Making Wood the ‘Cool’ New Building Material
Researchers
have modified wood not only to make it stronger but to make it capable
of cool itselfing, which may lead to energy savings.
Futuristic,
energy-efficient houses may soon be made of -- wood. This staple of
construction has received a makeover that gives it desirable properties
such as increased strength and the ability to shed heat. Researchers
developed a process to convert wood into what they call “cooling wood.”
They presented the details of this promising building material that
could decrease the need for air conditioning in an article
published today
in the journal Science.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
Image credits:
University of Maryland
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Researchers Mimic Biology to Make a Better, 'Buggy' Microphone
Insect hearing systems are inspiring new microphone designs that can better identify the direction a sound comes from.
Secret
agents who snoop around and hide bugs that listen to the conversations
of others are a staple of spy and suspense movies. Inspired by the
hearing of actual insects, researchers may be able to design new kinds
of bugs and other microphones
.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
Image credits:
Daren Zomerman
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Refrigeration Research Seeks to Ditch Toxic, Polluting Gases
So-called plastic crystals could open new avenues in the quest to make refrigerators with only solid components.
Refrigeration
has been around for about 100 years, but hasn’t changed much in that
time. A time traveller from the early 1900s would still recognize the
big box full of chilled food in your kitchen. But soon, researchers say,
new materials could replace refrigeration as we know it, making it more
adaptable, efficient and environmentally friendly.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Could Fundamental Constants Be Neither Fundamental nor Constant?
A new paper proposes two experiments to test if the steadiest components in physics are really kind of shifty after all.
Is
it possible for light to travel faster or slower in the distant corners
of our universe? The speed of light, like dozens of other so-called
fundamental constants, is essential to how physicists understand the
cosmos. These numbers even help define our units of measure, such as the
meter, the second and,
as of May 20, the kilogram
. However, there is no scientific consensus as for why the constants must be constant, or fundamental.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Physics Can Help Develop New Foods -- Like Crispy Jellyfish Chips
Researchers find a new method for making jellyfish into an edible product with an enticing, crisp texture.
Crisp,
salty, snack. These might not be the first three words that come to
mind after someone says "jellyfish." But physicists have devised a
preparation method that transforms gelatinous jellyfish into crisp chips
-- and it may help make jellyfish a more common food.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
Image credits:
Mie Thorborg Pedersen
Rights information
:
This image may only be reproduced with this Inside Science article.
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How Much Does Precipitation Increase the Risk of Car Crashes?
Researchers used radar to provide new insight into how precipitation raises the chances of deadly car crashes
.
Driving
in a downpour carries obvious risks, but a new study highlights how
even light precipitation can increase the dangers of driving. The
results
,
published online last month in the journal Bulletin of the
American Meteorological Society, found that during precipitation there
is an increase of about 34% of the overall risk of a fatal car crash
occurring. The researchers also found that the risk is worse during
winter and the morning rush hour.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Jupiter’s Magnetic Field is Changing
NASA’s
Juno spacecraft has detected changes in Jupiter’s magnetic field,
making it the first planet known to share this feature with Earth.
For
the first time in history, humans have detected a changing magnetic
field on a planet other than our own -- Jupiter. The latest revelation
could help scientists better understand how a planet’s magnetic field
changes over time.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Making A Splash
By
Karin Heineman, Executive Producer
High-speed video shows how far one drop of water really goes.
A
single drop of water, a few millimeters wide, probably goes unnoticed
by most people. But when that tiny drop lands on a surface, a leaf, a
blade of grass, or even your head, it doesn’t stop there. That one drop
then produces more drops and more drops, and so on. Scientists say this
spray can contribute to the spread of infectious disease on almost
everything from humans to plants to ponds and lakes.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Gold Nanoparticles in Contact Lenses Could Protect Your Eyes
Researchers
have embedded gold particles in soft films that dissipate light energy
at the surface of the eye and could have future medical uses.
Researchers
have made a new incognito technology in the form of a “golden eye” that
seems like something James Bond would use. The researchers developed
contact lenses that use tiny amounts of gold to help protect eyes from
damaging light. They hope future versions will deliver medicine or
detect diseases. These new contact lenses absorb light and dissipate the
energy using tiny, gold-based nanocapsules.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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The Scent Of A Flower
Is pollution killing a flower’s scent?
Would a fresh bouquet of flowers lose its appeal if it didn’t smell? Or
what if you could no longer buy your favorite perfume? Find out
why scientists are studying how pollution is interfering with flowers’
scents.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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This Giant Ocean Whirlpool is Bigger than Colorado
The so-called Great Whirl off the coast of Somalia is larger and lasts longer than scientists thought.
A
giant whirlpool off the east coast of Africa is even bigger than
previously thought, on average larger than the state of Colorado,
satellite data now reveals.
READ FULL ARTICLE.
Image credits
:
NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
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OUR MISSION
Striving to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of our students.
One
of the SVC’s long-term goals has always been to support charitable,
educational, and scientific activities. As its first initiative, the
Foundation created a scholarship program aimed at supporting
enterprising students and practitioners who have an interest in
furthering their education in the field of vacuum coating
technology.
The
Foundation also grants travel awards to students to attend and present
technical papers at the annual SVC Technical Symposium. Since its
inception, both programs have awarded over $250,000 in scholarships to
students from the United States, Canada, China, Lithuania and Spain.
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Society of Vacuum Coaters | PO Box 10628, Albuquerque, NM 87184
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