Hope springs eternal: “Pandora’s Promise” and the truth about nuclear energy
So why would environmentalists of all people support nuclear power? What changed these people’s minds? Two things, primarily.
The Curious Wavefuntion
Making and Breaking Compulsive Behaviour
When scientists […]
Graphene shown to produce ultrashort laser pulses
Researchers have discovered that graphene can absorb light over a broad range of wavelengths, allowing it to be used to create ultrashort laser pulses of color. The discovery could mean that graphene, a […]
Competing gravity of galactic clouds probably caused band of gas
A gravitational tug-of-war between the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud may be responsible for the huge ribbon of gas at the halo of the Milky Way. […]
“Junk” DNA in plants not needed to remain healthy
So-called junk DNA is just that — junk, according to a study by researchers at the University of Buffalo in New York. In a study of the carnivorous bladderwort plant, they […]
Pear-shaped nuclei in some atoms may help explain antimatter
Researchers have used a particle accelerator called REX-ISOLDE at CERN in Switzerland to discover an atom with pear-shaped nuclei. The discovery could lead scientists to extend the Standard Model in physics […]
There are few cases in the history of physics in which a particle, theoretically predicted, has been detected repeatedly and not identified as such. This is what happened to the positron.
Paul Dirac showed in 1928 that it could be […]
Jamestown settlers turned to cannibalism to survive, bones show
The scarred skull of a 14-year-old girl reveals that English settlers in Jamestown, Va., may have engaged in cannibalism to survive. A brutal winter in 1609 brought a food shortage, killing […]
Malaria reduced by preserving biodiversity of forests
Researchers at Brazil’s University of Sao Paulo found that malaria could be kept from spreading while still preserving the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest. The traditional view is that clearing such forests […]
Could cellulose feed the world?
Researchers have discovered a way to turn cellulose into starch, a technique that could be used to create more food to feed the hungry.
Chun You eta al (2013) Enzymatic transformation of […]
An abrupt and widespread climate shift in the Sahara 5,000 years ago
The Sahara Desert’s shift from lush grasslands to barren sands happened quickly and simultaneously across the entire region. Scientists say the brief African Humid Period began and ended […]