CHEMISTRY

Don't let the name fool you: Urinal cakes are most definitely not meant to be eaten. So what are they, and what do they do?

The chemistry behind the vibrant colors of fireworks is another reason to “ooh” and “aah” at the sky this Fourth of July.

You can use active dry and instant yeast interchangeably in most cases, but they’re not exactly the same.

“I hope this email finds you well during these unprecedented times.” —A spinach plant in your inbox.

A Twinkie was found shriveled-up and hardened after eight years in a basement, and now scientists are searching for the fungus behind the transformation.

Tsar Bomba—the biggest hydrogen bomb ever—detonated in October 1961, and the Soviet Union caught it on tape.

A New York chemist found a way to make dry cleaning safer and faster, so of course he named the process after himself.

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge, the subject of a a new Google doodle, is the German chemist who identified caffeine.

Ancient Romans put it in everything—even their wine.

Silver makes it rain—in more ways than one.

It's deeply concerning to archaeologists and paleontologists who rely on the method.

Way back when, chemistry sets were stocked with poison and blowtorches, all in the name of education.