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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,…

Vanilla is a flavor so common that some people use it as an adjective to describe something plain or ordinary. But watch out! This beloved, flavorful bean may soon become a rarity. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Neuroengineer Nima Mesgarani is using a form of artificial intelligence called neural network models to a develop improved hearing aids. If successful, hearing impaired individuals will be better able to identify and focus on a speaker of…

This animation explains the concept of biomes (major communities of organisms distributed over wide areas) and describes some of the biomes found around the world.

A figure skating performance often begins with a moment of quiet focus to mentally "upload" a routine, consisting of a linked series of complex movements—such as jumps and spins—that must be executed expertly and automatically. This video…

Thanksgiving is a holiday when many people look forward to a tasty home-cooked meal. According to neuroscientist Charles Zuker, not only is that sense of taste in the brain, but it is a matter of life and death. This video takes you on a…

Is there such a thing as love at first scent? Hundreds of spray-on pheromone products claim to put you on the fast track to romance, but can they really help humans land a mate? This video has the answers. [Credit: Reactions/American Chemical…

Thanks to the demands of eco-conscious consumers, biodegradable and compostable plastics are cropping up everywhere. Are these green plastics the solution to our throwaway lifestyle? Well, it’s complicated, as this video explains. Credit:…

It’s a sinister condition that affects millions of people: addiction. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, food, or gambling, addiction can ruin lives. This video takes a look at the chemistry behind addiction. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical…

This video uncovers the chemistry behind the spine-tingling sense of fear. Watch as Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University, highlights key brain chemicals and hormones involved in fear and the…

This video explains how certain neurotransmitters fuel lifelong pair bonds in prairie voles, which—along with humans—are the mammalian kingdom's leading monogamists. In the video, Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at…

What’s that stuff that collects in the corners of your eyes when you sleep? This video explains the chemistry of the film that protects your eyes. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

This animation explains how a compact disk stores recorded information.

Joe DeSimone cofounded a company called Carbon (formerly Carbon3D) to bring chemistry to bear on 3D printing. This video shows how Joe enabled the company to print at unprecedented speeds, and churn out materials that have never been printed…

April 22, 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the first large-scale use of chemical weapons in modern warfare. Some of the best minds in chemistry at that time, including a Nobel Prize winner, used their knowledge of science to build humanity’s…

Online entrepreneurs may try to sell bottled human pheromones, but do these even exist? It's doubtful, according to this video. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Nerve agents have a surprising history, and it’s just as morbid as you might expect. Although they were not invented as chemical weapons, nerve agents such as sarin have been in use since World War I, and unfortunately are still in use…

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…

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…

Your smartphone addiction isn't helping you sleep. In fact, an obscure chemical reaction may be keeping you awake. This video looks at the process that connects your late-night texts to your lack of sleep. [Credit: Reactions/American Chemical…

If you’ve eaten food today that has at least one ingredient that was farmed, you probably owe some thanks to earthworms. How do these lowly invertebrates turn what humans find inedible into beloved compost? Earthworms have an extra enzyme…

Many people have done it, but few admit to it. This video explains why, from an environmental perspective, it is absolutely acceptable to urinate in the ocean. (Correction: At 1:50, the narration and text should read "250 gallons," not…

Neuroscientist Daphna Shohamy has found that teen brains are wired to learn. She thinks that studying teenagers can help us discover how everyone makes decisions based on experiences and memories. Shohamy’s research is showing that learning…

Songbirds have a finite time period in which they must learn to sing. Humans, too, have a limited period to learn to communicate. Neuroscientist Sara Woolley studies the brain science and learning pathways of finches—songbirds who mate for…

If there’s one man in Hollywood who knows the value of chemistry, it’s Michael Bay. He’s taught society that, in the face of a half-baked plot and thin script, big-budget explosions can cause box office success. This video explains the…