Lead is a grey or silver-white soft metal. We've been using lead for thousands of years, because it's so useful. Unfortunately, lead is quite toxic to humans, which is why we have mostly replaced it ...

Plasma irradiation removes graphite from the pencil lead, exposing a thin layer of clay. By controlling the exposure time, the thickness of this layer can be varied to modulate the infrared (IR) ...

There are times in my life when I think back to my earliest years, those elusive memories that we sometimes call our very first. I recall a woman that was very kind and gentle and most understanding.

Q Were pencils ever really made with lead, or has it been graphite all along? A Stefan, when I read your question I thought, "I betcha they were once made with lead -- say, back before the 1920s. Then ...

Laptops may have made hand-writing notes a thing of the past, but the pencil — or at least pencil lead — is making a comeback, as UA researchers are developing ways to use pencil lead as a conductor ...