Science Spin September 2012

Issue Spin 54 - Digital Edition

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Science spin 54

 

Higgs Boson
Recreating the sort of conditions that existed just after the Big Bang helps to explain how the Universe came into being, and discovering the Higgs Boson means that we have found a way to explain why there is gravity.

Science sense
Are genetically modified crops safe to eat? Is smoking on the way out? Is nuclear power a threat? Opinions are divided, but the facts are being ignored in deciding where we stand on these important issues.

Dirty old city
In cities, the top layer of soil, where children play, can be contaminated by pollution accumulated over centuries of activity. Not just old industries, but park benches may have been repainted time after time, and open areas have often been laid out over waste. Geologists have been sampling the soils of Dublin, and there is a need to look at other urban areas.

Green chemistry
Chemists have been finding out ways to cut down waste, and more efficient processes are also good for industrty.

Young scientists
Taking the wind out of the sails, and taking an in-depth look at vision.

Lamp shells
Brachiopods are still with us after millions of years and the fossil you find may not be much different from the one that people like to eat.
Dr How look at light, and a new book explains what science can do for food.

Features in this issue