by Bob Hamers Millions of people across the US recently got their first view of the Aurora Borealis, or “Northern Lights”, as the night sky turned a rainbow of unusual colors. When I mentioned the …
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Happy Valentine’s Day from our amazing universe!
by Bob Hamers Today’s blog post is a Valentine’s Day message from our universe, sent 7500 years ago from an address 44,000,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s 44 quadrillion, or 4.4×1019) miles away.
The Chemistry of Color Tests
by Stephanie Mitchelledited by Paige Jarreau Autumn is here, which means summer colors are beginning to fade and many leaves are starting to change from green to red and yellow. Although it’s all around us, …
Can nanotechnology help make a better COVID-19 test?
by Nikki Hoangedited by Stephanie Mitchell Did you know that scientists have used nanotechnology to develop a test for the MERS coronavirus? The results of the test can be seen by the naked eye within …
What gives gold nanoparticles their color?
by Meng Wu edited by Natalie Hudson-Smith In a previous post, Can gold melt at room temperature? Melting temperature depression!, we talked about how the color of gold changes from shiny yellow to dark red …
Nanostructures in chameleons, damselflies, and peacocks (oh my!)
by Jenny Orbeckedit by Emily Caudill My favorite rain jacket is bright blue. So bright, in fact, that my first semester chemistry professor was able to point it out in a class of 300 people …
Chemistry and Art in the Mountains of Morocco
by Christy Haynes Last month, I went on a dream trip – a 9-day tour through Morocco. Morocco is a beautiful country at the cultural crossroads of Africa and the Middle East, with a touch …
How does nanoscale chemistry make fireflies glow brightly?
by Laura Satterfieldedited by Arielle Mensch The United States celebrated Independence Day last week, and most people in the US probably managed to see some fireworks. Besides the fireworks, one of my favorite things this …
Bringing the Year in with a Bang!
by Natalie Hudson-Smith edited by Alicia McGeachy The first time I used a hand-held sparkler was just a year ago. As I watched small sparks fly off of it and waved it to leave different …
Using Nanoparticles in Glazes
by Nikita Rozanov edited by Joe Buchman Did you know that when you walk through an art museum, there is a good chance that you will come across nanoparticles? Long before nanoparticles began finding applications …