Pigments in paint can come from rocks, plants, insects or synthetic sources

The history of iconic pigments used in seven famous paintings

While art paints can be bought by the bucket at any craft store today, pigments throughout history have been difficult to come by. Art historian Kelly Grovier traces the fascinating history of pigments that make up hidden layers in masterpieces from Picasso and Hokusai’s Prussian Blue to Vermeer’s shade of red.

Explore the chemical compounds found in fireworks

Besides the various salts and metals used to produce fireworks colors, shells are also filled with gunpowder and oxidizers to help fuel and accelerate reactions. Chlorates help strengthen colors, while dextrin, a starch, helps hold mixtures together.

The pharmaceutical industry evolved, in part, from the discovery of synthetic dyes

In 1856, a chemist accidentally discovered mauveine, the world’s first synthetic dye, while trying to make quinine to treat malaria. The synthetic dyes that followed helped reveal germs under microscopes, paving the way for modern imaging techniques and breakthrough treatments, such as antibiotics.

What techniques did cave painters use to create their work?

Cave paintings long predate local craft stores and premade paints, so what techniques and tools did cave artists use to create such long-lasting works? This video gallery details how ancient artists inscribed and painted their work on cave walls, specifically the Chauvet cave in France.

The agricultural origins of paintball guns

The paintball field industry—where players compete in pseudo-battle using the (minimally) harmless guns—is worth over $1 billion annually, and it continues to grow. This fun piece breaks down the relatively recent history of the industry by...

When processing light, the brain can perceive colors with no natural wavelength

While some animals are sensitive to many forms of light, humans possess receptors that are sensitive to red, green, and blue wavelengths. These receptors send signals to the brain, which are processed and mixed to produce the array of colors we observe, including magenta, pink, and "supercolors" that lack a corresponding natural wavelength in the visible spectrum.

Tannins contribute to a wine's composition

Tannins are compounds found in many different types of food, including grape skins. When consumed, they produce a noticeable drying effect in the mouth. Because of the difference in production methods, red wines typically have tannins while white wines do not.

See how fireworks are made and learn how metals like magnesium and copper are responsible for different colors.

Minerals, crystals, rocks, and gems explained

Have you ever wondered what differentiates a mineral from a rock or a crystal from a gem? This three-minute video from the American Museum of Natural History elaborates on the unique properties and compositions that separate minerals, rocks,...

Psychedelic compounds: a visual library

However psychedelic experiences manifest, they all begin with the presence of psychoactive compounds. Learn about their various chemical compositions in this structural library of psychedelic compounds. Clicking on an entry will take readers to a new page where they can learn about the chemistry and pharmacology of each compound, as well as the drug's possible applications.

A look at anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, which do not produce oxygen

Rather than using water to produce organic compounds and release oxygen, purple and green sulfur bacteria take up hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and light to produce water, elemental sulfur, and a carbohydrate. Other organisms can take up various molecules and elements, such as iron, which can replenish the electrons in pigments involved in light-dependent reactions.

Natural toxins produced on plants or consumed by animals may cause food poisoning

When humans eat plants with certain natural toxins on them—including a family of toxins called aflatoxins that fungi produce on crops like peanuts and corn— they can become ill with food poisoning. Toxins can still harm humans even if animals or plants appear fine to the human eye. The World Health Organization advises that we should throw away moldy or discolored foods, refrain from eating wild plants or mushrooms that aren’t definitively nonpoisonous, and remember that just because something is “natural” it’s not always safe to eat.

Collagen supplements typically come from animal sources like fish, pigs, or cattle

Eating collagen-rich foods won't lead to more collagen in the body because your digestive system breaks down consumed collagen into amino acids. Instead, eating a healthy diet of proteins and greens helps your body to produce collagen. Collagen supplements derived from animal skin and bones are typically sold in a prebroken-down peptide formulation called hydrolyzed collagen so they can be absorbed through the gut into the bloodstream.

Blood evolved many times over hundreds of millions of years

The earliest evidence of a blood-like substance comes from ancient arthropods, which appear to have had copper-based blood. In the 500 million years since then, some creatures have grown to rely on other variants, such as humanity's iron-based blood.

