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A place to share questions and comments about Science at ATA. In our monthly SINS (Science In the News) Students review a piece of media (newspaper, magazine, radio, T.V., Internet). Then share and discuss. Brief Synopses of our Labs will also be posted here. Feel free to comment! :-)
6 comments:
Blowtorch uses only water as fuel?
Researchers at ITM, a UK based clean energy company. (http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/portable-blowtorch-uses-only-water-fuel?) Say that their blowtorch prototype uses only water to produce a flame. Their electrolyzer system turns nonflammable water into its flammable base components, hydrogen and oxygen by using electricity. This system does not burn as hot as most blowtorches so it was designed for braising. This water fueled torch happens to burn at a lower temperature so it is great for more fragile metals as well as the flame does not heat the body of the torch so it does not harm the user. I believe that this could be used in many different things that rely on gas, and the system burns cleaner than some other gases. I believe that this is a great advancement in technology and can help us on our path to no-longer using fossil fuels.
Atomic Clocks Redefine the Second
Gordon
Roff Smith explains an incredible feat of engineering and a potential adjustment to timekeeping as we know it in his article “For a Second Hand Clock, Its First in Reliability” on National Geographic Online, July 10, 2013. Atomic clocks have been around since the 1960’s, using the very measurable oscillations of Cesium atoms to form the second. The new atomic clocks use laser beams and Strontium atoms, which oscillate faster. The faster oscillations of these clocks break time down into much smaller units than seconds.
The new atomic clocks are accurate to within one second in three hundred years, that’s 0.01 nanoseconds; also, if these clocks had been around since the big bang, they would have only been off by 46 seconds. These clocks are an important change to the modern world, it will give us more opportunity to perform tests with more precise calculations.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130710-atomic-clock-time-clocks-optical-lattice/
Alden Woodard
In northern Virginia, neuroscientist Anthony Leonardo has recently started answering questions to the human brain by experimenting on dragonflies. Helen Fields from National Geographic online “Tiny Dragonfly Backpacks Reveal Mysteries of the Brain” had and exclusive interview with the scientist discussing the actual idea behind his work. Anthony said that he was led to believe that he could unlock ways the human mind thinks, by inserting transmitting technology into dragonfly brains. By creating a “backpack” made of circuit boards and a transmitting chip he can gather data on how the dragonflies think and how that transmits throughout his body.
When the backpack is connected to the dragonfly it begins to transmit the messages from the neuropath ways directly to the computer. The backpack can only weight about the same as a couple grains of rice otherwise the dragonflies will be irritated and not hunt properly. Anthony Leonardo releases a few modified dragonflies into a sealed cage with fruit flies and observes the thoughts in the dragonfly heads as they hunt for prey. Understanding how the Dragonflies think helps us get a glance into the way we think and process knowledge and active thinking. This article was published October 23, 2013.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131008-dragonfly-backpacks-neuroscience-brain-motion/?source=hp_dl4_news-wiring-dragonflies_20131025#close-modal
Sleep Flushes Toxins from The Brain
Scientists have used cutting edge technology to learn about the nature of the human sleeping mind. They took several mice and looked at brains while they when asleep and when awake. They discovered that the spaces between the brain cells shrunk on average by 60%.Wat then happened was interesting. Cereral fluid from the spinal cord waspumped into the space from inbetween the brain cells. This process the scientists discovered cleaned out any unwelmome material. But if this detris cleaning does not happen regularly it can result in migranes and memory loss.
Breana Draxlerhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/10/18/sleep-flushes-toxins-from-the-brain/#.Uo91ItIjKDY
Oculus Rift Virtual-Reality Headset
In the November 2013 Issue of Popular Science, Palmer Luckey shares his analysis of the soon-to-be released Oculus Rift in his article "Look to the future". It is a virtual reality headset that beats past competitors in two major ways. First, the Rift has a very high, almost instantaneous reaction time, in comparison to the laggy, un-realistic time that was available in the past. Second, it had a field-of-view over three times wider than its high priced competitors. The sensors in the Rift track the user's movement at 1000 Hz, which is faster than the average eye can detect.
It will be around $300, made to be available to any gamer. Currently it can only be accessed by developers, specifically the ones that funded the Kickstarter. It processes head movement into screen changes, so that you get the feeling that you are really in the game. As Luckey said at the end of his test run: "I've been waiting for this moment for nearly 20 years." The Oculus rift could have applications in literally every branch of modern life, from the military using it to pilot machine soldiers, to people using it to feel closer to a world that might be far away from them.
Poor Economics
In the article "Poor Economics" it was telling us about using bad posture and not aligning your spine correctly with the rest of your body and it was from national Geographic's for kids online. Most people are usually slouching or have bad posture while playing on the computer or watching TV. No matter adult or child, while playing video games they are usually laying down or sitting sideways. Let me tell you, that this is really bad for your spine and the rest of your body. Another thing that is bad for your back is holding your backpack off one shoulder or letting it hang down to your butt. There are straps that tighten to your side so it is comfortable and stays on your back, they are there for a reason, not just for show. Keep it that way because other wise you will be leaning forward more and more everyday, finally reaching the point of either falling over, or needing medical assistance. If you end up needing medical assistance for having bad posture, then you will be there seeking medical help for a long time to come. Once your spine is un-aligned, it is usually not an easy fix and sometimes you are wheel-chair bound for the rest of your life. Is that something you want to force upon yourself people? Stand up and be strong! Start sitting straighter, and standing with a better posture.
I care about this because my posture is atrocious, and I know that I have to work on it, especially when I am sitting at my computer or playing a game. Everyone needs to work on it, and I care because my back is always painful. Ever since I read this article I have been trying to posturize my body in better ways and you should too!
"Good Ideas for Gaming and Computer Use
• Sit up straight with your shoulders back.
• Make sure your feet are on the ground.
• Take frequent breaks; walk around and stretch.
Better Backpack Strategies
• Carry less. Buying an extra set of books to keep at home is less expensive than doctor visits.
• Tighten straps so the weight is close to your body, and don't let the backpack ride below the waist.
• Put the heaviest items closest to your back and the pack will be less likely to pull you out of balance.
• Kids should not carry backpacks that weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of their body weight. So students weighing 100 pounds (45 kilograms) should not carry more than 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kilograms) in their packs."
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