methyl alcohol

"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." -Terry Pratchett Whether it comes from without or within, there are few things in this life that captivate our attention better than a brilliant, hot and colorful display. This weekend, have a listen to The Roots with John Legend, as they sing about The Fire. Deep off in the depths of space, although you won't find any stars burning a bright green color, you will find stellar remnants, or star corpses, glowing a brilliant green. Image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage…

A little over a week ago, I wrote a story for Slate called The Chemists' War. It was based on information I'd uncovered for my book, The Poisoner's Handbook, and it detailed a forgotten program of the U.S. government to poison alcohol supplies during the 1920s. The poisoning program was an outgrowth of federal frustration over the failure of Prohibition. Supporters of the 18th Constitutional amendment - which made illegal trade and commerce in potable spirits - had expected it to result in more sober (literally) and upright citizenry. Instead, crime syndicates grew wealthy selling bootleg…