Amazing Images From the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

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The world’s most detailed 3D model of HIV.

We’re always suckers for a good art/science mashup, so perhaps it’s no surprise that we’re feeling pretty good about today’s release of the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge winners. This year’s winning entries included the most detailed 3-D model of the HIV virus ever made (above), a sweeping infographic primer on the many ways fungi impact our lives, and a non-interactive media project that tracked 3,000 pieces of garbage from their origins in Seattle to destinations across the U.S. (Pics)

 

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Amazing Discovery – Glass Melts When it Gets Ultracold

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Quantum fluctuations may melt glass when it gets too cold.

Anyone who’s seen enough old Sesame Street episodes or been to enough Renaissance Fairs knows that when glass gets hot enough, it turns to liquid. Applied heat pumps energy into the solid pieces of glass, getting their molecules jiggling. As the heat dissipates, the glass becomes cool and solidifies again.

 

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Coffee Improves Women’s Brainpower but Sends Men Into a Meltdown

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Coffee boosts women’s performance when working with others.

Next time you have a high-pressure meeting at work, keep an eye on what goes into your colleagues’ cups.   Drinking coffee improves women’s brainpower in stressful situations – but sends men into meltdown, according to a study.

 

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BYU Chemists Turn Gold to Purple, on Purpose

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Chemists developed a method of artificial photosynthesis, and proved it by turning gold atoms into purple-colored nanoparticles.

Professor Richard Watt and his chemistry students suspected that a common protein could potentially react with sunlight and harvest its energy – similar to what chlorophyll does during photosynthesis.

Most Students in U.S. Are Not Proficient in Science

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Less than 50% of U.S. students are proficient in science.

One national “report card” on test scores, released Tuesday morning, paints a dismal picture of how well the country’s students have mastered science.   Just 34 percent of fourth-graders, 30 percent of eighth-graders, and 21 percent of 12th-graders are performing at or above “proficient” in the most recent snapshot from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which gives science scores from 2009.

 

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New Polymer That Heals Itself Could Lead to Medical Implants or Engine Parts That Fix Themselves

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Broken polymer chains reform to repair a crack in this material when it is pressed together and exposed to UV light.

A new polymer material that can repeatedly heal itself at room temperature when exposed to ultraviolet light presents the tantalizing possibility of products that can repair themselves when damaged. Possibilities include self-healing medical implants, cars, or even airplane parts.

 

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