Uncategorized
- Math
Constructing Difference Engines
Antique calculators resurface as Lego or Meccano models. For more math, visit the MathTrek blog.
- Humans
From the April 25, 1936, issue
An old-fashioned tower, alcohol in fuel, and knowledge in atoms and cosmic rays.
- Planetary Science
The Mysterious Smell of Moondust
Long after the last Apollo astronaut left the moon, a mystery lingers: Why does moondust smell like gunpowder? In this account, astronauts describe the surprising smell and taste of moondust, which they experienced firsthand inside their lunar landers. The dust gave one astronaut a case of hay fever. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/30jan_smellofmoondust.htm
- Health & Medicine
Small Wonder: Taking the bite out of anthrax toxin
Using a submicroscopic synthetic blob called a liposome, scientists have neutralized anthrax toxin in rats.
- Animals
Grammar’s for the Birds: Human-only language rule? Tell starlings
A grammatical pattern called recursion, once proposed as unique to human language, turns out to fall within the learning abilities of starlings.
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19674
While reading in this article that starlings may be capable of discerning grammatical patterns, I recalled the FOXP2 gene. The gene seems to be involved in the development of areas of the brain involved in speech in humans. Variants of FOXP2 were found in a family whose members shared a rare speech disorder. In gene […]
- Astronomy
Energy-Saving Space Engines: Black holes can be green
Some seemingly quiet black holes are actually efficient engines that emit jets of high-energy particles.
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19673
This article refers repeatedly to black holes “swallowing matter and spitting out [or sending out] energy.” What really “spits out” or “sends out” anything is not the black hole itself, but the disk of gas that’s in the process of being mostly sucked irreversibly into the black hole. Bruce MoomawCameron Park, Calif.
- Earth
Brain Delay: Air pollutants linked to slow childhood mental development
Pollutants spewing from vehicles and power plants may be harmful to fetal brains.
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Nixing Malaria: DNA segment provides parasite resistance
A section of the mosquito genome appears to give the insects a natural resistance to malaria.
- Earth
Seismic Speed Traps: Iron-rich regions may slow deep-Earth vibes
Large quantities of iron-rich minerals may be responsible for the sluggishness of seismic waves traveling through certain regions deep within Earth.
- Physics
Universe in Flux: Constant of nature might have changed
Researchers have found signs that one of the constants of nature has undergone a subtle shift since the universe's infancy.
