Glowing Bugs

In the Amazon Rainforest, animals take many different forms including shapes and sizes; however, not all include bioluminescence. This past October, scientists visited that area of Peru and found some Click Beetle larvae. There are around 10,000 different species of Click Beetles; however, only about 200 Click Beetles are known to be bioluminescent, they are very rare. These Click Beetles emit a neon green looking light and give off a glow to attract their prey. Once close enough, the beetles clamp their jaws down and eat their transfixed victim. They believe these beetles could be closely related to the Brazilian Fire Beetles; however, more studies need to be conducted. I decided to write about this article because a rare species being found and able to study like this is not common and I wanted to explore their findings.

http://scienceworld.scholastic.com/Chemistry-News/2014/12/A-Glow-in-the-Dark-Mystery

Submitted by Perley Provost

Blacker than Black?

Surrey Nanosystems, a British tech company, has created a substance called Vantablack. Vanta stands for Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays. Vantablack has set a new world record for being the substance that reflects the least amount of light/ absorbs the most amount of light at .04 amount of light reflected.

These scientists had to use millions of tiny little carbon nanotubes that are packed so tightly together that light gets lost in the cracks and can't actually pass through the nanotubes themselves. One of the most interesting parts is that even if the Vantablack is on a contoured surface, say crinkly tin foil, the human eye cannot process the contours because of the amount of light that is absorbed into the Vantablack! We see it as not really flat surface, but basically the closest thing to a black hole that has been human made so far. Described by the Chief Technology Officers, Ben Jensen, "Vantablack reduces stray-light, improving the ability of sensitive telescopes to see the faintest stars, and allows the use of smaller, lighter sources in space-borne black body calibration systems."

Hopefully soon this can be mass produced not just for the government and military, solely so that I can stare at it for hours on end because it's SO cool!

http://www.nerdist.com/2014/07/the-worlds-blackest-black-created-by-scientists-worn-by-snakes/

Submitted by Charlotte King

ACDC Saving the World With Dirt

The chemicals used in chemical warfare (by governments and terrorist groups alike) are made from harmless compounds found naturally in just about any area of the worlds. The take these compounds and turn them into hazardous chemical warfare agents. The Agnostic Compact Demilitarization of Chemical Agents (ACDC) announced they have started a program researching ways to return their harmful compounds to their harmless components. 

The current way these hazardous compounds are disposed of is costly and results in hazardous waste that must then me safely disposed of. The current forms of disposal require transporting the hazardous material to a storage facility, and typically include incineration of said material after a neutralization agent (specific to each material) and water have been added. The process requires lots of resources and often results in acid rain. The process also produces hazardous waste that must then be safely disposed of. 

The anticipated end result of this program is to develop an inexpensive process of neutralizing the hazardous material using dirt or plant matter that is abundant on the site of the contamination, adding heat in the form of fire, and ending up with soil enriched with the non-hazardous components of the broken down chemical warfare agents without releasing any toxins into the air. 

The group plans to use heat to break the chemical bonds in the chemical warfare agents that were synthetically stimulated to form, resulting in the original organic compounds that the agent was formed out of. 

http://phys.org/news/2014-12-deadly-chemical-agents-harmless-soil.html

Submitted by Victoria Ordeman

Homemade Slushies

Slushies are one of my favorite kinds of beverages, just because it is so funky and cool. I've always thought making slushies was complicated, until I found this gem of a video. 
So basically, to turn any types of soda into slushies, shake the soda violently and then proceed to place 4 16.9-oz bottles in a freezer set at -11ºF. What the shake does is to build up pressure in the bottle, and as you may recall, at higher pressure, substance freezes at a lower temperature. Therefore, after 3-4 hours when you take the bottles out, the soda will be colder than freezing temperature, yet still in it's in liquid form. What the accumulated pressure does is delaying the freezing process.Then, when you take the soda bottles out of the freezer and quickly remove the cap to release the built-up pressure, the soda will freeze rapidly at the sudden change to give you slushies. Pretty easy, huh?However, depending on the freezer you have, time and temperature may vary, so keep experimenting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T68TvdoSbI

