MS-PS1-1

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

  1. Environment

    Widely used pesticides may threaten Earth’s ozone layer

    Data show a major class of long-used “eco-friendly” copper chemicals unexpectedly react with soil, making gases harmful to Earth’s protective ozone layer.

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  2. Planets

    No, organic molecules alone don’t point to life on Mars

    These carbon-based molecules, found in a meteorite, may reflect merely a mixing of water and minerals on the Red Planet over billions of years.

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  3. Chemistry

    Explainer: What are fats?

    A fat molecule's three long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms repel water, stash energy and keep living things warm — even in the bitter cold.

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  4. Materials Science

    Let’s learn about glass

    Unlike the atoms in other solids, the atoms in glass don’t exist in an orderly crystal structure. They’re more jumbled up, like the atoms inside liquids.

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  5. Chemistry

    Snail slime + gold could boost the power of sunscreens and more

    These two strange ingredients could make skin-care products that are better for both our skin and the environment.

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  6. Chemistry

    Explainer: What is a metal?

    Metals can bend and pull without snapping, and conduct electricity. The reason: Their atoms tend to lose electrons to neighboring atoms.

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  7. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Silicon

    The chemical element silicon is used to make everything from bricks to cookware to electronics.

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  8. Environment

    A new way to make plastics could keep them from littering the seas

    Borrowing from genetics, scientists are creating plastics that will degrade. They can even choose how quickly these materials break down.

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  9. Microbes

    Genes point to how some bacteria can gobble up electricity

    A new study shows how some microbes absorb and release electrons — a trait that may point to new fuels or ways to store energy.

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  10. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Electron

    Electrons are negatively charged particles. They are attracted to the positively charged particles in the center, or nucleus, of an atom.

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  11. Chemistry

    Chemists win Nobel Prize for faster, cleaner way of making molecules

    Both scientists independently came up with new process — asymmetric organocatalysis. That name may be a mouthful, but it’s not that hard to understand.

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  12. Tech

    Synthetic trees could tap underground water in arid areas

    They also could also help coastal residents mine fresh water from salty sources.

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