Chemistry – Athens Science Observer

Degradable Polymers: Plastics our Future Can Depend On

athenssciencecafe — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 16:57:35 +0000

Consumer plastics is an immense industry, with over 200 million tons produced annually. Of these plastics, 22-43% end up in a landfill, where they sit, inert, slowly breaking down into small particles that enter the environment and interfere in the life cycles of many animals, especially aquatic creatures like fish and zooplankton. This negatively impacts […]

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Addition of 4 New Elements to the Periodic Table

athenssciencecafe — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 23:00:00 +0000

by Stephanie M. Halmo Scientists from across the globe have discovered four new elements, filling in row seven on the periodic table. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry confirms the synthesis of these elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118. The four new elements are not found in nature. Researchers synthesized […]

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UV Defender: The Protective Power of Sunscreen

athenssciencecafe — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 14:57:17 +0000

It’s a familiar scene from childhood: you rush outside your house in the summer, or you bravely singe your feet walking across hot sand at the beach, and as you run off, your mother calls you back. She needs to put sunscreen on you. She pulls out a brightly colored tube whose back is covered […]

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