science
-
Physics
The science behind Christmas sweaters: How friction shapes the shape of knitted fabrics
(a) Photograph of jersey knit stitches. (b) Experimental setup. (c) Geometric and numerical model. Credit: arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2404.07811 Through experiments, three physicists from the University of Rennes, Aoyama Gakuin University, and the University of Lyon discovered that it is the friction between the fibers that causes knitted fabric to take on a specific shape. Jérôme Crassou, Samuel Pointcru, and…
Read More » -
Science
Why do disinfectants only kill 99.9% of germs? Here’s the science
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Have you ever wondered why most disinfectants claim to kill 99.9% or 99.99% of germs, but don’t promise to remove them all? Perhaps you’re cleaning your kitchen or bathroom? This thought may have crossed your mind while you were cleaning it. Indeed, in a world where science makes all sorts of amazing things possible, has someone…
Read More » -
Chemistry
Video: Science prevents Christmas tree fires
Credit: American Chemical Society Each year, Christmas tree fires occur in 160 homes in the United States. They’re hot, fast, dangerous, and preventable. In this video, the ACS Reactions team tests various Christmas tree watering conditions. This includes an internet recipe for fireproofing a Christmas tree with borax, and explores the science behind preventing these fires. With help from the…
Read More » -
Physics
Bringing the power of tabletop precision lasers for quantum science to the chip scale
Andrei Ishchenko holds an ultra-high-quality ring resonator (left) that helps turn “coarse” light from a commercially available Fabry-Perot laser diode (right) into a low-linewidth laser. Credit: Sonia Fernandez, University of California, Santa Barbara For experiments that require ultra-high precision measurements and control of atoms (think two-photon atomic clocks, cold atom interferometer sensors, quantum gates), more spectrally pure (emitting a single…
Read More » -
Other Sciences
“Extreme Citizen Science” — High school students promoted to real researchers for motivation and environmental monitoring
High school students collecting water samples. Credit: Frederik Wolff Nisbeth Teglhus In addition to assisting with sample collection and butterfly discovery for research projects, non-experts can now perform actual laboratory work alongside professional researchers. The University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with a Danish high school, has shown that “Extreme Citizen Science” not only increases students’ interest in science, but also…
Read More » -
Science
Pushing the limits of traditional pottery techniques through the fusion of art and science
Graphene-enhanced ceramic art installation created by Delia Prvački. Credit: Daria Andreeva, National University of Singapore, Delia Prvački, Deliarts Pte Ltd. Art and science are sometimes poles apart, but that’s not the case with the research projects described in ACS Omega. In this study, a multidisciplinary team integrated scientific research, technological advances, and artistic exploration to experiment with the production, properties,…
Read More » -
Biology
New data science tools dramatically speed up environmental molecular analysis
Source: Nature Protocols (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41596-024-01046-3 A research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside has developed a computational workflow for analyzing large data sets in the field of metabolomics, the study of small molecules found in cells, biofluids, tissues and entire ecosystems. Recently, the team applied this new computational tool to analyze contaminants in ocean waters…
Read More » -
Space & Cosmos
Citizen science collaboration provides precise data on exoplanet WASP-77 A b
Artist’s concept view of the WASP-77 A b system. Credit: NASA Exoplanet Catalog When a planet sways in front of its star, dimming the starlight we see, these events, called transits, provide a wealth of information about exoplanets orbiting stars other than the Sun. But without volunteers’ help, it’s hard to predict when these special events will occur. Fortunately, the…
Read More »
