The Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha started on Sunday evening and runs through until Thursday. As part of the celebrations, some create impressively intricate art on their hands using henna. Here we take a look at the molecules in henna that allow it to be used as a dye, and how this process works.
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As you might have picked up from previous pregnancy-related posts on the site (here and here), my wife and I have been expecting our first child. During labour and birth, terms like ‘epidural’, ‘gas and air’ and ‘induction of labour’ get thrown around, but what specific drugs do these involve? How do they work? What are the benefits and risks? This graphic and post aim to provide the chemical answers.
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Pregnancy is a rollercoaster of shifting hormone levels which can have numerous effects. This graphic looks at six key hormones during pregnancy, their roles in the development of the baby, and other effects.
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Cone snail toxins can be deadly to humans – but they also have potential uses in anaesthesia and to treat other medical conditions. This latest Chemunicate graphic takes a look at one way scientists are trying to optimise them for this use.
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We spend a lot of time on this site looking at the chemistry that goes on all around us. However, there are also chemical reactions taking place in every one of your cells. This Chemunicate graphic takes a brief look at mitochondria and the reactions that take place inside them that power our bodies.
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Pregnancy has been in the news over the past month, with a royal baby back in October and the usual smattering of celebrity pregnancies. The inspiration for this post, however, originated a little closer to home; let’s just say that, in around 6 months’ time, my wife and I are going to be entering a fun new world of sleep deprivation! Pregnancy brings up a whole host of science and chemistry questions, the first of which is: how do pregnancy tests work?
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