Tuesday, January 29, 2008

How to blow up an aircraft

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, we soon won't be able to buy gummy bears and other sugary candies in airport gift shops. Granted, I don't think anyone is trying to ban them just yet, but a YouTube video let out a secret about our gelatinous little friends that only a select few — namely chemists and other scientists — knew before.



Potassium chlorate + gummy bear + catalyst (e.g. heat, sulfuric acid, etc.) --> Scary, scary stuff.

Yeah, I know: Where is that potassium chlorate going to come from, hmm? Well, if you look hard enough, I'm sure you can find some. Of course, I'm not going to link to any potential source here, since I enjoy my status as a non-terrorist and — most importantly — I plan to keep it that way.*

To read more about the reaction itself, click here. But please, if you do decide to conduct this experiment yourself, do so in the safety of a chemistry lab or other place with proper methods of disposal.

And never — under any circumstances — conduct this experiment on an airplane.**

*Really, how could I update my blog from jail?
**If for some reason you do, remember: You didn't get the idea from me.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

When matter doesn't matter anymore

Lately we've been weaving in and out of cold fronts — during which the temperature may dip into the 50s. Luckily, being in South Florida, we don't have to heat up our cars before we leave or break ice off of the windshield. Compare this to Vostok, Antarctica — which has had the coldest temperature on Earth at minus 129°F, according to Space.com in 2003 — and it makes our winters sound so much more enjoyable.

But, of course, science couldn't stop there. Smithsonian Magazine had to go out and report on the coldest spot in the universe. And the results are quite puzzling: Not only is it found on Earth, but it's also located in America.*

Specifically, it's inside a lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where physicists have almost met face-to-face with absolute zero, or minus 459.67°F. Granted, the scientists reached a temperature 810 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero, but as far as I'm concerned, that's close enough.

The team got there by using lasers and all sorts of potentially-boring techniques that you can read about in the Smithsonian link above. What's more interesting, however, is what matter does at or near absolute zero.

At unimaginably cold temperatures, matter is no longer in a state that we are familiar with, e.g. solids, liquids and gases. Instead, the individual atoms become a single system — as opposed to a bunch of atoms smacking into each other — and are capable of amazing feats, such as maintaining an electrical current until the substance dissipates. Granted, the systems only exist on a microscopic level, but it could be the start of something great.

And don't take my word for it. Here's a clip of a PBS documentary on absolute zero. Also be sure to look for the typo: It says "Deptartment" under Kleppner's name.


*Take that, Antarctica!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Neither rock nor scissors could save you now

Paper: Helping students read, workers appear busy and people with pica eat since before common era. And now, thanks to technology, this object of both love and distain can be used as a battery.

A team of researchers in New York developed a sheet of paper that can both store and discharge energy, according to LiveScience. The team did this by covering a sheet of paper with carbon nanotubes - which is just a fancy way of saying "little tubes made out of graphite" - and soaking it in salt water.

My favorite part about it is that the batteries are biodegradable, unlike the kind that explode all over my seemingly-ancient electronics. There's nothing like cleaning out the garage or a spare room and finding that nasty battery-juice - also called potassium hydroxide - leaking from your Duracells.*

Another amazing quality of the paper battery is that it can charge itself using human blood or sweat, according to Discover Magazine. This could prove useful in powering medical devices, such as artificial pacemakers, which remain inside the body.

I'm sure you could come up with other uses for this wonder-paper, as batteries are as common as bottled water. The batteries may even put the Energizer bunny to shame, as the researchers told Live Science that they hope to print these batteries from a computer one day.

But please, whatever you plan to do with these batteries in the future - whether they're used to power your car or your remote control - I suggest you don't eat them.**

*Don't pretend that it hasn't happened to you. It happens to the best of us.
**I'm looking at you, pica-chew.