Submitted by Chau Nguyen

Climate Warms Leads to the Shrinking of Animals and Plants

As we know, people cannot survive without animals and plants. In this world, everything relates and depends on each other. We learned in my high school biochemistry class that the ecosystem is one of the most important things in the world. Jennifer Sheridan and David Bickford (researchers) point out that climate change induced warmer temperatures. The rising temperature may cause habitats to change and, therefore, are possible culprits in the case of the shrinking number of creatures. Among all animals, cold-blooded animals change dramatically because of the global warming. Also, the experiment points out warm weather will lead to fewer fish. In conclusion, animals and plants can not respond to the global warming fast enough. Thus, the changing temperature will affect animals and plants and, in turn, humans in a long run.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/life-already-shrinking-111017.htm

By Changhong Wu

Helium All Around

Recently there has been speculation that we could run out of helium. While helium is the second most common element in the universe, there is only a small amount of it present in the earth’s atmosphere. The element of is so light that it cannot be pulled in by Earth’s gravitational force.

The helium that does exist on Earth is naturally found in underground rock formations. Helium’s radius, which is the smallest of any atomic element, allows it squeeze into small cracks in the rock. The rock then traps the helium and prevents it from escaping into the atmosphere. Natural gas fields harvest the largest quantities of helium. Occasionally, there is enough helium mixed in with the natural gas that companies are able to extract it as by-product. The helium is then sold to buyers.

In addition to having the smallest atomic radius of any element, helium also has the lowest condensation point. It chances from a gas to a liquid at -269°C. Because liquid helium is so cold, it is used in medical scanners, like MRI machines, to freeze special magnets. These helium dependent machines are crucial in helping doctors properly diagnose medical conditions. For the same reasons, liquid helium is also used to chill magnets in science labs.  

Some might fear that we are at risk for running out of helium but in reality there is enough helium beneath Earth’s surface to sustain us. The real problem is not running out of helium; it is accessing it. Companies will have to continue to drill for helium to keep the supply stable.

http://scienceworld.scholastic.com/Chemistry-News/2014/11/deflated  

Submitted by: Natasha Peregrim

Water Energy

MIT scientists have developed a polymer film that has the ability to generate electricity drawing merely from water vapor. The film is made up of two different polymers. Polypyrrole, provides structural support, while polyol-borate is a soft get that absorbs water. It works by absorbing water vapor and which causes the material to change its shape thus it to repeatedly curls up and down. The water gradient causes the material the curl thus producing mechanical energy. If this energy is harnessed, it could power small devices and, most notably, robotic arms and environmental sensors. This is important because becoming more efficient at producing energy would allow larger devices and advanced technology to become more eco-friendly.

 http://www.chemistry2011.org/news/OrganicChemistry/PolymerChemistry/NewMaterialHarvestsEnergyFromWaterVapor

Submitted by Church Humphreys

New Material Makes Water and Oil Roll Off

Scientists at the KIT Institute of Microstructure Technology have discovered a new material, which is being called “fluoropore” and has the ability to repel both water and oil droplets. The development of this new class of highly fluorinated super-repellent polymers at the KIT is now receiving 2.85 million Euros of funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The phenomenon of repelling water, for which the lotus flower is well known, has been used in many products already. However, the lotus plant is not able to repel oil. Oil-repellent surfaces however, need to have a different chemical structure, which is why flouropolymers are required. Dr. Bastian Rapp explained this idea, stating “when combining the chemical properties of flouropolymers with the roughness of the lotus plant, surfaces are obtained, from which both water and oil droplets will roll off.” However, due to the sensitivity to abrasion, Rapp works on developing a new class of fluorinated polymers that repels water and oil, which are far more robust in practical application. This project is being called “Flouropore”. This discovery is both groundbreaking and important because it allows for protective coatings against any type of staining. In terms of practical use, “flouropore” could be used on car finishings, house fronts or shoes, in order to prevent staining of any kind. 

http://phys.org/news/2014-11-material-oil.html?utm_source=menu&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=item-menu

Submitted by Max Haupt

All I Know Since Yesterday Is Everything Has Changed

     A group of scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have discovered a new atomic structure for iron oxide.This is remarkable considering that everyone accepted that atomic structure was already considerably established. Specifically experimenting with magnetite, the group of scientists led by Professor Ulrike Diebold have concluded that its structure is actually Fe₁₁O₁₆, and not Fe₃O₄ Magnetite is an effective catalyst for chemical reactions due to its ability to keep single atoms stay in place on its surface. However, no one was able to explain why it acted this way due to the lack of knowledge about Magnetite's surface. 

