Tag Archives: scientists

The most influential scientist you may never have heard of

Gaze at Alexander Von Humboldt’s 1814 self-portrait and you peer into the eyes of a man who sought to see and understand everything. By this point in his life, at age 45, Humboldt had tutored himself in every branch of science, spent more than five years on a 6,000 mile scientific trek through South America, […] … learn more→

L’Aquila charges leave earthquake scientists on shaky ground

You’ll know by now that six scientists and a government official have been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison for how they assessed and communicated risk prior to the L’Aquila earthquake that killed 309 people in 2009. So what can we, in earthquake science, take from these convictions? If we […] … learn more→

Scientists reassess weight loss surgery for type 2 diabetes

Weight loss surgery is not a cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can improve blood sugar control, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Surgery. Whereas some previous studies have claimed that up to 80 per cent of diabetes patients have been cured following gastric bypass surgery, researchers at Imperial […] … learn more→

The science of bubbles – Foam bubbles finally brought to order

Scientists have succeeded for the first time to turn the Weaire-Phelan foam model – a celebrated geometrical concept which received additional notoriety when used in Beijing’s Olympic Games iconic building the Water Cube – into real foam. In 1994, Denis Weaire and Robert Phelan of Trinity College Dublin’s School of Physics made a landmark discovery […] … learn more→

Leaders urged to curb climate vulnerability

Representatives of the world’s governments meeting in Durban this week have been advised by scientists that urgent action is needed to reduce the vulnerability of communities worldwide likely to be worst affected by the impacts of climate change. In a new scientific paper and book, leading marine researchers Dr Josh Cinner of the ARC Centre […] … learn more→

Dragonflies wirelessly share thoughts on the wing

Duke University electrical engineers have developed a wirelessly powered telemetry system that is light weight and powerful enough to allow scientists to study the intricate neurological activity of dragonflies as they capture prey on the wing. Past studies of insect behavior have been limited by the fact that remote data collection, or telemetry, systems were […] … learn more→

Plate shapes may hold secrets to earthquakes

A new study from The Australian National University has brought scientists a step closer to finding out how earthquakes happen. Dr Giampiero Iaffaldano from the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences and colleagues in Italy and Germany used simple but innovative laboratory models to examine the forces behind the movement of plates in the Earth’s […] … learn more→

Carbon Monoxide — The silent calmer?

According to scientists, carbon monoxide (CO), a tasteless, colorless and odorless gas, is not only a danger to the environment but also highly toxic to human beings. Found in the exhaust of vehicles and generators, CO has been dubbed the \”silent killer\” because excessive inhalation is lethal, poisoning the nervous system and heart. Now, in […] … learn more→

World-first discovery ‘can help save coral reefs’

An international team of scientists has achieved a major breakthrough in fishing sustainability on coral reefs which could play a vital role in preventing their collapse. “Fishermen and scientists have long wondered how many fish can be taken off a reef before it collapses,” Dr Nick Graham of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral […] … learn more→