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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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In Africa... Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 25.8 million (64%) of HIV infections worldwide, despite housing only 10% of the worldÕs population. The impact of the epidemic in Africa is far different from that found in many developed countries. With infection rates in several countries exceeding 20%, HIV/AIDS poses a serious threat to the future security and stability of Africa. By crowding out other conditions, doubling bed occupancy rates and significantly increasing demand for public health care services, the AIDS epidemic has increased the burden of disease on the healthcare services by up to sevenfold. Already under-resourced systems, such as health, education and commerce, are further troubled by worker illness and death rates among trained personnel.
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Friday, 20 January 2006 |
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2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the first recorded case of AIDS. Emily Tweed delves into the early social impact of the disease. Opposite, find out exactly how HIV operates. Over the page, we sketch the effect HIV is having on society today and Collette Altaparmakova looks at the prospects for future research. |
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Wednesday, 18 January 2006 |
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Energy is the source of life and all the
information contained in the universe.
This is because, like mass, information
is not an abstract concept but a tangible
quantity. Einstein showed in his
famous equation, E=mc2, that mass and
energy are interchangeable entities; the
same can be said for energy and information.
Energy and information are
inextricably linked-an idea first
recognised in the mid-1980s by Rolf
Landauer, a researcher at IBM. It costs
energy to produce information, and
energy is released when information is
destroyed. In the same way that mass
can be measured, information can also
be measured and manipulated. Pocket
calculators, abacus machines and
human brains do this all the time!
Information cannot live disembodied
and so has to be encoded in a host,
physical medium; meaning that information
is subject to the physical laws
governing the host object.
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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DNA damage, caused by external
agents such as UV radiation and
smoking, or by oxygen radical byproducts
of intracellular metabolism,
has serious consequences if left unrepaired.
Normally cells employ a host
of DNA repair pathways to correct
damage, but when these systems fail, a
range of disorders may ensue including
cancer, premature ageing and
infertility. Recent research into DNA
repair pathways in humans suggests
that these pathways can be successfully
targeted by therapeutics used to
treat several of these conditions.
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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Human use of chocolate dates as far
back as the Pre-classic period (900 BC
to AD 250). Using high performance
liquid chromatography, scientists discovered
cocoa residues in Mayan ceramic
pots used in food preparation, dated
around 600 BC. Numerous Mayan
murals and ceramics are inscribed with
hieroglyphs depicting chocolate poured
for rulers and gods. Perhaps this is not
surprising, considering that the latin
name for the cacao tree, Theobroma
cacao, means 'food of the gods'. |
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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From ET to the Clangers, there is no
escaping our fascination with the idea
that aliens exist. But after years of speculation
and searching, nobody yet has
confirmed an extraterrestrial sighting.
This might seem like a problem when
establishing a science like astrobiology,
the study of life outside the Earth.
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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Who would have imagined 50 years
ago that people would be willingly
and deliberately consuming products
containing bacteria? Yet in recent
years foodstuffs containing 'friendly
bacteria' or probiotics such as yoghurt
drinks have become widely available.
Countries such as Finland and
Sweden have been actively using probiotic
products for several decades.
However, many scientists remain sceptical
about their benefits. So what
exactly does the scientific literature
tell us about the real effects of these
substances?
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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Bees do
it, fish do it and even
plants do it, but few
are aware that humans
can do it too: detect the
linear polarization of light with the
naked eye. Surprisingly, our 'sixth
sense' remains relatively obscure
despite the abundance of sources of partially
polarized light around us, ranging
from the clear blue sky above to the liquid
crystal displays (LCD) of laptops
below.The difficulty of visualizing polarization
and an incomplete understanding
of its physical mechanism have contributed
to the general lack of information
regarding the phenomenon. But
with a few tips and practice, you too will
soon be able to see and understand the
polarization of light. |
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Tuesday, 24 January 2006 |
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To most people, grapefruit juice is a natural
product that supermarkets sell by
the litre and people consume daily with
their breakfast. However, research has
shown that grapefruit juice can interact
with mechanisms used by the human
body to eliminate foreign chemicals.
