BBC news is reporting on a new type of research that may get aboard the International Space Station in 2013. This Russian-led endeavor would try to use the vacuum of space to create ultra-pure crystals. We can't do this on Earth because, unlike a perfect vacuum, there is always something hanging out that will lead to an impurity in the crystal.
Check out the piece in this week's Chemical and Engineering News about a lab explosion at Texas Tech.
He believed that the compound was safe when “wet,” so he added some hexane and—wearing safety goggles but working at a bench in the middle of the lab, with no blast shield —“very gently, very, very gently” used a pestle to try to break up the chunks.
Vice President Biden and Secretary Chu will be speaking today about a new report showing how ARRA funds have benefited science and technology. It should be pretty interesting.
Are you a graduate level scientist or engineer looking for a way to burst into the DC policy scene? There is no better opportunity than serving as a National Academies Science and Technology Policy Fellow. As a 2009 graduate, I can attest that an Academies S&T Fellowship will provide you a courtside seat into the inner workings of Congress and other lawmaking bodies. Fellows get to directly work with the people that influence policy decisions while developing their research skills in new and exciting ways. Whether you’re looking for a career transition into science policy, or just want a taste of what DC has to offer, the Academies Fellowship can provide either.
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ARPA-E, the Department of Energy's version of DARPA, is spending heavily on research across that country that is being done to find cost efficient alternative energy.
Have you ever dreamt of slipping on a pair of jeans that could power your ipod? How about plugging your PDA into the frames of your Ray-Ban’s? You may soon have the opportunity to do either, as scientists are finding new ways to convert solar radiation directly into electrical energy. Traditionally solar panels, or more specifically photovoltaic cells, are made of rigid silicon wafers. It has recently been discovered that photovoltaic cells can also be created from organic compounds, allowing them to spread across flexible substrates. This finding is setting the solar energy industry ablaze, and products such as light-harvesting clothes and energy generating glass tinting may not be too far in the future.
NSF - News from the Field - brings us word that the Arctic Ocean has been shown to be a surprisingly poor sink for CO2. Previously, scientists had hoped that as sea ice melts due to climate change, the new ocean water would pick up large amounts of CO2.
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