Surprising experiment explores how milk can transform into a solid, plastic-like material through a chemical reaction that changes its structure completely. When heated and combined with the right ...

Plastic feels like a modern industrial material, but this story shows how it can begin with something as ordinary as milk, potatoes, and sugar. What starts as an experiment in making bioplastics ...

That unexpected ingredient is something called a plasticizer: a chemical used to make plastic more flexible and durable. Today, plasticizers—the most common of which are called phthalates—show up ...