Featured in gray
Humans Can Only Distinguish Between About 30 Shades Of Gray
Just a random fact we thought you might like to know
Gray Matter
Meet PopSci's resident mad scientist Theodore Gray, master of concoctions and combustions
Spark of Destruction
The plugs inside your car fire a charge hot enough to wear away metal. Here’s how to re-create that process, only bigger
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.
Making Salt the Hard Way
Sodium + chlorine = your favorite popcorn condiment (and lots of smoke and fire!)
Playing With Poison
Mercury used to be lots of fun—before we knew that it could kill you. Here’s how several pounds of it made the first electric motor spin
Ice Capades
Ice is supposed to float, but with a little heavy water, you can make cubes that sink
Stir Up Some Nylon
As one of the first synthetic materials ever made, nylon changed fashion—and the world. Now you can make thread yourself by pulling it from a glass of chemicals
Gray Matter: Nickel Growing in Trees
Electroplating makes bumpers shiny and rustproof. It also makes these beautiful bits of industrial waste