Chemistry has helped improve sports gear dramatically over the years, making your favorite games faster, more exciting and much safer. Part two of four episodes celebrating National Chemistry Week.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu and SoundSnap.com include sounds by Totya, SFX bible, Stuart Duffield, thanvannispen, Justine Angus, UncleSigmund, Shriek Productions, Blastwave FX and SFXsource.

Find out how chemists have improved the stuff below every athlete’s shoes — artificial turf. Part one of four episodes celebrating National Chemistry Week.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sounds by unclesigmund, thanvannispen, Freesound, acclivity, Sruddi1, scarbelly25 and reinsamba.

In a finding that’s sure to get cheese lovers yakking, researchers in Nepal and Canada report that cheese from the milk of yaks, a big, hairy cow-like animal, may be better for you.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sounds by acclivity and koops.

For years, scientists have tried to build an electronic tongue, a robot that could taste and smell food like we do. But before machines learn to taste their food, they first need to learn how to chew it. Scientists recently designed an artificial mouth that mimics the first vital steps of human digestion -- chewing, saliva release and the initial breakdown of food.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sounds by Jamius and Koops.

For almost 70 years, doctors have given people antibiotic medicines to help people defeat invading germs, or microbes. But there is a constant tug-of-war between these microscopic monsters and people.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sounds by ljudman, Matt G and UncleSigmund.

Earthlings are about to visit Mars again to search for traces of life. But since we can’t go in person, we are sending another robot spacecraft. Named Phoenix, the vehicle is scheduled to land on Mars on May 25 after a 420 million mile, 9-month voyage from Earth. An article on the Phoenix by Elizabeth K. Wilson appears in the May 25 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, the American Chemical Society's weekly newsmagazine.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sounds by ERH, suonho, DJ Chronos, Sruddi1 and Freqman.

Scientists are working on ways of using gator blood to put the bite on germs that make cuts get infected and turn red and puffy with pus and pain.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sounds by smcameron, hazure, thanvannispen, acclivity and Koops.

Now for some shocking news about plants: Scientists in Arizona report that exposing plants to low doses of electricity can boost levels of useful plant chemicals. Their finding could lead to cheaper and faster ways to produce useful plant-based materials such as medicines and pesticides.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes electricity sounds by Halleck, apple crunch by Koops, farm sounds by acclivity, buzzing fly by galeku, laser sound by inferno and applause by SandyRB.

For almost 25 years, chemists and other scientists have tried to build an electronic nose that can take a whiff of the air, food or other objects and say whether the odor is nasty or nice.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes factory sounds by kokuya, dog bark by mich3d and electricity sound by Halleck

Have you ever heard someone say they have an allergy to eggs? Thousands of children and adults cannot eat that egg-straordinary food. Thankfully, chemists in Germany and Switzerland now are reporting some good news for the egg-allergic.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes chicken sound by mich3d, cricket sounds by reinsamba, scream sound by cdrk and stomach gurgle by nannygrimshaw.