clhs sciblog » Chemistry

A New Frontier in Fighting Cancer

capelomd — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:48:09 +0000

A new technique using near infrared light making it possible to look deeper into cells and possibly a way to fight cancer and other diseases. using fluoresent dye and near infrared light scientest are able to take pictures of cells and tumors deep within tissue. The probe can be used to search for certain found in tumors.

This new technology can be used to help diagnose and treat tumors and other diseases. This could help save many lives and stop tumors before they become a series health problem. click here to read more.

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palladium!

schobebj — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:29:27 +0000

In this article they explain how the common soil bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricansto recover the precious metal palladium from industrial waste sources. Palladium is one of the most precious resource on the earth. They are easily used to convert green house gasses, and that is always a good thing. Dr. Kelvin talks about how we need to find a new way to recover this resource.’BioPd or the bacterial cells coated with palladium nanoparticles, are said to be very good and burn clean.

I think this is a topic that people should look more into and spend more time and money. It is a clean burning resource that cleans up green house gasses. Today everyone is getting more and more worried about global warming and the causes of green house gasses on our planet.

Click here for the full article.

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Bird Feathers Produce Color Through Structure Similar To Beer Foam

watsonme — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:28:46 +0000

It was discovered that the nanostructures that produce some birds’ brightly colored feathers have a structure similar to sponges or beer foam. Most colors in nature are produced by pigments, but the bright blue color in many birds feathers are produced by nanostructures. Under a microscope, nanostructures look like sponges or air bubbles. A team at Yale compared nanostructures to materials that underwent phase changes, where mixtures of different structures separate from one another and, such as carbon-dioxide bubbles. They found that the color producing structures in feathers assemble in the same way. Bubbles of water form in the cell and are replaced with air as the feather grows. Read the full article here.

This is very influential in the field of science. Scientists are now using this new discovery to make a new generation of optical materials in the lab. It’s amazing how something like the color in a bird feather is somewhat related to the foam from a can of soda. It just goes to show how much we don’t know and how much completely different things can be related to each other.

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Watching Quick Molecules

matteuje — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:37:26 +0000

The University of Chicago has combined small angle and wide angle x-rays with a laser to watch quick reactions in protein. The different types of rays show both the overall shape (small angle) and more detailed information (wide angle) of the molecule. Just how quick of reactions does this machine track? The rays began hitting at 10 picoseconds (A picosecond is a trillionth of a second.) to 10 milliseconds afterward. They were able to get info such as the fact that the molecule suddenly expanded and went back to its original shape in 10 nanoseconds (A nanosecond is a billionth of a second.) You can read more about the machine here.

This machine doesn’t seem like it will make a huge impact. It is basically an upgrade on a previous laser. While it will be able to help us see reactions that happen in a shorter amount of time, and will help reveal more information about chemical reactions, it doesn’t seem like it will be much more then revealing more information about the world. It doesn’t seem like the information is going to be life changing, however.

Helium and Temperature

lysiakrw(hadouken!) — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:28:55 +0000

Researchers have recently been studying helium, that could lead to more accurate temperature and pressure measurements. Helium is used in more than just balloons, Helium is also very useful for lasers, and nuclear reactor coolers. Helium is very unique, because it doesn’t react with other substances and it is the least volatile of any gas. It is even possible for us to develop better measurements and science techniques by researching helium.

This is significant because it helps us further understand the world around us, and how physics falls into play as a whole. With this disocovery we may even be able to get closer than absolute zero.

Read the article here.

Why Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold

dangln — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:26:39 +0000

Why does hot water freeze faster than cold water? This is one of the modern science’s few remaining mysteries. It’s called the Mpemba effect. It only occurs under certain circumstances. Because of the bigger difference in temperature between water and the freezer, hot water freezes faster. and it helps it reach the freezing point before the cold water reaches its natural freezing point (5 Degrees C Lower). Of the the certain circumstances is that the location of the samples in the freezer, and the type of container.

