Question Your World: Can we live on another planet?

Somewhere around 4.5 billion years ago a gigantic ball of mass started to take shape and would eventually become where we all live.  So, the notion of a planet that can harbor life is not a strange one - after all, we happen to live on one.  Are there any other places that are similar? Can we live on another planet?

For the past 200,000 years or so humanity has been here on Earth.  In that time we've figured out how to use fire, harvest crops, change water streams, develop communities, embrace technology and learn about what happens beyond our tiny little cosmic stage.  Not bad for a new species!  Regardless, one thing we have yet to do is gain tactile proof of life existing anywhere else in the universe.

In order to search for life in other parts of the universe one needs to have a basic set of requirements. For example, the functionality of everything we know here on Earth can be traced back to our sun, so to look for other similar situations we must look at other stars (suns).  Well, we also know that the Earth is both rocky and has water.  Those are two more qualifications needed to search for similar conditions.  There's also the matter of temperature.  For example, Mercury is very hot, too hot to hold any life as we know it.  Similarly the moons of Pluto are far too cold for our taste.  Thus the position of the planet relative to its host star is a big deal as well.

Also, keep in mind, looking for planets is no easy task, the stars they orbit are so far away that we only see them as little dots of light in the night sky.  Scientists have tried various methods such as the wobble or transit methods to hone in on and fine tune their understanding of such faint and distant worlds. However, this incredibly complicated process has shown some remarkable data.  For example, in recent years we've gathered enough data to say that there's a really good chance that planets outnumber the stars in our universe.  NASA's official exoplanet list grows all the time and we're up to over 8.8 billion potentially trip-worthy planets in our Milky Way galaxy alone.  Regardless, it takes a lot of factors in just the right balance to allow for comparable conditions to our home here on Earth.

Our Earth is a good size, one that can use its gravitational pull to keep our atmosphere.  Aside from that, our distance from the sun allows for tolerable temperatures and the existence of liquid water.  Those two are very important aspects of planet-hunting.  As of now we're the only place in the known universe to be this size and this distance from our host star.  Well, we were the only place...

Recently, scientists used data from the Kepler Space Telescope and announced the first ever exoplanet discovered to be a similar size and a safe relative distance from their host star.  Kepler 186f is one of 5 planets that orbits its red dwarf star.  How far is it? About 500 light years from here - bring a book, it's a long trip.

So, we may not be able to go visit this place anytime soon, but this discovery is very important as it highlights the possibility of another life-harboring situation out there.  It has taken us around 200,000 years to get from the first time we opened our eyes to today where we can learn about the vast distant reaches of the cosmos.  The work that lays ahead for future generations could yield some remarkable findings on our universe, its creation and perhaps even a better understanding of who or what we are in the grand scheme of things.

Kepler 186f now joins the billions of other exoplanets discovered, but stands out with the distinction that it's the first exoplanet that meets a lot of the special qualifications needed to hold the most mysterious part of our universe, life.

New Music and Your Brain!

Why do we like the music we like?

Think about all the music you've ever listened to.  Everything from Beethoven's 5th to "Call Me Maybe" are processed through the brain, but what about them allows the brain to say yay or nay?  

So, why do we like the tunes we like?  Well, there's no complete answer just yet, but scientists are exploring more and more about our brain and discovering some pretty neat stuff.  

First we must understand that music is indeed comprised of a lot of sound vibrations.  So, before we answer the question about why we like music we must understand that what we are really answering is why certain series of sounds feel better than others.  To answer this question we must dive deep into the human mind.  The brain is comprised of lots of compartments and relays.  One of those compartments is called the auditory cortex, this is the part that stores all the sounds you've heard in your whole life.  Remember those screeching tires, ice cream truck song, hammers hitting nails, the soundtrack to Lord of The Rings…and so on.  All of those sounds are cataloged by the auditory cortex including all the songs and patterns of sound that you've heard in your entire life.  Each person's auditory cortex is totally unique. 

In a recent experiment conducted by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, the brain was studied to see how the auditory cortex communicates with the accumbens nucleus.   This is the part of the brain that shows signs of reward and pleasure.  In this study they noticed that the accumbens lights up when it hears new music after the song has been filtered through the auditory cortex.  Wait a minute…isn't the auditory cortex different for different people?  Yes, it sure is.  That's why different people like different music.  One possibility is that all the sounds you've ever heard in your life will dictate and determine the desire to hear similar sounds in the shape of new music.  

