Distillations magazine
Distillations articles reveal science’s powerful influence on our lives, past and present.
Weaving Cultures
In exile, Navajo created new designs for their rugs and blankets using the new synthetic dyes.
A First Lady of Chemistry
Mildred Cohn fought prejudice to become a successful Jewish female chemist in an less-than-welcoming world.
Birmingham Toast
Famed British caricaturist James Gillray targets famed scientist Joseph Priestley after the devastating Priestley Riots.
Manufacturing the Weather
With dynamite and cannons, Robert St. George Dyrenforth hoped to end drought in the late 19th century. This vision of weather and climate control seized the imagination of scientists and businessmen.
Science by the Scoop
The science behind a cool, refreshing treat—ice cream.
Silver and Sunlight
In the early 19th century people dreamed of using light to paint permanent images.
Chemical Relations: William and Lawrence Knox, African American Chemists
For brothers William and Lawrence Knox, earning PhDs in chemistry was not enough to overcome discrimination.
Mrs. Chemistry
When Jane Marcet wrote Conversations on Chemistry she had little idea it would introduce Michael Faraday into the world of science.
The Pursuit of Sweet
From lab accident to wonder drug to chemical has-been, saccharin’s history tracks the rise of consumer consciousness, government regulation, and the uncertainties underlying scientific evidence.
Soldier Sulfa
Prontosil Rubrum was the first drug to cure bacterial infections and the first of many sulfa drugs.
The Key to Good Taste
Eighteenth-century author Polycarpe Poncelet finds an unusual connection between music and our sense of taste.
Chemistry at Play
First sold in 1791 to a scientifically literate audience, chemistry sets have since occupied many niches—and now they are making a comeback.
The Man with a Fish on His Back
In the late 19th century cod-liver oil was proclaimed the cure for many ailments. One problem: the oil’s foul taste.
A Colorful Life
Color by numbers—no problem, thanks to Albert H. Munsell, who pioneered methods for color comparison.
Women’s Business: 17th-Century Female Pharmacists
Although many were skilled in making medicinal home remedies, only a few women ran their own apothecaries, competing with males for the right to prescribe medicines.
Bad Air
Malaria and the benefits and pitfalls of government-funded biomedical research.
Salt’s Fat Chance
Are salt alternatives scarier than the substance they are replacing? A brief history of a “terrifying” food.
Artificial Clouds and Inflammable Air: The Science and Spectacle of the First Balloon Flights, 1783
The first balloons, both hot-air and hydrogen powered, drew spectacular crowds and set off a craze—balloonomania!