Laboratory Equipment

Scientist of the Week: Laura Sherman

Every Thursday, Laboratory Equipment features a Scientist of the Week, chosen from the science industry’s latest headlines. This week’s scientist is Laura Sherman from the Univ. of Michigan. She and a team found that a common test overestimates mercury exposure from dental fillings.

The original article is here: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/test-overestimates-mercury-exposure-dental-fillings

She speaks about her work here: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/scientist-week-laura-sherman

Do you have a question for Laura Sherman? Let us know and we’ll pass it on!

Test Overestimates Mercury Exposure from Dental Fillings

A common test used to determine mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings may significantly overestimate the amount of the toxic metal released from fillings, according to Univ. of Michigan researchers.

Scientists agree that dental amalgam fillings slowly release mercury vapor into the mouth. But both the amount of mercury released and the question of whether this exposure presents a significant health risk remain controversial.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/test-overestimates-mercury-exposure-dental-fillings

Mercury May Have Had an Ocean of Magma

By analyzing Mercury’s rocky surface, scientists have been able to partially reconstruct the planet’s history over billions of years. Now, drawing upon the chemical composition of rock features on the planet’s surface, scientists at MIT have proposed that Mercury may have harbored a large, roiling ocean of magma very early in its history, shortly after its formation about 4.5 billion years ago.

The scientists analyzed data gathered by MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging), a NASA probe that has orbited the planet since March 2011. Later that year, a group of scientists analyzed X-ray fluorescence data from the probe, and identified two distinct compositions of rocks on the planet’s surface. The discovery unearthed a planetary puzzle: what geological processes could have given rise to such distinct surface compositions?

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/02/mercury-may-have-had-ocean-magma

The ‘Pink Planet’ is Visible this Week

NASA has recently discovered a very strange planet. Its days are twice as long as its years. It has a tail like a comet. It is hot enough to melt lead, yet capped by deposits of ice. And to top it all off… it appears to be pink. The planet is Mercury.

Of course, astronomers have known about Mercury for thousands of years, but since NASA’s MESSENGER probe went into orbit around Mercury in 2011, researchers feel like they’ve been discovering the innermost planet all over again. One finding after another has confirmed the alien character of this speedy little world, which you can see this week with your own eyes.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/02/pink-planet-visible-week

Cell Phone Sees Mercury Contamination

Chemists at the Univ. of Burgos have manufactured a sheet that changes color in the presence of water contaminated with mercury. The results can be seen with the naked eye but when photographing the membrane with a mobile phone the concentration of this extremely toxic metal can be quantified.

Mercury contamination is a problem that is particularly affecting developing countries. It poses a risk to public health since it accumulates in the brain and the kidneys causing long term neurological illnesses. It is emitted from industrial and mining waste, especially small-scale gold mining.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/02/cell-phone-sees-mercury-contamination

Asteroid Will be Close to Earth but Hard to See

February is a great month to spot Mercury, the smallest and fastest-moving planet. It reaches its highest point above the sunset horizon on February 16th, when it appears 18 degrees from the sun.

On February 6th through the 10th, catch Mercury and Mars less than 10 degrees above the horizon just after sunset. The moon joins the parade on the 11th as a faint crescent above the two planets. On February 15 a small asteroid named 2012 DA-14 will whiz by, less than 18,000 miles from Earth. It doesn’t pose any threat and it’ll be a challenging object to see at magnitude 8.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/videos/2013/02/asteroid-will-be-close-earth-hard-see

Hot Mercury May Have Ice Water

Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system, revolves around the sun in a mere 88 days, making a tight orbit that keeps the planet incredibly toasty. Surface temperatures on Mercury can reach a blistering 800 F — hot enough to liquefy lead.

Now researchers from NASA, MIT, the Univ. of California at Los Angeles and elsewhere have discovered evidence that the scorching planet may harbor pockets of water ice, along with organic material, in several permanently shadowed craters near Mercury’s north pole.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2012/11/hot-mercury-may-have-ice-water

Rivers Are Responsible for Mercury in the Arctic

Environmental scientists at Harvard have discovered that the Arctic accumulation of mercury, a toxic element, is caused by both atmospheric forces and the flow of circumpolar rivers that carry the element north into the Arctic Ocean.

While the atmospheric source was previously recognized, it now appears that twice as much mercury actually comes from the rivers. The revelation implies that concentrations of the toxin may further increase as climate change continues to modify the region’s hydrological cycle and release mercury from warming Arctic soils.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Rivers-Are-Responsible-for-Mercury-in-the-Arctic-052212.aspx

Mercury Ban Could upset Vaccines

Scientists are warning officials negotiating a global treaty on mercury that banning the deadly chemical completely would be dangerous for public health because of the chemical’s use in vaccines.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Mercury-Ban-Could-upset-Vaccines-102411.aspx

Mercury Test is Cheaper, Faster

Worldwide, about 1,000 tons of mercury is produced per year. The resulting pollution makes water and soil unusable, and poses substantial health risks to people nearby. Univ. of Utah researcher Ling Zang hopes to address this growing problem in China and beyond with a new test for detecting mercury. The test promises to be faster and cheaper than conventional tests, which require samples to be sent to a laboratory, can take weeks to process and can cost hundreds of dollars.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Mercury-Test-is-Cheaper-Faster-101011.aspx

MESSENGER Finds Odd Discoveries on Mercury

Only six months into its Mercury orbit, the tiny MESSENGER spacecraft has shown scientists that Mercury doesn’t conform to theory. Its surface material composition differs in important ways from both those of the other terrestrial planets and expectations prior to the MESSENGER mission, calling into question current theories for Mercury’s formation. Its magnetic field is unlike any other in the Solar System, and there are huge expanses of volcanic plains surrounding the north polar region of the planet and cover more than 6% of Mercury’s surface. These findings and other surprises are revealed in seven papers in a special section of the September 30, 2011, issue of Science.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-MESSENGER-Finds-Odd-Discoveries-on-Mercury-093011.aspx