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Read articles, including Science News stories written for ages 9-14, on the
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- Teens take home science gold: A low-cost, self-driving vehicle; battery alternatives and analyses of galaxy clusters claim top prizes at a global high school science competition
- Flagging loose bolts: “Smart alert washer” automatically flags when a nut is coming loose, warning of potential danger
- Pee is for power: The water in urine can be a source of hydrogen for electrical generators
FOR KIDS: Explosive pursuits
These researchers study things that go boom — or poof!
Web edition: November 15, 2012
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Mining engineer Bibhu Mohanty sets off controlled explosions as part of his job designing blasts that break apart rock.
Bibhu Mohanty
The bunchberry dogwood is the fastest flower on Earth. It literally explodes into bloom, firing off its pollen faster than a rifle can get off a shot — three times faster, actually. The bunchberry’s explosive blossoming even earned it a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
“It’s so unexpected,” admits Joan Edwards, the botanist who helped discover the plant’s quick trigger. “You don’t think of plants doing anything fast. And here they do it so fast, you can’t see it with your naked eye.”
Edwards is one of a trio of researchers profiled here whose work deals with extremely fast and powerful events.
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