      Scientists couldn't explain why Magnetite behaves the it does because they have been looking at its crystal structure the wrong way. Many believed that it was due to missing oxygen atoms in the topmost atomic layer, but that affects electronic properties more than anything. Instead, the scientists at the Vienna University of Technology suggested that it was due to missing iron atoms below the outermost layer. Indeed, it's these missing iron atoms that allow other metal atoms to attach in regularly spaced spots. This then gives a good amount of space between the placed metal atoms, which prevents them from forming a nanoparticle. After proposing this the scientists used quantum simulations to show that is was physically possible and electron diffraction to show how well the crystal structure corresponds with the theoretical model. In order to confirm their experiment they had to yield an R-value between 0.1 and 0.15, which is also amazing considering no one had gotten better than a 3.0. But the group of scientists were successful and yielded an R-value of 1.125. 

      I find this extremely interesting and valuable. First, it is a contemporary example scientific discovery and improvement. It shows that there is probably still a lot to figure out, and some of the things we a learning know might be proven wrong in the future. Second, it is interesting to see what this will do with other oxides. Scientists believe that rethinking the crystal structure for iron oxides as well as oxides of cobalt, manganese, and nickel could improve applications in electronics and medicine. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141204142635.htm

Submitted by Christopher Castillo

Detecting Toxic Gases with a Laser

Scientist Frank De Lucia and colleges at The Ohio State University have found a way to detect different types of toxic gases up to a kilometer away. Using terahertz radiation, also known as "T Rays" of the correct energy can make a molecule change rotational state. This produces an absorption spectra that is unique as a fingerprint. 

Terahertz radiation has been used in the past to detect tumors and gases in lab conditions, but have not been used in the outside world because the presence of water vapor smears and weakens the spectra. The scientists at OSU were able to bypass this problem using a second beam of light in the infrared spectrum to hit the molecules with just the right amount of energy, causing the spectra to flicker instead of smear. With this technique, scientists can detect exactly what kind of gas is present in the air in extremely small amounts even with water vapor present.

I find this process very exciting because it can keep people, such as soldiers, mine workers, or citizens of highly polluted areas, safe from even tiny amounts of many dangerous gases just by turning on a laser. I am worried by the fact that the laser in question is eight feet long and weighs one ton, because this severely limits its practical applications. The laser also sounds very expensive, and would need a skilled worker to manage it, which also limits its uses.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141203161132.htm

Submitted by Megan Cleary

Plasma Available at Home

The fourth state of matter, plasma, can actually be created at home. Plasma is one of the states of matter other than solid, liquid, and gas. A plasma can be created by heating a gas until it ionizes by using microwave. All we need to have is a grape, a knife, a glass, and a microwave. Cut the grape into half, then take one of the half pieces and slice it in half again, leaving the two quarters connected by the skin. Put the grape inside the microwave, and cover the grape by an upturned glass and turn the microwave on. Then step back and watch. We will see a beam of bright light climb up from the chopped grape. When we see the light, we are actually seeing a very small amount of plasma. Grape juice is rich in ions, so it's a good medium to observe plasma.

      I find this article interesting because I always imagined that plasma is a kind of high-technology matter, and it can only be observed in laboratory. But after reading this article I realized that plasma is also a form of matter which really exists in the world I live, just like all the solids, liquids, and gas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)
http://www.cracked.com/article_20707_7-mind-blowing-chemical-reactions-you-wont-believe-are-real.html

Submitted by Wae Nakayama

Lime on Top

The article I read was about ways of making nuclear power plants safer for workers and people within a close proximity. The reason they can become unsafe is due to the build up of lime scale in the kettles around the nuclear plant. This is because of the hard water that can leave a residue after it is run over the kettles. Over time this residue can get so big that it leaves the top that look like stalagmites. This test examined if the growths that accumulated in the kettles are actually real stalagmites. The conclusion to this study was concluded they are the same thing. They both have lime deposits in them and they both grow in the same pattern. These need to be removed, if at all possible, from the kettles.  

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141204074148.htm

Submitted by Ryan Brown