Speedy train technology finds new food safety niche
WASHINGTON — Magnetic levitation technology is the darling of mass transit: High-speed trains floating above magnetic tracks can sweep passengers along smoothly at 300 miles per hour.
Scientific Agenda
Scientific Agenda reports on important and interesting developments from the world of science in Minnesota and elsewhere. Coverage includes reports from MinnPost journalist Sharon Schmickle, Inside Science News Service, and other sources.
Ancient Mayans inspire modern fade proof dye
WASHINGTON — Physicists have created a dye that promises to last for a thousand years. The secret to this extraordinary durability?
High-tech test of Dead Sea Scrolls under way at Science Museum of Minnesota
Researchers at the Science Museum of Minnesota are testing a new state-of-the-art imaging system they hope will allow scholars to study the Dead Sea Scrolls without damaging the 2,000-year-old documents.
Minnesota science test scores: ‘Encouraging gains,’ but still troubling results
Minnesota students’ science test scores are improving. But let’s not celebrate too much: Barely half the students were able to meet state science standards.
Dinosaur graveyard unearthed in Canada
Scientists have revealed what may be the world’s largest dinosaur graveyard.
Stonehenge timber twin revealed in shovel-less dig
For years, mystery and intrigue has surrounded Stonehenge, the massive Neolithic or Copper age (3,000-2,000 BC) circular stones standing out in the middle of the English countryside where Dr.
R136a1: Monster star too big to be true?
Astronomers say they have uncovered the most monstrous star yet seen — far more massive than some had thought possible — deep in the Tarantula Nebula, a brightly glowing region of hydrogen gas in a small companion galaxy to the Milky Way.
Using satellite images and email, U of M scientists monitor fragile glaciers in real time
When cracks appeared this month on one of Greenland’s largest glaciers, scientists in Minnesota and Ohio were watching with the help of new tools that come at a crucial time for monitoring such changes around the globe.
Tour de France records and doping
Every year the Tour de France intrigues scientists along with cyclists — raising questions such as how many calories the human body needs to ride 100+ miles a day and also pedal up the sides of steep mountains.
Tour de France stresses riders’ bodies to the limit
WASHINGTON — Glancing at the elevation profiles of the stages of the 2010 Tour de France is enough to tire a couch potato.
World’s smoothest roller coaster ride: Swedish mathematicians draw the perfect loop
WASHINGTON — At the age of 74, retired roller coaster designer Werner Stengel still spends his days riding the latest loop-de-loops.
Shedding light on mysterious synchronized fireflies
WASHINGTON — For two weeks every June, busloads of visitors gather in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee for a sight that scientists once believed to be impossible: thousands of fireflies blinking in near-perfect unison, like strings of Christ
Science and politics in the birthplace of the Enlightenment
PADOVA, Italy — I came to Italy to talk about science and politics — but as I leave Padova, I am struck by how each generation from Galileo’s to my own must defend science, democracy and freedom of thought, as a moral imperative.
Leonardo da Vinci, knowledge engineering, Debate 2.0 and summer on the Adriatic
VENICE, Itay — It Italy, when crowds get excited they sing in unison. I’m in Venice, the New Orleans of Europe, but here the flooding is planned.
Italian trains, superconductors, the wonders of deodorant and rocks on strings
TORINO, Italy — The thing about Italy is that it teaches you to go with the flow.
‘Angels and Demons’ journey: Traveling to see the Large Hadron Collider
GENEVA, Switzerland — In the movie “Angels and Demons,” bad guys bent on blowing up the Vatican steal antimatter from the Large Hadron Collider.
Lost luggage, science debates and ‘green porn’ in Italy’s former capital
Screenwriter Shawn Lawrence Otto of Marine on St. Croix is as well known for promoting public dialogue over science and technology.
Feeling down? Just imagine what might be in 2050
Cancer will be cured. Artificial limbs will outperform the regular versions. We’ll all be travelling in space. Future-gazing can be reassuring.
Java jolt: How coffee and cream blend is eye opener for researchers
WASHINGTON — Physicists from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and from the University of Bath in the U.K. took a close look downward into their mugs to find out exactly how cream actually blends with the coffee in a cup when stirred.
Why you don’t want the dragon-tattooed lady’s photographic memory
Think you want a photographic memory like Lisbeth Salander? Think again, says a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.