Notebook
- Planetary Science
The Mysterious Smell of Moondust
Long after the last Apollo astronaut left the moon, a mystery lingers: Why does moondust smell like gunpowder? In this account, astronauts describe the surprising smell and taste of moondust, which they experienced firsthand inside their lunar landers. The dust gave one astronaut a case of hay fever. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/30jan_smellofmoondust.htm
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Finding Form
Biologist Sean Carroll maintains a site devoted to the genetics of animal body designs and evolution. Read about advances in the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology and watch brief movies of embryo formation in fruit flies, butterfly wing development, and other natural wonders. Go to: http://www.molbio.wisc.edu/carroll/index.html
- Humans
From the April 11, 1936, issue
Spring flowers, alcohol's effect on the liver, and tapping into brain waves.
- Humans
Sculpting Life’s Machinery
Sculptor Julian Voss-Andreae creates novel artworks inspired by the three-dimensional structures of proteins. His latest work, “Unravelling Collagen,” goes on display next month in the City of South San Francisco’s Orange Memorial Sculpture Park. Now based in Portland, Ore., Voss-Andreae had started out as a quantum physicist. Go to: http://www.julianvossandreae.com/
- Humans
From the April 4, 1936, issue
Hidden blossoms of spring, postponing old age, and the future of atomic energy.
- Math
Math Focus on Internet Security
Internet security is the theme for this year’s Mathematics Awareness Month, highlighting the crucial role that mathematics plays in the development of cryptosystems. This Web site provides information and resources for celebrating Mathematics Awareness Month. Go to: http://www.mathaware.org/mam/06/
- Math
The Mandelbrot Monk
In the 13th century, Udo of Aachen wasn’t merely a minor poet, copyist, and theological essayist. A new study of his work reveals that this medieval Benedictine monk was an outstandingly original and talented mathematician. He not only devised the rules for complex arithmetic but also pioneered the iterative process for displaying the famous fractal […]
- Humans
From the March 28, 1936, issue
A flooded Washington, D.C., a giant stellar explosion, and three new nebulae.
- Humans
From the March 21, 1936, issue
An arctic myth debunked, a treatment for high blood pressure, and a radio tube with no filament.
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Digital Dissection
The same medical technology used to image brain tumors and torn knee ligaments is taking the field of marine biology to a new dimension by allowing anyone with Internet access to examine fish as never before. This Web page describes how researchers at the University of California, San Diego’s Keck Center for Functional Magnetic Resonance […]
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