Uncategorized

  1. Physics

    Mastering the Mixer

    Almost anything can happen when a batch of grains or powders is mixed—including striking, swirling patterns and spontaneous, total separation—so researchers are playing with beads, salt, sand, and other particles in simple tumblers to find out what's going on.

    By Peter Weiss
  2. Earth

    Greenland ice variation appears normal

    Changes in snowfall observed in parts of southern Greenland between 1978 and 1988 appear to be normal if gauged against the variations recorded in ice cores over the past 400 years.

    By Sid Perkins
  3. Earth

    Cooking up a key chemical of life

    Researchers have simulated the conditions and ingredients found at hydrothermal vents to create pyruvic acid, an organic chemical vital for cellular metabolism.