Pearls are rough because nacre is formed of hard, irregular crystals. At a microscopic level, these crystals make a series of irregular plates and ridges on a pearls surface. This crystalline structure, which gives a pearl its iridescent properties,...
The second challenge is that there are relatively few filling stations equipped with hydrogen pumps. According to The National Hydrogen Association, as of 2008 there were sixty-one hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S. So even if scientists find a wa...
In your hand is a string of pearls. They look real enough, reflecting the light with a magnificent luster, but how can you be sure they arent fakes? Simply rub a pearl lightly along your front teeth. If it feels rough or gritty, its real. If it feels...
People with pets have been found to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than people with no pets, even when matched for weight, diets, and smoking habits. Just the presence of a dog during a medical testing situation, like a physical exam...
But can a persons unique signature of hand bacteria be used to identify them, much like DNA? A handful of experiments say yes. For example, researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder took bacteria samples from computer keyboards. They compare...
Back in the late 1800s, detectives first started using fingerprints to identify criminals. More recently, during the past few decades, DNA has become an important tool for crime scene investigators. Now, bacteria may have their day. Hand bacteria, th...
Ive always been intrigued by the story that the Greek scientist Archimedes used mirrors to focus sunlight on Roman ships and set them on fire during the siege of Syracuse. Is this true, or is it a myth? Very cool question. And one that scholars have...
Don: What's wrong with these plants, Ya?l? They've grown all long and spindly, and just have a few small leaves! Ya?l: Hmm. It could be SAS, Don. D: SAS? Y: Plants that grow tall and spindly trying to reach the sunlight are usually suffering from Sha...
A little more cautious than the Soviets, though, the British astronomers didnt go public. They named the mysterious radio source LGM 1, for Little Green Men, and continued to study it. It turned out what they had was the first pulsar to be detected....
Last time we mentioned the time when Soviet radio astronomers went public with the most amazing find ever they were listening in on radio signals from an alien civilization. As it turned out, what they were actually listening to was a quasar: the bla...
Ya?l: On today's Moment of Science: The praying mantis, an auditory Cyclops. D: Sounds like a B-Movie from the 1950's! Y: To small insects, praying mantids probably do seem like something out of a monster movie. Mantids are some of the most impressiv...
The belief in vampires is one of the most wide-spread of superstitions, real-life instances of vampirism having been documented for hundreds of years. How can all those eye-witnesses to these creatures of the night be wrong? One answer modern science...
Aliens,we found aliens! Well, thats kinda what Soviet radio astronomers said back in the early nineteen sixties, anyway. They held a press conference to announce that they had been listening in on an alien civilization that was broadcasting radio sig...
So what was the mysterious source of radio waves? It was the first quasar ever spotted. The word quasar is short for quasi stellar radio source. Quasi stellar just means they look like stars, and radio source means they emit radio waves even ones tha...
Ya?l: My car is stupid, Don. D: What do you mean, Ya?l? Y: I turn the key, the engine ignites. I turn the steering wheel, the wheels move. And that's it. D: Well, what do you expect? That's how a car works. Y: I know, but cars are so rigidly mechanic...
