Uncategorized
- Chemistry
Platinumfree fuel cell
Cheaper than a typical hydrogen fuel cell, a new, platinumfree cell runs on a "green" liquid fuel.
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19891
This article describes hydrazine hydrate as a benign and cost-effective alternative fuel to hydrogen. But hydrazine hydrate is a fuming liquid that is toxic, very corrosive, and can decompose explosively. In a reaction with hydrogen peroxide, it powered the German V-2 rockets in World War II. Carl F. Guerci Jr.Severna Park, Md.
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Not Just Hitchhikers
Salmonella and other human pathogens on vegetables aren't just riding along like casual smears of dirt; they're moving in and setting up housekeeping.
- Humans
From the October 9, 1937, issue
Aging ships' hulls rejuvenated by welding, public health workers target five major diseases, and Plato celebrated as the first "round-Earther".
- Math
A Tangled Tale
A piece of string tumbled over and over quickly develops knots, explaining why your headphone cords are always in a tangle.
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Spying Vision Cells: Eye’s motion detectors are finally found
Primates, like other mammals, possess specialized retinal cells that detect motion.
- Paleontology
Fossil mystery solved?
Experiments in a Florida swamp show how aquatic creatures can get trapped and preserved in amber, a form of hardened tree sap.
- Humans
Mice, Magnetism, and Reactions on Solids
The 2007 Nobel prizes in the sciences recognized research in genetics, materials science, and surface chemistry.
- Health & Medicine
Moving up the Charts: Drug-resistant bug invades military, civilian hospitals
Acinetobacter baumannii, a common bacterium, is becoming more virulent and drug resistant in hospitals.
- Astronomy
Sunstruck: Solar hurricanes rip comet’s tail
Images from a spacecraft show a magnetic hurricane from the sun severing a comet's ion tail.
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Shifty Talk: Probing the process of word evolution
Words change more quickly over the millennia the less frequently they are used, a quantitative result that may aid in reconstructing old languages and predicting future changes.
- Animals
Eat a Killer: Snake dines safely with strategic delays
An Australian snake kills dangerous frogs then waits for their defensive chemicals to degrade before eating them.
