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Science

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science
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video

Chemistry

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

12 minutes

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video

Biotechnology

The two women behind a world-changing scientific discovery

14 minutes

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video

Physics

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

4 minutes

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essay

Quantum 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

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video

Chemistry

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

4 minutes

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video

Biology

Dazzling timelapse shows how microbes spoil our food – and sometimes enrich it

22 minutes

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video

Chemistry

Liquid experiments show how beautiful things can happen when chemicals meet

6 minutes

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video

Ecology and environmental sciences

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

5 minutes

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video

Ecology and environmental sciences

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

4 minutes

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video

Chemistry

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

6 minutes

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video

Chemistry

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

5 minutes

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video

Chemistry

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

6 minutes

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idea

Chemistry

Could mining gold from waste reduce its great cost?

Wendy Lee Queen & Mirko Bischofberger

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video

Evolution

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

5 minutes

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idea

Chemistry

Why synthetic chemicals seem more toxic than natural ones

Niranjana Krishnan

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video

Medicine

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

2 minutes

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idea

Physics

Cheers! How the physics of fizz contributes to human happiness

Roberto Zenit & Javier Rodríguez Rodríguez

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video

Ecology and environmental sciences

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

3 minutes

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idea

Physics

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

Luca Comisso

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video

Chemistry

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

3 minutes

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classic

Biography and memoir

Cerium

Carole Angier

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video

Chemistry

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

3 minutes

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video

Chemistry

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

16 minutes

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video

Chemistry

Dazzling macro photography reveals the marvels of chemicals meeting

7 minutes