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POPSAustralians set shining standard They originally described the candela as the amount of light emitted by the average? candle. Since the definition has become more precise, but measurement is still improving. Here's the exact definition (for anyone that cares-don't ask me what a steradian is) from wikki: Since the 16th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1979, the candela has been defined as: The luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a source that emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540×1012 hertz and that has a radiant intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian.
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POPSStudy puts urine in the spotlight A light that can show signs of urinary tract infections These infections are easily treated, but first must be detected. This light can be part of an instant or even home analysis kit without the need to wait 24hours (usually in a queue) and two visits to the doctor or hospital. Of course if they are expensive, they can become part of the 'Neighborhood Watch' program, but how much can it cost to switch on a light globe? Every chemical has a unique signature. It is also hoped this technique can be used to detect other diseases , such as cancer, each of which have flags in the urine, due to the kidneys ability, and tendency to eliminate toxins from the system.
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POPSAtom laser to keep spacecraft on track. Models predict that the atom laser will be 11 orders of magnitude more sensitive than light laser gyroscopes, offering measurements that could be 100 billion times more precise.
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POPSOrion twins show not all are identical The fact that the twins are different means the study of their eclipses, can shed more light on the formation of stars, and they are one of the yardsticks astronomers can use to test their theories on star formation. The information gained can help revise some theories that exist at the moment, including the ages of star types.
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POPSExperimenting in a galaxy far far away While the readings confirm the laws of physics apply across the known universe, if it had been any other way, it would not only have been a surprise, but physics textbooks would have to be rewritten. Of course, the search has only just begun. The Radio Telescope is only a recent development, and much of what we know about the Universe, has been learned since the Hubble telescope became operational.
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POPSNew Research On Octopuses Sheds Light On Memory It is not completely understood how these two systems are interconnected, if at all. However, the organization in the octopus demonstrates a sophistication that was not described yet in other animals. In the octopus, the short-term and long-term systems are working in parallel, but not independently. This is so because the long-term memory area -- in addition to its capacity to store long-term memories -- also regulates the rate at which the short-term memory system acquires short-term memories. This regulatory mechanism is probably useful in cases where faster learning is significant for the octopus' survival in emergency or risky situations.
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POPSGlasses don't make you a nerd Or geek - There's more to it... There was another article a few months ago that studied myopia amongst Asian students, due to rates that are seen as high. It was suggested there that myopia, rather than being inherited, was a result of lack of exposure to light. Students with myopia didn't tend to get out as much. Science can have have trouble qualifying things that are a result of more than one reason. experiments that support or prove theories, are better if only one thing can change. They are missing the point. The reason geeks, and nerds don't 'socialize', or 'get enough light' isn't because they are unsociable, but perhaps because they 'travel' in a different social circle, which is cyber, and global, through the internet. Perhaps they can develop terminal screens that emit the wavelengths of solar radiation so chronic computer users avoid developing myopia.
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POPSFound! Biggest web of dark matter They should give it a better name They say we would no doubt find bigger examples if we could see further. Hubble is dying, and there seems to be no sign of a replacement, with the amount spent on the military While we could be learning about the universe, we have leaders leading us into trenches.
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POPSKnee gadget fires up your mobile. They say it can power 10 mobile phones. I thought that thinking seemed fairly narrow, but batteries might be another story. Good for places where there is no electricity, and any number of battery powered devices are good for about an hour without A/C It doesn't look like the kind of thing you would use unless absolutely necessary, but it reminds me of the backpacks they used to describe as mobile phones.
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POPSA touchy feely invisible cosmos The Universe in Braille. Sounds unlikely, but the point is made that the images we see that have been taken by the Hubble, Chandra X-Ray, and Spitzer infra Red Telescopes, are graphis representations of wavelengths outside the visible spectrum. There is no reason a blind person would have any less accurate picture of the Universe than a sighted person. Perhaps their view can be clearer, because they are not made blind by preconception.
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POPSNanotubes yield the Blackest Black 30 times darker than the current Standard of Blackness set by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. The light that hits it is not reflected it is collected, but they have so far been working with visible light, and are continuing tests with other wavelengths. The creator Pulickel Ajayan, also holds the 2006 Guiness Book record for worlds smallest brush
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POPSUV test helps fingerprint Blue Diamonds After exposure to UV light, the Hope Diamond, continues to glow after the light is turned off. When on display it cannot be seen in UV light, so they plan to make a video. Each diamond is composed of slightly different trace elements, so each diamond can have a spectrographic signature. UV can also help identify smaller diamonds that were once part of a larger stone.
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POPSIs Time disappearing from the universe? At an everyday level, the change would not be perceptible. However, it would be obvious from cosmic scale measurements tracking the course of the universe over billions of years. The change would be infinitesimally slow from a human perspective, but in terms of the vast perspective of cosmology, the study of ancient light from suns that shone billions of years ago, it could easily be measured Difficult to fathom.
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POPSSpitzer Space Telescope I saw a story where scientists thought they'd found out where cosmic dust came from. There were no pictures, so I followed the link to the telescope. There was much more to see, so I clipped the telescope. I think it's more of an infra red
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POPSTardis 4 port USB hub and sonic screwdriver The sonic screwdriver is said to write in invisible ink, that can be seen with UV Light. I was going to get more RAM, but now my USB port is looking relatively old. I'm sure the postage will be cheap. (I wonder if the TARDIS, has a Carbon footprint.) The Daleks? They are remote control, but I'm sure Davros thought the same thing.
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POPSBrave New World-Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) Aldous Huxleys vision of the Future, where a World State dictates that individuality be sacrificed for the sake of 'stability. The clip contains an introduction to the first chapter, with direct links to other chapters.
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POPSVenus flytrap inspires snapping lens The lenses are like microscopic tennis balls, cut in half. With a little pressure the lens can change from concave to convex, giving a surface new properties, that can have many applications, from color changing paint, or road signs that can change with heat, or light, or on demand. Each depression, is about the size of a human hair
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