Chemistry
Scientists Say: Rocket propellants
Rockets need more than fuel to get where they need to go — they also need oxidizers to burn that fuel. Together, these chemical combos are known as rocket propellants.
Chemistry
More Stories in Chemistry
- Health & Medicine
Science works to demystify hair and help it behave
Research explores new ways to classify hair — from loose curls to tight coils — along with ways to control it and improve its looks and health.
- Plants
Explainer: How a seed grows into a plant
Plants use carbon from the air to make food and build shoots, roots and more. They adapt and respond to their environments in many incredible ways.
- Tech
A Jurassic Park-inspired method can safely store data in DNA
DNA can store all types of data. An amber-like material can now protect its information long-term — or release it on demand for short-term use.
- Chemistry
Predicting and designing protein structures wins a 2024 Nobel Prize
A biochemist and two computer scientists using AI shared the top award in chemistry.
- Science & Society
Let’s learn about the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prizes are the highest honors in science. But the prizes are far from perfect measures of scientific impact.
- Chemistry
Explainer: How cells use chemistry to make the electricity of life
Charged particles, or ions, constantly move in and out of cells. These migrations produce tiny electric currents, which power your brain, heart and more.
- Health & Medicine
Skin appears to be no barrier for some common ‘forever’ chemicals
These PFAS, which have been linked to health problems, show up in many products that we touch every day — including clothes and food packaging.
- Planets
‘Percy,’ NASA’s rover, finds its first hint of ancient life on Mars
The robot examined a Mars rock containing organic compounds and “leopard spots.” On Earth, such spots usually come from microbial life.
- Animals
Metal gives the teeth of Komodo dragons their super strength
Investigating Komodo dragons' ironclad teeth in greater detail could also help solve a dental mystery in dinosaurs.
