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An Elemental Fascination

Our interactive periodic table showcases 93 element samples from the collection of PopSci contributing editor Theodore Gray, who spent four years assembling and photographing them.

See the interactive Flash verion here or purchase a hard copy.

Sometimes the best things in life are just a big mistake. My writing PopSci's chemistry column the past few years? All based on a complete misunderstanding.

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Gag with a Spoon

With the right mix of metals, you can make an alloy that turns to liquid at any temperature you choose

Element: Indium
Project: Prank spoons
Time: 6 hours
Dabbler | | | | | Master


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Microcrystalline in 30 Seconds

Behold the smooth, sweet powers of liquid N.

Liquid nitrogen is cold. Very cold. So cold that if a drop falls on your hand, it feels like fire. So cold that it can turn a fresh flower into a thousand shards of broken glass. So cold that it can make half a gallon of ice cream in 30 seconds flat.


I first heard about liquid nitrogen ice cream from my friend Tryggvi, an Icelandic chemist working in the Midwest (these things happen). He suggested we make it for dessert at a dinner party I was planning. Yes, he said, he had a recipe, something he'd seen in Chemical and Engineering News.

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PPX: The PopSci Predictions Exchange

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New IPO

  • Android Phone By Fall

    Will the first cellphone equipped with Google's new open-source operating system, Android, go on sale by summer's end?

Hot Stocks

  • Life on Mars

    Will the Phoenix lander find verifiable signs of life on the surface of Mars by January 1, 2009?

  • iPhone Killer Arrives

    Will the HTC Touch Diamond arrive in North America by September 31st?

Ready to bet on the future? Start here!

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