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Pond scum is usually just a nuisance, but under certain environmental conditions, blue-green algae (which are actually bacteria) can blossom into harmful algal blooms. These blooms can release all sorts of deadly poisons into the environment.…

Why do wasps become more aggressive after you kill a hive member? The answer is the same reason as why you should be wary of bees that smell like bananas. This short video uses chemistry to explain that statement. Credit:…

Whether it's rock, hip-hop, classical, or deep house, everyone has a favorite kind of music. But why do we love to throw on the headphones and get lost in the beat? It turns out that chemistry plays a big role in our favorite tunes. Watch…

Dogs—they can be our best four-legged friends, and they’re the stars of many Internet videos. This video investigates the chemistry behind a dog’s amazing sense of smell, and why wet dogs stink. And have you ever noticed that dog food smells…

You’re sitting in your favorite restaurant when a waiter walks by with a hot plate of your favorite food, and your mouth starts to water. Why? What causes drooling in the first place, and why do we only sometimes salivate? This video explains…

The mind-bending pain of a bare foot pressing down on a LEGO® brick is one of the worst known to humanity. How does something so innocent-looking create such an intense feeling? This video discusses nociception, and the chemistry of how these…

It’s supposed to help keep our bodies healthy in stressful situations, but the constant stress of our everyday lives means we’re getting overexposed to cortisol. In this video, Raychelle Burks, Ph.D. explains why too much cortisol is bad for…