NEWS

Drunk scientists pour wine on superconductors and make an incredible discovery

source: http://io9.com/5731129/drunken-scientists-pour-alcohol-on-superconductors-and-make-an-incred...

Wine makes superconductors better at their jobs. And apparently, it makes some scientists better at their jobs too.

Superconductors behave like most metals; they conduct electricity. They do so, however, with a twist. All metal has some resistance to the flow of electricity. But when the temperature drops, superconductors get less and less resistant (and therefore more conductive). When they reach very low temperatures, their resistance drops to zero.

Yoshihiko Takano and other researchers at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan were in the process of creating a certain kind of superconductor by putting a compound in hot water and soaking it for hours. They also soaked the compound in a mixture of water and ethanol. It appears the process was going well, because the scientists decided to have a little party. The party included sake, whisky, various wines, shochu, and beer. At a certain point, the researchers decided to try soaking the compound in the many, many liquors they had on hand and seeing how they compared to the more conventional soaking liquids.

When they tested the resulting materials for superconductivity, they found that the ones soaked in commercial booze came out ahead. About 15 percent of the material became a superconductor for the water mixed with ethanol, and less for the pure water. By comparison, Shochu jacked up conductivity by 23 percent and red wine managed to supercharge over 62 percent of the material. The scientists were pleased, if bemused with their results.

So, a little nip of something turns out to make potential superconductors much better at their jobs. And, perhaps, scientists better at their jobs as well.

There's Snow in 49 States

source: http://gawker.com/5731176/snow-in-49-states

There's snow in 49 states right now, covering some 69.4 percent of the contiguous United States. Even Hawaii has snow , though it's on a volcano so it's sort of cheating. Can you guess which state is ruining our perfect record?

Florida! Yes, dumb old Florida is snow-free, making it the New York Giants to the snow's 07-08 New England Patriots. Thirty-two states have winter weather advisories! There's snow in Hawaii (on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa), Texas, California and Louisiana! Every state is pitching in to make this a real American snowpocalypse, and Florida is just sitting it out.

Oh well. Forty-nine out of 50 is still pretty good. And pretty rare. CNN's Angela Fritz calls it "extremely unusual," though since meteorologists don't keep track of awesome statistics like "how many states have snow in them," it's hard to say how unusual.

Why so much snow? Well, the CIA weather ray appears to have created two storms a few days ago—one in the Midwest and one in Texas. Both storms travelled eastward on Obama's command and are meeting tonight in the Northeast, where everyone is freaking out.

The map above, via Google Maps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows snow cover and is shaded for depth. At the link you can see maps of snow density and precipitation over the last 24 hours.

A Push For Legalizing Medicinal Marijuana in Arkansas | JackHerer.com

source: http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=385916

(B.J. Steed, KTHV)


(Little Rock, AR) — Activists and a handful of lawmakers hope to push a four page bill through the House legalizing medicinal marijuana by the end of the session.

Arkansas legislators could soon be faced with yet another bill that could change Arkansas law as we know it. The Arkansas Medicinal Cannabis Act of 2011, would allow patients to grow and use cannabis for medical purposes.

But would not intend to change current laws governing duty of care owed to others which means people would be held responsible for choices like operating a vehicle.

“We’re the natural state. This is a natural medication,” says supporter Robert Reed.