Underground Lab Probes How Matter Licked Antimatter
A question which has long puzzled scientists is: why is there more matter in our universe than antimatter? According to prevailing scientific theory, matter and antimatter were present in equal amounts at the start of the universe, however 2 seconds after the Big-Bang, something caused normal matter to exist in greater quantities than regular matter. (Anti matter is basically matter's opposite - protons have a charge of -1 and electrons have a charge of +1. When matter and antimatter come into contact with each other, they annihilate, a process in which a tremendous amounts of energy is released and could be used for very efficient power generation.) Inside the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico, (an abandoned salt mine used for storing nuclear waste), Stanford researchers have built what they call the Enriched Xenon Observatory 200. The sensor is designed to track the behavior of neutrinos (elementary particles that travel close to the speed of light, lack an electric charge, are able to pass through ordinary matter almost undisturbed). It is hypothesized that neutrinos may not have antiparticles (equivalents made of antimatter) and therefore might hold clues to the fate of antimatter. [Read: Wired Science]
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
From a Strip of Scotch Tape, X-Rays
Researches from the University of California have shown that it is possible to produce X-Rays by simply unrolling Scotch tape. They said that a fierce flows of electrons were set free as the tape was unpeeled and its sticky adhesive snapped free of the surface. The electric current generated strong, short bursts of X-Rays. Strong enough to take an X-Ray of a finger. This phenomenon cannot be explained in molecular scale yet. Other brands of tapes produces X-Rays while unpeeling them also, but in different levels of energy. This discover was very important to the future. One of the reasons is because maybe it can help in the medicine destroying tumors with bursts of electrons. And the best thing of this process is that, there is a possibility of a nuclear fusion, because this process is maybe the same process that lights the sun.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/science/28xray.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin
Oops! A Fluorescent Light Breaks
Oops! A Fluorescent Light Breaks
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/37136/title/Oops!_A_Fluorescent_Light_BreaksIn this generation, we’ve witnessed a big push municipalities and green-touting environment groups to swap out our energy-hogging light bulbs. With the new replaced fluorescent light bulbs, it's suppose to save energy while creating a longer and brighter light quality with the element mercury. However, a recent discovery has shown that these new light bulbs can be very dangerous by releasing a neurotoxic element that can taint your home when broken. Each of these energy efficient lights contains a pinch of toxic mercury, which can pollute the environment if a bulb breaks. If the bulb dies and isn't broken, it is required that instead of throwing it in a general trash, rather dispose it as hazardous waste. Therefore, be careful when putting in a light bulb.
Heat sensors guide insects to a hot meal
Thursday, October 16, 2008
From Old Vials, New Hints on Origin of Life
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/science/17life.html?ref=science&pagewanted=print
From Old Vials, New Hints on Origin of Life
Just over 50 years ago, with the help of ammonia, methane, hydrogen, water and electrical sparks, amino acids were formed by Dr. Miller. The problem is that the amino acids didn't get anymore complex. Scientists now question whether or not the air 50 years ago was different than the air today. One of Miller's graduate students had injected steam onto the sparks in hopes of finding a solution but only produced what could be found in a lagoon. With the help of another graduate student, the discovery of 22 amino acids occurred. This experiment has given hope to the discovery of new things.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Chemistry Nobel Glows Florescent Green
Chemistry Nobel Glows Florescent Green
By Larry Greenemeier
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=chemistry-nobel-glows-green
This year, three scientists, Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, and Roger Tsien, will be sharing the Nobel Prize for Chemistry this year for their work on green fluorescent protein. By combining Shimomura’s discovery of GFP in Aequorea Victoria jellyfish, Chalfie’s demonstration of how the GFP can be used as a tag for DNA, and Tsien’s expansion of the technology, the three scientists were able to show researchers life processes that they would have never been able to view before, such as how cancer cells spread or how nerve cells develop in the brain. “This is an example of chemistry enabling so many other fields,” says John Frangioni, assistant professor of medicine and radiology at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “It highlights how chemistry can touch biology, medicine and other very practical endeavors. I'm gratified that the choice was one of a technology that enabled so may other areas of science.” The green florescent protein allows for researchers to trace and monitor cells. The three scientists will share the $1.4 million prize.
