Distillations magazine

In the early 20th century, chemists prophesied a future that seemed both surreal and somehow within reach.

A story of horror, deadly medicine, and the Ku Klux Klan.

Studying ancient DNA (aDNA) is a lot like playing Whac-A-Mole: stamp out one problem and another will pop up and take its place.

The technology to scrub noxious gases from car exhausts has existed since the 1950s. Why did the U.S. government wait until the 1970s to mandate its use?

Winter’s coming, so wrap up and discover the history of home insulation.

Nikola Tesla’s career epitomizes the scientist as showman.

A terrifying weapon emerged in World War I: poison gas. In response, armies scrambled to protect their soldiers against these weapons and to treat those injured.

In the 1980s Phil Allegretti found an unusual hobby. His collection of old DDT cans, sprayers, and diffusers tells the story of our contradictory approach to pesticides.

What do ancient Egyptian mummies, early modern medicines, a 19th-century philosopher, and a 21st-century chemist have in common?

Faced with political opposition to his work, the Czech chemist created the first wearable soft contact lens using a set of toys, a hot plate, and a gramophone motor.

For decades science journalists peacefully worked their beat. But trouble came to their ostensibly objective world. How did science writers get caught in the crossfire of the culture wars?

The ancestors of today’s CSI shows can be found between the covers of 20th-century detective stories.

Would we understand our world differently if Charles Darwin had never written On the Origin of Species?

Scientists are known to be dedicated to accuracy. But sometimes, as in the case of Francesco Redi, a sense of humor can lead one astray.

Did alchemists disappear from history, or did they just change their coats?

Following World War II, President Dwight Eisenhower attempted a risky balancing act between war and peace, secrecy and transparency.

More than 350 years ago the very first air pump changed how science was done.

What connects a founder of the Western model of university education to the secrets of women?