Your stored and cataloged audio experiences could have a lot to do with how you process your opinions on the new sounds you are hearing.  Pattern recognition and predictions of where the songs go are powerful processes that the brain computes as you hear the new songs coming into your ear for the first time!

The big question now, after more research how will this impact our lives?  Well,  this could be considered the ultimate targeted marketing plan or the ultimate musical survey.  We'll find out as time passes! 

Yet another insight into your complex and unique brain! 

What came first the chicken or the egg?

Science is the process by which we can ask and answer questions about our natural world.  Everything from your most routine activities all the way to the quest for our universe’s origins are fair game for the field of science!  So, let's put science to the test and answer an age-old question: What came first the chicken or the egg?

So without the egg there would be no chicken, right?  However, at the same time without the chicken would there be an egg?  Well, actually, yes there would be.   This is the story about the long and detailed process of evolution. Eggs are used by any species that sexually reproduces.  So to trace back the history of eggs we must look back at some of the earliest species that sexually reproduced.

First of all, some of the earliest eggs date all the way back to early sponges, literally hundreds of millions of years ago.   After millions upon millions of years of natural selection on mutations and variations an early avian species was produced, we’ll call this a “proto-bird”.  This early bird laid eggs that would, again after generation upon generation of natural selection, turn into a wide variety of bird species.

One of those bird species was what we could call a “proto-chicken”, meaning it was some variation of what we know as a chicken, but not exactly what we have available on Earth today.  Well, that “proto-chicken” laid eggs and eventually the species started to morph and change slowly due to natural selection and voila, an egg was laid that would hatch and give birth to what we now know as a chicken.  The egg allowed for the chicken to be born.

Now, why that chicken crossed the road is a whole different story all together...

The Amazing Human Heart!

The Human Heart is pretty amazing! It's the power house of our circulatory system. One muscle with four chambers that pumps about 1900 gallons of blood every single day!  That's pretty impressive considering that this vital organ only weighs about 10 ounces.  Don't let size fool you though, the heart's work goes a long way, literally!  The average adult human circulatory system can actually reach about 60,000 miles. That's enough to wrap around the Earth four times!! On top of all this, as if that were not impressive enough, the human heart will beat about 3 billion times in a full lifetime!  Pretty impressive! No wonder we all <3 the human heart!

Question Your World - Women In Science

Now is a great time for science. New inventions, discoveries, and groundbreaking research are constantly improving the quality of our lives. Women scientists have contributed greatly to our understanding of the world. Marie Curie helped us understand the very nature of the atom and radioactivity. Grace Hopper helped unlock the power of computers. Sally Ride and Mae Jemison helped us to understand the cosmos. Jane Goodall’s research on primates helps us better understand ourselves. Their hard work and contributions continue to be a fantastic source of inspiration for many generations of female scientists to come. Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs.
Imagine what our world will be like when women fill a greater share of STEM jobs? The Science Museum of Virginia is a place for girls to dream about the possibilities of their future. Programs like Girls in Medicine and Girls in Science invite hundreds of future female scientists to dream about how they can help make the world a better place through STEM. Now is a great time for progress…and a wonderful opportunity to inspire the next generation of scientists.

For more info on other females that have changed the world of science click here: Women in Science For even more info check out this page: Yesterday & Today's Women in Science

Question Your World - Some Hot Nascar Science

Have you ever thought about the numbers behind NASCAR?  We’re not talking about the number of your favorite driver; we’re talking about the amazing math and science behind these speedy racers.  For example those super powerful engines race around at incredible speeds. Some have even been known to go around 200 mph in a straightaway, thus producing a lot of engine heat.  Temperatures have been recorded at about 140 degrees INSIDE the car.  Compound that with the amazing about of heat from the friction of those wheels constantly rubbing against the track and we’re looking at some hot, hot, hot numbers!

So, 140 degrees inside the car and the heat of the track itself, we’re looking at some sweaty drivers!  In fact, some NASCAR drivers have been known to lose anywhere from 5 – 10 lbs simply from perspiration!

Those are some hot-hot rods! 

Want more info on the science behind racing? Click here! : http://www.buildingspeed.org/

Need even MORE info on the science of these fast machines?... MORE Nascar Science

QUESTION YOUR WORLD - What's Pi all about?...or..Pi-nailly, Pi-day has pi-rrived!!

We're ready to get a little irrational about Pi in hopes to make your knowledge of this tasty number a bit more well rounded.

