Free Articles
Ötzi the Iceman Reveals 5,300-Year-Old Secrets
By Cynthia Washam
A 5,300-year-old iceman was preserved in a glacier. Scientists have used chemistry and DNA analysis to recreate his last moments.
Water: The Invisible Resource
Fresh water resources are under threat from global climate change to increasing salt levels, how can chemists protect our most valuable, yet invisible, resource?
Exploring the World Using Antarctic Ice
Dr. Nelia Dunbar uses geochemistry to study volcanic rock and ash.
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The Frozen Past
By Wynne Parry
How do scientists know what the carbon dioxide level was a millennia ago? And how do they know what Earth’s temperature was before thermometers and written records? Water and carbon dioxide trapped deeply within glacial ice cores tell the story.
Fire & Ice
By Danielle Sedbrook
How do scientists know what Earth was like before humans? Ice cores harvested from the coldest place on Earth, Antarctica, tell the story of Earth’s climate, ancient volcanic eruptions and giant solar flares.
Freshwater Threat: Salt
By Xiaozhi Lim
Fresh water accounts for about 3% of Earth’s water. Upstream droughts pull salty water up riverbeds, turning streams brackish and fouling wells used for drinking water. Widespread desalination, chemically separating the dissolve salts and water, may be needed.
The Colors of Climate Change
By Max Levy
The colors of Earth, as observed from space, tell the complex story of climate change. The pink, green, white, orange and brown come from microorganisms like bacteria and coccoliths as well as ions running in rivers from glacial meltwater.
