Quick answer: Science is made at the Study Table in the Alchemy Lab by decomposing items. The first Science Kit is in the chest in the lab; after that, decompose blank paper, notes or books, or craft Science Kits at the Writing Desk — a Science Kit I gives 30 Science, a Science Kit II gives 60. You then spend Science to study items, which gives red/green/blue tech points and reveals alchemy runes.
This page covers science, what can I decompose for more science, tech tree and what do I need to research.
Steps
Open the Alchemy Lab
Via the Plague Doctor quest (Alchemy).
Decompose the starter kit
"In the chest here, I found a science kit. I popped it into the study table. Science kit. Decompose. Now, I got science."
Decompose paper
Blank paper and notes work too — slow, one click at a time, but it adds up.
Craft Science Kits
Science Kit I: 1 Alchemy Flask I + 5 Clean Paper + 1 Ink (Theology mastery 2). Science Kit II: 1 Alchemy Flask II + 1 Blank Softcover Notebook + 2 Ink.
Study Table stuck?
Before update 1.005 the Study Table could lock up after you inserted an item for Science, so you couldn't research anything. Fixed on September 24, 2026 — update the game.
Science vs tech points
Science is only spent at the Study Table. The tech tree runs on red, green and blue tech points, earned by gathering, crafting and studying new items. Each technology also needs the ones to its left. Blue points (for the Anatomy & Alchemy branch) are the slowest — studying items is the main way to farm them.
Sources: a recorded 100% playthrough and a 7-tips guide on YouTube, Prima Games, wikily.gg.