Consequently, this can affect the way the
body deals with drugs such as Viagra, a
drug prescribed for erectile dysfunction,
and terfenadine, an anti-histamine used
to combat hay fever. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Eastbourne, 20 June 1861: Frederick Gowland Hopkins is born. The future will see him make a resounding contribution to science for which he will later be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. It will also watch as he establishes the Department of Biochemistry in Cambridge and sets the remit of modern biochemical research, here and worldwide. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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In the summer of 2005 we worked within a team of Cambridge undergraduates to produce the UK’s first entry for the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition.The competition involved 13 universities from around the globe. The challenge was to engineer living bacteria that could perform a specific task. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Having spent the first year of my PhD computer modelling the chemistry of volcanic plumes, I felt I knew quite a bit about volcanoes. I’d read that active volcanoes, such as Mount Etna in Sicily, continuously pump out gases into the atmosphere, including H2O, SO2, CO2 , H2S, CO, HCl and HF, along with a cocktail of minor components. I had modelled what happens as these gases cool, what happens as they dilute, and even what happens when they start to mix with atmospheric oxygen. But something was missing in all of this… |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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In recent years, national security and defence have received increasing attention, both in government agendas and in the media. Although little publicised, there is much ongoing research into new technologies that aim to exploit cutting-edge science to protect the country’s people and their businesses. Jezz Ide works for QinetiQ, a worldleading defence technology and security company, employing a staff of over 9000 at several dozen locations across the UK. QinetiQ was formed in 2001 when the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (MoD DERA) transitioned to the private sector. The Public Private Partnership arrangement that exists at the company today allows QinetiQ access to over 50 years of technological experience in projects from liquid crystal displays to advanced robotics. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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The Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy’s High-Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM) group occupies a section of the old Cavendish Laboratory on Free School Lane. Inside, in what was once the physicist James Clerk Maxwell’s clock room, PhD student Ed Simpson uses a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) to perform electron holography, a technique that images magnetic and electrostatic fields. Using this technique, Simpson studies a surprising diversity of nanomagnetic systems, which he does in collaboration with colleagues from Europe and the US. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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It is widely believed that the seeds for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution were sown during his famous trip on HMS Beagle.However, new research by Professor John Parker, Director of the Botanic Garden at the University of Cambridge, and colleagues suggests that Darwin’s evolutionary thinking may have had its foundations in the teaching he received during his undergraduate years (1829–1831). In their article in Nature, the researchers explain that one of Darwin’s lecturers during that time was the botanist John Henslow, who is famous for his rigorous and extensive research into the nature of plant species. He assembled a herbarium of over 10,000 plants and organised them uniquely in order to emphasize variation within species—though believing, as everyone else did, that species were created and stable. Henslow enlisted Darwin as one of his collaborators on the herbarium and also arranged his place on HMS Beagle. Professor Parker and colleagues have found evidence to suggest that on HMS Beagle Darwin began looking at plants and animals using the conceptual framework he had absorbed from Henslow. Though Darwin’s assumptions were later to change, Henslow’s instruction was a vital influence in his noting of species variety. It formed the basis for his eventual understanding that varieties are in fact ‘new-forming’ (i.e. evolving) species. “It’s a great example of how influential teaching can be in forming the mind of the undergraduate. This undergraduate teaching certainly launched Darwin with the ability to think for himself about the nature of species” said Parker. RN Nature, 436: 643–645 (2005) www.nature.com |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Young volcanoes in French Polynesia, in the south-central Pacific Ocean, could form by ‘piggybacking’ on older, otherwise unrelated volcanoes, according to new research by Dr John Hillier in the Department of Earth Sciences. He has created four new maps of the Pacific Ocean that illustrate where volcanoes have erupted in the last 160 million years. To do this, he dated 2700 of the approximately 50,000 large volcanoes in the Pacific using a map of gravity variations, which was derived by measuring the sea-surface height, and seafloor depth from ship-based sonar measurements. The height of each volcano was found using MiMIC, an algorithim that Dr Hillier developed during his PhD.
