Christine Dell'Amore
@cdellamore.bsky.social
Science journalist and editor, bug lover, world traveler. Co-founder of Newsbrief Award. Author of South Pole (Assouline, 2012). Deputy EiC at Chemical & Engineering News
Sports + science fans, rejoice! @cenmag.bsky.social has a bracket -- for chemistry pictures. Check out our cool new feature. cen.acs.org/education/sc...
Our first-ever Chempics Bracket is here. Vote for your favorite science photo
Only one photo will emerge victorious
cen.acs.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Sports + science fans, rejoice! @cenmag.bsky.social has a bracket -- for chemistry pictures. Check out our cool new feature. cen.acs.org/education/sc...
Help! In the last 24 hours I've been mass followed by hundreds of accounts, most of which I suspect are bots. Has this happened to anyone?
November 17, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Help! In the last 24 hours I've been mass followed by hundreds of accounts, most of which I suspect are bots. Has this happened to anyone?
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
We only saw a light red blush from our neighborhood before it got cloudy last night, but friends in Colorado sent me amazing photos of red and green pillars. There’s another CME on the way, and depending on when it arrives, we might see the #aurora again tonight
It’s pretty exciting that we might see big auroral displays in Maryland tomorrow night! Last fall, I couldn’t believe how purple the sky got… anyway, if you’re interested in how CMEs and solar flares form, check out the story I wrote last month for C&EN! 🌌☀️
cen.acs.org/physical-che...
cen.acs.org/physical-che...
What causes space weather and how does it affect Earth?
The aurora borealis is a spectacle of space weather, but solar flares and coronal mass ejections have far more Earthly impacts
cen.acs.org
November 12, 2025 at 1:17 PM
We only saw a light red blush from our neighborhood before it got cloudy last night, but friends in Colorado sent me amazing photos of red and green pillars. There’s another CME on the way, and depending on when it arrives, we might see the #aurora again tonight
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
The next big breakthroughs in chemistry start here. Explore 10 innovative start-ups in fields including food, agriculture, industrial chemicals, textiles, energy, mining, and drug discovery: cen.acs.org/business/sta...
#10StartUpsToWatch #chemsky 🧪
#10StartUpsToWatch #chemsky 🧪
November 11, 2025 at 11:37 AM
The next big breakthroughs in chemistry start here. Explore 10 innovative start-ups in fields including food, agriculture, industrial chemicals, textiles, energy, mining, and drug discovery: cen.acs.org/business/sta...
#10StartUpsToWatch #chemsky 🧪
#10StartUpsToWatch #chemsky 🧪
As a mom to a 7yo who grins impishly whenever I ask what 6-7 means, I enjoyed this read! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
What Does ‘6-7’ Mean? Maybe Tweens Don’t Want You to Know.
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:19 PM
As a mom to a 7yo who grins impishly whenever I ask what 6-7 means, I enjoyed this read! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
Reading Frankenstein made him want to be a chemist!?! At this year's ACS fall meeting, Victor Olet said this and caught the attention of several of our editors. What a thrill to work with him on this piece about what he's gained by reading the book 25 times cen.acs.org/people/Chemi...
My Chemical Story: How ‘Frankenstein’ made me want to be a scientist
The book is more than a tale of horror; it’s a psychological drama about the drive to develop knowledge and be seen
cen.acs.org
October 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reading Frankenstein made him want to be a chemist!?! At this year's ACS fall meeting, Victor Olet said this and caught the attention of several of our editors. What a thrill to work with him on this piece about what he's gained by reading the book 25 times cen.acs.org/people/Chemi...
No one has ever photographed a will-'o'-the-wisp, and their origins have been shrouded in mystery. Until now! @annieroth.bsky.social has the spooky season tale for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/... #halloween #spookyseason #chemsky
Spooky will-o’-the-wisps finally explained
A newly discovered molecular phenomenon is responsible for the spectral balls of light seen in swamps and cemeteries
cen.acs.org
October 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
No one has ever photographed a will-'o'-the-wisp, and their origins have been shrouded in mystery. Until now! @annieroth.bsky.social has the spooky season tale for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/... #halloween #spookyseason #chemsky
What makes civet coffee so special -- from a chemical perspective? @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social has the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/food/ferment...
This coffee comes from civet poop. What makes it chemically distinct?
Kopi luwak is a specialty coffee that’s fermented in the gut of a civet. It’s also rich in fatty acids
cen.acs.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
What makes civet coffee so special -- from a chemical perspective? @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social has the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/food/ferment...
Here's why we FALL for pumpkin spice every year.
