Matter and Its Interactions

  1. Animals

    Traces from nuclear-weapons tests offer clues to whale sharks’ ages

    Traces left by nuclear-bomb testing in the 1950s and ‘60s can help researchers learn how old a whale shark is.

    By Maria Temming
  2. Earth

    Did rain put the Kilauea volcano’s lava-making into overdrive?

    Scientists share strongly conflicting opinions about why Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano spewed an overabundance of lava in 2018.

    By Megan Sever
  3. Physics

    Science offers recipes for homemade coronavirus masks

    New studies provide data on what types of mask materials protect best against the virus that causes COVID-19. They also point to the value of a really snug fit.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  4. Tech

    COVID-19 victims could breathe easier with these innovations

    Feared equipment shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted research teams to develop novel technologies to help oxygen-starved lungs.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  5. Chemistry

    Rock Candy Science 2: No such thing as too much sugar

    Making rock candy at home takes a lot more sugar than you might think. Why? This experiment will show you why.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  6. Tech

    Here’s one way to harvest water right out of the air

    Need water but you have no access to rain, lakes or groundwater? Materials known as metal-organic frameworks could be used to slurp that water from the air, new data show.

    By Sid Perkins
  7. Chemistry

    Batteries should not burst into flames

    Because lithium-ion batteries power modern life, they need to store a lot of energy. Now scientists are focusing on making them safer.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  8. Materials Science

    Silk can be molded into strong medical implants

    Freeze-dried and powdered silk has a long shelf life. It also is cheap to ship and can be molded into sturdy medical implants.

    By Sid Perkins
  9. Physics

    Try This: Walking on water with science

    Water striders walk on water. How do they do it? They spread out. This experiment will show you how it works.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  10. Chemistry

    Converting trash to valuable graphene in a flash

    Flash heating of carbon-rich wastes creates graphene, which has many commercial uses.

    By Alison Pearce Stevens
  11. Space

    Black hole mega-burp was truly explosive

    Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a black hole blasted out 100 billion times as much energy as our sun ever will. One word for that: Wow!

    By Christopher Crockett
  12. Chemistry

    Explainer: What the pH scale tells us

    The pH scale tells us how basic or acidic something is. Pure water sits in the middle of the scale, at a pH of seven.

    By Lida Tunesi
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