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Zombie Apocalypse Survival Chemistry: Death Cologne

I’m really loving the new ‘Reactions‘ series from the American Chemical Society. Those of us involved in the world of science communication are well aware that effective science-storytelling involves a lot of creativity and style.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



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I'm really loving the new 'Reactions' series from the American Chemical Society. Those of us involved in the world of science communication are well aware that effective science-storytelling involves a lot of creativity and style. Some subjects lend themselves toward visual storytelling much more than others. For example, it's fairly easy to come up with awesome visuals to accompany a story on organismal biology, engineering or even several aspects of physics. It's not quite as easy to do this with chemistry.

This is perhaps why I'm so delighted with the Reactions series. Great chemistry stories, excellent visuals and truly entertaining content. One of their latest episodes, entitled 'Zombie Apocalypse Survival Chemistry' details the work of chemist Dr. Ray Burks. Burks has isolated several polyamines that just may save our lives from an up-coming apocalyptic event. I love the way the video entwines the science with a fun byline. Check out the rest of their series for more great chemical content.

Carin Bondar is a biologist, writer and film-maker with a PhD in population ecology from the University of British Columbia. Find Dr. Bondar online at www.carinbondar.com, on twitter @drbondar or on her facebook page: Dr. Carin Bondar – Biologist With a Twist.

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