On this episode of Distillations, we tackle Mass Spectrometry – a technology that’s hard to explain and even harder to say. (Go ahead, try it!) First we learn about some of its modern uses – like newborn genetic screening and testing for steroids. Then we dip into the CHF oral history archives to hear a portion…

Before there was Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye the Science Guy, there was the Fairyland of Chemistry – a late-19th century children’s book in which fairies (as the elements) dance around and join hands to make hydrochloric acid and other compounds. On this episode of Distillations we explain how educators used these fairy tale images to…

This episode of Distillations is about the early days of genetic modification. When gene manipulation first became popular in the 1940’s it was seen as a great new fad; a way to speed up evolution. People even grew atomic gardens using radioactive seeds. We interview a Yale PhD student about her research on this. Then,…