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Hi, my name is Lyn Neale, and I’ve always wondered if the Big Bang theory is correct, how can there be collisions of galaxies in space? Lyn, the Big Bang theory proposes that billions of years ago, the universe exploded from a tiny point. The first rapid expansion, which scientists call inflation, occurred in a …
The Mind over Matter experiment is the first experiment that uses a real random number generator (RNG) connected to the Internet. The RNG produces random bits ‘1’ or ‘0’ based upon electronic noise. These bits are used in the experiment to determine if an object on the screen will grow or shrink. The participant’s goal …
In 2001, they coated yeast protein fibers with gold and silver atoms, which let the fibers conduct electricity. The fibers are just a few nanometers — a few billionths of a meter — wide. These so-called “nanowires” are useful in very small electronic circuits such as faster computer chips. Some diseases — such as Alzheimer’s …
Nanowires – protein fibers with gold and silver atoms Continue »
“In Chicago . . . my car windshield is often covered with frost first thing in the morning . . . but no frost accumulates if I leave the car under a carport or in the garage. So it seems that it must fall from the sky yet there’s nothing perceptible that’s falling. Does it fall? “ …
Scientists believe there were once two types of early living humans in Europe, Neandertals and Cro Magnons. They believe we’re descended from Cro Magnons, while, about 30,000 years ago, Neandertals disappeared. Still, scientists wonder did Neandertals pass on any of their genes by mating with our ancestors? John Relethford: I think that they formed a small portion …
Early living humans in Europe – Neandertals and Cro Magnons Continue »
Lowitz’s drawing was made June 18, 1790. The especially unusual features are the two arcs here colored red that extend from the parhelic circle to join the faint 22° halo. These “Lowitz arcs” can be simulated by plate crystals that take a range of orientations about a horizontal axis passing through diametrically opposite prism edges. …
22° halo – St. Petersburg display of June 18, 1790 Continue »
Marith Reheis is a research geologist with the US Geological Survey who studies dust. Marith Reheis: When I started doing this, I did everything… I would spend at least four weeks a year, driving around in the Mojave Desert from dust trap to dust trap, getting the samples, and having wonderful adventures! I really miss …
When you add chlorine bleach to a colored shirt, the chlorine molecules attack the dyes by breaking up the compounds. Hydrogen peroxide bleaches blondes, and sunlight can fade the color from a beach towel. But when you think bleach — and imagine its familiar smell — you’re probably thinking about Cl. A colored dye is a compound …
If you break a magnet in half, will each piece still have a north and a south pole? Magnets do have north and south poles. For example, Earth’s magnetic poles currently lie close to the north and south geographic poles, around which the planet turns. Within a magnet, individual atoms carry their own north and …
