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Unlike its name, Bicycle Day is not a holiday honoring your favorite two-wheeled, environmentally friendly vehicle. This holiday celebrates the day chemist Albert Hofmann first discovered the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide,…

Is gluten good for you, or is gluten bad for you? This video breaks down the chemistry and science behind this controversial food ingredient. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

People have turned to “vaping” with electronic cigarettes as an alternative to puffing on the real thing. But is the vapor they’re inhaling any safer than smoking a cigarette? This video examines what we know, and what we don’t know, about…

An estimated 133 billion pounds of food gets thrown away every year in the United States. Understanding when your food goes bad is important to help reduce waste. Unfortunately, consumers can’t just check the expiration date on the packaging,…

Every medicine we buy has an expiration date printed on it, but does that pill or tablet actually go bad? This video explains the chemistry of drug expiration dates. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, helped prove that lead levels were dangerously high in Flint, Michigan tap water, even when government officials denied the problem. This…

This video explores the chemistry of, and pain response to, pepper spray. Watch for some important tips on what to do if you accidentally spray yourself with this debilitating substance. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

When winter holidays come around, feasts and festivities cause many people to gain weight. But did you know that freezing-cold weather during those winter months can actually help people lose weight? This video talks about fat, and whether or…

This animation explains what a comet is and shows the different graphical distinctions of a comet with respect to its distance from the Sun

This animation describes several ways to make vaccines: with killed or inactivated pathogens, with live attentuated pathogens, with subunits of pathogens, and with recombinant DNA technology.

This video explores the chemistry behind whether using cannabidiol (CBD)—a non-psychoactive compound produced by the marijuana plant—could make you fail a drug test. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Some science-fiction fans have already caught a glimpse of a world with super-powered humans secretly living among us, capable of physical feats far beyond the norm. Now, with the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, are we looking at a future…

Yes, you read that correctly. Comets may have helped seed life on Earth. Far out, right? Sarah Everts of C&EN has the chemical clues that back up this out-of-this-world hypothesis. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Would you like a younger, more perfect-looking you? Young skin is firm and stretchy because of protein fibers, called collagen and elastin, in the tissue beneath the surface. As we age, environmental factors, such as smoking or ultraviolet…

How do astronauts survive the deadly radiation of deep space? NASA is still figuring out how to protect astronauts from cosmic radiation using plastic shielding and magnetic deflectors. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

This video tackles the fad that never dies—low-carbohydrate diets. There's a lot of science that goes with the keto diet and cutting out carbs. Low-carb diets were a thing in the late 1990s and they are still a thing now. But why does this…

You may have seen them in late-night commercials or at your local pharmacy: little pills that claim to cure your cold, help you wake up, or maybe help you lose weight. Vitamin and mineral supplements are everywhere, generating billions of…

What do you do when you have a bad cough? If you reach for the cough syrup, you're not alone. Every year, people spend billions of dollars on cough medicines. But do any of them actually work? This video explains the chemistry behind those…

Homeopathic remedies have been used for nearly 200 years, but science has progressed much over that time. That progress has shown us that the foundations of homeopathy are bunk. Watch this video to find out more about this unscientific…

Chemists have found potential drugs and other useful compounds in some truly bizarre places in nature. Who would have thought that blood from the Komodo dragon could have a secret inside of it that could possibly save your life? This video…

This animation explains how seasons depend on the Earth's orbit and explains how the earth's orbital distance and axial tilt give rise to seasons.

This animation shows how eclipses occur when the Sun's rays are blocked.

Centuries after the discovery of the simple microscope, biomedical engineer Elizabeth Hillman has developed a cutting-edge microscope that can “see” inside the brains of living organisms and create 3D movies that answer fundamental questions…

This video explores what ringworm is, how to avoid contracting the infection, and—if you do—how to get rid of it. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

A bar of chocolate contains hundreds of compounds, many with beneficial properties. This video explores a list of five chemical facts about why chocolate, in moderation, may be good for you. [Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society…

We all want to be healthy, but some food myths can actually get in the way of good nutritional decisions. Some people say that eating frozen vegetables means losing some nutritional value. But are those people right? [Credit:…

With all the hard hits and tough tackles in the sport of football come concerns about safety. In the U.S., every professional player is required to wear a helmet, but the helmets of today are a far cry from the leather creations from decades…

This animation depicts how the solar system formed from a spinning disk of interstellar gas.

