A computer simulation finds that leaves' circular networks are efficient at getting around damaged spots and varying distribution load.
E. Katifori et al/PRL 2010
E. Katifori et al/PRL 2010
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Top Stories | February 9
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Telecommunication cables could give early warnings of giant waves.
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Single-cell organism develops food distribution system that is as efficient as the Tokyo rail system; inspires new math model for designing dynamic systems.
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Food and Drug Administration officials “say they are powerless to regulate BPA” because of a quirk in their rules, according to a story that ran Sunday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It comes from a reporter who has made an award-winning habit of documenting the politics that have helped make the hormone-mimicking bisphenol-A a chemical of choice for many manufacturers.
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Mathematicians apply a technique from vision research to find fake art.
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Mathematicians apply a technique from vision research to find fake art.Scientists have detected an elusive, complex symmetry in the frequencies of resonating particles The stats on fielding Astute baseball fans know who has the golden glove, but assigning a number to a player’s defensive merits has been tricky. Benjamin Baumer, a statistician for the New York Mets, suggests that new methods could offer a fuller picture (SN: 8/29/09, p. 16). The long-used formula for measuring a player’s fielding ability doesn’t give credit for superior range, the ability to successfully run down a ball out of reach for most players. Baumer analyzed two methods for getting around this problem. One worked better if it accounted for ball hogging than if it didn’... That yeast smells good Yeast has long been pressed into service for making beer and bread. Now the fungus has been tapped for a loftier flavor: vanillin, vanilla’s dominant compound (SN: 5/23/09, p. 9). Natural vanilla comes from the pods, or beans, of two orchid species, and the extract can be costly. So the majority of vanillin is synthesized in chemistry labs, a process that often requires expensive starter compounds. Danish scientists skirted these costs by genetically engineering two yeast species, strains of beer and baker’s yeast, to make vanillin from glucose, which is chea... About to breakEngineers one day may not need to guess when a bridge is near its breaking point. New materials that flush red in response to damage may provide a visual warning sign of trouble to come (SN: 6/6/09, p. 15). A small four-ringed molecule called a mechanophore gives the materials their chameleon-like abilities. When the weakest bond in the mechanophore breaks, the molecule takes on a dog-bone shape, and the reaction causes the molecule to redden. Researchers spiked two kinds of polymers with the molecule and found that stretching and stress prompted a color change. “It’s a rea... |
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