I don’t understand this theory at all because cold water is closer to being frozen than hot water. It’s like a race, and the cold water seems closer to ice. Maybe it’s not about the hot water and cold water and physics, maybe it’s just about how the refrigerator works. If you put something cool in a refrigerator, it’s less likely to trigger the thermostat that turns on the compressor than if you put something hot in the same refrigerator.

Read an article on the Mpemba effect here.

Magnetic monopole experiment at CERN could rewrite laws of physics

macdonhl — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:58:42 +0000

A physics professor at The University of Arizona and some international teams of physicists are leading an experiment that will use ultra high energy proton collisions. They are searching for a particle called the Magnetic Monopole. This magnetic monopole will only have one pole ( hence the name “mono”pole) unlike normal magnets that have two poles: a north and a south. As of right now this magnetic monopole is only theoretical. If this is proven as a law physics books from college all the way down to high school will have to be changed. The discovery of monopole can open up a whole new world for materials and technology. Monopole could possible make a material so strong that it could withstand a nuclear explosion, it could also lead to magnetic levitation.

It’s amazing to see how much technology has advanced. Every day scientists are finding new ways to improve technology. Its hard to believe that this idea of monopoles could change the whole law of physics.

To read more about this click HERE.

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Researchers Create ‘Handshaking’ Particles

watsonme — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:23:18 +0000

Physicists at NYU have created particles called handshaking particles. This means that these particles link together based on their certain shapes rather than randomly. This is something that could be able to improve the creation of synthetic materials. This process is done by manipulating colloids. Colloids are particles suspended within a fluid. What the researchers developed is something called “lock and key,” which allows certain particles to come together. The “key” is a spherical particle. To create the “lock,” a drop of oil is placed into water. This results in a hardened shell which buckles to create a dent. This is then able to bind to the spherical particle.

This creation is something that will lead to even more advancements in the world of science. Because of this new creation new synthetic materials will be able to be produced. This shows how many things there are in the world that we don’t know about. I’m sure more and more creations and discoveries will continue to be made throughout the years.

Read the article here.

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Lasers Help Create Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastics

sherodse — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:34:02 +0000

Fraunhofer researchers from Paris have discovered a way of creating fiber-reinforced thermoplastics that doesn’t involve glass or carbon fiber matting, siphoning air, and huge ovens. Instead they have come up with a way of using lasers. They take kilometer long strips of thermoplastic resin and melt them with the lasers. They are stacked on top of each other and then cool down rapidly, thanks to energy emitted from the lasers. This method also produces a stronger end result. To join the strips together, they use a infrared light. The light melts the edges of the material, and they can be stuck together. It is “fifty to seventy percent lighter than steel and fifteen to twenty percent lighter than aluminum.” Because this technology is very versatile, stable, and incredibly strong, it can be used for many different types of building. Read more about it here.

The cost of producing thermoplastics in this ways is significantly cheaper than the old way. Also, they are light weight which is why they are in demand by people who produce sporting equipment, cars, and technology for aerospace. The lightness will also save energy when it is used in making some kind of moving vehicle. The decreased cost of this new way of producing fiber-reinforced thermoplastics will make it more readily available and will provide safer equipment for the public.

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Laser Makes Silicon Pump Liquid

rosenbbs — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:29:25 +0000

Scientists have created a way to make a liquid go uphill. They carve patterns into silicon with short, highly-powerful laser bursts causing a liquid to climb to the top of a silicon chip. The water molecules get more attracted to the silicon than to themselves and they rise 3.5cm a second. The process cools down the chips and keep them from melting. For more information, click here.

The usefulness of this discovery will make it so that there are not noisy fans in faster processors. The liquid attracts more heat than air does, making it more efficient. Unfortunately, it is not cost-effective yet but I assume it will be true in the near future. God has certainly blessed us so we can come up with better ways in our technology.

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