Uncategorized
- Math
Take a Chance
Researchers are helping to turn the art of generating randomness into a precise science.
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19487
Wasn’t Einstein so irritated at the thought of randomness in the universe that he said, “God does not play dice with the universe”? Your article seemed to suggest that Einstein endorsed quantum physics, which I was under the impression he didn’t. Andrew AlexanderToronto, Ont. Einstein did loathe the idea that physical processes could be random. […]
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DNA Bar Codes
Scientists are using a small piece of DNA as a molecular bar code, a unique identifier to separate organisms into species.
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19486
In this article, it strikes me as strange to project the cost of collecting DNA samples from the “estimated 10 million animal species” on Earth when at least 90 percent of that probable fauna has yet to be discovered and, at current extinction rates, probably never will be. Kevin LumneyPorter Township, Ohio
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- Humans
From the November 24, 1934, issue
The 1934 Nobel Prize in chemistry is awarded, Jupiter's great red spot is explained, and a polar ice cap shivers in the wind.
- Humans
Imagination Factory
Looking for creative ways to recycle materials? This imaginative Web site for kids focuses on how to make art using materials that most people throw away. The activities include drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and crafts. A “Trash Matcher” section links various types of solid waste with appropriate activities. Go to: http://www.kid-at-art.com/
- Math
Con Artist: Scanning program can discern true art
A new mathematical tool distills painting style into an array of statistics as a potential means to spot forgeries.
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19485
The resonance discovered in the star HD 202206 system is not unique, and it isn’t true that “[t]his particular synchrony has never been seen before in a planetary system.” Resonances abound in the solar system. The orbital periods of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, many asteroids’ orbits, Jupiter’s orbit, and Pluto’s orbit with Neptune are […]
- Astronomy
Extrasolar Planet News: Superplanet or brown dwarf?
New observations of an oddball planetary system 150 light-years from Earth suggest that some planets either are superheavy, more than 17 times as massive as Jupiter, or that they form from disks of gas and dust that encircle not just a single star, but two starlike objects.
- Materials Science
Transparent Transistor: See-through component for flexible displays
Transparent transistors deposited on flexible sheets of plastic could find their way into computer displays embedded in car windshields and other curved surfaces.
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Seminal Discovery: Promiscuous females speed sperm evolution
A gene responsible for semen viscosity has evolved more rapidly in primate species with promiscuous females than in monogamous species.
