by Captain Skellett | Apr 29, 2011 | How Things Work, Just for Fun, Science Art
Behold ferrofluid, nanoparticles of iron coated in a surfactant and suspended in a solution of oil or water. The surfactant can be citric acid or soy lecithin, among other things, and is used to stop them sticking together It’s like magnetic dust. Put a magnet...
by Captain Skellett | Dec 3, 2010 | How Things Work, Recent Research, Science Communication, Sex and Reproduction
I’m a guest blogger for the RiAus, and this post also appeared on their fancy website. To tell the truth, I really wanted to call this post “Hormonally Yours” in homage to the Shakespeare Sisters (anyone?) but I’ll save it for another post. Recently I was...
by Captain Skellett | Nov 8, 2010 | How Things Work, Recent Research, The Realm of Bizzare
Imagine if instead of having sensor lights to illuminate a garden path, you could line it with light-emitting plants. You could stroll along bio-luminescent flower beds, dancing in dappled moonlight and delighting in eerily lit peace, free from the shackles of...