Archive for the ‘Science’ Category
What Is Bread Mold?
April 22nd, 2011 |What Is Bread Mold?
Bread mold is a type of fungus that likes to grow on bread because it is often warm and moist. Bread mold needs warmth and moisture, along with oxygen, to thrive. Bread provides an ideal substrate (or living surface) for various types of molds.
Bread Mold Facts
Believe it or not, bread mold is actually a type of plant. Molds grow much faster than traditional plants, due mostly to the fact that their reproductive parts float around in the air, constantly looking for a place to land and thrive. It just so happens…
What Is Infrared?
March 14th, 2011 |Did you ever wonder how your TV remote actually tells the television to change the channel or turn down the sound? Have you ever wondered how satellites can see through clouds and give an image of the ground underneath? And those night vision goggles, just how do they work?
These devices and hundreds of others rely on infrared light, light that we can’t actually see, to perform their functions.
The light you can’t see
Infrared is a form of electromagnetic energy just as are radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet rays, X and Gamma rays and visible light. These forms of electromagnetic…
What Is Solar Power?
February 2nd, 2011 |What Is Solar Power?
Solar power is energy that comes from the Earth’s Sun. When scientists and ecologists speak about harnessing solar energy, they talk about finding technologies that collect solar rays and store that energy, converting it for use in heating homes and energizing the batteries which power everything from cars to flashlights. You might be wondering what “solar rays” are.
What Are Solar Rays?
The Sun produces solar rays through the process of nuclear fusion. The same process which explodes hydrogen bombs also power the vast energies of the stars. Only a tiny fraction of the…
What Is Google Voice?
January 31st, 2011 |What is Google Voice?
Google Voice is Google’s telecommunications service for U.S. residents (and U.S. residents only) which allows for PC-to-PC communications anywhere in the world, for PC-to-phone calls within North America (north of the US-Mexico border), and between Google Voice users and those with a Video Chat browser plug-in.
The Google Voice service allows for low-price international phone calls, while domestic phone calls to the contiguous 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada are free. Other features offered by Google Voice include voicemail, call screening, unwanted call blocks, call history, voicemail message-to-text “voice transcription”, and conference call support.
How…
What Are the World’s Fastest Animals?
July 28th, 2010 |What Are the World’s Fastest Animals?
It is a little difficult to say which animal is the absolute fastest in the world — animals that live in water or have the ability to fly can hardly be tested alongside land based animals. Because speed is not always a benefit in the water or in the air, the absolute “fastest” moving animals in the world are mostly land based, though sailfish have been clocked at speeds as high as 68 mph, and marlin are known to travel at least as fast as 50 mph — both fast enough to crack…
Where Do Penguins Live?
April 20th, 2010 |Where Do Penguins Live?
Contrary to popular belief, these cute little aquatic and flightless birds don’t just live on ice. Popular opinion holds that penguins live only in Arctic waters, but the truth is much stranger than that.
Why Do Penguins Live Near Water?
It is true that penguins need to live near large bodies of water because they spend most of their time there, swimming and hunting. Remember, penguins are flightless birds, so they depend on swimming for most of their long-haul activity. Excellent swimmers, penguins can swim for hundreds of miles without stopping for a rest. This is…
How Does Gravity Work?
February 4th, 2010 |How Does Gravity Work?
We’ve all heard the schoolroom description of the discovery of gravity — that Sir Isaac Newton was hit on the head with an apple and instantly postulated the concept of gravity. If only this were true!
We know a few things about gravity — we know that it causes two objects to be drawn to one another, such as when you flip a coin and it hits the floor.
We also know that gravity had some hand in forming the planets, stars, and other bodies that make up the universe. We learn that gravity keeps the…
How Does Electricity Work?
February 1st, 2010 |How Does Electricity Work?
Electricity works using three forces:
- Voltage
- Amps
- Resistance
These three forces work as a unit inside of a given electrical circuit to allow the free flow of electricity from one place to another.
Electricity and the process of transferring electricity begins when an atom’s electrons are excited into action and start to move in what we call a “current” or flow. Different items are better or worse at conducting an electrical force due to this atomic action. If an atom holds tight to its electrons (meaning the electrons are really close to the nucleus)…
What Is BMI?
November 10th, 2009 |What Is a “Body Mass Index”?
“BMI” stands for “body mass index” and is a measure of how overweight a person is. A person’s B.M.I. tells if that person is overweight and, if so, whether that person is obese. There are two ways to determine your BMI using height and weight in pounds.
One method of calculating BMI is to take your lbs and multiply them by 703. Then take your height in inches and square that number. Then divide the first number by the second number.
If you have a BMI of 25 to 30, you are considered overweight.…
Will the Swine Flu Vaccine Be Ready in Time?
August 28th, 2009 |Will the swine flu vaccine be ready in time?
Amid reports that suggest that millions of Americans could be “hospitalized” in the coming flu season due to the convergence of swine flu and more traditional influenzas — some bad news.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, swine flu vaccine won’t be available to anyone in America until the middle (or end) of October, probably too late for the earliest onset of swine flu and more traditional flu cases.
In fact, news today suggests that President Barack Obama’s science advisers are begging the President and his cabinet…
Who Is Ray Kurzweil?
August 19th, 2009 |Who is Ray Kurzweil?
