Michelle Francl
@michellefrancl.bsky.social
Latest book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea https://books.rsc.org/books/monograph/2162/SteepedThe-Chemistry-of-Tea
Professor of Chemistry, Bryn Mawr College & Adjunct Scholar, Vatican Observatory.
Professor of Chemistry, Bryn Mawr College & Adjunct Scholar, Vatican Observatory.
Somehow I don't think the blessing gets attached to individual molecules?
so the deacon just called me and he said that if someone came to him with holy water specifically that he would not bless it but naturally occurring D2O that is in regular water would get blessed by virtue of being in the H2O
do you think i could get a catholic priest to turn heavy water into heavy holy water
February 8, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Somehow I don't think the blessing gets attached to individual molecules?
TIL about Ostwald, his Nobel, and constructed languages - and his fight with van 't Hoff over the language his Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie should use for abstracts. Spoiler, it wasn't German. Also lots of chemists with skin in this game in the early 20th century. Who knew? #chemSky
February 5, 2026 at 2:33 PM
TIL about Ostwald, his Nobel, and constructed languages - and his fight with van 't Hoff over the language his Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie should use for abstracts. Spoiler, it wasn't German. Also lots of chemists with skin in this game in the early 20th century. Who knew? #chemSky
A decade ago I wrote about the improbably named (and decidedly odd) Lancelot Hogben in a Thesis column for @natchem.nature.com (here: rdcu.be/e1YS8). And he just showed up in a literature search for my next column?!? #ChemSky
Neolexia
Nature Chemistry - Michelle Francl thinks that new science words should have a touch of swagger and a whiff of mystery.
rdcu.be
February 2, 2026 at 8:16 PM
A decade ago I wrote about the improbably named (and decidedly odd) Lancelot Hogben in a Thesis column for @natchem.nature.com (here: rdcu.be/e1YS8). And he just showed up in a literature search for my next column?!? #ChemSky
Wandering down the rabbit hole of journals published in constructed languages, are there chemistry articles in Esperanto? Klingon? #chemSky
February 2, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Wandering down the rabbit hole of journals published in constructed languages, are there chemistry articles in Esperanto? Klingon? #chemSky
Adding to my weekend podcast playlist!
I was on the Georgia Tech Research Library's Rock'n'Roll Radio Show "Lost in the Stacks" today. Tune in for Open Science and topical music! lostinthestacks.libsyn.com/episode-671-...
Lost in the Stacks: the Research Library Rock'n'Roll Radio Show: Episode 671: Being an Open Science Champion
Guest: Dr Lynn Kamerlin, GT professor in the school of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and head of the Kamerlin Lab. First broadcast January 30 2026. "I called you a champion. That's apt, right?"
lostinthestacks.libsyn.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Adding to my weekend podcast playlist!
And the NYT doesn’t note Trump’s reaction? In a phone interview Tues pm w/ABC’s Rachel Scott, Trump accused Omar of staging the attack.
"I don't think about her. I think she's a fraud," Trump said. "She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
"I don't think about her. I think she's a fraud," Trump said. "She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
Representative Ilhan Omar Is Attacked at Town Hall in Minneapolis
www.nytimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:36 PM
And the NYT doesn’t note Trump’s reaction? In a phone interview Tues pm w/ABC’s Rachel Scott, Trump accused Omar of staging the attack.
"I don't think about her. I think she's a fraud," Trump said. "She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
"I don't think about her. I think she's a fraud," Trump said. "She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
If you develop software for research, consider responding to this survey trying to help understand who develops research software and how they work so as to get more robust support: softwaresaved.limequery.com/611257?lang=en #chemSky
2026 International RSE Survey
softwaresaved.limequery.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:14 PM
If you develop software for research, consider responding to this survey trying to help understand who develops research software and how they work so as to get more robust support: softwaresaved.limequery.com/611257?lang=en #chemSky
Will tea be next? It’s a big source of dietary fluoride.
