The team concluded that chiral chemical structures on the surfaces of the polyethylene films are formed during exposure to UV light and are a potential cause for the yellow color of old plastics.

As we added more FD&C Yellow 5 dye to the phantom, it became more orange-red in color, just as we expected. However, ...

In H.G. Wells’ 1897 science fiction novel, “The Invisible Man,” the protagonist invents a serum that makes the cells in his body transparent by controlling how they bend light. More than 100 ...

light — the same light that gives us sunburns — initiates reactions in the backbone of the polymer’s structure that cause the yellow color change. However, though chemical changes to polyethylene’s ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. In H.G. Wells ...