π = Pi

So, what is Pi? Well, for starters Pi is an irrational number in that it cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers. Pi is an infinite number because it is without end – it keeps going…and going and going….so pi is both an irrational and an infinite number! The most commonly known digits of Pi are 3.14 (hence the March 14th as the celebration of Pi-Day!), but in 2011 the calculated digits of Pi went to ten trillion digits!! I know, you may be saying to yourself "Pi can' believe it!!", but its true. Remember, its an irrational number...it never ends!

So, why Pi? Why fill our March 14th with tons and tons of Pi stuff? What's Pi ever done for us?
Well, Pi is known best for finding Diameter and Circumference of circles, but think about what that really means...
Where would wrist watches be without Pi? Pi helps determine the amount of space between the symbols on your clocks and wrist watches!! Okay okay, we're going digital and time is easily told on your mobile phones, so perhaps the wrist watch has not convinced you on how important Pi is, but would your mobile phones be able to receive a signal without that satellite floating in the right place in orbit around the Earth? No! Pi is a very important portion of getting the info needed to put the satellite in orbit around the Earth. The Earth's curve is a sphere so we do need Pi to calculate the position of our mobile phone satellites. We would not want to send it to a part of the world that is too far for your signals to reach right?

There sure is a lot of cool stuff happening in the world of basketball these days right? Well, again, Pi is a big behind-the-scenes player in the game of basketball. Those hoops, those basketballs, and even the lids to all the beverages people drink at basketball games are all created and manufactured by folks that have to factor in Pi to get their exact shape! A square hoop, an oddly shaped basketball, and a lid that does not match the container of soda would make for a pretty lousy experience. Be sure to thank Pi the next time you're watching the game in person or on TV!

Speaking of TV, if you've ever watched a DVD you should be grateful for Pi. Ever thought about what would be needed to not only manufacture the disc, but also the way that data is put onto the disc in circular form?...yep, you guessed it, Pi!!

For science to explain things like rainbows, ripples in a pond, waves, geometry, the DNA double helix strands, and much more we have to employ our amazing and irrational mathematical friend, Pi.

We hope you guys have an awesome Pi day!

Oh and yes, to create the circular pan that all your tasty pie's are made on, you're going to need π

OMP!!...100,000 digits of Pi!!!

Question Your World - Do we really need that much water?

Simple answer, yes!

The human body does some pretty exceptional work, but in order for it to function at optimal capacity it needs to be properly hydrated. Water is essential for all life and it's no wonder that our bodies need it for both physical and mental functions.



Water helps regulate your temperature, lubricates joints and muscles, and digestion! But did you know that the amount of water you drink has a direct impact on your brain?!?!

A properly hydrated body will yield a brain that has a stronger memory capacity, a level temperament, and will increase motivation! A lack of water will cause the brain to get slightly hydrated and reduce the oxygen flow to the cerebral center. Some scientists have also hypothesized that a dehydrated body will also have some temporarily shrunk neurons and receptors!!

So, remember to get in a good amount of water everyday, its good for you!

Here's some more info on relationship of water and your body!
Water!
also...
So, how much water do you need??

Odd Science 2010

Besides highly publicized science stories of 2010 (Gulf oil spill, Chilean miner rescue, bedbugs, etc.), there were some intriguing and somewhat odd science stories:

1. You think like a worm – The human brain’s center of deep thought is curiously similar to a clump of neurons inside the head of the lowly ragworm. So similar, in fact, that ragworms, which evolved 600 million years ago, probably share a common ancestor with us humans. Hmmm…

2. The shrinking moon – Lunar geologists have found cliff-like scarps on the moon that they believe formed as the moon lost heat and contracted. But don’t panic – the moon’s radius has only shrunk a few hundred feet in the last billion years. Considering its small size, though (its diameter is less than the distance from Washington, DC to San Francisco), let’s hope it doesn’t shrink too much more…

3. Dinosaurs in color – Sinosauropteryx, a chicken-size dinosaur, and was covered with spiny hair, ate meat and walked on its hind legs. Scientists examining the hair bristles under a powerful microscope discovered its tail contained melanosomes, color-bearing cell parts found in modern birds. And what color was it? Sinosauropteryx sported a chestnut and white striped tail! Cool!

4. Bowerbirds exaggerate – Male bowerbirds lure their mates with large collections of stones, shells, bones and other trinkets, even some man-made ones. Their display is usually arranged from largest to smallest, creating an optical illusion. As the female approaches, the display area appears smaller, making the male in the center appear bigger. Clever guy!

