Stress Makes Glass Stronger

Alterations to the usual glass production process, such as putting the material under stress, can introduce effects that linger even after the material hardens. While manufacturers have long exploited this phenomenon to strengthen glass, a new theory aims to get closer to understanding why it happens.

Glass is not as well understood as most materials, because it straddles the line between liquid and solid. In typical crystalline materials, molecules assemble into a set structure over the span of the entire material as the substance solidifies from a disordered liquid form. Glass, on the other hand, retains a liquid-like disorder even after it hardens.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/stress-makes-glass-stronger

Agriculture in China Pre-Dates Rice

Univ. of Leicester archaeologist used new analysis techniques to shatter conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged.

Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionize thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/agriculture-china-pre-dates-rice

Ginger Compounds May Treat Asthma

Gourmands and foodies everywhere have long recognized ginger as a great way to add a little peppery zing to both sweet and savory dishes; now, a study from researchers at Columbia Univ. shows purified components of the spicy root also may have properties that help asthma patients breathe more easily.

Read more: science

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Frank Tinsley

pirated-tarheel:

The longer I stare at this photo the longer I marvel at the fact that this tornado represents every essence of the term “Horrifying beauty”. 

Field Study Aims to Better Severe Weather Forecasting

Purdue Univ. professors and students will intercept storms as part of a major field project to improve predictions of severe weather and offer earlier warnings to those in its path.

Purdue professors of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences Jeff Trapp and Michael Baldwin, and graduate students Joe Woznicki and Logan Dawson are part of the National Science Foundation-funded Mesoscale Predictability Experiment, or MPEX. The project runs from May 15 to June 15 across the Great Plains.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/field-study-aims-better-severe-weather-forecasting

Physics Principles Can Be Observed in Bowls of Cereal

Andong He saw a phenomenon at work in his breakfast bowl that he couldn’t explain. It prompted this question: how does cereal shape influence the way cereals floating in the milk join? The Yale postdoctoral student offers an answer, along with collaborators Khoi Nguyen and Shreyas Mandre of Brown Univ., in a paper published in Europhysics Letters.

“Two floating objects, when they attract each other, will try to maximize the area of contact,” says He, of Yale’s Department of Geology & Geophysics. “Think about two ellipses — instead of tip to tip, they will try to align so that they are side to side.”

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/physics-principles-can-be-observed-bowls-cereal

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5 healthy juicing recipes to refresh your routine

Get ready to enjoy your favorite fruits and vegetables with these concoctions that are as healthy as they are delicious.

Alaskan Volcano Continues to Erupt

A remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, spewing lava and ash clouds.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says a continuous cloud of ash, steam and gas from Pavlof Volcano has been seen 20,000 feet above sea level.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/alaskan-volcano-continues-erupt