Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
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BrainHeaded to a concert this summer? Pack earplugs
Wearing earplugs at concerts and other loud events may prevent hearing loss and permanent ear damage, a new study suggests.
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BrainExplainer: When loud becomes dangerous
Many people don’t realize that sounds — even those of the music they love — can prove harmful when they get too loud.
By Janet Raloff -
Materials ScienceHow to make window ‘glass’ from wood
Scientists have come up with a way to make wood transparent. The new material could be used in everything from windows to packaging.
By Sid Perkins -
PhysicsScientists Say: Frequency
The distance between one wave peak and another is wavelength. But how fast those peaks are moving along is frequency.
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SpaceHurricane at this galaxy’s center is wicked fast
The gale-force winds around one quasar whip by at almost 200 million kilometers per hour. That’s 625,000 times faster than the strongest hurricanes on Earth.
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Materials ScienceSunlight + gold = steaming water (no boiling needed)
Nano-gold is the new black, at least when it comes to absorbing heat. When tiny gold particles get together, they become energy super-absorbers — turning them black.
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EarthCool Jobs: Mapping the unknown
Scientists find different ways of exploring places humans will never visit — and drawing maps to help us better understand such mysterious places.
By Ilima Loomis -
ComputingFeeling objects that aren’t there
A new technology uses high-frequency sound waves to create virtual objects you can feel. Its uses include better video games and safer driving.
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PhysicsScientists Say: Wavelength
When something travels as a wave — such as light — scientists can measure it by its wavelength, the distances between the peaks.
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PhysicsScientists Say: Watt
Say Watt? This is a unit used to measure the flow of energy being used.
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BrainWhen smartphones go to school
Students who use smartphones and other mobile technology in class may well be driven to distraction. And that can hurt grades, studies show.
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PhysicsGravity waves detected at last!
Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves 100 years ago. Now scientists have detected them coming from the collision of two black holes.
By Andrew Grant