When used properly, household cleaners are perfectly safe. If mixed together, however, the chemicals in household cleaners can quickly lead to disaster. This video shows how being wise about chemistry can prevent potential hazards during…

These days, more attention is being paid to the transgender community. A big part of gender transition is hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. This video talks about the chemistry of HRT, and what happens when the body undergoes major shifts…

Each October 16, World Anesthesia Day celebrates the anniversary of the first successful demonstration of surgical anesthesia. Prior to then, surgery was really unpleasant, to put it mildly. Surgeons turned to alcohol, narcotics and even…

One thing everyone on Earth has in common is that we all stink sometimes. Fortunately, we have deodorants and antiperspirants to help us deal with that fact, but chemically speaking, how do these products actually work? This video looks at…

Hand-sanitizer labels may claim they kill 99.99 percent of germs, but does the science back this up? This video takes a closer look at the chemistry of what this goo is made of, and just how effective it really is against viruses and…

More than 25 million people rely on Adderall™ and other similar drugs to help treat narcolepsy, depression and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But how does amphetamine, the active ingredient in Adderall™, work? This video…

This video looks at the the chemistry and science of how chemotherapy and other cancer treatments work on breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Fortunately, the rate at which we are learning about…

Vegetables are full of essential vitamins and minerals, but how should you eat them to get the most nutritious value? Raw? Sauteed? Frozen? The answer is, it depends. Let this video help you navigate the ins and outs of cooking vegetables.…

The cold weather of winter can also mean dry, cracked skin. Many people reach for moisturizers to keep their skin soft, but how do these products actually work? This video has the answers. [Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society…

For people striving to build muscle, protein is essential. While this fact is obvious to many athletes and gym-goers, the biological and chemical processes between drinking a protein shake and getting "swole" may not be so clear. This video…

Thanks to chemistry, the products we use to clean our hair have evolved over decades—even centuries. In this video, "Ms. Beautyphile" Trina Espinoza and Lex Fleming from "Made U Look" help explain the science behind shampooing. Credit:…

You use it every day, hopefully twice, but do you know how toothpaste works? This video talks about what gets your teeth clean. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol™, is one of the most popular pain relievers in the world, selling more than 27 billion doses in 2009 alone (the most recent year for which figures are publicly available). Acetaminophen can…

Whether or not you have anxiety, you've probably heard of Xanax®. This video uncovers the chemistry behind this popular and widely prescribed drug, and answers the question of how Xanax works in the body. Credit: Reactions/American…

Do you have a sweet spot for sweets? The next time you are tempted to stuff your face with candy, ask yourself how much is too much. This video explores how many pieces of candy can kill you if eaten in one sitting. Credit:…

You may have heard of deadly poisons, such as arsenic, cyanide, and even the devilishly hard-to-detect polonium-210. But did you know that even drinking water could kill you? In this video, Deborah Blum, Ph.D., author of “The Poisoner's…

This animation explains how an abnormally folded version of a protein called a prion may cause neurological disease.

Jellyfish seem serene, but the pain that comes from a run-in with their tentacles is anything but tranquil. You may have heard a certain rumor about how to treat a jellyfish sting to make the pain go away, but does that icky old-wives' tale…

Ninety-nine percent of adults who wear contact lenses admit to breaking some cardinal rules: sleeping in them, washing them in water, and so on. Many contact-wearers may brush off these accidents, but improper lens care can have negative—and…

Stanford University’s Zhenan Bao and her research team are developing electronics that could revolutionize wearable devices and prosthetics. In this video, Matt Davenport and Noel Waghorn get a glimpse behind the scenes at Stanford, and learn…

It’s in our tap water, toothpaste, and even in tea. Fluoride has helped reduce cavities in children for decades. Still, more than 70 years after the first American city fluoridated its drinking water, the practice remains controversial. Some…

Swimming pools are full of disinfectant chemicals that keep them free of microorganisms, but what you might not realize is that those same chemicals are interacting with you. This video answers that age-old question that's been pondered in…