What’s pumpkin spice flavor, and why do we fall for it every autumn? The popular latte and treat seasoning contains no actual pumpkin, but it boasts plenty of food chemistry.
#NationalChemistryWeek #ACS_NCW #SpiceChemistry cen.acs.org/articles/92/...
#NationalChemistryWeek #ACS_NCW #SpiceChemistry cen.acs.org/articles/92/...
What’s pumpkin spice flavor, and why do we fall for it every autumn?
The popular latte and treat seasoning contains no actual pumpkin, but it boasts plenty of food chemistry
cen.acs.org
October 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Here's why we FALL for pumpkin spice every year.
Amen. They have a right to live on this planet just like us.
October 4, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Amen. They have a right to live on this planet just like us.
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
"Ok, these ROCK!... Very easy and delicious fall treat - I will definitely make them again." These pumpkin chocolate chip bars are made for this season.
Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
While most pumpkin cookies skew cakey, these bars are as rich and chewy as the center of a chocolate chip cookie To counteract the added moisture from the pumpkin purée, this recipe has a few tricks up its sleeve: For starters, it completely ditches the eggs Browning the butter does double duty, removing water while also giving the dough a deeper flavor with nutty notes
nyti.ms
October 3, 2025 at 7:06 PM
"Ok, these ROCK!... Very easy and delicious fall treat - I will definitely make them again." These pumpkin chocolate chip bars are made for this season.
Formic acid, the chemical defense for ants in the Formica genus, lends a zesty, citrusy flavor to yogurt made with ants. Would you try it? Liz Langley writes about a traditional Balkan recipe for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/food/ferment...
Why yogurt fermented with live ants is so delicious
Scientists explore a traditional Balkan recipe that uses the insect and its microbiome as fermentation
cen.acs.org
October 3, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Formic acid, the chemical defense for ants in the Formica genus, lends a zesty, citrusy flavor to yogurt made with ants. Would you try it? Liz Langley writes about a traditional Balkan recipe for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/food/ferment...
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
Primatologist Jane Goodall's recent passing left an incredible legacy that transformed our understanding of chimpanzee behavior and intelligence. New insights show that great apes use medicinal plants to treat wounds like humans. cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic... #chemsky 🧪
Chimpanzees use the same plants we do to treat similar illnesses
A new review of recent studies shows the great apes rely on medicinal plants to heal infections, but the plants’ chemistry remains mostly a mystery
cen.acs.org
October 2, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Primatologist Jane Goodall's recent passing left an incredible legacy that transformed our understanding of chimpanzee behavior and intelligence. New insights show that great apes use medicinal plants to treat wounds like humans. cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic... #chemsky 🧪
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site
As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.
www.miamiherald.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
It's the first day of fall!!!! Psyched for my fav season. Unfortunately, the tree colors are dulling across the planet. Marta Zaraska has the story for @enenkay.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/biological-c... #fall #autumnalequinox #firstdayoffall
Leaf peepers in Japan finding duller forests thanks to climate change
In Japan, warming temperatures may hamper an ancient tradition of leaf-peeping
cen.acs.org
September 22, 2025 at 2:16 PM
It's the first day of fall!!!! Psyched for my fav season. Unfortunately, the tree colors are dulling across the planet. Marta Zaraska has the story for @enenkay.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/biological-c... #fall #autumnalequinox #firstdayoffall
7yo at bedtime: “Tell me a story of a toucan hybridizing with a deer.”
Me: “That’s impossible.”
Kid: “It’s an AI story.” 💀
Me: “That’s impossible.”
Kid: “It’s an AI story.” 💀
September 21, 2025 at 2:45 AM
7yo at bedtime: “Tell me a story of a toucan hybridizing with a deer.”
Me: “That’s impossible.”
Kid: “It’s an AI story.” 💀
Me: “That’s impossible.”
Kid: “It’s an AI story.” 💀
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
Jackson Pollock’s famous painting Number 1A, 1948 looms large, both physically and in the history of modern art. But the blue pigment that Pollock used in the painting had been something of a mystery, until now. cen.acs.org/analytical-c... #chemsky 🧪
Mystery solved: Jackson Pollock used manganese blue in famous 1948 painting
Scientists discover and characterize previously unidentified pigment in the artist's palette
cen.acs.org
September 18, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Jackson Pollock’s famous painting Number 1A, 1948 looms large, both physically and in the history of modern art. But the blue pigment that Pollock used in the painting had been something of a mystery, until now. cen.acs.org/analytical-c... #chemsky 🧪
Chagas disease has dominated headlines, but few stories have explained the actual science of how the parasite takes hold -- and why a lack of testing is the real crisis. @elizabethewalsh.bsky.social tells the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/biological-c...
