Meet Elena Timofeeva, who is the Co-founder, COO and Director of R&D at Influit Energy, LLC and Research Associate Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology. She explores nanotechnology and materials to create ways that surfaces can be modified to store electrical charge — making more efficient batteries. In this interview, Elena shares with us her …
When we add cream to coffee or a bath bomb to a tub, we see beautiful swirling colours mingling in the liquids. This is a field of study called fluid dynamics, which is just as enigmatic as it is beautiful. Although it’s easy for us to see the way the way things mingle in the …
Of all the microbes in the world, yeast is one of the most useful for us civilised folks. The fermentation process allows beverages to brew, bread to rise, and our recent studies show that yeast also helps our guts function. 7000 year old vessels have traces of wine and beer, but not sure if it …
Copper sulphate (also spelt copper sulfate) is a common household chemical used for getting rid of algae in ponds and a fungicide for the garden and patio. It’s so much more than that from health to industry, copper sulphate has had a full history and multiple uses. And today a small amount can go from …
In today’s world where all knowledge is accessible at the touch of a button, what happens when you touch the power button of your computer? When you press the power button on your computer, electric current flows through a specific power supply unit called SMPS (switching mode power supply), which converts the alternating current from …
Play-doh is fairly ubiquitous. Where there are toddlers, there is Play-doh or a variant of it. It’s one of the most beloved fidget toys for those with sensory issues, meaning it’s making it’s way into older people’s desks so they have something to manipulate while they think. So, what’s the history behind this beloved toy? …
One of the most striking examples of evolutionary transition in all biology history is the evolution of modern birds. Their group of land vertebrates is the most diverse on Earth, with more than 10,000 extant species worldwide (Brusatte et al. 2015). This evolutionary transition from an animal very much alike Tyrannosaurus rex, date back to …
Pesticides are chemicals generally used in agriculture, in order to prevent diseases, pests, weeds and other kinds of plant pathogens. The final aim of pesticides is to maintain high quality in agricultural production and yield and also improve the external appeal of fruits and vegetables. Despite sometimes not being noticed by the public, there some …
“Nature produces individuals, and nothing more. She produces them in such countless numbers that we are compelled to sort them into kinds in order that we may be able to carry them in our minds. This sorting is classification— taxonomy.” (Bessey 1908) The science of identifying and classifying organisms (taxonomy) is responsible for categorizing the …
Fortunately for us, many medieval-era documents, books, and manuscripts have survived the ten or twelve centuries since the Middle Ages. Not only do these artifacts provide scholars and historians with vital information about life, laws, culture, and society of the Middle Ages, but they provide scientists and chemists with tangible evidence to tell us how …