A new phenomenon has been discovered awhile ago. It is about singing sand dunes! When an avalanche or sand is pushed, people can hear a loud monotonous sound that can last for a couple minutes and can be heard up to a mile away. They are proposing this is a completely new way of making [...]
Entries from December 17th, 2009
Does Homefield Advantage Really Exist?
December 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Other Science
We have just past that time of year where the biggest rivalry games in college football are played. Every school has their big rival and can get fired up to play that team on any given day, even without bowl implications or win-loss record out the window. John Kros, from East Carolina University has led [...]
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Newly Identified Enzymes Help Plants Sense Elevated CO2 and Could Lead to Water-Wise Crops
December 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Biology
Biologists have identified plant enzymes that may help to engineer plants that take advantage of elevated carbon dioxide to use water more efficiently. The finding could help to engineer crops that take advantage of rising greenhouse gases. Plants take in the carbon dioxide they need for photosynthesis through microscopic breathing pores in the surface of [...]
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World’s Largest Earthquake-Safe Building Opens in Istanbul
December 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Physics
After the 1999 earthquake in Istanbul, Atila Zekioglu, an architect, decided to incorporate more measures against earthquakes when he designed the new international terminal at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport. The structure is designed to withstand an 8.0 earthquake, and uses seismic isolation devices. The building rests on 300 of these isolators, and is designed to move as [...]
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Scientists Finally Capture “Hot” Electrons
December 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Physics
Light releases electrons when it is captured in solar cells. These elcetrons have a great quantity of energy but when they tried to capture the electrons, tons of energy would be lost to heat. They finally reduced the size of the environment they were working with and captured a few. The electrons had to be [...]
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Hidden Risks of Modular Classrooms
December 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Other Science
Every school day, more than 5 million students in the United States attend lessons held in modular classrooms. With new carpeting and paint, metal roofs and noisy ventilation systems, they can be a health hazard and make it harder for students to learn. Modular classrooms often start out as temporary fixtures on school grounds before [...]
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Cosmic Rays Hunted Down: Physicists Closing in on Origin of Mysterious Particles
December 9th, 2009 · No Comments · Physics
A rain of charged particles constantly bombards the earth’s atmosphere from outer space. These ‘mysterious particles’ were first detected many years ago but until a decade ago when a new type of telescope began to be used, physicists weren’t sure where the ‘cosmic particles’ came from or how they were created. Suspicions were that the [...]
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Plant Life in Arid Desert Soils
December 9th, 2009 · No Comments · Biology
Plant life in arid desert has become more sparse. As the climate in the world gets hotter the nitrogen in the soil, which is very important for plants,is leaving the soil at a fast rate. The nitrogen acts as a fertilizer for these plants. he less nitrogen means less plants which could also ultimately lead [...]
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New Super-Thermometer
December 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Chemistry, Physics
As the potential for cooling atoms increases, one problem physicists are dealing with is how to measure the extreme lows that these atoms are reaching. This new thermometer can hopefully reach as low as ten trillionths of one degree above absolute zero (−459.67° F). Considering how cold that is, it is unimaginable how accurate this [...]
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Paper Batteries
December 7th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Physics
Scientists at Stanford University have found a way to create batteries using normal sheets of white paper. The scientists coat the paper with a special nanotube ink. The inked paper is the put into an oven. This creates a lightweight, flexible battery. The nanotubes have very small diameters, which makes the ink adhere well to [...]
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