Chemistry

A scientist's quest for mysterious sources of underground oxygen may offer clues about the origins of life.

When nature’s rarest color shows up in food, it elicits a range of reactions.

Who put the Marie in "bain-Marie"?

Experts reconstructed the smell of mummified organs—and it’s actually pretty pleasant.

The world’s first two-time Nobel Laureate was a nerd’s nerd who broke the law for knowledge.

Written in a puzzling Latin cipher, it contains his formula for eternal life.

Jørgen Brønlund's diary contained information that wasn't written on the page.

August Strindberg’s failed photography experiment continued to evolve, chemically and beautifully, long after his death.

How did a pigment that Vermeer used in the 1600s wind up on Egyptian art from the 6th century BC?

And scientists in Illinois have recreated it.

The chunks look and smell like rancid dairy, so scientists set out to confirm it.

The science-y magic of tidying up.