Chagas disease isn’t increasing in the US. Testing just lags behind
Americans in the southern US often go years without knowing they’re infected with ‘kissing bug’ disease
cen.acs.org
September 16, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Chagas disease has dominated headlines, but few stories have explained the actual science of how the parasite takes hold -- and why a lack of testing is the real crisis. @elizabethewalsh.bsky.social tells the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/biological-c...
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
C&EN’s 2025 Trailblazers issue, curated by guest editor Mona Minkara, looks at how chemists with disabilities are solving problems in new ways: cen.acs.org/people/profi...
#DisabledInSTEM #chemsky #phdsky #academicsky #STEM 🧪
#DisabledInSTEM #chemsky #phdsky #academicsky #STEM 🧪
September 15, 2025 at 4:23 PM
C&EN’s 2025 Trailblazers issue, curated by guest editor Mona Minkara, looks at how chemists with disabilities are solving problems in new ways: cen.acs.org/people/profi...
#DisabledInSTEM #chemsky #phdsky #academicsky #STEM 🧪
#DisabledInSTEM #chemsky #phdsky #academicsky #STEM 🧪
Can blood vessels survive the eons? A new study claims to have identified hemoglobin in dinosaur fossils. @timvernimmen.bsky.social has the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/biological-c...
Dinosaur hemoglobin may have been discovered in fossils
A refined type of spectroscopy could advance a long-standing debate about the presence of dinosaur soft tissue
cen.acs.org
September 15, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Can blood vessels survive the eons? A new study claims to have identified hemoglobin in dinosaur fossils. @timvernimmen.bsky.social has the story for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/biological-c...
What's up with today's #GoogleDoodle? @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social has all the juicy deets on DNA for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/articles/103...
Google Doodle features DNA chemistry to mark start of school year
Guanine, a phosphate backbone, and a double helix get the Doodle treatment
cen.acs.org
September 10, 2025 at 9:40 PM
What's up with today's #GoogleDoodle? @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social has all the juicy deets on DNA for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/articles/103...
What a striking and sobering image of metal pollution in Alaska's Kobuk Valley National Park. @fmorningstar.bsky.social writes vividly about the phenomenon for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/...
Thawing permafrost turns Alaska's Salmon River orange
The river's muddy waters contain levels of metals higher than the EPA's safe limits for aquatic life
cen.acs.org
September 10, 2025 at 5:54 PM
What a striking and sobering image of metal pollution in Alaska's Kobuk Valley National Park. @fmorningstar.bsky.social writes vividly about the phenomenon for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/...
Fellow science journalists, can I recruit your brain for 20 seconds? I'm teaching a science journalism course at the Global Scientific Conference in Mumbai, India, in October.
I'm creating a word cloud around the question "How would you summarize your career in science journalism in one word?"
I'm creating a word cloud around the question "How would you summarize your career in science journalism in one word?"
September 10, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Fellow science journalists, can I recruit your brain for 20 seconds? I'm teaching a science journalism course at the Global Scientific Conference in Mumbai, India, in October.
I'm creating a word cloud around the question "How would you summarize your career in science journalism in one word?"
I'm creating a word cloud around the question "How would you summarize your career in science journalism in one word?"
Reposted by Christine Dell'Amore
Flame retardants slow the spread of fires but they can have serious, unintended human health and environmental impacts. Researchers in industry and academia are trying to develop safer chemistries and working on next-generation biobased flame retardants: cen.acs.org/materials/sl...
#chemsky 🧪
#chemsky 🧪
September 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Flame retardants slow the spread of fires but they can have serious, unintended human health and environmental impacts. Researchers in industry and academia are trying to develop safer chemistries and working on next-generation biobased flame retardants: cen.acs.org/materials/sl...
#chemsky 🧪
#chemsky 🧪
What's the best fertilizer? Turns out it's a healthy ecosystem with “just the animals and plants doing their thing.” Super cool finding about how bison boost the nitrogen cycle, by Christine Peterson for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/...
How bison boost the nitrogen cycle—and create healthier plants
The large herbivores stimulate plant growth by cycling carbon and nitrogen in the soils of Yellowstone National Park, showing benefits of free-roaming wildlife
cen.acs.org
August 29, 2025 at 12:47 AM
What's the best fertilizer? Turns out it's a healthy ecosystem with “just the animals and plants doing their thing.” Super cool finding about how bison boost the nitrogen cycle, by Christine Peterson for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/...