My first exposure to Raymond Kurzweil, better known as Ray, came while reading Rolling Stone magazine earlier this year. In the January 2009 issue, Kurzweil appeared in David Kushner’s article “When Man and Machine Merge”. Kurzweil’s words in that article stuck with me. Ray Kurzweil said in Rolling Stone that he wanted to clone his dead father via an exact genetic copy obtained from DNA in the father’s grave. That’s right — Kurzweil expressed an honest desire to build a copy of his dead dad by inventing special nanorobots that could enter his father’s grave…
Why Is the Swine Flu Vaccine Creating Controversy?
August 18th, 2009 |Why is the swine flu vaccine creating controversy?
Flu season is approaching, and fear is riding along. Many people are aware that the H1N1 virus could re-emerge with a vengeance once the time for seasonal flu is upon us. Thankfully, a vaccine is currently being tested for potential release before “traditional” flu and the H1N1 virus or “swine flu” have a chance to hit us with a double whammy.
However, there are still other people who are afraid of the vaccine itself. In fact, fears surrounding the swine flu vaccine are growing by the day. First we heard from…
What Are the Predictions for this Year’s Hurricane Season?
August 4th, 2009 |What are the predictions for this year’s hurricane season?
Researchers have been scaling back their estimates on the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season since it started earlier this summer. Past seasons have seen violent storms form seemingly from the very beginning of the potential window for hurricanes — but this year has been terribly quiet.
Too quiet, in fact, for some. Even as I’m writing this, there is an area of interest in the Atlantic ocean — an area of showers and thunderstorms off the Cape Verde islands that shows some potential for turning into a tropical storm within the…
Are Mercury Dental Fillings Safe?
July 29th, 2009 |Are mercury dental fillings safe?
Mercury is well known as one of the most dangerous metals on earth. One of only four metals that are in liquid form at room temperature, mercury (also known as quicksilver) is a poison that can cause sickness and even death. So how does it make sense that we get mercury-based fillings in our teeth?
Though people have been petitioning the government for answers for years, a definitive answer has only recently been offered by the FDA.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this week that the silver colored dental fillings containing mercury…
Are Tanning Beds a Cancer Risk?
July 29th, 2009 |Are tanning beds a cancer risk?
International cancer experts have determined, once and for all, that the use of tanning beds and any other device that transmits any kind of ultraviolet or UV radiation do cause cancer. How have they done this? By moving up tanning beds, sun lamps, and similar devices to “the highest risk category”, the same as very dangerous poisons, such as mustard gas.
The new classification for these devices is more than just a symbolic gesture. It means that there is now medical support for the belief that tanning beds and UV rays definitely cause…
Where Will this Month’s Solar Eclipse Be Visible?
July 21st, 2009 |Where will this month’s solar eclipse be visible?
This Wednesday, June 22, 2009, a large portion of the population of Earth is in for quite a show.
The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century is about to take place — specifically, this Wednesday, with time around 2:35:21 UTC. This will be the longest totality event until June 13 2132, when none of us will be alive to view its beauty — hell, it is unlikely that any of our children will be around then.
There will be no other eclipse to rival its duration for over a…
What Are America’s Fattest States?
July 3rd, 2009 |What are America’s fattest states?
America is facing an obesity problem — some even call it an epidemic.
Overwhelmingly, the obesity problem pops up in the Southern states. Annually, a group called The Trust for America’s Health conducts a study into percentages of obese and overweight people, comparing geographical areas of the country and identifying the fattest states and regions.
The news is grim this year — not a single state grew LESS obese, though there were shifts in the dubious lineup of “fattest states”.
Adult obesity percentage actually rose in 23 states — this means that an unbelievable…
What Is the TYM Test?
June 10th, 2009 |What is the TYM test?
British medical researchers have created a new cognitive test that detects Alzheimer’s disease quickly and accurately. The self administered test, known as TYM or “test your memory”, was developed at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Although the mental illness known widely as “dementia” is quite common, with a prevalence of around 13 for every 1000 people aged 65-69 and 122 in 1000 in those over 80, only about half of people affected by this debilitating disease are ever diagnosed. This new test, that evaluates a patient’s cognitive ability, appears to be faster and more accurate than current…
What Is Food Inc.?
June 9th, 2009 |What is Food Inc.?
“Food Inc.” is an upcoming documentary by filmmaker Robert Kenner, probably best known for his film The American Experience, which won an Emmy in 2006.
One of the best reviewed films this year (a quick Google search of the film’s reviews revealed only one negative review, posted by an anonymous blogger), “Food Inc.” promises to be an eye opening experience for Americans, who probably don’t give a second though to exactly what it is they’re eating. Kenner’s goal with “Food Inc.” is to change, or at least slightly alter, that behavior.
You may remember a…
Have Scientists Found the Missing Link?
May 20th, 2009 |Have scientists found The Missing Link?
For years, science has been in search of “The Missing Link” between early primates and early humans — a being that bridged the gap between the two very different species. On Tuesday, the announcement came that scientists have been waiting for.
Scientists are revealing a fossil this week that they say was found almost 30 years ago — and may help untangle the mystery of our connection with other mammals and our earliest human ancestors.
An international team of scientists announced in New York on Tuesday the discovery of a 47 million year…
Why Is NASA Launching a Shuttle to the Hubble Telescope?
May 11th, 2009 |Why is NASA launching a shuttle to the Hubble telescope?
The Hubble telescope, which provides unprecendented views of deep space, is damaged, and is basically inoperable. NASA is sending up a crew to attempt repairs.
As we sit waiting for news of the coming launch of the Atlantis shuttle, another shuttle is poised for launch. That means that both of NASA’s shuttle launch pads are occupied — a rare occasion. Atlantis is on one, primed for a flight this coming week to the Hubble Space Telescope.
The space shuttle Endeavour sits on the other launch pad, a full mile away…