Cheese is a relatively simple food. It’s made with milk, enzymes – these are proteins that can chop up other proteins – bacterial cultures and salt. Lots of complex chemistry goes into the cheesemaking process[1], which can determine whether the cheese turns out soft and gooey like mozzarella or hard and fragrant like Parmesan.
In...
As a species, humans like to think that we are fully in control of our decisions and behavior. But just below the surface, forces beyond our conscious control influence how we think and behave: our genes.
Since the 1950s[1], scientists have been studying the influences genes have on human health[2]. This has led medical professionals,...
“Core on deck!”
For two months, whenever I heard that cry, I would run up to the deck of the JOIDES Resolution to watch the crew pull up a 30-foot (10-meter) cylindrical tube filled with layered, multicolored rock and sediment drilled from the seafloor beneath our ship....
For many people, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee is the start of a great day. But caffeine can cause headaches and jitters[1] in others. That’s why many people reach for a decaffeinated cup instead.
I’m a chemistry professor[2] who has taught lectures on why chemicals dissolve in some liquids but not in others. The processes of...