May

9

Infographic: Inventors – The People Behind the Way We Live

May 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Modern society is so full of technology and gadgets that consumers take for granted. We use fascinating and complex machines every day without giving any thought to their origins. Three hundred years ago, there were no toilets. Two hundred years ago, there were no light bulbs. A hundred years ago, there were no cars or airplanes. Thirty years ago, there were no personal computers. Twenty years ago, there was no text messaging. Twelve years ago, there was no iPod.

The journey to modern civilization has had many stops along its way. Hundreds of brilliant inventors have shaped the natural world to allow us to enjoy modern conveniences. BestCollegesOnline.org has created an infographic that traces the development of many of the technologies we rely on, including cars, electricity, computers, and indoor plumbing. You will be fascinated by the intricate details that led to the creation of life as you know it.

From: Best Colleges Online

Inventors: The People Behind the Way We Live

May

2

Facts About The Moon!

May 2, 2012 | 1 Comment

Moon facts, we all know a few. However, there are many facts about the moon that you might not know about.

Relative to the size of the planet it orbits, the moon is actually the largest satellite in our solar system. It’s roughly one quarter of the diameter of earth. On size alone there are actually four satellites bigger than the moon orbiting planets in our system. These are three of Jupiter’s moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Io, and Titan which is a moon of Saturn.

For a long time it has been believed that water cannot exist on the lunar surface. However this is not quite true. Since the 60s it has been believed that small deposits of liquid water might well be present in permanently shadowed and very cold craters at either of the moon’s poles. The water it is though would have been deposited in the form of ice by comets impacting the moon’s surface or possibly as a result of chemical reaction between solar winds and oxygen rich lunar rocks.

Have you ever considered the preciseness of solar eclipses? It’s a little bit spooky that the moons orbit of 30 times the width of the earth means that the moon and sun appear as the same size in the sky. It is this that makes solar eclipses so vivid.

The moon is about as reflective as coal, which is bizarre when you consider that after the sun it is the second brightest body in our skies. This is due to the opposition effect that affects objects with rough surfaces or many particles. Depending on the phase angle the moon’s brightness increases hugely.

Seasons in terms of light are far less distinguishable on the moon due to its almost perfect axial tilt. This means that its topographical structures have a far more influential effect on the how and where light falls on the moon. For example there are mountainous regions on the rim of the Peary crater that remain in ‘daylight’ for the entire length of a lunar day.

Nearly all the craters on the moon were caused by impacts with the largest being over 200 miles wide and the smallest ones being microscopic. As the moon has such a scarcity of water and tectonic plates the craters tend not to erode. It is though that many of the craters have been present for over two billion years.

16 percent of the moon is referred to as Lunar Maria. These are basaltic plains that were originally mistaken by astronomers to be seas. The plains are actually iron rich and appear darker than the rest of the moon due to being less reflective. They were caused by volcanic eruptions dating back over 3 billion years.

Wow. If you ever wanted to know your place in the universe, moon facts are a good way to go… Big place this little old universe of ours…

About the author: Cynthia Seymour when not goggling through her telescope researches novelty gift ideas for the online emporium Find Me A Gift.

May

1

Science Fair Projects on Plants with Aspirin

May 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Science Fair Projects on Plants with Aspirin

Before we begin, you need background information for your science fair experiment.

Aspirin, also called, acetylsalicylic acid, is a pharmaceutical drug that is in the family of salicylates (salicylic acid – SA). It is a colorless crystalline organic acid and is used in synthesis and is a plant hormone.

SA is a phytohormone and is found throughout the make-up of plants. It stimulates the growth of plants as well as their development, transpiration, and photosynthesis.

Three aspirin botany related science fair projects

Aspirin in water can be used to protect a plant from insects. This is one of the best science fair projects on plants with aspirin. To complete this experiment you will mix crushed aspirin with water and spray it on the leaves of a plant. You will then determine if this plant is more, less or as insect resistant as plants that have not been treated by the aspirin water.