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Around 200 million people worldwide suffer from schistosomiasis, a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease caused by parasitic worms which affect many parts of the body, particularly the liver, intestine and bladder.The Matangini project has been set up by the Department of Pathology’s Schistosomiasis Research Group to give something back to the communities in which they study the immunology and epidemiology of the disease.“After each survey,we have a whip round to buy something for the community where we were studying” says Dr Mark Booth, who helped found the project. “However we wanted to find a more sustainable way of raising income for these communities.” One of the initiatives of the Matangini Project is a photo-gifts website, selling products containing African photos taken by Dr Booth.The first community project will be to dig a borehole with a pump in a community in Kenya, providing clean water free from water-borne diseases including schistosomiasis for over 2000 people. “Our next project is to raise money for a container fishing boat for a community in Uganda” he says.The group has studied some of these communities for over 30 years and often treats children of the people who were involved in the study when it first began. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the group is researching many aspects of schistosomiasis, including trying to find out why some people are more seriously affected than others by the disease. LB To support the Matangini project, visit www.matangini.org.uk and www.photoboxgallery.com/matangini |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Professor Sandra Chapman: Art Meets Science in Antarctica An astrophysicist by training, Professor Sandra Chapman demonstrated her fine hand for art and keen eye for photography in a talk with a difference. Last year, she realised her dreams of travelling to Antarctica by circling the continent aboard a research ship. During her expedition, she masterfully captured the brilliant blue of ice caves, the pale pink of distant mountains, and the connection between the hostile climate and beautifully unspoilt landscape.We were treated to the most charming of travelogues from a truly unique personality, whose insight into the interplay of science and art was delightfully refreshing. Professor Tom Mullin: Patterns in the Sand (pictured) Introduced as the world record holder for stacking the greatest number of upsidedown pendulums, Professor Tom Mullin attracted a huge crowd.The segregation of granular mixtures is relevant not only to physicists, geologists and engineers, but also lovers of muesli: the Walnut Effect explains why shaking your cereal box vertically will make the fruit rise, while shaking the box horizontally will make it sink. Professor Mullin is internationally acclaimed for his work on the application of modern mathematical ideas to chaos and complicated flows. He has most recently investigated the flow of granular materials such as sugar and poppy seeds, revealing a rich variety of novel and intriguing phenomena. Professor Michael Green FRS: String theory: Unifying Particles, Forces and Space-time Quantum physics. String theory.That ohso- elusive grand unified theory. All topics that have captured many an imagination, yet which under the surface, are often opaque. Professor Michael Green, widely known for sparking the First Superstring Revolution in 1984, presented the Society with a wonderfully clear introduction to string theory, from its beginnings as a mathematical convenience to the cuttingedge of today and its far-reaching implications. Let us all be grateful that of the 26 dimensions he described, it seems we need only negotiate four. Cong Cong Bo Cambridge University Scientific Society – Michaelmas 2005 Talks All talks are held in the Pharmacology Lecture Theatre, Tennis Court Road. More details are available on our web site www.scisoc.com.We have a great lineup of speakers for next term, including: Pioneering embryologist Dame Anne McLaren of the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, speaking on human cloning; Cosmologist Dr Martin Bucher of Université Paris-Sud, discussing dark energy; Psychologist Dr Peter Thompson, Director of the Visual Perception Library and originator of the Thatcher Illusion; Accomplished botanist Professor Peter Crane, Director of Kew Gardens. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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How does the food you eat affect your health? If you would like to find out, researchers at the MRC Human Nutrition Unit in Cambridge are currently recruiting for WHOLEheart, a study into the effect of carbohydrates on the body, including blood cholesterol levels and heart health. Scientists at the Unit work on all aspects of human nutrition, from the health of our bones to nutritional epidemiology.With around 200 studies on the go at any one time, the Unit relies on an army of volunteers to help determine if we really are what we eat. In collaboration with other organisations such as the Food Standards Agency and the EU the Unit also works to reduce public confusion by providing sound nutritional advice to the media, food industry, government, and health professionals. In collaboration with the University of Newcastle, the WHOLEheart study will run through to February 2007.“We hope that we will be able to develop a positive public health message to inform people what they should be eating” says Katherine Chan, who is recruiting for the project. If you are interested, contact katherine.chan@mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk or 01223 437660 for more information. LB WHOLEheart Do you want to meet a qualified nutritionist? As part of Cambridge Science Week, you will have the chance to meet a panel of qualified nutritionists for no nonsense, simple advice on what to eat. 5 pm, Saturday 18 March 2006, Michaelhouse Café. