gray

Just a random fact we thought you might like to know

Meet PopSci's resident mad scientist Theodore Gray, master of concoctions and combustions

The plugs inside your car fire a charge hot enough to wear away metal. Here’s how to re-create that process, only bigger

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.

Sodium + chlorine = your favorite popcorn condiment (and lots of smoke and fire!)

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 is supposed to float, but with a little heavy water, you can make cubes that sink

Want to see a real sugar high? Launch a model rocket with Oreo cookies

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

Electroplating makes bumpers shiny and rustproof. It also makes these beautiful bits of industrial waste