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Sir William Ramsay

Humans

Sir William Ramsay added a whole new group to the periodic table

The Scottish chemist William Ramsay discovered helium, argon, xenon, krypton and neon in the space of a few years, adding a new group to the periodic table

Regulars

Helicopter putting out a fire

Environment

Sticky fluid can be sprayed on grassy verges to prevent wildfires

News

Glider in the sky

Physics

Stealth glider made out of special polymer self-destructs in sunlight

News

Plastic in the ocean

Environment

Tiny magnets could help rid the ocean of harmful microplastics

News

Lee Cronin

Chemistry

Chemist Lee Cronin is building an alien to work out why life exists

Regulars

Military jet

Physics

Military-grade jet fuel made cheaply from plant waste instead of coal

News

Earth's magnetic poles probably won't flip within our lifetime

Earth

Earth's magnetic poles probably won't flip within our lifetime

News

desert

Technology

How to suck water from desert air and quench the planet's thirst

Features

Pentacene

Physics

Molecules pictured changing shape as they gain and lose electrons

News

Earth

Earth's helium is running out and it has dire consequences for science

Helium's essential for party balloons, but also for MRI scanners, physics experiments and space rockets. But supplies on Earth are getting dangerously low, warns Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Comment

Question

What is alchemy?

People in Science

Marie Curie

Earth

The north pole is moving and if it flips, life on Earth is in trouble

Features

Question

What is the body made of?