By Larry Greenemeier
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=chemistry-nobel-glows-green
This year, three scientists, Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, and Roger Tsien, will be sharing the Nobel Prize for Chemistry this year for their work on green fluorescent protein. By combining Shimomura’s discovery of GFP in Aequorea Victoria jellyfish, Chalfie’s demonstration of how the GFP can be used as a tag for DNA, and Tsien’s expansion of the technology, the three scientists were able to show researchers life processes that they would have never been able to view before, such as how cancer cells spread or how nerve cells develop in the brain. “This is an example of chemistry enabling so many other fields,” says John Frangioni, assistant professor of medicine and radiology at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “It highlights how chemistry can touch biology, medicine and other very practical endeavors. I'm gratified that the choice was one of a technology that enabled so may other areas of science.” The green florescent protein allows for researchers to trace and monitor cells. The three scientists will share the $1.4 million prize.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
HIV Infection Study
H.I.V is now being spread all over the United States faster than people had believed before. The only thing is that only certain types of people seem to be getting it. Most new infections of white gay and bisexual men occur when the men are in their 30’s and 40’s, while black gay and bisexual men are more likely to be infected in their teens and 20’s. Scientists are publishing data facts and articles online because they want to find a way to prevent this continuously spreading faster and faster. 63% of black bisexual men and 81% of white bisexual men are newly becoming infected. I found this article interesting because why is it that certain types of people are only receiving it, mostly males. I also find it interesting that they are posting the results from the experiments scientists have taken online for everyone to see.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Animal Extinction
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/science/earth/07mammal.html?ref=science
In Barcelona, Spain there is a problem with extinction of animals because of habitat loss, hunting and climate change. Our own actions can cause species to die out and there are 188 mammals in the highest threat category. The Iberian Lynx was one of them which has a population of 84 adults and is declining. The fishing cat and the caspian seal have lost 90 percent of their population over the past 100 years because of hunting and their habitats changing. The percent of decrease has increased over the past 10 years. Even amphibians such as the Holdridge toad and the Cuban crocodile are in danger of becoming extinct. Other animals in danger are Indian tarantulas and the Rameshwaram parachute spider. The African Elephant on the other hand was removed from the vulnerable list and was listed as near threatened because of an increase of population.
Study of Energy Needed to move an Atom
This article published in the New York Times is a breakthrough in physical chemistry that may change the way we look at it. It is a reporting of the research that has been done to see exactly how much energy is needed to move a single atom. Along with I.B.M. scientists Dr. Heinrich and other researchers at Almaden and the University of Regensburg in Germany have calculated the exact amount of energy that is needed to move a single atom of cobalt along both a titanium and a copper surface. Ever since Donald M. Eiger spelled out "I.B.M." using 35 singular xenon atoms those at the company have been interested in creating structures out of individual atoms. Using an atomic microscope and utilizing the sharp tip of it Dr. Heinrich pushed a singular atom. To measure the force the sharp tip of the microscope was attached to a small tuning fork, commonly found in small quartz watches. Because of the tuning fork, the tip vibrates at 20,000 times a second until it comes in contact with the atom and the vibration frequency slows down. However a single atom cannot roll smoothly on another element due to the fact that there is a lattice of atoms underneath it and so the singular atom bumps over at an inconsistent speed. The lattice-like surface is often compared to an egg carton with the singular atom as the egg. The exact energy needed to push a cobalt atom is 130 millionth of an ounce of energy across titanium and 1,600 of a millionth of an ounce of energy across copper.
Three Europeans Win the 2008 Nobel for Medicine
Three Europeans Win the 2008 Nobel for Medicine
By
Rodrigo's Genie in the Bottle
The Genie in the Bottle by Dr. Joe Schwartz was an extremely good introduction to Chemistry because of the way the author presented the various topics of the book. The book consists of sixty-seven commentaries describing various issues in chemistry. The five most intriguing things that Schwartz describes in this book were the importance of rubber, date rape and the effects on the human body, the effect of stress on the human body, the Bunsen burner, and the effects of the sun.
In the section “The Silly Side of Flubber” Schwartz states how useless but necessary rubber is to people. He uses the example of when the U.S. stopped getting rubber imports from Japan. The lack of rubber resulted in a shortage of a lot of products. For example, rubber is a key component in making tires and other parts of the car, but it also was used to make ear plugs and other things for soldiers. Seeing the opportunity in this economic demand, Paul Hodgson and Ruth Fallgatter created flubber, earning themselves six million dollars. The author then digresses how simple and worthless this object really was and how ironic it was that it made these two men millionaires. “Flubber,” thought of by the author as idiotic, was just dumb enough to make these two men millionaires.
