The words "chemistry" and "easy" rarely go together. But, this rule is (more or less) broken when it comes to understanding the chemistry of explosives. Almost all of them have two things in common: lots of gas, and very little carbon.

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Activist scientists have been forced to retract two papers claiming they showed higher pollution near natural gas wells.

There are not many chemistry labs that begin their experiments by first baking fresh bread. Yet, that is exactly what a lab in China does in its pursuit of cheap and effective carbon foam. This porous, light-weight material could be useful in aerospace engineering or as a building insulator.

Antiretroviral drugs have had a profound effect on AIDS, however, long-term toxicity of the drugs can be a problem. Fortunately, efforts to discover different classes of AIDS drugs have been successful. The different classes are possible because of knowledge about the life cycle of HIV. Here is a simplified explanation of how this works.

The intent of the Senate is noble but nationally uniform bad policy does not suddenly become good policy. And this is bad policy, because it promotes the notion that this food process might be a concern.

What's responsible for the sharp decline in smoking prevalence? The 13 percent smoking rate among 18-to-24-year olds last year is almost half as it was a decade ago. And the inescapable fact is that e-cigarettes, used by, among others, 2.5 million former smokers, are not impeding the dramatic, welcome decline in cigarette smoking.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its most recent data on the deadliest jobs in America. As usual, the "farming, fishing, and forestry" occupation group was the worst. But what's alarming is that the top three occupation groups with the highest suicide rates are also ranked within the top four deadliest occupation groups.

The idea that babies in the womb can react to music has been around for some time, but it certainly shouldn't involve inserting a stereo into your, ahem, lady parts. That said, meet BabyPod: a small, vaginal device that lets your unborn baby rock out to Nirvana in the womb. Really? Please.