In conversation with Mále Uribe, we set out to learn about the processes and ideas that work at the intersection of art, ...

The FDA says it will allow three new color additives made from natural sources to be used in the nation’s food supply.

The research team has identified atacamite as a material with magnetocaloric properties. Natural crystals have long ...

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. But who knew that books could kill?

Archaeology & History Scientists Have Recreated the Long-Lost Formula for Ancient Egyptian Blue Pigment It started out as a “fun” museum project, but it could have high-tech applications.

In a nutshell Ancient Egyptian artisans developed precise, repeatable recipes to create four distinct shades of Egyptian blue, the world’s first synthetic pigment, long before the science of chemistry ...

Azurite needed longer heating to match the same hue. Adding soda (Na₂CO₃) encouraged the formation of a glass phase, often giving the pigment a greenish tint. Microscopic analysis revealed most ...

More information: John S. McCloy et al, Assessment of process variability and color in synthesized and ancient Egyptian blue pigments, npj Heritage Science (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s40494-025-01699-7 ...

Blue tints were from the copper mineral azurite. Stibnite and galena were roasted to give yellow, orange and brown oxides and, for those of pale complexion, the face was dusted with yellowish-brown ...

Ancient Egyptians loved the color blue. The mineral azurite and the semiprecious stones turquoise and lapis lazuli satisfied their fascination to some degree, but were rare and difficult to work with.

Su Yu-Xin, “The Map of Mine and Other Things” (2024), pure copper, chalcopyrite, azurite, pure silver, blue coral (Heliopora coerulea), malachite, gofun, copper oxide, soil, acrylic paint, and ...

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