5. Rubik’s Cube decoded – Have you ever tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube? How many moves did it take you? Mathematicians have discovered that out of the 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible starting positions, you should never have to make more than 20 moves to solve the puzzle. Can you do it?

These 5 are just a taste; Discover magazine's current issue includes the 100 Top Stories of 2010.

http://discovermagazine.com/photos/100-top-science-stories-of-2010

More “Turkey Day” Trivia: Thanksgiving dinner

Turkey meat:  white vs. dark - What causes the color difference between white and dark turkey meat? The type of muscle fiber determines the color of the meat. Dark turkey meat has slow contraction muscle fibers. Slow contraction muscle fibers, sometimes called slow twitch muscle fibers, are used for extended muscle contraction in endurance activities and are supplied with lots of blood vessels, mitochondria, and myoglobin pigments, which give the red color to the meat. White turkey meat, on the other hand, has fast twitch muscle fibers for short bursts of strength and speed. Fast twitch fibers have a poorer blood supply, and fewer mitochondria and myoglobin, and tire quickly.

Cranberries – Of all fresh fruits, cranberries contain the most phenols, a type of disease-fighting antioxidant. Phenols and polyphenols are strong antioxidants and many scientists believe antioxidants protect the heart.

Yams vs. sweet potatoes - A yam is not the same thing as a sweet potato. Although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically. Yams, native to Africa and Asia, are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and are related to lilies and grasses. Sweet Potatoes are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are in the morning glory family. Yams are starchier and dryer than sweet potatoes.

Pumpkin pie - Most pumpkin fillings are really custard-type fillings with eggs acting as "gelling agents". They're able to do this because proteins in the eggs unwind as they are beaten and hold the pumpkin and liquids in a gentle mesh. As it cooks, it coagulates or sets and forms a custard-like filling. If the filling is cooked too long, the protein network contracts and shrinks, causing the filling to crack across the top. To prevent the cracking, cook it a little less this year. Remove it from the oven while the center still jiggles slightly if you give it a gentle shake. It may look like it still needs a little more cooking, but remember because of latent heat, it will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven.

Question of the Week

The SunTrust Richmond Marathon is this Saturday, November 13, 2010.  NBC12's Andrew Freiden has posted the following weather forecast for race day:

•  7 am - low to mid-40's, mostly sunny
•  Noon - near 60, partly sunny
•  3 pm - mid-60's, partly sunny

What is ideal race weather?



Answer:  Ideal running weather -

• Temperature - runners have different preferences but generally prefer low 40's to mid-50's. Intense muscle activity generates a lot of heat; cooler temperatures help prevent overheating.
• Humidity - low to moderate. Lower humidities mean less water vapor and more oxygen with each breath. The runner's body does not have to work as hard to get enough oxygen to his/her muscles.
• Wind - 5 mph. A slight breeze is better than no wind at all. The breeze helps keep the runner cool by evaporating sweat from the runner's skin. As for direction, a tail wind is always welcome.
• Time of day - morning. Morning means less glare off cars and pavement and less wind, also less traffic.

Question of the Week

The 1903 Wright Flyer was the first successful manned, heaver-than-air, fully controllable, powered airplane.  On Dec. 17, 1903, at Kill Devils Hills, N.C., one of them flew the famous first flight. Which brother flew first?  How long was he in the air and how far did he fly?

The Wrights made three additional flights that day.  Who flew the final flight?  How long was he in the air and how far did he fly?
 
Come to the Science Museum of Virginia to see the Wright Flyer reproduction now on display, celebrating the opening of the film Legends of Flight in the IMAX®Dome on November 6, 2010.

Answer:  Orville Wright made the first flight on December 17, 1903.  He flew 120 feet in 12 seconds. Also on that historic day, the Wright brothers made 3 additional flights.  On the final flight, Wilbur flew 852 feet in 59 seconds.

They were ingenious but also very brave. How do you think they felt before they flew? How about after?

Meet the Tank: Sea Stars



Science Museum of Virginia sea stars



By Meghan West

Gallery Educator

Science Museum of Virginia

In our “Beach Science: It’s a Shore Thing” exhibit we have a saltwater tank housing some sea creatures that can be found off the coast of Virginia. For those of you who have been to “Beach Science: It’s a Shore Thing” you may have already seen or even touched one of our sea stars. For those of you who have not, let me introduce you.