In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into Colgate-Palmolive’s and Procter & Gamble’s fluoride toothpastes, calling their marketing “misleading, deceptive and dangerous” to parents and children.
By @annaleighclark.bsky.social
By @annaleighclark.bsky.social
After Sowing Distrust in Fluoridated Water, Kennedy and Skeptics Turn to Obstructing Other Fluoride Sources
Florida and Utah have banned fluoridation, with multiple other states looking to do the same. Critics of fluoride in drinking water point to supplements as an alternative, but many are creating barrie...
www.propublica.org
January 17, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Will tea be next? It’s a big source of dietary fluoride.
Reposted by Michelle Francl
Welcome to this month’s crossword, constructed by Christopher Adams, a trivia writer from Iowa City, and George Barany, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. cen.acs.org/physical-che... #chemsky 🧪
Crossword: Quantum leapers
A centenary celebration of science that is anything but classical
cen.acs.org
January 11, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Welcome to this month’s crossword, constructed by Christopher Adams, a trivia writer from Iowa City, and George Barany, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. cen.acs.org/physical-che... #chemsky 🧪
Happy #NationalHotTeaDay! A great graphic on my (and the world’s) favorite beverage!
Why does scum sometimes form on the surface of a cup of tea, and how does tea's stimulant effect differ from that of coffee? On #NationalHotTeaDay here are the chemical explanations! www.compoundchem.com/2023/04/21/tea
#ChemSky 🧪
#ChemSky 🧪
January 13, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Happy #NationalHotTeaDay! A great graphic on my (and the world’s) favorite beverage!
Reposted by Michelle Francl
📢 Get ready for #RSCPoster 2026. Join @errantscience.com for a live webinar on the history of cartooning & pick up some tips. The webinar will take place on LinkedIn & is sponsored by the School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering @unisouthampton.bsky.social 👉 More info to come – stay tuned #ChemSky
January 12, 2026 at 1:54 PM
📢 Get ready for #RSCPoster 2026. Join @errantscience.com for a live webinar on the history of cartooning & pick up some tips. The webinar will take place on LinkedIn & is sponsored by the School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering @unisouthampton.bsky.social 👉 More info to come – stay tuned #ChemSky
Working on a piece about reading scientific journal articles in languages other than English. I got my PhD (chem) in 1983, no language requirement; my youngest got his (math) in 2024 and had a language requirement. Wondering what #chemsky's experiences have been. Did you have a language req?
January 7, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Working on a piece about reading scientific journal articles in languages other than English. I got my PhD (chem) in 1983, no language requirement; my youngest got his (math) in 2024 and had a language requirement. Wondering what #chemsky's experiences have been. Did you have a language req?
Who would say this? The same people who blame Ukraine for the Russian invasion of…Ukraine? Up is down and we are living in 1984.
.@PabloReports: What do you make of the White House blaming the police for the violence on January 6th?
McGovern: That’s offensive. What kind of sick human being would say that? I was here that day.
McGovern: That’s offensive. What kind of sick human being would say that? I was here that day.
January 6, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Who would say this? The same people who blame Ukraine for the Russian invasion of…Ukraine? Up is down and we are living in 1984.
When I wrote my latest for @natchem.nature.com on the appropriation of the quantum mechanical lexicon by scam artists, could I have imagined that the surgeon general of Florida would be peddling the woo? Alas, probably. rdcu.be/eXQL (1/3)
Quantum quacks
Nature Chemistry - It is 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics, and not only did it bring with it a greater understanding of the world around us, it also introduced a new...
rdcu.be
January 6, 2026 at 7:34 PM
When I wrote my latest for @natchem.nature.com on the appropriation of the quantum mechanical lexicon by scam artists, could I have imagined that the surgeon general of Florida would be peddling the woo? Alas, probably. rdcu.be/eXQL (1/3)
Reposted by Michelle Francl
Trump flips and decides to starve people after all www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
Trump flips and decides to starve people after all
President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that he plans to weaponize hunger in America, writing in a post on Truth Social that he will not fund food stamp benefits during the government shutdown—...
www.dailykos.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Trump flips and decides to starve people after all www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
Reposted by Michelle Francl
"How would less fortunate corporations like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon get by without SNAP and other programs to subsidize their sub-poverty level wages that leave many of their workers reliant on benefits?"
