Dec. 21, 2011
Toy-Sized Robot Completes the Ironman Triathlon
by Zach Lynn
By Zach Lynn, Carleton College The Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii is known for its rigorous difficulty. Competitors must complete a 2.4 mile swim, a 180 mile bike ride, and a 26 mile (marathon) run. In 2011's Ironman Triathlon, Mr. Evolta, a 6.7 inch tall robot, raced alongside human competitors. It finished in 166 hours and 56 minutes, just under its goal of 168 hours (one week). The average time for a human competitor is about 10 hours. The lead designer of Mr. Evolta, Tomotaka Takahashi, reasoned that since the robot was about one tenth the size of a man, it should take the robot 10 times as long to complete the course.
Dec. 19, 2011
Possible Plastic Alternative Inspired by Insects
by Zach Lynn
By Zach Lynn, Carleton College Plastic's environmentally hazardous reign of terror over consumer products might be about to end. The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has just developed a cheap, sturdy and biodegradable material that could realistically act as an alternative to plastic. This material, known by its creators as "Shrilk", was inspired by the sturdy yet flexible cuticles of arthropods (including insects, arachnids and crustaceans).
Dec. 14, 2011
Experiments at CERN Begin to Pinpoint the Higgs Boson
by Zach Lynn
By Zach Lynn, Carleton College Yesterday, two research groups, both based at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, presented the latest data from the search for the Higgs boson. Although it is far from definitive, their results suggest that the Higgs boson does, in fact, exist. The experiments have pinpointed a range of masses that it might inhabit. Confirmation that the Higgs boson does or does not exist will have significant consequences in particle physics.
Dec. 13, 2011
Neutrinos May Be Able to Exceed the Cosmic Speed Limit
by Zach Lynn
Zach Lynn, Carleton College This September, the OPERA experiment (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus) announced that they had observed a pulse of neutrinos moving faster than the speed of light. The difference wasn't large. The neutrinos arrived at the detector in Gran Sasso, Italy about 60ns (60 billionths of a second) faster than a photon in a vacuum would have. The neutrinos appeared to be moving about 1/40,000 times (about 17,500mph) faster than the speed of light.
Dec. 08, 2011
Science Keeps Sandwich Fresh for Two Years
by Zach Lynn
By Zach Lynn, Carleton College Since 1966, the US Army has been providing its troops in the field with Meals Ready to Eat or MREs. MREs are "completely self-contained meals that provide all the nutrition a solider-on-the-go needs to sustain him/herself." As of this year, there are 24 different entrees including options like chili and cheese tortellini. The science that goes into producing these meals is quite impressive.
Jan. 03, 2011
My Favorite Scientist: Rosalind Franklin
by Zach Lynn
Click image above to view the video.
Dec. 29, 2010
Iridescent Photo of Daddy Long Legs
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the full size photo and learn more.
Dec. 29, 2010
Dream Job: Roboticist
by Zach Lynn
Click image above to learn more and view the video.
Dec. 28, 2010
The Sun As You've Never Seen It Before
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the full size photo and learn more.
Dec. 16, 2010
My Favorite Scientist: Benjamin Franklin
by Zach Lynn
Click image above to view the video.
Dec. 16, 2010
Wooden Binary Adding Machine
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see a demonstration of the machine.
Dec. 15, 2010
World Record Rubik’s Cube Solution
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to watch the video.
Dec. 15, 2010
Amazing Refraction Demo
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the video and learn more.
Dec. 09, 2010
World's Smallest Orchid
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the full size picture and learn more.
Dec. 09, 2010
Miniscule Jellyfish Can Live Forever
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the full size photo and learn more
Dec. 09, 2010
SpaceX's Dragon Returns to Earth Safely
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the launch video and learn more.
Dec. 08, 2010
Navy Tests a Real-World Railgun
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the full size photo and learn more.
Dec. 07, 2010
Google's Earth Engine
by Zach Lynn
Click image above to learn more and view the video.
Dec. 06, 2010
Prehistoric Crocodile Had Mammal-Like Teeth
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the video and learn more.
Dec. 06, 2010
The Human Heart Revealed
by Zach Lynn
Click the image above to see the full size photo and learn more.
Dec. 01, 2010
World AIDS Day 2010
by Zach Lynn
Today, December 1st, is the 24th annual World AIDS Day. Each World AIDS Day has a theme and 2010's is "Universal Access and Human Rights." For Americans, this should serve as a reminder that although AIDS related deaths have declined in the United States, AIDS is global health issue. About 33 million people, including over 2.5 million children, are living with HIV or AIDS.
Dec. 01, 2010
Low Density Solid is a Super Insulator
by Zach Lynn
Click the picture above to see the full size image and learn more.
Nov. 30, 2010
Amazing Images of the Brain
by Zach Lynn
Click the picture above to see the full size photo and learn more.
Nov. 29, 2010
Large Hadron Collider Rap
by Zach Lynn
Click image above to view the video.
To access older blog posts, navigate via the archive links in the sidebar at left.
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