Sea stars, formally known as starfish, were renamed because they don’t look like a fish, don’t swim like a fish, and are not a fish. Because of this they dropped the name fish and added sea (same thing happened to sea jellies, formerly known as jellyfish). They are in the phylum echinodermata, which means spiny skin and anyone who has touched one or even handled a dead one can feel the bumpy, spiny skin. They are in the same phylum as sea urchins and sand dollars, even though they don’t look a lot alike.

Strange creatures are our sea stars; they have no blood, no brains, and if we chop them up, as long as there is a fifth left, they will grow everything back. As for the no brains thing, anyone who has seen “SpongeBob SquarePants” can attest that Patrick Star, SpongeBob’s best friend, is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Comedy is not the only reason Patrick is a little slow on the uptake. The creator of SpongeBob, Stephen Hillenburg, taught marine biology at Orange County Ocean Institute in California and puts weird facts like that into the story and characters. Sea stars actually have something going on upstairs, but it’s just a nerve ring instead of a brain.

Breathing is another thing that our dear sea stars don’t do like most of the creatures we come in contact with. They absorb sea water through a small dot normally located somewhere on the top facing side of the sea star; this is called a madreporite. The water they absorb is used in their circulatory system (yes, you read that right, sea water being used for blood). While they have the water they might as well make the most of it and absorb the oxygen out of it.

For vision the sea star uses a tiny dot on the end of each arm to see. If you find a sea star large enough you may notice the tiny dot (it looks like someone put the point of a highlighter on the very tip of the arm). Their vision is not like ours and is more like dark and light (sun’s out - sun’s not out).

To get around, the sea star uses its arms with hundreds of little, tiny tube feet on each arm. None of the arms are dominant. Our Forbes Sea Stars have 5 arms each and have been clocked at a whopping five inches a minute! That is a sea star run! Full speed, petal to the metal, run! (That’s .005 mph.) When you don’t have to run down your food and most things don’t want to eat you or will only take a bite that you will grow back, speed is not a major concern. Their favorite food is most bivalves (animals with 2 shells) like oysters, mussels, and clams. The creatures that they are most concerned about avoiding are crabs, bottom dwelling fish, sea gulls, sea urchins, lobsters and (be surprised) humans.

To eat, the sea star wraps its arms with tube feet around a bivalve. The bivalve slams shut; it doesn’t want to get eaten. After roughly 10 hours the amount of pressure the sea star exerts on the bivalve forces it open, just a little bit. Then the sea star takes its stomach out through its mouth and begins to eat the squishy inside of the bivalve. When the sea star finally removes itself from the bivalve all that is left is shell (licked clean!). Mussels are easily the favorite food of the sea stars in our tank. I am not sure if it’s because they are easier to open or if it’s the fact that they prefer the taste. Our sea stars go through about a pound of mussels in a week. With some of the larger clams in the tank, our sea stars appear to attack them in a group, which amazes me since they have no brain. So I wonder - can they organize? Is it instinct? Communication beyond our understanding? We may never know.

Mysteries of the ocean are being unfolded every day. Remember we know more about the planet Venus than we do about our own oceans. Till the next “Meet the Tank”, take care.

Question of the Week

Fall foliage season is here! According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, the trees producing this beautiful display are:

• Ash - yellow, maroon leaves
• Beech - yellow to orange leaves
• Dogwood - scarlet to purple leaves
• Hickory - golden bronze leaves
• Oak - red, brown or russet leaves
• Poplar - golden yellow leaves
• Red maple - brilliant scarlet leaves

Leaf color is nearing its peak this week in the higher elevations of southwest Virginia and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Shenandoah Valley is at about 50% peak and the Piedmont is at about 25% peak. The Coastal Plain will peak around mid-November.

How do you think officials predict the dates of peak fall color?
     a. cool temperatures at night
     b. freezing temperatures at night
     c. shorter days, longer nights
     d. soil moisture
     e. leaf spotters

Answer:  Believe it or not, fall foliage predictions are made by leaf spotters - park rangers, foresters, lodging and restaurant operators, chamber of commerce officials, etc. “If we’re driving somewhere, we’re looking,” says one official. Leaf spotters send fall foliage reports to the state tourism division or visitor's bureau who then post it on a website. Many states also have a hotline and will provide text alerts.

