Summer Mysteries Solved!

Fireworks are exciting to watch. But it’s easy to forget that they are dangerous explosions. Scientists are working to make them safer.

The bright colors of fireworks come from exploding pellets made from different chemicals. For example, red fireworks are usually made from the chemical elements strontium and chlorine. 

But when these two elements are heated together, they produce chemicals linked to diseases. Jesse J. Sabatini is a chemist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. He’s replacing chlorine with safer substances.

Loud bangs from fireworks exploding can also be dangerous. They can scare wildlife or damage people’s hearing. Eric Johnson is an expert on explosives who works with Sabatini. He is making pellets that burn slowly instead of exploding. This would make fireworks quieter.

“Our goal is to make fireworks that are better for the environment without changing how great the show is,” says Johnson.

Just like you, dogs need to beat the heat of summer. They might take a dip in some cool water. But unlike you, dogs can smell pretty bad when they get wet. 

Dogs’ skin produces a waxy substance called sebum. It helps their skin and fur stay moisturized. Your pup’s skin is also covered in tiny organisms like bacteria and yeast. These are normal and healthy. But when bacteria or yeast eat sebum, it makes a stink! When water evaporates from a dog’s fur, the smelly waste hitches a ride on the water vapor, which we breathe into our noses. 

But don’t worry! You can usually get rid of the smell by giving your dog a bath, says William Miller. He’s a veterinarian at Cornell University in New York who studies skin. If a bath doesn’t do the trick, a haircut might. “Dogs with short coats don’t develop a body odor as easily because their skin stays fairly dry,” Miller says.