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Since 2001, the University of Cambridge has been one of 19 UK universities collaborating with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) to construct the GridPP—a vast computing grid built to handle the extensive amount of data that will be produced by CERN’s new particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC is expected to be ready in 2007. It is being built in a circular underground tunnel, 27 kilometres in circumference, straddling the Swiss and French borders. When completed, it will be the largest particle accelerator in the world and will be used to replicate conditions similar to those present shortly after the Big Bang. It is hoped that it will resolve many outstanding questions in particle physics, such as whether the hypothetical Higgs boson actually exists. If it does, it would aid the understanding of why fundamental particles—such as quarks and neutrinos— have the masses they do. The University of Cambridge has been a key collaborator in the construction of the GridPP. Rather than build a dedicated supercomputer to deal with the 10 million gigabytes of data that the LHC is expected to produce each year, a distributed Grid is being constructed. Over 100,000 PCs around the world are being linked together to form the Grid PP; of these, 1000 are in the UK. The Cambridge effort is being headed by Professor Janet Carter of the Cavendish’s High Energy Physics group. MM www.gridpp.ac.uk http://public.web.cern.ch |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Happy New Year! Things have been very busy for BlueSci over the past few months. Our first birthday party was a big success— many thanks to all who came. Partly as a result of this, Nicola Buckley, one of the Cambridge Science Festival coordinators, has set up an informal science outreach group which has since met to discuss how we can unify our efforts to reach out to local schools. If you would like to join us, please contact Nicola at njb1010@admin.cam.ac.uk. BlueSci was also represented as part of our parent society CUSP at the Communicating European Research conference (CER2005) in Brussels in November. We received some extremely positive feedback, as well as learning about other science communication projects across Europe. See www.cusp.org.uk for some photos and videos of our stand! Finally, this issue sees the addition to BlueSci Online of our news and events service, which will be updated fortnightly with Cambridge science stories, as well as having a comprehensive listing of sciencerelated events. Please bookmark our website www.bluesci.org and remember to check regularly for what’s going on. Have a scientifically enlightening 2006! Louise Woodley managing-editor@bluesci.org |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Welcome to the fifth edition of BlueSci. Did you over-indulge in festive chocolates this holiday season? If so, you can ease those feelings of guilt by reading about the science behind the reported health benefits of chocolate in CHOCOLATE’S CHEMICAL CHARM. If this whets your appetite for more food-related science, on page 19, Chi Ngai Chan highlights the startling effects of grapefruit juice on drug metabolism, and in PROBIOTICS: MORE PROS THAN CONS? we question just how beneficial those ‘friendly bacteria’ really are. To coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first recorded case of AIDS, our regular FOCUS section examines the current status of HIV and AIDS research, and looks ahead at what the next 25 years may yield. In ARE WE REALLY ALONE?, Gemma Simpson turns to the field of astrobiology to look for evidence of alien life-forms, while in PROBLEMS IN THE PIPELINE, Mark Turner explains why organ enthusiasts have turned to scientists in their attempts to save historic pipe-organs across Europe. Of course, the much-loved DR HYPOTHESIS is back on page 28 to answer your science- related questions. In addition, new for issue 5, the good doctor has a logic puzzle for you—to get those grey cells working! The solution is available on our website, www.bluesci.org, where you can also find extra articles. Once again, we were impressed by the quality of submissions we received for issue 5, from students and post-docs across the University. If you feel you have what it takes to write for BlueSci, or you wish to get involved in editing or producing the magazine, we would love to hear from you: either email enquiries@bluesci.org or visit BlueSci Online for more details. I hope you enjoy reading issue 5. Tamzin Gristwood issue-editor@bluesci.org |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Dr Hypothesis research assistant Tom Pugh challenges you to try your hand at this mathematical mystery: You find yourself in a room with 20 bags of gold coins.You can take one bag away with you. However, 19 of the bags contain goldplated coins, each of which weighs one ounce. Only one bag contains solid gold coins, each weighing two ounces.A weighing scale is provided, but you are only allowed a single weighing to identify the bag containing the solid gold coins.How can you be sure to come away with the money? Click here for the answer |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Dr Hypothesis asked: “When I hold a copy of BlueSci up to a mirror the writing appears back-to-front. Given that the mirror doesn’t seem to have a preferred direction, why doesn’t the writing also appear