The ancient uses of asphalt

Asphalt is derived from bitumen, a naturally occurring byproduct of decomposed organic materials. As one of the thickest forms of petroleum, the substance has been in use by humans and their ancestors for at least 40,000 years for various purposes, including as a sealant, an adhesive, decoration, and more. Learn more about this ancient material here.

Tattoos are made by injecting pigments into the skin

Tattoo ink is injected under the skin, which can leave the body open to infections and allergic reactions. While many tattoo artists are licensed professionals who follow sanitary guidelines, that’s not always the case.

Synthetic textiles and tires are the top sources of secondary ocean microplastics

These sources contribute more than 60% of the primary microplastics polluting the oceans, followed by city dust and road markings. City dust is made of pieces of building coatings, synthetic footwear, and other human-made objects that have broken off due to weathering and abrasion.

From the surface, Mars can appear butterscotch, golden brown, and even green

Images from orbiters, landers, and rovers show that Mars has a mix of surface colors resulting from variations in the mineral compositions of different regions. The reddish tint when viewed from Earth comes from kicked up particles of rusted iron.

Poison ivy's characteristic rash is caused by an allergic response to an oily compound in the plant called urushiol

Chinese lacquer tree sap also contains urushiol, yet the sap was widely used as a lacquer in Asian lacquerware for thousands of years. The word "urushiol" is derived from the Japanese word "usushi," which is the word for the lacquer tree.

Rockwell based many of his paintings on staged photographs

Rockwell’s work was often noted for its realism. His paintings' near-photographic precision was no accident. Early in his career, he painted from live models. Later, he’d conceived a scene, staged it, photographed it, and then used the photos as the foundation for his paintings.

Poison ivy's rash-causing compound is found in the plant's roots, stem, and leaves—so coming into contact with any part of the plant can lead to rashes for the 85% of people who are allergic to it.

Blake's 'illuminated manuscripts' blended poetry and painting

Blake's poetry was often accompanied by the author's complementary illustrations. They’re masterful works of art, pieces that were unlike anything else in Blake’s time—or in ours. Thankfully, The William Blake Archive has scanned all of the original manuscripts, allowing you to see the majestic books in their entirety.

Coevolution of pollinators and flowering plants diversified both

The first pollinators were beetles, which consumed pollen before flowering plants existed. Over time, plants evolved to attract more insects and improve the uptake of pollen, while insects adapted their biology to enhance the capture of pollen, such as developing specialized mouthparts.

How Faber-Castell makes pencils

One of the world's oldest industrial companies, Faber-Castell produces over 2 billion pencils a year, among many other staple products. In this quick video, watch the company's well-tried process for manufacturing the essential utensil, from mixing the graphite and clay to milling the wood of the pencils.

Opium is a milky liquid substance extracted from unripe poppy plant seeds

It's been used for ages to reduce pain and induce euphoria, both of which are side effects of the plant's alkaloids—nitrogen-based compounds with pronounced physical effects. Isolating and synthesizing derivatives of these naturally occurring chemicals enabled the invention of morphine, heroin, and other opioids.

Colored paint lines on new tires mark different types in the factory

Each stripe helps warehouse workers and distributors identify tire types at a quick glance. This innovation became important a century ago as manufacturers scaled operations and developed distinct product lines.

Distinguishing between natural and artificial, or induced, radioactivity

Naturally occurring radioactivity comes from radioactive elements underground, cosmic radiation from the sun and other objects in space, and radioactive atoms that make up the molecules we breathe, eat, and drink. Artificial radioactivity is predominantly generated for medical applications and industrial activities.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

The 19th-century painters of the Hudson River School were among the first American romantics, with portraits that displayed the natural beauty of the young country.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Artificial coral reefs have been 3D printed from nontoxic, biodegradable terracotta clay, which coral polyps have used as a foundation for rebuilding marine ecosystems.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

All rainbows are 'raincircles' caused by water droplets separating white sunlight into a spectrum of colors, but Earth's surface blocks the bottom half of the circle from our line of sight.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

Scientists have struggled to pin down Ebola's natural reservoir species for decades, but the available evidence suggests that it's very likely fruit and insect-eating bats found in Africa.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.