In Virginia, go to the Virginia Department of Forestry website for the latest report on Virginia's fall foliage. If you want to avoid the crowds on Skyline Drive, the website also includes fall foliage driving tours.

http://www.dof.virginia.gov/fall/index.htm

Question of the Week

What are you afraid of?  Snakes, spiders, heights, loud noises?

For me, I am ok with snakes and spiders, although I am not fond enough of either to have one as a pet.

One animal that really creeps me out, though - crickets.  Perhaps I had one too many experiences with them as a child.  Growing up in a rural area surrounded by farms was wonderful - until fall when the field crickets invaded.  Generally, you can't see them but you can certainly hear them.  They can sing their little hearts out, especially in the middle of the night.  Sometimes it's so annoying that going after them is the only solution.  However, you can follow that infernal noise only so far.  They are incredibly adept at sensing when you are hot on the trail - instant silence.  Finding a silent cricket in the dark is very, very tricky.  But if you get lucky and manage to find the noisy  critter, then... Have you ever tried to kill a cricket?  They hop in 12 directions at once, and if you smush him - YUK!  Cricket guts go everywhere!

So, no, I am not fond of crickets.  You might say I have cricketaphobia.  Now what are you afraid of?

Finally, the rains came

Last week, the Richmond area received about five inches of rain, which helped to reduce the rainfall deficit in our area for the year. For the record, though, we’re still short by 4.9 inches of rainfall for the year.

During the weekend before remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole drenched the Richmond area, the county of Chesterfield had announced implementing mandatory water restrictions on September 28, 2010. For several weeks prior to the announcement of mandatory water restrictions, I witnessed homeowners with automatic sprinkling systems and golf courses in our area persistently irrigating their brown lawns as the water level in Lake Chesdin continually inched downwards to record low levels. Why do they do this?

To me, such behavior is not unlike that described in a 1968 journal article entitled “The Tragedy of the Commons” in the journal Science, December 13, 1968 by the late, renowned ecologist, Garrett Hardin. Using the concept of tragedy of the commons, we may view water as a common resource, which we pay very little for. Each of us wants to maximize the beauty of our lawns, our profits from golfers, etc. Each of us reasons that if I water a little extra to keep my lawn green, it won’t matter. We do this for our own self interest, without regard for the resource and end up doing harm to the common water supply and the rest of the water user groups as well. If all water users make this individual economic decision, then the water resource in common will be exhausted to the detriment to all.
So, in my infinite quest to do the ethically right thing and not harm others with my own actions, I used my truck to transport water in four 5-gallon plastic buckets from the James River to our home about two miles away to water our winter vegetable garden of Bloomsdale spinach, dwarf Siberian curly leaf kale, cilantro, and mustard greens. Fortunately for me, it started raining…I didn’t like adding additional CO2 into the atmosphere, and taking time away from family as I drove to and from the river.

As an aside, the availability of clean drinking water is at a crisis. About a year ago, the federal government predicted that within five years at least 36 states will experience water shortages as a result of climate change (rising temperatures and drought), population growth, urban sprawl and waste. Barry Nelson, senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), summed up the change in philosophy that is upon us: “The last century was the century of water engineering. This century is going to have to be the century of water efficiency.”

Question of the Week

Suppose you are going on vacation and want to save on your heating bill.  Which will save more - turning off your heat completely (assuming your pipes won't freeze) or just setting the thermostat to a lower temperature?

In other words, does it cost more to heat the house up from a very cold temperature than it would to keep it at a more moderate temperature while you are gone?

Answer:  Turn off your heat! Based on years of research, the US Department of Energy concluded "the fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to a lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time the heat is needed." In other words, during the period your house is at its coldest temperature, you are saving on your fuel bill. So if you aren't worried about your water pipes, pets or tender houseplants, turn off the heat while you are away. Not only will you save on your fuel bill, but you will also conserve valuable natural resources.

Scotch tape + 2 researchers = Nobel Prize

So… here’s a good one - two guys used Scotch tape and won a Nobel Prize. Hmmm…


Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for their pioneering work with a revolutionary new material called graphene. Basically a one-atom-thick layer of carbon, graphene could change the world as we know it.

Graphene is a flat single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a tight honeycomb pattern. It is stronger than steel and conducts electricity better than any other material. According to researchers at Columbia University, “It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of Saran Wrap.”

