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The history of photography is rich with chemical innovations and insights, producing hundreds of different processes to develop images in unique and often beautiful ways. But these historical images can be difficult to conserve, especially since each type of photograph requires a different preservation technique. While two photos could look very similar, they may differ chemically in dramatic ways. This is where photo conservation scientists like Art Kaplan at the Getty Conservation Institute come into the picture. Art spends his days studying different styles of photographs, their materials and the chemistry that gave life to still life in the early days of photography. His office is loaded with drawers of photographic samples, scientific instruments and a clear passion for frozen history. In our latest video, Art explains the developmental processes of several types of photographs including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes.

Imagine a submarine. Now shrink that down to one-tenth the size of a human hair. It's not science fiction. Scientists recently made these tiny "microsubmarines" a reality. According to the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano, scientists have created the first ever self-propelled "microsubmarines" able to pick up and transport droplets of oil from contaminated waters. These tiny machines could play an important role in cleaning up oil spills, like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico.

A TV screen as thin and flexible as paper. A cook's pot that flashes a warning if it detects E. coli. Possible treatments for damaged spinal cords. It's not science fiction -- these are all possible applications of a material known as graphene. This so-called "wonder material" is 100 times stronger than steel but thinner than any known solid. And since graphene also conducts electricity as well as copper, it could lead to flexible cell phone touchscreens and transparent, inexpensive solar cells and other devices closer to reality.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of National Chemistry Week, we visited the Maryland Nanocenter at the University of Maryland (UMD) to check out the latest research in nanotechnology -- this year's theme for NCW. Three UMD researchers explain how their work in the nano-scale could lead to better fuel cells, solar cells, cancer treatments and super strong materials made from carbon nanotubes. It's a first hand look at the exciting applications of nanotechnology available today, and those that are just around the corner.

Listen up all you ravers out there! Chemiluminescence is at the heart of how glow sticks (as well as fireflies) give off their otherworldly light. When scientists first tried to make their own glowing material in the 1960s, they realized they needed two components. The first is a molecule that lights up when excited, and the second is an energy source to excite the first molecule. But that's not all the chemistry involved - every unique glow stick color requires a different glowing molecule. Our latest episode breaks down the chemistry behind everybody's favorite party favor, the glow stick.

Hundreds of students from 72 countries gathered at the University of Maryland to participate in the 44th International Chemistry Olympiad. We spoke with several students about their experiences at the Olympiad.

Curiosity is basically an entire chemistry lab packed into a one mobile unit, equipped with the tools necessary to test the chemical composition of soil. Test results from these instruments will pave the way for future Mars missions, and may provide insight in the search for life on other planets.

Hundreds of students from 72 countries gathered at the University of Maryland to participate in the 44th International Chemistry Olympiad. We spoke with several students about their experiences at the Olympiad.

In our last episode, we learned that tanning can potentially lead to skin cancer or premature aging, so maybe you're weighing your other options. How about some of that tan-in-a-can that gives you all the bronzed results without the UV exposure? The secret of sunless tanner can be found in the active ingredient, a natural three-carbon sugar called dihydroxyacetone, or DHA. DHA's pigment altering effects were discovered in the mid 1950's by researcher Eva Wittgenstein. The browning is caused by the so-called Maillard reaction.

Episode 26 – Fighting global warming — at the dinner table

The first day of summer is June 20th! To celebrate, we're kicking off a trio of summer-themed episodes with a video that explains the chemistry of sunscreen. Whether you have dark or light skin, the truth is that sun exposure can lead to sunburn, premature aging, and skin cancer. Fortunately, using sunscreen properly can help protect your skin all summer long.

Our latest episode explores materials that mimic the human skin's ability to heal scratches and cuts. For a first-hand look at self-healing plastics, we visited the lab of Nancy Sottos, Ph.D., professor of engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Inspired by human skin, the plastics repair themselves by "bleeding" healing agents when they are cut or scratched. This research offers the promise of cell phones, laptops, cars, and other products with self-repairing, longer-lasting surfaces.

Synthetic vocal cords may someday heal the voices of singers like Julie Andrews -- whose legendary voice was permanently damaged in a 1997 operation. Filmed in the lab of 2012 ACS Priestley Medalist and MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer, our latest video explains how artificial polymer vocal cords may help repair damaged vocal tissue.

In the past decade, our cell phones have evolved into multi-functional, always online digital assistants and gaming devices. Nate Lewis, Professor of Chemistry at Caltech, is working on technology that may turn your next smartphone into a bomb-sniffing, disease-diagnosing "electronic nose."

Just in time for Earth Day, check out our latest video that reveals the journey recyclable materials take beyond those blue curbside bins. Take a tour of a typical recycling center to see out how these facilities sort the mountains of recyclables they receive everyday.