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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…

You may have heard that tossing rice at weddings will harm wild birds. This video explains why that myth is not backed up by science, and proves it with chemistry. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

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…

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, scientists have uncovered a family of chemicals that the poison dart frog uses to defend itself. This video explains how this tiny amphibian uses chemistry to create some of the most powerful toxins in the…

Peanut allergies are some of the most dangerous food allergies in the human population, due to how commonly they are found in the food industry. For the past couple of decades, peanut allergies have been on the rise in the United States. This…

This animation shows how radar (radio detection and ranging) works.

Most cats love catnip, but that’s not why this flowering plant produces its volatile oils. The scent of catnip is actually an application of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" strategy. Find out exactly what that means in this video.…

The scent of freshly cut grass may actually be a chemical cry for help. This video explains how plants communicate, their chemical response to being damaged, and how insects play a role. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society

Food fraud often boils down to politics or semantics. An item labeled as parmesan cheese might not come from Parma, for instance. Sometimes, food producers try to feed us cheap fillers or other false ingredients. In this video, Sophia Cai…

Did you know that seashells are made of basically the same stuff as chalk? So why is chalk crumbly but seashells are durable? This video explains that the secret is in the shells' biochemistry. Credit: Reactions/American Chemical Society