Uncategorized
- Materials Science
Feet of clay, but superstrong
Gluing together nanoscale clay particles with a simple adhesive creates a strong but flexible material.
- Tech
CD players could serve as cheap lab tools
Ordinary CD disc players can be adapted to perform chemical assays and possibly medical diagnoses.
- Astronomy
Motion of two nearby galaxies clouds the picture
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are not gravitationally bound to the Milky Way, but are relative newcomers passing by for the first time.
- Planetary Science
Titan: Land of lakes—and drizzle
A newly assembled mosaic of radar images of Saturn's moon Titan shows what appear to be hydrocarbon lakes and seas.
-
19891
This article describes hydrazine hydrate as a benign and cost-effective alternative fuel to hydrogen. But hydrazine hydrate is a fuming liquid that is toxic, very corrosive, and can decompose explosively. In a reaction with hydrogen peroxide, it powered the German V-2 rockets in World War II. Carl F. Guerci Jr.Severna Park, Md.
- Chemistry
Platinumfree fuel cell
Cheaper than a typical hydrogen fuel cell, a new, platinumfree cell runs on a "green" liquid fuel.
-
Not Just Hitchhikers
Salmonella and other human pathogens on vegetables aren't just riding along like casual smears of dirt; they're moving in and setting up housekeeping.
- Humans
From the October 9, 1937, issue
Aging ships' hulls rejuvenated by welding, public health workers target five major diseases, and Plato celebrated as the first "round-Earther".
- Math
A Tangled Tale
A piece of string tumbled over and over quickly develops knots, explaining why your headphone cords are always in a tangle.
-
Spying Vision Cells: Eye’s motion detectors are finally found
Primates, like other mammals, possess specialized retinal cells that detect motion.
- Paleontology
Fossil mystery solved?
Experiments in a Florida swamp show how aquatic creatures can get trapped and preserved in amber, a form of hardened tree sap.
- Humans
Mice, Magnetism, and Reactions on Solids
The 2007 Nobel prizes in the sciences recognized research in genetics, materials science, and surface chemistry.