upside down?” One of our readers answered: The key to this question is to appreciate that the mirror does not actually laterally invert anything. Rather, it produces, at each point in the mirror, an image of whatever is directly in front of this point. In order to Ôhold a copy of BlueSci up to a mirrorÕ it is necessary to rotate the magazine by 180¡ about a vertical axis. It is this rotation that performs the lateral inversion.To see how this is the case, imagine repeating the experiment with a copy of the magazine printed on a clear plastic sheet. Upon holding up the sheet in front of the mirror, with the text facing you, the text in the mirror is also the correct way round. Then, rotate the sheet to face the mirror, now both the text on the sheet itself, and the image of the text in the mirror, appear laterally inverted. |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Dear Dr Hypothesis, I had just finished tucking into a greasy meal of fish and chips when I noticed that I could practically see my copy of BlueSci through the once opaque paper where the oil had soaked through it.Why does this happen and why does it not work with things other than paper? Greasy Garrett DR HYPOTHESIS SAYS: The fibres in a piece of paper, such as a page of BlueSci, form a lattice, that is not quite perfectly arranged at the molecular level.This means that the light which hits the page is scattered and the unabsorbed rays are reflected, but at a wide range of angles relative to the angle at which they hit the page.Therefore, the light and the page will appear white. If grease gets into the fibres, it produces a more uniform lattice, so that the scattering of the light becomes more even.This actually reconstructs the light wave on the other side of the page, so it is now transparent! This phenomenon is only possible with paper, as opposed to materials like metal, because only paper is made up of fibres that can interact with grease in this way. www.av8n.com/physics/white.htm |
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Friday, 20 January 2006 |
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Dear Dr Hypothesis, I am a biology student graduating in the summer. I am worried about sweat patches when going for job interviews in the next couple of months. As I’m sure you’re aware, we are all sweating all the time over nearly our entire bodies, but we only put anti-perspirant under our arms. To prevent myself feeling uncomfortable, surely I should apply deodorant to my entire body? Is it worth my time doing this, or are there any shortcuts I can take? Nervous Nancy DR HYPOTHESIS SAYS: There’s no need to worry about this, Nancy, as there is sound scientific reasoning behind what I’m about to explain. You’re correct in saying that our bodies perspire over most of the surface, but the composition of sweat can vary. Only underarm sweat contains proteins and fatty acids (which leads to the stains you’re afraid of) and only this type of sweat is capable of supporting bacteria that produce the bad smell. Fortunately most other types of sweat are odourlessand colourless, so this should not cause you any undue embarrassment. Spraying deodorant simply under your arms should be enough to create a fragrant and favourable impression on your interviewers. Good luck! http://science.howstuffworks.com/sweat.htm |
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Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
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Dear Dr Hypothesis, I exist mainly on a diet of toast, but, as my room is rather squalid and crowded, I often lose bits of toast down the side of the bed or beneath a book. Long contemplation of old toast has made me wonder: why is toast crisp and crunchy when it comes out of the toaster, but soggy shortly afterwards? Squalid Sarah DR HYPOTHESIS SAYS: This is a tough question as I am not aware of any scientific studies describing the properties of toast! However, I believe that the cause of this phenomenon is the moisture present within the bread.When you toast the bread it will heat up, turning this water into steam.The toast cools once it comes out of the toaster, condensing the water back into liquid form and making your previously firm toast appear damp. This explains the benefit of a toast rack: by holding the toast vertically, the rack promotes the loss of steam—there is then less water to condense and so your toast will remain firmer. Maybe a rack would be a good investment for you, Sarah? www.halfbakery.com/lr/idea/Heated_20Toast _20Rack |
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Monday, 27 February 2006 |
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A Weighty Decision
You find yourself in a room with 20 bags of gold coins. You
can take one bag away with you. However, 19 of the bags contain gold-plated
coins, each of which weighs 1 ounce. Only one bag contains solid gold coins, each
weighing 2 ounces. A weighing scale is provided, but you are only allowed a
single weighing to identify the bag containing the solid gold coins. How can
you be sure to come away with the money?
Answer
Number the bags 1 to 20. Place one coin from bag 1 on the
scales, two from bag 2, three from bag 3 and so on. Therefore, the total weight
over 210 (the sum 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + … + 20) indicates the number of the bag
containing the real gold. For example,
if bag 16 contained the solid gold coins, the total weight would be 1 + 2 + 3 +
4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + (16 x 2) + 17 + 18 + 19 +
20 = 226. Therefore, as 226 – 210 = 16, the correct bag is revealed to be
number 16.
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