Dr Mark Lorch
Recent articles by Dr Mark Lorch

What colour metal would a gold and silver mix be?

Electrumfinger - Bond villain on a budget.
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Is fire a solid, liquid or gas?

Most flames are made of hot gas, but some burn so hot they become plasma.
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Does stainless steel remove the smell of garlic from hands?

If you use lots of garlic in your cooking, it might be worth keeping a steel bar of soap in your kitchen.
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Why is gold yellow?

Some unexpected physics is responsible for this precious metal’s familiar gleam.
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Can photosynthesis be recreated in the lab?

After more than a century of research, scientists are still trying to tap the power of plants.
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How is helium turned into a liquid and a superfluid?

Helium makes your voice go squeaky and keeps your balloons floaty, but how can it be made even cooler?
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How does ‘glow in the dark’ work?

Important knowledge for your next rave.
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What is emulsion paint?

Emulsion paints are made up of a variety of chemicals including pigments, a solvent and binders.
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Why are some plastics recyclable and others are not?

Do you recycle your plastic packaging? Some plastics can take up to 1000 years to decompose...
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Why are fats solid at room temperature but oils liquid?

Solids, liquids... gas? It is all a bit of a conundrum!
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Do all substances have three states of matter?

There are three common states of matter on Earth; solids, liquids and gases.
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Why does thunderstorm rain contain more nitrogen than ordinary rain?

Rain, rain, go away, spare your nitrogen for another day.
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What happens at absolute zero?

Brrrr, absolute zero is considered the lowest temperature possible.
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Why are gases invisible?

There are few gases that humans can see.
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Why is water so strange?

Water’s strange properties are all down to its molecular charges
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How do we know when a rock is from space?

Get your magnets out folks and start scavenging for meteorites.
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How do chemical reactions occur in the cold of space?

More haste and less speed can sometimes be required for intergalactic reactions.
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Will we discover any more elements?

There are 118 elements on the periodic table and we've finally completed the seventh row, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of the new elements.
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What’s in the MMR vaccine?

To make a vaccine just add water, a dash of virus and some ingredients to help keep it alive.
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