorite robbers! Food dyes! Cow people milk! Formaldehyde life! Monarch butterflies! Lion variations! Breast milk oncology! And bitter autism failure! It's your Monday Science Watch, where we watch science—creamily!