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Chemistry

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science
AstronomyBiologyBiotechnologyChemistryComplexityComputing and artificial intelligenceCosmologyDeep timeEarth science and climateEcology and environmental sciencesEngineeringEvolutionGeneticsHistory of scienceHuman evolutionHuman reproductionIllness and diseaseMathematicsMedicineOceans and waterPalaeontologyPhysicsQuantum theorySpace exploration
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Two silhouetted figures examining a wall-sized, illuminated display of the periodic table.

essayChemistry

Chemical laws

Often dismissed as the poor cousin of the sciences, chemistry has revealed natural laws that illuminate our Universe

Vanessa A Seifert

Microscopic view of various microorganisms and particles in a blue liquid, showing a large oval-shaped microorganism amidst smaller particles.

videoBiology

An elegy for a dying microbe explores what we really mean by ‘death’

9 minutes

Overhead view of a person walking down a spiral staircase with yellow steps. The staircase creates a swirling visual effect.

videoChemistry

Why do the building blocks of life possess a mysterious symmetry?

12 minutes

Two women in professional attire, one with short blonde hair sitting on the left, the other with dark curly hair and a scarf on the right, both indoors.

videoBiotechnology

The two women behind a world-changing scientific discovery

14 minutes

An intricate paper snowflake cutout against a dark blue background with stylised trees and grass.

videoPhysics

Find the building blocks of nature within a single, humble snowflake

4 minutes

Simulation of particle cloud with a dense yellow centre and three green regions on a black background. Bright blue dot at the very centre.

essayQuantum theory

We are not empty

The concept of the atomic void is one of the most repeated mistakes in popular science. Molecules are packed with stuff

Mario Barbatti

Abstract image with a vibrant pink and purple swirling pattern, featuring a glowing orb in the lower right corner and organic, fluid shapes around it.

videoChemistry

A square inch in a Petri dish becomes a grand stage for chemical transformations

4 minutes

Abstract painting of two trees with intertwining branches in a forest, featuring strokes of green, yellow, and orange on a light background.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

The incredible – and still quite mysterious – way trees trade information via their roots

5 minutes

Close-up photo of a bee pupa inside a hive, displaying intricate details of its developing body and surrounding honeycomb.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

How moth larvae carve out cozy, mobile homes inside Mexican jumping beans

4 minutes

Digital illustration of an orange clock on a black background with two yellow spheres and elliptical orbits, resembling a solar system.

videoChemistry

There was nothing quick about how we arrived at the standardised second

6 minutes

Close-up view of bubbling liquid of a golden brown colour with reflections of light on its surface.

videoChemistry

Dramatic close-ups capture something percolating and exploding – but what is it?

5 minutes

Abstract image with bright swirls and specks of light in pink, purple and black, resembling a cosmic or nebula scene.

videoChemistry

As above, so below – an artist finds the cosmos in a microscopic chemical reaction

6 minutes

Abstract photo of a cloud of brown sand particles against a black background, creating a dynamic and textured wave-like effect.

ideaChemistry

Could mining gold from waste reduce its great cost?

Wendy Lee Queen & Mirko Bischofberger

Silhouette illustration of three monkeys under a tree with a beehive, bees and flowers.

videoEvolution

Evolution is not only about competition: the cellular origins of a very big idea

5 minutes

Black and white photo of a biplane flying above tree tops, leaving contrails in a cloudy sky with partial silhouettes of trees.

ideaChemistry

Why synthetic chemicals seem more toxic than natural ones

Niranjana Krishnan

A petri dish containing a mix of colourful crystals and green liquid forming abstract patterns, viewed from above.

videoMedicine

Watching the hidden world of dissolving meds is its own chill pill

2 minutes

Two champagne glasses filled with bubbly liquid against a background of green and gold bokeh lights.

ideaPhysics

Cheers! How the physics of fizz contributes to human happiness

Roberto Zenit & Javier Rodríguez Rodríguez

Digital rendering of green cellular structures and organelles under a microscope in a fluid environment with a grey clock icon.

videoEcology and environmental sciences

To really get to know the tallest trees in the world, start with their leaves

3 minutes

A solar eclipse showing the Sun’s corona glowing white with hints of red and pink prominences at the edges.

ideaPhysics

Plasma, the mysterious (and powerful) fourth phase of matter

Luca Comisso

Close-up photo of vibrant and multicoloured crystalline structures radiating from the centre, resembling a kaleidoscope pattern.

videoChemistry

The ‘atomic orderliness’ of crystals forming yield resplendent, microscopic landscapes

3 minutes

Close-up of a lighter emitting bright white light and sparks against a dark background.

classicBiography and memoir

Cerium

Carole Angier

A close-up of intricate shiny metallic crystal formations against a dark background. The crystals reflect light dramatically.

videoChemistry

Peek into the chemical nursery where metal crystals are born and bred

3 minutes

A man with dark hair in a black jacket looking over a vast green landscape under a cloudy sky.

videoChemistry

Obsession and electricity: a scientist chases the origins of life in the lab

16 minutes

Close-up of a chemical reaction featuring bright purple and yellow shapes and patterns with a fluid, organic texture.

videoChemistry

Dazzling macro photography reveals the marvels of chemicals meeting

7 minutes