In the section “Playing with Fire” Schwartz discusses the development of the Bunsen burner. The first Bunsen burner made allowed for toxic gases to come out of it when used; so much so that Robert Bunsen, the creator, had to wear a gas mask when he was using it. As a result of releasing toxic gases into the air, it was dangerous for people to be around. Then Robert Bunsen found himself one day in a bad situation involving a fly and decided to begin to “play with fire.” He created a new device that would tube in flammable gas while still letting air to flow through it. He was attempting to create a “clean” fire so he deduced that the gas flowing through his device must also be clean. The result of his tribulations was in fact the Bunsen burner that we use today. Its popularity is epitomized by the fact that we too have many Bunsen burners in our own Chemistry lab.
The section “Nothing to Rave About” was very interesting. It talks about GHB (gamma hydroxybrutyrate), the drug also known as “Date Rape.” Surprisingly, it used to be legal because it helped people on diets and people who wanted gain quick muscle. It was only after many years that this drug was found to be so dangerous, thus they made it illegal. Even though it was illegal, people still used it all the time because it is one of the easiest drugs to make it. In fact, people can buy two of its main components in stores. He urges that teenagers be informed about just how dangerous this is, because people usually like to Even though people say it’s dangerous they have to have it driven into their mind for them to know. Along with date rape drugs being an interesting topic, the Bunsen burner was another good commentary.
In the chapter, “The Dark Side of the Sun” Schwartz explains how harmful the sun is to the human being. Back in the early 1900’s, when the ozone layer was not completely destroyed, the sun actually did good things to the people, it healed diseases. People were told to bath in the sun to heal some diseases by giving out vitamin D and if they did that now a day, they would just get skin cancer. The sun not only causes cancer, but it also creates wrinkles. Therefore, sun lotion was invented which helps protect people from the sun. Yet, even with the great invention of sun lotion it is still not a good idea to be in the sun all day. Sun lotion doesn’t work all the time and rubs off in water for the most part. The sun if still a very dangerous object and people don’t give it the respect it deserves. Sun lotion does not make you immune to the sun and when people learn that there will be a lot less skin cancer. Along with the sun being a very dangerous thing, stress is also a very interesting topic.
In Schwartz’s chapter “Surviving the Rat Race” he explains how stress can be a dangerous thing. He starts off his story by explaining how he went to an assembly and only remembered the story about the drunken man. The man had a lot of stress when he was drunk because of his high blood pressure. They used rats to test out if blood pressure was caused by stress. They found out that it did and that rats acted just like humans with adrenaline. It turns out that heart pressure, sweating, and heartbeat are all affected by how much stress a person has. This all tied into his drunk person story because a drunk person has no control of their senses and can’t handle stress in certain situations. Therefore that is why some drunk people get into fights and others just laugh. It has been proven that therapy have been set up to help people handle their stress that they are having. The therapies make it so that people don’t experience pain (Brest cancer patients) or crazy. Along with stress being an interest topic, date rape drugs were also an interesting commentary.
The Genie in the Bottle was a very interesting book. It took sixty-seven things that people would never think of and brought them to peoples eyes. Who would have ever known that some date rape drugs could be so harmful or that the Bunsen burner didn’t actually start of making fire. Schwartz’s book is a very good book and brought five things to my attention that I would have never known and I found them very intriguing.
In the section “The Silly Side of Flubber” Schwartz states how useless but necessary rubber is to people. He uses the example of when the U.S. stopped getting rubber imports from Japan. The lack of rubber resulted in a shortage of a lot of products. For example, rubber is a key component in making tires and other parts of the car, but it also was used to make ear plugs and other things for soldiers. Seeing the opportunity in this economic demand, Paul Hodgson and Ruth Fallgatter created flubber, earning themselves six million dollars. The author then digresses how simple and worthless this object really was and how ironic it was that it made these two men millionaires. “Flubber,” thought of by the author as idiotic, was just dumb enough to make these two men millionaires.
In the section “Playing with Fire” Schwartz discusses the development of the Bunsen burner. The first Bunsen burner made allowed for toxic gases to come out of it when used; so much so that Robert Bunsen, the creator, had to wear a gas mask when he was using it. As a result of releasing toxic gases into the air, it was dangerous for people to be around. Then Robert Bunsen found himself one day in a bad situation involving a fly and decided to begin to “play with fire.” He created a new device that would tube in flammable gas while still letting air to flow through it. He was attempting to create a “clean” fire so he deduced that the gas flowing through his device must also be clean. The result of his tribulations was in fact the Bunsen burner that we use today. Its popularity is epitomized by the fact that we too have many Bunsen burners in our own Chemistry lab.
