Monthly Archives: January 2018

Insulin — On January 11, 1922, insulin was used for the first time on a human patient to treat diabetes. Frederick Banting and Charles Best surgically altered the pancreas of dogs. They tied off parts of the pancreas and allowed them to atrophy. After the pancreatic digestive cells were absorbed, several islet […]

Today in Science History – January 11 – First Use ...

This entry was posted on January 10, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on October 21, 2025)

Carl von Linné, also known as Carl Linnaeus — January 10 marks the passing of Carolus Linnaeus or Carl von Linné. Linnaeus was a Swedish biologist who introduced the taxonomy scheme used for naming plants and animals. Linnaeus’ binomial nomenclature names an animal by two parts: genus and species. Humans become Homo Sapiens, foxes became Vulpis vulpis, and house […]

Today in Science History – January 10 – Carolus Linnaeus

This entry was posted on January 9, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on January 10, 2026)

Colored chalk is easy to make yourself. (Kaboompics // Karolina) — This is cool colored chalk, for sidewalks or anywhere! It washes off with water, too. Time Required: 15 mins plus drying Colored Chalk Materials 1 cup plaster of Paris 1/2 cup cold water powdered tempera paint candy or popsicle molds Here’s How Combine all ingredients, keeping in mind that the amount […]

Easy Homemade Colored Chalk Recipe

This entry was posted on January 9, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on May 16, 2021)

Richard Abegg — January 9 is Richard Abegg’s birthday. Abegg was a German chemist who was one of the early researchers of valence theory. His experiments showed a tendency between the maximum and minimum valence levels of elements differed usually by a value of eight. This relationship became known as Abegg’s rule when […]

Today in Science History – January 9 – Richard Abegg ...

This entry was posted on January 8, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on July 23, 2022)

Natural ammonium nitrate is called niter. It is analogous to saltpeter, which is natural potassium nitrate. (Ben Mills) — Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound used in agriculture and to make pyrotechnics or cold packs or to perform other interesting demonstrations. It’s also used to create controlled explosions in mining and quarrying. It was once mined as a natural mineral in the deserts of Chile, but it is no […]

How to Make Ammonium Nitrate From Household Chemicals

This entry was posted on January 8, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on October 15, 2023)

Melvin Calvin — January 8 marks the passing of Melvin Calvin. Calvin was an American biochemist who discovered what would become referred to as the “Calvin cycle” or carbon fixation in photosynthesis. The Calvin cycle deals with the part of photosynthesis called dark reactions. A more accurate description would be light-independent reactions. These […]

Today in Science History – January 8 – Melvin Calvin ...

This entry was posted on January 7, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on November 18, 2025)

Eilhard Mitscherlich (1794 - 1863) — January 7 is Eilhard Mitscherlich’s birthday. Mitscherlich was a German chemist who introduced the idea of isomorphism. He theorized that chemical substances that crystallize together into a solid will typically have similar chemical formulas. Isomorph compounds can substitute each other when crystallizing and the shape of the crystal will not […]

Today in Science History – January 7 – Eilhard Mitscherlich ...

This entry was posted on January 6, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 16, 2021)

Étienne François Geoffroy — January 6 marks the passing of Étienne François Geoffroy. Geoffroy was the French physician best known for compiling the first chemical affinity tables. Chemists have long known if you mix two substances together, sometimes you get something new. The substances that do form new products are said to share an affinity […]

Today in Science History – January 6 – Étienne François ...

This entry was posted on January 5, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on April 16, 2024)

Harold Urey — January 5 marks the passing of Harold Urey. Urey was an American chemist who was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of deuterium. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen. The most common form of hydrogen has one proton and no neutrons, but deuterium contains a proton […]

Today in Science History – January 5 – Urey and ...

This entry was posted on January 4, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 28, 2025)