It Is Cruel to Deny Food Assistance to Those Who Truly Deserve It: Corporations
“Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of beneficiaries of federal aid programs like Medicaid and food stamps, according to a study by...
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
"How would less fortunate corporations like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon get by without SNAP and other programs to subsidize their sub-poverty level wages that leave many of their workers reliant on benefits?"
Reposted by Michelle Francl
Look up! A SUPERMOON will happen on Nov. 5, 2025. This is a repost of an article from 2024 by Brother Guy Consolmagno.
www.vaticannews.va/en/world/new...
www.vaticannews.va/en/world/new...
Supermoon: Why you should look at the sky tonight and every night - Vatican News
Brother Guy Consolmagno, Director of the Vatican Observatory, highlights our need to reconnect with the beauty of the night sky, encouraging ...
www.vaticannews.va
October 31, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Look up! A SUPERMOON will happen on Nov. 5, 2025. This is a repost of an article from 2024 by Brother Guy Consolmagno.
www.vaticannews.va/en/world/new...
www.vaticannews.va/en/world/new...
The best cup of tea is the one you love...lovely article by Shabnam Weber betweenleavesandletters.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
The Myth of the Perfect Cup
Remember when we all collectively lost our minds because Michelle Francl, in her book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, suggested adding salt to water to brew the perfect cup of tea?
betweenleavesandletters.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:29 PM
The best cup of tea is the one you love...lovely article by Shabnam Weber betweenleavesandletters.substack.com/p/the-myth-o...
Wondering what you can do if you are able in this emergency? Suggestion here:
My wife has volunteered at a local food bank for years and confirms what many of you have probably heard: in this case, straight cash is a good donation if you can do it.
The food banks have better access and buying power than individuals do, and can try to address item imbalances as they see them.
The food banks have better access and buying power than individuals do, and can try to address item imbalances as they see them.
October 31, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Wondering what you can do if you are able in this emergency? Suggestion here:
Reposted by Michelle Francl
Speaker Johnson isn't Catholic, but this isn't a sectarian statement; it's a plain reading of the Biblical text Johnson and so many in the Trump administration (and in the R Congressional caucus) claim to accept as inerrant.
Camels and needles' eyes ain't in it.
Camels and needles' eyes ain't in it.
October 28, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Speaker Johnson isn't Catholic, but this isn't a sectarian statement; it's a plain reading of the Biblical text Johnson and so many in the Trump administration (and in the R Congressional caucus) claim to accept as inerrant.
Camels and needles' eyes ain't in it.
Camels and needles' eyes ain't in it.
Reposted by Michelle Francl
(Very fancy) kitchen chemistry!!
Leading up to Halloween we ask, Why do some gummy brands rock, and why do others feel like you're chewing plastic?
🎃🍬👻 Read my little explainer for @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/food/food-in...
🎃🍬👻 Read my little explainer for @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/food/food-in...
October 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
(Very fancy) kitchen chemistry!!
When the tea book came out, someone asked me about these (as it turns out, fake) tea plantations in Scotland.
A strange brew: the case of the man behind an audacious Scottish tea fraud
A strange brew: the case of the man behind an audacious Scottish tea fraud
A charismatic, tweed-wearing grower from Perthshire falsely claimed to be able to create thriving tea plantations in Scotland. His elaborate deception took in luxury hotels, media outlets and tea growers across the country
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
When the tea book came out, someone asked me about these (as it turns out, fake) tea plantations in Scotland.
This is what the President of the United States thinks of people exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest? Appalling.
Trump posts AI video showing him literally dumping shit on America
October 19, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This is what the President of the United States thinks of people exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest? Appalling.
Brilliant!
October 10, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Brilliant!