Month: September 2015

Phonon? What the heck is that?

Adam Steiner Leave a comment

Phonons are elemental particles that transmit heat. Scientists recently discovered that phonons can be affected by magnetic fields similarly to how a compass is affected by a nearby magnet. By using a magnetic scanner thousands of times stronger than a refrigerator magnet scientists were able to reduce the amount of heat transferred by phonons. Scientists have known for decades that magnetic fields can affect photons, elemental particles of light, but had not seen evidence it could affect phonons carrying heat and sound. Before this experiment it was not known whether magnetic fields could affect phonons. This discovery will change how materials are engineered and may contribute to materials that are better at deflecting sound and heat.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150323130847.htm Science news summary

http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4247.html Research article

http://news.osu.edu/news/2015/03/23/heatmag/ Press release

http://phys.org/news/2015-03-landmark-magnets.html Science news summary

http://abstracts.its.org/abstractdetails/10416  Basic description of phonons

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/457336/phonon Phonon definition

Wrecking ball (aka Jupiter)

Adam Steiner Leave a comment
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JKmFyDhyOYw/VRNuzFoJOKI/AAAAAAAA1zs/bX8EMhkYHBc/s1600/MileyCyrus-WreckingBall-Jupiter-photoshopped.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JKmFyDhyOYw/VRNuzFoJOKI/AAAAAAAA1zs/bX8EMhkYHBc/s1600/MileyCyrus-WreckingBall-Jupiter-photoshopped.JPG

As the solar system was forming, many of the planets lacked defined orbits. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, smashed its way through the solar system. Many smaller planets that existed were destroyed as Jupiter settled into its current orbit. Much of the debris generated by the collisions contributed to the formation of the other planets such as Mars and Earth. Most solar systems have more planets closer to the central star, unlike ours which only has Venus and Mercury. It is very likely that Jupiter is directly responsible for the lack of planets closer than Mercury to the Sun.

Sources:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/03/18/1423252112

http://www.iflscience.com/space/early-jupiter-was-wrecking-ball-smashed-through-baby-super-earths

http://news.ucsc.edu/2015/03/wandering-jupiter.html

http://io9.com/jupiter-may-have-destroyed-the-solar-systems-first-plan-1693169374

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150324-jupiter-super-earth-collisions-planets-astronomy-sky-watching/

Nature’s Battery

Adam Steiner Leave a comment
https://cdn0.iconfinder.com/data/icons/eco-1/512/eco_charge-512.png
https://cdn0.iconfinder.com/data/icons/eco-1/512/eco_charge-512.png

The best way to provide light at night is store energy and it use it later just like batteries in a flashlight. Researchers have recently discovered that bacteria can create their own version of a battery by rearranging microscopic magnetic particles. In their experiment researchers showed that a group of bacteria removed electrons from minerals during the day. Then at night, bacteria put electrons back into the minerals essentially recharging the minerals and replacing the electrons that had been lost. The bacteria could do this repeatedly. This means that bacteria can store the charge, by holding onto the electrons, and send the charge along to power something external, like a battery could for a lightbulb.

 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/eaog-nss032415.php Press release

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150326151654.htm News story

http://www.kurzweilai.net/how-bacteria-can-use-magnetic-particles-to-create-a-natural-battery News story

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6229/1473 Original article

Modulating neurons with sound

Adam Steiner Leave a comment

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/si-ifs091015.php

In optogenetics, a light sensitive switch is added to a neuron. When that switch is triggered, the neuron responds. Here researchers have done something similar this time with sound. An ultrasound triggered responses in neurons with sound sensitive switches. This technique could be much less invasive then implanting a fiber optic cable to pulse light onto specific neurons.

First Science Tidbit – Chewing gum gets rid of bacteria

atom Leave a comment

chewing-gum

Reducing bacteria in the mouth is a good thing. Recent evidence shows that chewing gum reduces the amount of bacteria in the mouth. Researchers determined that 10 minutes of chewing gum provided the maximum benefit. After 10 minutes the benefits decreased as bacteria attached to the gum were re-released into the mouth. By removing bacteria from the mouth, oral hygiene improves. This leads to a decrease in plaque buildup and helps promote good breath.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117191

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/28912/20150127/too-lazy-to-floss-chewing-gum-removes-as-much-bacteria-as-flossing.htm

http://www.realclearscience.com/journal_club/2015/01/21/chewing_gum_removes_bacteria_from_your_mouth_109038.html

http://www.medicaldaily.com/oral-health-hack-chewing-gum-removes-100m-bacteria-10-minutes-similar-flossing-319120