For a science fair experiment in 1969, a 14 year old scientist used genes to change chicken feathers from white to partially black, which his teacher said was playing God.
Facts about Asteroids
Oh no, it’s coming towards us! We’re all going to die! Lots of people fear something of this nature could happen in the future, and they’re not wrong. An asteroid could strike the Earth at any time and cause a nuclear-type winter effect creating food shortages and eventually seeing the end of life as we […]
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Facts About Uranus
Often the butt of adolescent jokes about our solar system, what can I tell you that’s new about Uranus? Well, maybe not yours specifically… Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun in our solar system. It was officially discovered by William Herschel on March 13, 1781, but his discovery was purely accidental. It had […]
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Every year the British Medical Journal publishes an issue full of joke…
Every year the British Medical Journal publishes an issue full of joke science, like one paper that said men die before women because they are stupid. But years later these articles are cited by scientists as real, and this is causing a lot of problems.
Various studies have shown that coffee prevents cancer, causes cancer, makes you…
Various studies have shown that coffee prevents cancer, causes cancer, makes you live longer, makes you die younger and reduces your risk of diabetes.
You Can Make Diamonds Out Of Tequila!
Tequila may be just another drink to those out in the town, but to a team of scientists in Mexico their country’s native alcohol turned out to be a gem; a diamond, to be precise. Javier Morales, Luis Apátiga and Victor Castaño at the National Autonomous University of Mexico made the alchemist-worthy discovery while experimenting turning various organic solutions, such as acetone and ethanol, into diamonds. The scientists noted that 80-proof tequila (40 percent alcohol) had the ideal proportion of ethanol to water to create diamond films. In order to make the diamonds, they evaporated the tequila into a vapor, and then heated the vapor above 1400 degrees Fahrenheit before depositing it on silicon or stainless steel trays. The resulting diamond films were between 100 to 400 nm in diameter and free of impurities.
Hard and heat resistant, the diamond films could have several commercial applications, such as for cutting tools and optical electronic devices. At the moment, the team is looking into creating diamonds with impurities for potential use as a new kind of semiconductor. The scientists have bigger plans in sight, too: They intend to turn their work into an industrial-scale venture by 2011 and hope to find a tequila distiller to provide them with the supplies.
[via PopSci]
In the aftermath of WW2, over 1500 scientists, technicians, and engineers from Nazi…
In the aftermath of WW2, over 1500 scientists, technicians, and engineers from Nazi Germany and other foreign countries were recruited by the United States instead of being prosecuted for war crimes. In fact, the German rocket program was a significant contributor to NASA’s entry into the space race.
This year, the U.S. government will allocate over 600 billion dollars to the Department…
This year, the U.S. government will allocate over 600 billion dollars to the Department of Defense. In contrast, NASA will receive just over 17 billion dollars in funding.
Scientists in Mexico turned tequila into diamonds by heating a cheap…
Scientists in Mexico turned tequila into diamonds by heating a cheap shot to 800 degrees Celsius. At that temp, it vaporized and broke down into its atomic constituents, producing a fine layer of carbon crystal structures identical to diamonds on nearby metal trays.
Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, the ability…
Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, the ability of pork strips to stop nosebleeds, and the reactions of reindeer to humans in polar bear suits were among the winners of 2014 Ig Nobel prizes.