Category: Science

Engineering, Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

Discovery of DNA double helix – 65th anniversary of Crick and Watson’s landmark work – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The 65th anniversary of the publication of the structure of DNA by James D. Watson, Francis H.C. Crick, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins takes place as scientists debate the ethics of new gene editing techniques. It was Saturday lunchtime on February 28, 1953, when two Cambridge University scientists pushed open the doors of The Eagle, a favourite pub for researchers at the nearby Cavendish laboratory. The duo, 25-year-old American bacteriologist and birdwatcher James Watson and Francis Crick, a 37-year-old British physicist, announced that they had unravelled the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, saying: “We have discovered the secret … Continue reading Discovery of DNA double helix – 65th anniversary of Crick and Watson’s landmark work – an annotated infographic

Engineering, Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

Ay caramba! Es muy caliente! 2017 was hottest non-El Niño year – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Well, who knew? 2017 turned out to be among the three hottest years on record, in a new sign of man-made climate change that is aggravating “extraordinary weather” such as hurricanes, droughts and floods. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the average global temperature from January to September was 1.1C above the pre-industrial figure, dangerously close to the 1.5 degrees threshold to which island states feel temperatures must be kept under in order to ensure their survival. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Ay caramba! Es muy caliente! 2017 was hottest non-El Niño year – an annotated infographic

Engineering, Science, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Fuels for life found on moon of Saturn – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft has discovered hydrogen and carbon dioxide erupting in plumes of vapour from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. These are the critical organic chemical ingredients that sustain microbial life in extreme environments on Earth. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Fuels for life found on moon of Saturn – an annotated infographic

books, Engineering, History, Science, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Book review: Telescopes, Test-Tubes and Theories – A Scientific Journey

E&T magazine

By William Harrop From the belief that maggots simply sprung from dead flesh to the example of Newton plunging a needle into his eye to see if pressure caused us to see colours, this book perfectly encapsulates the absurdity and … Continue reading Book review: Telescopes, Test-Tubes and Theories – A Scientific Journey

books, ScienceLeave a comment

Book review: This Book Thinks You’re A Scientist

E&T magazine

By Louise Fox Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a child, excited by science for the first time again? Well now you can with the science museum’s newest release ‘This Book Thinks You’re A Scientist’. The interactive book explores seven key scientific areas, including force and motion, electricity and magnetism, earth and space, light, matter, sound, and mathematics. Through a series of creatively and quirkily illustrated prompts, readers are encouraged to engage in their own hands-on experiments and explore science by questioning everything. It’s a great way for your children to spend the afternoon, out in the … Continue reading Book review: This Book Thinks You’re A Scientist

Engineering, Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

#GravityWaves possibly discovered – physics enthusiasts definitely excited – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

As predicted by Albert Einstein in his 1916 General Theory of Relativity, astronomers may finally have found the elusive gravitational waves, mysterious ripples in the fabric of space. As these ripples pass the Earth, local space is alternately stretched and compressed. Einstein was yesterday said to be “ecstatic” at the news, as he pedalled around the cosmos on his white bicycle. The worldwide scientific team behind the project – the LIGO collaboration – observed the warping of space-time generated by the collision of two black holes, a event in space that occurred over a billion light-years from Earth. The findings … Continue reading #GravityWaves possibly discovered – physics enthusiasts definitely excited – an annotated infographic

Science, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Book Review: 30-Second Meteorology – Adam Scaife and Julia Slingo

E&T magazine

By Jade Fell  “The storm starts, when the drops start dropping. When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping.” ― Dr. Seuss Did you know that Horace-Bénédict Der Saussure invented the cyanometer? No? Do you even know what a cyanometer is? Well, having read 30-Second Meteorology I can tell you it is a quantitative scale by which to measure the blueness of the sky. Want to know more? Read on. The latest edition from the makers of the 30-second book series – 30-Second Meteorology: The 50 most significant events and phenomena, each explained in half a minute – will … Continue reading Book Review: 30-Second Meteorology – Adam Scaife and Julia Slingo

Engineering, Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

#Ebola protective suit for healthcare workers wins global competition – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

A protective suit devised by a team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, is among the winners in a global competition for solutions to increase the protection and comfort of healthcare workers battling outbreaks of the Ebola virus. One of the key features of the new suit is that it can be safely removed in seconds, without assistance, rather than the 20 minutes it can currently take wearers of existing protective suits. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #Ebola protective suit for healthcare workers wins global competition – an annotated infographic

Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

The future of precise time – visiting National Physical Laboratory

E&T magazine

E&T reporter Tereza Pultarova has visited the ‘guardians of time’ at the National Physical Laboratory to learn how to make future atomic clocks more precise and fit them into hand held devices. Talking to Professor Patrick Gill at the exact same place which redefined the conception of precise time six decades ago, we’ve learned the world may be close to another giant leap in precise time keeping. And let’s not forget to mention the newly launched Quantum Metrology Institute that will help push quantum tech from lab to market.     Continue reading The future of precise time – visiting National Physical Laboratory

Engineering, Science, TechnologyLeave a comment

Scientific highlights of 2014 – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

The most important scientific breakthroughs of 2014 have affected all aspects of modern life, from medicine, to space exploration, to the future of renewable technologies. Boffins from all over the globe have added to our vast banks of scientific knowledge. Thanks, boffins! Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Scientific highlights of 2014 – an annotated infographic