Can Aspirin Water Speed Up the Process of Seed Germination

This is a new application of aspirin that you can test with science fair projects on plants with aspirin. To test this hypothesis you will crush various amounts of aspirin, dissolve it in water and use this water to germinate seeds. Compare the germination rates and draw your conclusions. If it does work, why does it work? Expand your experiment by testing this application on a variety of different seeds.

Can Aspirin Water Protect a Plant From Common Plant Diseases?

This is a more complex hypothesis, and it will require a more complex experiment. To test this hypothesis you will need to have two test groups. The first test group will be the control group and it will not be treated with aspirin water. The second test group will be an experiment subject and it will be treated with aspirin water. You can expand on this experiment by testing different concentrations of aspirin water.

Can Plants Overdose on Aspirin?

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if plants can be killed if exposed to too much aspirin. To execute this experiment you will need to set up several plant experiments. One experiment will not be treated with any aspirin, this will be your control test. The remaining plant experiments will be treated with various concentrations of aspirin. What did you learn? Can plants be killed with aspirin?

Presentation of Your Project

When designing your science fair projects on plants with aspirin you need to think about your final presentation even when developing your experiment. As you complete your experiment you will need to come up with visual elements for you photosynthesis project boards or botany project boards, depending on what topic you choose to experiment with. As you collect your data take photographs and draw diagrams of your observations. These items can be added to your project boards to help explain what your project is about and what you learned.

If you have a video camera you can record the growth and then play it in fast motion. This could create a very exciting presentation and impress the judges. Also, put it on YouTube.com so all your friends and family can view your efforts.

Our Science Fair Blog or Internet site would also be interested in feature your aspirin/botany science fair project, and who knows, you may win a prize!

Apr

4

Top 3 Most Exciting Innovations in Green Technology

April 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment

With the continuing challenges we face as a result of climate change, the world’s greatest minds are constantly coming up with new ways to reduce carbon emissions as well as make the most of existing energy. If we are to avert climactic disaster, it could be that the solutions are discovered at the ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy) summit. Here are some of the most highly anticipated innovations in green technology from this year’s event.

Solar-Thermal Engine

With an increasing number of cars on the road, and our addiction to fossil fuels showing no signs of abating, it would be a major breakthrough to come up with an engine that can run on alternative energy. The Solar-Thermal Engine on show at ARPA-E runs on sunshine as you’d expect from the name, but it can also operate on synthetic gas derived from rubbish heated to just 260 degrees Celsius. It is the heat produced from these sources that the engine uses to produce steam which then powers the engine.

Artificial Photosynthesis

The secret to harnessing the power of the sun effectively could lie in plants. When sunlight hits a leaf, it splits the water inside it to produce carbohydrates, and this same process can be used to split water into Oxygen and Hydrogen which can be used as a fuel.
The real benefit of artificial photosynthesis is that, unlike other forms of renewable energy such as geothermal or wind power, it could have a real future as a fuel for transportation as it can be produced as and stored in photovoltaic cells as an actual fuel.
The artificial photosynthesis technology demonstrated at ARPA-E could be used to generate energy for the home cheaply.

Airborne Wind Turbines

At very high altitudes the wind never stops, and if utilised correctly could produce a constant stream of energy. On display at ARPA-E was a carbon-fibre “kite” that can circle high in the sky, and transmit that power it harnesses via a tether made of high strength fibres surrounded by conductors.
It works like any other wind turbine, where air rapidly moves across the blades and causes them to rotate, thus generating electricity. However, the AWT has a number of advantages over the traditional wind turbine. Firstly, it can produce power far more cost-effectively, at around half the cost, while it uses a massive 90% less material and is therefore far cheaper to build and install.
One major drawback to wind turbines that will often be cited is that they spoil the natural beauty of the countryside. With an AWT however, this isn’t an issue as they fly hundreds of metres in the air. It’s this altitude that also allows them to access significantly stronger winds.
We are beginning to see the effects of climate change throughout the world, including extended droughts in the planet’s hottest regions, coral reef bleaching and the continued retreat of the ice caps. If we are to avoid these and other problems getting increasingly more damaging, we will need to take significant steps both politically and technologically, and if ARPA-E is any indication, the best minds in green technology are working hard to discover the solutions.