So where does the tape come in? Graphene comes from graphite, good old fashioned pencil lead. At one atom thick, it is the thinnest of all materials. After its discovery in 2004, scientists were having trouble extracting a one-atom-thick layer. According to Novoselov, “The way you clean graphite is just cover it with tape and pull the tape off, and then throw it away. So once, I just picked it up out of the trash and we analyzed it.”

In all fairness, the contribution that won them the Nobel Prize was not the tape but their way of spotting the single layer of graphene in thicker flakes of graphite. A layer one atom thick is essentially invisible even with the most powerful microscope. The two researchers discovered that putting the graphene on a silicon wafer changes the color of the wafer, like the colors oil makes on water.

And why is this material so revolutionary? Graphene could replace silicon semi-conductors with smaller and faster chips. Since graphene performs well at room temperature, it might solve heat issues, as well. According to Michio Kaku at bigthink.com, other applications might include embedding the material in plastics so they conduct electricity, replacing carbon fibers in materials to make planes and satellites lighter, increasing efficiency of batteries with graphene powder, plus stiffer-stronger-lighter plastics, better touchscreens, and better sports equipment.

Graphene appears to be a supermaterial. Geim “would compare this situation with the one 100 years ago when people discovered polymers. It took some time before polymers went into use in plastics and became so important in our lives.” Revolutionary, indeed!

Photo courtesy of University of Manchester

Question of the Week

What are you afraid of? Ever wonder what makes us scream, shake, or shout when we get scared? Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear opens tomorrow at the Science Museum of Virginia!


So to celebrate, I will pose a question (or maybe 2):

What do women fear most?

What do men fear most?

Hint: The answer is a specific phobia, which is defined as an excessive fear of an object or situation.

Please post your guesses below in the Comment section. (Click on the blog title and then click "Post a Comment" or click on the word "comments" below).

(Answers will be posted next week.)

Answer:  Results differ slightly, depending on whose research you read, but generally, women are afraid of certain animals, like snakes and spiders, and men are afraid of heights, illness and being buried alive. Interesting, huh? And what are you afraid of?

Good-bye, ospreys! See you next year...

If you spend much time on the Virginia coast, the high-pitched call of the osprey is a familiar sound. In fact it’s so familiar that it’s often taken for granted …until it’s gone. I love fall with its cool sunny days and blue, blue skies, but I am always a little sad when the ospreys leave. Around mid- September, the ospreys who summer on the Chesapeake Bay disappear. Where do they go?

Dr. Richard O. Bierregaard, Jr. knows! He has been studying ospreys for over 40 years. In 2000, in collaboration with Dr. Mark Martell, he began installing GPS tracking devices on young ospreys to track their migration patterns, including several from the Chesapeake Bay region. Ospreys have been tracked to winter quarters in the Caribbean, Central and South America, as far south as Peru! His tagged birds have names and his website is updated regularly with their progress. By September 12, three birds, Penelope, Sr. Bones and Thatch (Thatch is from Delaware) had begun the long and perilous journey south. Gunny left on September 19 and arrived in Virginia Beach on Tuesday. Other tagged birds, including Neale, Sanford and North Fork Bob, should be leaving soon. To follow their progress, go to: http://www.bioweb.uncc.edu/bierregaard/migration10.htm.  I have to admit that following these birds as they make their way south and, hopefully, back north again could become an addiction.

If they survive the journey and winter, they will return around mid-March to nest near the area where they were born. Ospreys begin mating at three years of age and will often mate for life. Nests consist of bulky piles of sticks on navigational markers, duck blinds, utility poles or high up in a pine tree, but always near the water. Females usually lay three eggs in mid-April to late May.  By July, the fledglings fly from the nest and begin to practice their steep dives to catch fish.

Ospreys are sometimes confused with bald eagles. It’s certainly easy to do – ospreys look remarkably similar to both juvenile and adult bald eagles. Here’s a brief primer to tell them apart: ospreys are dark brown or black with white underparts, a broad black eye stripe and a black patch on the underside of the wings. Adult bald eagles have white heads and tails but dark underparts, while juvenile bald eagles are all brown or mottled brown and white all over. Ospreys are slightly smaller than bald eagles and fly with their wings "crooked" in an M shape, whereas bald eagles fly with their wings in a flat line.

We are fortunate here in the Chesapeake Bay region to have the largest nesting population of ospreys in the world, over 2000 pairs which accounts for 25% of the US population. While they are wintering in warmer climes, I hope to follow the travels of Penelope, Sr. Bones, Thatch and Gunny and will eagerly await their return in the spring!