Chemistry

This Earth Day, turn your funeral into an ecoburial

Traditional burial practices are ecologically unsustainable, so why not go green in your final act?

A smart ‘second skin’ shape-shifts to block out chemical weapons

The smart fabric made of carbon nanotubes is light, breathable, and can change how first-responders deal with sarin

Produced in partnership with NPR Scicommers

Scientists are searching space for extraterrestrial viruses

Viruses outnumber all other forms of life on Earth and scientists hope to find them elsewhere

Chemists are decoding the fruity scent of lemur stink flirting

New study identifies the molecules of a key lemur scent, but experts hesitate to call them pheromones

Sister Miriam Michael Stimson turned early models of DNA inside out

Not everyone thinks of a Catholic nun when they think “scientist.”

Lise Meitner

Meet Lise Meitner, the physicist who discovered how to split an atom

Her discovery of nuclear fission led the way to nuclear power—and the Cold War

Chris / Flickr

Why don't Americans care about chemicals?

We need chemicals for daily life, but seem to feel 'apocalypse fatigue' around their dangers