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Everything Physical Science
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Written by Everything Science
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Scientists at The University of Nottingham have successfully levitated diamond and some of the heaviest elements, including lead and platinum.
Using liquid oxygen — the main component in many rocket fuels — to increase the buoyancy created by a specially designed superconducting magnet, they could now, in theory, levitate an object with a density 15 times larger than that of osmium, the heaviest metal known in nature.
The science behind the research could be used to develop a variety of potential applications, especially in the mining and pharmaceutical industries.
Writing in the New Journal of Physics, the team led by Professor Laurence Eaves and Professor Peter King, in the University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, describes how mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen in liquid and gaseous states provide sufficient buoyancy to levitate a wide range of objects, including diamonds, a £1 coin and heavy metals such as gold, silver, lead and platinum. (1) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Everything Biology
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Written by Everything Science
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CORAL reefs damaged in the Asian tsunami tragedy should be allowed to recover naturally before countries launch into expensive restoration plans, according to some of the world’s leading scientists.
The scientists, led by a researcher from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and who set out their views in an advisory brief for the World Bank, point to historical records of major coral reef devastation by cyclones and typhoons, which show that reefs recovered without human intervention.
Although the devastation caused by the tsunami was on a much larger scale, the scientists say there is no evidence to suggest that the vast majority of reefs will not recover naturally this time.
They add that Governments should be very careful not to commit funds to costly repair programmes that may have little long-term effect.(1) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Medicine & Health
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Written by Everything Science
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LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005--Wetter-than-normal conditions combined with warmer weather have experts worrying about an increase in mosquito populations, which could lead to a greater incidence of the West Nile virus this year.
 | | Increased rain and warmer temperatures mean more mosquitoes and an increased chance of contracting the West Nile virus this summer. (Illustration credit: David Joffe) |
Overall, temperature and precipitation were above average across the contiguous United States, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center. NOAA reported the start of 2005 was one of the wettest and warmest in history. The above average rainfall over much of the U.S. has left pools of standing water that make the perfect habitat for developing mosquito larvae, potential transmitters of the West Nile virus. One option to help curb the spread of the West Nile virus is larviciding, applying naturally occurring bacteria to water sources where mosquito larvae develop. The material is ingested by the larvae and disrupts their digestive systems, preventing the larvae from developing into biting adult mosquitoes. The larvicides are environmentally friendly and have no effect on humans, fish, animals or beneficial insects. (1) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Everything Space
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Written by Everything Science
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An international team of astronomers reports today confirmation of the discovery of a giant planet, approximately five times the mass of Jupiter, that is gravitationally bound to a young brown dwarf. This puts an end to a year long discussion on the nature of this object, which started with the detection of a red object close to the brown dwarf. In February and March of this year, the astronomers took new images of the young brown dwarf and its giant planet companion with the state-of-the-art NACO instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in northern Chile. The planet is near the southern constellation of Hydra and approximately 200 light years from Earth. "Our new images show convincingly that this really is a planet, the first planet that has ever been imaged outside of our solar system," tells Gael Chauvin, astronomer at ESO and leader of the team of astronomers who conducted the study. (0) Comments posted about this in the forum |
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