This blog post was written by John Rooney on behalf of SolarTech, experts in delivering renewable energy technology for your home or business in the form of solar panels.

Mar

28

Women of Science: From Medicine to Computer Science

March 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Throughout history, both women and men have made important contributions to all areas of science. Without these contributors, many of the scientific advancements we enjoy today would not be possible. In light of International Women’s Month, below are some of the most notable women in the field.

Ruth Benedict
Benedict was a notable anthropologist who served as a professor at Columbia University. She is recognized as the author of several important anthropological texts, including “The Races of Mankind,” which discussed the lack of scientific support for racism.

Laura Maria Caterina Bassi
Bassi served at the University of Bologna as an anatomy professor in the 1700s. She is known for her experiments and lectures focusing on Newtonian physics. Future Pope Benedict XIV appointed Bassi to a notable group of academics in 1745.

Clara Barton
Clara Barton was a notable nurse who cared for injured Civil War soldiers. She is the founder of the American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization that is still in operation today.

Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey
Florence Bailed was an ornithologist and nature writer who wrote multiple books on the study of birds. Several of her bird guides remain popular today.

Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
Rear Admiral Hopper was a United States Naval Officer and a well-known computer scientist who is remembered for her work on the programming of the Mark I, a revolutionary naval computer. She also discovered the first “computer bug” in the history of computer science. This bug turned out to be an actual moth trapped in a vacuum tube. Finally, Hopper created the first compiler and contributed to the development of COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language).

Joy Adamson
A naturalist living in the 1900s, Joy Adamson is known for her conservation work in Kenya. She also wrote “Born Free,” which is a book that describes her experience of raising a young lion cub and later releasing it into the wild.

Agnodice
Living in the 4th century, Agnodice was a gynecologist and physician who wore men’s clothing because women were not allowed to practice medicine. However, it is unknown whether Agnodice is a historical figure or a legend.

Maria Agnesi
Maria Agnesi was the first female to ever work as a university mathematics professor. Maria Agnesi’s book on mathematics is the first one of its kind written by a woman that is still intact.

Virginia Apgar
Apgar is responsible for the development of the Apgar Newborn Scoring System, which uses several simple criteria to assign a score to a newborn baby. The Apgar Score has dramatically increased infant survival rates. Apgar also questioned the use of certain anesthetics during childbirth.

Elizabeth Garret Anderson
Anderson was the first female to pass Great Britain’s medical exams and work as a physician within the country. She also worked to increase women’s opportunities in higher education.

Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden was a scientist who created, manufactured, and sold a line of famous cosmetics. She sold her products under the company known as Elizabeth Arden, Inc., for which she was the founder and operator.

Émilie du Châtelet
In her relatively short life lived during the first half of the 18th century, du Châtelet chose to spend her highly privileged life in France exploring the physical world and also studying Newton’s contributions to physics. Her own contributions to the mathematical interpretation of energy are directly tied to Einstein’s later, famed formula e=mc2.

Marie Curie
The first scientist, (let alone female), to be awarded two Nobel Prizes, her first in physics which she shared with her scientist-husband, and a second in chemistry, Curie is best known for her work with radiation, a term she and her husband coined following the discovery of the element radium.

Lise Meitner
Partially obscured of fame by age and what is considered a gross oversight by the committee that selects Nobel Prize recipients in physics, the Austrian-born physicist, Lise Meitner is mistakenly remembered as the “Mother of the Atomic Bomb.” In fact, Meitner did confirm nuclear fission, though her work was not directly associated with the Manhattan Project’s development of the world’s first nuclear bombs used in WWII.

Maria Sibylla Merian
When many contemplate the word “metamorphosis,” thoughts of caterpillars turning into beautiful butterflies come to mind. For Maria Merian, that process became the subject of her life, one spent observing nature and then recording what she saw in remarkable works of scientific art. Though her art included pretty flowers, most of her work involved insects, including a South American variety of tarantula that enjoyed the occasional hummingbird, a depiction that brought howls of disapproval from early 18th century critics.


About the author: Matt Herndon is a freelance writer living and working in the Indianapolis area. His undergraduate and graduate work was done in Upper East Tennessee where he studied communication and institutional leadership.