clhs sciblog

Musings on current happenings in science from our little slice of the world.

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Entries from March 26th, 2009

Super Sonar

March 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Chemistry, Physics

U.S. Navy scientists have discovered that they could increase the sensitivity of the sonar’s “ears”.  By combining the perfect crystal, of iron with the imperfect crystals of Gallium.  By doing this it increases the size of the crystal by 400 compared to iron’s thirty.    These irregularities create a magnetic field which can be translated into [...]

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Hormone Mimics Found in Plastic Water Bottles

March 26th, 2009 · No Comments · Biology

While studying commercial mineral water brands, it was discovered by scientists that estrogenic compounds were found in the water that leeched from the plastic it is stored in.  An experiment was conducted in which more than twice as much of the estrogen compound was found in the plastic bottles opposed to glass bottles or composite [...]

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Gorilla Gets MRI At Bronx Zoo

March 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Biology

We all love to see the cute, cuddly gorillas at the zoo, at least I do.  But have you ever seen one have a seizure?  Neither have I, but the gorilla Fubo a forty-two western lowland gorilla just experienced one.  The gorilla then received an MRI or a brain scan for veterinarians to figure out [...]

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Shifting Sound To Light May Lead To Better Computer Chips

March 26th, 2009 · No Comments · Physics

Scientists have used a frequency, 100 million times higher than what human ears can hear, to generate light. The researchers reversed a process that converts electrical signals to sound in order to create these light waves. Now, scientists are able to “see” the waves, as oppose to using an external laser beam to observe them. The waves are useful for probing materials [...]

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Children Can Complete Treatment For Peanut Allergies And Achieve Long-term Tolerance

March 26th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Biology

Doctors did tests on children that are allergic to peanuts by giving them small doses at a time. They started out with only 1/1000 of a peanut, and slowly made it higher. After six months the children were able to eat fifteen peanuts without having a reaction. Some children are still being tested and some can [...]

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New Wheat Disease Could Spread Faster Than Expected

March 26th, 2009 · No Comments · Biology

A new wheat disease, identified as “wheat stem rust,” is spreading around the world much faster than previously thought likely.  It is being spread by air and it can actually accelerate as it moves.  This fungus was first discovered in 1999 in Uganda and has spread through Africa into the Middle East.  Scientists are finding [...]

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Scientists Make Quantum Leap in Developing Faster Computers

March 26th, 2009 · No Comments · Physics

In this story researchers want to develop quantum computers. Quantum computers are devices based on molecular scale technology instead of silicon chips. This way would be much faster than conventional computers. Researchers have achieved this by combining tiny magnets with molecular machines. The computers used today work by storing info in the form of bits, [...]

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New Material Could Help Cut Energy Losses

March 26th, 2009 · No Comments · Chemistry

The scientist at the University of Liverpool and Durham developed a new material that may shape the ideas of superconductors which could be used to transmit energy and reduce global energy losses. The material is a football shape molecule called carbon60. Carbon60 is a compound, alloy, or an element that does not resist electric currents, [...]

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New nanogenerator may charge iPods and cell phones with a wave of the hand

March 26th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Other Science, Physics

Scientists from Georgia met at the 237th National meeting and described technology that converts mechanical energy from body movements and blood flow into electric energy.  These scientists also describe harvesting energy from the environment by converting low-frequency vibrations, like simple body movements, the beating of the heart or movement of the wind, into electricity. “Quite [...]

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How Moths Key into the Scent of a Flower

March 25th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Biology

Moths use the scent of flowers to identify them.  Even though the scent of a flower is made up of hundreds of different chemicals, the moth uses just a few of the chemicals to identify the flower.  If they like the flower, they will track the scent until they reach the flower. A UA team [...]

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