The section “Nothing to Rave About” was very interesting. It talks about GHB (gamma hydroxybrutyrate), the drug also known as “Date Rape.” Surprisingly, it used to be legal because it helped people on diets and people who wanted gain quick muscle. It was only after many years that this drug was found to be so dangerous, thus they made it illegal. Even though it was illegal, people still used it all the time because it is one of the easiest drugs to make it. In fact, people can buy two of its main components in stores. He urges that teenagers be informed about just how dangerous this is, because people usually like to Even though people say it’s dangerous they have to have it driven into their mind for them to know. Along with date rape drugs being an interesting topic, the Bunsen burner was another good commentary.
In the chapter, “The Dark Side of the Sun” Schwartz explains how harmful the sun is to the human being. Back in the early 1900’s, when the ozone layer was not completely destroyed, the sun actually did good things to the people, it healed diseases. People were told to bath in the sun to heal some diseases by giving out vitamin D and if they did that now a day, they would just get skin cancer. The sun not only causes cancer, but it also creates wrinkles. Therefore, sun lotion was invented which helps protect people from the sun. Yet, even with the great invention of sun lotion it is still not a good idea to be in the sun all day. Sun lotion doesn’t work all the time and rubs off in water for the most part. The sun if still a very dangerous object and people don’t give it the respect it deserves. Sun lotion does not make you immune to the sun and when people learn that there will be a lot less skin cancer. Along with the sun being a very dangerous thing, stress is also a very interesting topic.
In Schwartz’s chapter “Surviving the Rat Race” he explains how stress can be a dangerous thing. He starts off his story by explaining how he went to an assembly and only remembered the story about the drunken man. The man had a lot of stress when he was drunk because of his high blood pressure. They used rats to test out if blood pressure was caused by stress. They found out that it did and that rats acted just like humans with adrenaline. It turns out that heart pressure, sweating, and heartbeat are all affected by how much stress a person has. This all tied into his drunk person story because a drunk person has no control of their senses and can’t handle stress in certain situations. Therefore that is why some drunk people get into fights and others just laugh. It has been proven that therapy have been set up to help people handle their stress that they are having. The therapies make it so that people don’t experience pain (Brest cancer patients) or crazy. Along with stress being an interest topic, date rape drugs were also an interesting commentary.
The Genie in the Bottle was a very interesting book. It took sixty-seven things that people would never think of and brought them to peoples eyes. Who would have ever known that some date rape drugs could be so harmful or that the Bunsen burner didn’t actually start of making fire. Schwartz’s book is a very good book and brought five things to my attention that I would have never known and I found them very intriguing.
Pressure Is on to Recycle Water Filters
Pressure Is on to Recycle Water Filters
by Mya Frazier
In this article, the author discusses how some people have noticed that while Water Filter brands are running ads that mock the wastefulness of bottled water, Water Filters themselves are not recycled in the United States. In Europe, the products of such brands like Brita, can be easily returned to the manufacturer for recycling or dropped off in stores. In the US, our waste systems are not equipped to recycle Brita filters and the cost of a nationwide recycling program would be astronomical. In my opinion, this story is ridiculous. Companies like Clorox, who owns Brita filters, are trying to run businesses off of a beneficial and "green" idea. There are those, however, that are unsatisfied with this progress and demand more than the company can offer. I understand that every company should be environmentally responsible for its products, but to say the Clorox is not already doing enough to rid us of plastic bottle waste since their own filters are not recycled is ridiculous. Even an expert from Ohio State University agreed that, “The water filter is a minuscule bit of waste. Even if everyone was using them it would be a minor part of what goes in landfills. Bottled water has a much greater ecological footprint.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/business/media/06filter.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin
by Mya Frazier
In this article, the author discusses how some people have noticed that while Water Filter brands are running ads that mock the wastefulness of bottled water, Water Filters themselves are not recycled in the United States. In Europe, the products of such brands like Brita, can be easily returned to the manufacturer for recycling or dropped off in stores. In the US, our waste systems are not equipped to recycle Brita filters and the cost of a nationwide recycling program would be astronomical. In my opinion, this story is ridiculous. Companies like Clorox, who owns Brita filters, are trying to run businesses off of a beneficial and "green" idea. There are those, however, that are unsatisfied with this progress and demand more than the company can offer. I understand that every company should be environmentally responsible for its products, but to say the Clorox is not already doing enough to rid us of plastic bottle waste since their own filters are not recycled is ridiculous. Even an expert from Ohio State University agreed that, “The water filter is a minuscule bit of waste. Even if everyone was using them it would be a minor part of what goes in landfills. Bottled water has a much greater ecological footprint.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/business/media/06filter.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin
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