soscience - Tumblr blog

[soscience]

Think. Plan. Execute.  I saw this on reddit and felt so inspired.

[soscience]

Merry Christmas guys ! Here’s some ferrofluid going into the shape of a christmas tree when placed in contact with a magnet. 

Have a great day

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I'm going to ICL!

Well it's not official yet, but I have been offered a place to study Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London! Fingers crossed🎉

[soscience]

if watermelon exists why doesn’t earthmelon, firemelon and airmelon??

[soscience]

Alpine Ibexes climb nearly 90 degree angles to lick salt deposits of of mountainsides. They crave that mineral. (Source)

[soscience]

Hubble has spotted an ancient galaxy that shouldn’t exist

This galaxy is so large, so fully-formed, astronomers say it shouldn’t exist at all. It’s called a “grand-design” spiral galaxy, and unlike most galaxies of its kind, this one is old. Like, really, really old. According to a new study conducted by researchers using NASA’s Hubble Telescope, it dates back roughly 10.7-billion years — and that makes it the most ancient spiral galaxy we’ve ever discovered.

"The vast majority of old galaxies look like train wrecks," said UCLA astrophysicist Alice Shapley in a press release. "Our first thought was, why is this one so different, and so beautiful?"

Read more: here

[soscience]

How big is Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko?

The above images depict the comet compared to:

1. Boeing 747 2. Los Angeles, California 3. Toronto, Ontario 4. Boulder, Colorado 5. Raleigh, North Carolina 6. Melbourne, Australia 7. Lelystad, Netherlands 8. New York City, NY

Perspective.

[soscience]

Comet Lander Deploys Drill, But Could Lose Power Tonight

“Philae, the lander that’s currently on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, may not be able to perform its extended mission, as scientists at the European Space Agency worry its position on the comet won’t let it recharge its batteries. The ESA says it may not be able to contact the craft after Friday night.

Worries over the robotic lander’s power supply prompted engineers to take the risky step of activating its drill, an operation that had been shelved out of fears that it would sap the remaining charge.

“The drill has been active already today. Whether it will actually take samples and will succeed in bringing these samples to ovens… we shall know this evening," lander manager Stefan Ulamec said in an update Friday.”

Learn more from NPR. 

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[soscience]

The most toxic substance known is botulinum toxin. 100 nanograms is enough to kill a full-grown man; 1kg (2 pounds) would be enough to wipe out the entire human race.

It is secreted by a bacterium, C. botulinum. It causes muscle paralysis by cutting off proteins which normally enable vesicle function at the neuromuscular junction.  Millions of people willfully have botulinum toxin injected into their faces every year, under the trade name Botox®.

[soscience]

Stunningly beautiful chemical reactions captured on video

Really nice recipes. Every hour.

[soscience]

Today is the birthday of Marie Curie, the ONLY person ever to win two Nobel prizes in two separate fields of science.

When she shared the 1903 Prize in physics with her husband, he made sure to emphasize that a considerable amount the work was completed solely by his wife. After his death, she was awarded a second, unshared Prize in 1911.

Marie’s daughter, Irene, would continue the family tradition of excellence in science by receiving a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1935.

[soscience]

LIQUID OXYGEN

Shown above is a mixture of liquid O2 and O3 (ozone). O3 condenses to a dark blue fluid (bottom layer) at −112 °C, and O2 to a lighter blue liquid at −183 °C. Both liquids are powerful oxidizers. Liquid O2 has applications in aerospace propellants and explosives, but liquid O3 is less useful because it can easily detonate when it reaches its boiling point. On an open lab bench, a flask like this is a safety hazard. 

Credit: periodictable.ru

Related C&EN content:

The Law Of Urination, Programmer High Jinks

[soscience]

Been watching fireworks to celebrate Fireworks Night? Here’s an old graphic to help you remember the compounds behind the colours: http://wp.me/p4aPLT-1t

[soscience]

Porous molecules bind greenhouse gases

A team of Univ. of Houston chemistry researchers have developed a molecule that assembles spontaneously into a lightweight structure with microscopic pores capable of binding large quantities of several potent greenhouse gases. While carbon dioxide presents the biggest problem, several other compounds are hundreds or thousands of times more potent in their greenhouse effect per unit of mass. 

Read More - http://www.rdmag.com/news/2014/11/porous-molecules-bind-greenhouse-gases

[soscience]

Apparently there is a lab in MIT where people get paid to grow snowflakes. I wonder if that is what my future as a chemistry major looks like…. 

[soscience]

This is the previously posted compound what has an intense fluorescence property while dissolved in tetrahydrofuran. In this case it is soaked in tetrahydrofuran to remove traces of water.

This picture is taken under normal indoor lights, however the interesting is, these bulbs do not emit any UV light, but the compound that is dissolved in THF in a very-very low concentration still shows a relative intense green fluorescence.