Ötzi the Iceman—our favorite Copper Age corpsicle—is the gift that keeps on giving. A recent analysis of the metal found in the Neolithic hunter’s copper axe suggests a point of origin in Southern Tuscany, which is far from where Ötzi’s frozen body was found. This suggests a long-distance trade route might have…
A square-shaped copper mask pulled from a tomb in the southern Andes is resetting our notions of where and when sophisticated metallurgy first appeared in pre-Hispanic South America.
There’s a moment in this video after the molten copper is poured on top of the raw steak and after there’s been a little time for the copper to cool down and after the steak has cooked a little bit that it looks like the metal has completely engulfed the steak and casted a metal sculpture of meat. Since the steak is…
It’s basically the war of the worlds. Heaven and hell smashing themselves together. A song of ice and fire. It’s molten copper vs antifreeze engine coolant. That hot golden orange glow being poured onto the radioactive slimy green antifreeze. What happens? A lot! The antifreeze starts shooting out bolts as the burn…
Turns out, the hard shell of a coconut is really, really good at trapping the heat of the molten copper! Because once you fill up the little brown ball with the molten copper, it stays hot forever and brings everything to a boil. What do you get left with once it all cools down? This donut shaped lug of copper.
When you check into a hospital your risk of infection rises, and research suggests a major source for these infections are the safety railings on hospital beds. Researchers in Santiago Chile think they have a solution: Replace the usual bedrails with copper ones, which have anti-microbial properties.
Of all the ways humans have altered the Earth, mining must be one of the most awesome—just for the sheer ratio of Earth excavated to metals and gems recovered. Still, it's hard to visualize just how much a single mine has netted in numbers, which is why For What It's Worth is so interesting.
A few weeks ago, we looked at a photo essay on Mir Mine, a nearly mile-wide mine in Eastern Siberia that's one of the largest man-made holes on Earth's surface. It made us wonder: Where the largest hole ever made by humans? As it turns out, it's right here in the United States.
Now that we're closing in on Christmas, it might be time to do some arts and crafts. Leave the popcorn stringing to other people and pull out copper wire and some nice silver nitrate, so you can make a sparkling silver crystal Christmas tree.
We've heard about plenty of promising electronic applications for miracle material graphene from headphones, to super-fast transistors, to crazy camera sensors, and even solar-powered paint. But now scientists have found a way to leverage its raw strength, by using it to make metal up to 500 times stronger.
Lithium may store the power that drives out modern mobile world but it's copper that delivers it. This malleable metal is a vital component in modern homes, electronics, and agriculture. But our reliance on copper comes at a steep price, both economically and environmentally.
In a warehouse at the Oregon State Hospital (originally called the Oregon State Insane Asylum) contains an unusual library, one comprised not of books, but of copper canisters of unclaimed human remains. Photographer David Maisel has photographed what is left of the deteriorating portions of the asylum, as well as the…
It always pleases me when I find science projects that I haven't done yet. This one, which allows people to use a couple of kitchen ingredients and a few pennies to make copper plating, seems especially promising. Just a little vinegar and you can feel like an old-fashioned alchemist.
With a little work, you can make a penny glow - but only if it was minted before 1982. What was the big change in 1982 that ruined the trick forever? The answer will make you want to hoard your pre-Reagan Era pennies now, because this glowing penny trick is awesome.
Punxsutawney Phil has deigned us worthy of an early thaw so there's no use procrastinating on your spring cleaning—even if your kitchen is dirtier than a roadside truck stop Blimpie's. Here's how to make your kitchen sparkle using supplies that're already there (or at least should be).
Ideally, my desk would be a clean space—populated by only my MacBook Air and nothing else. But this little retro-futuristic copper lamp with en suite power outlet might be the beautiful exception.
After seeing all the copper furniture makers cooked up at the New York and Milan furniture design shows, it became apparent that a new copper age is beginning in contemporary design objects. Why now?
If you've ever visited Old Faithful and the other geysers at Yellowstone National Park, you've likely come away with two reactions. First, it's one of the most captivating sights in all of nature. Second, the place stinks like rotting eggs.
Welcome to Shijiao. It's a bustling town in China that just so happens to be the unofficial capital of dead and unwanted Christmas lights. According to The Atlantic, 20 million pounds of old Christmas lights make it through Shijao every year. What the heck for?
