It’s fireworks season, and there’s no better way to get a visual tour of the period table of elements than a fireworks show! Little balls or cubes called stars are made of various elements called stars and packed into shells with gun powder, and the chemicals in them determine both … Continue Reading →

  A rat maze experiment managed to replace the sense of sight in blind rats with an artificial one:  a microchip compass that told them when they were pointed north or south.  The brain prosthetic allowed them to learn a maze as well as seeing rats. I wrote this article … Continue Reading →

  The world of materials science is increasingly turning to biology for inspiration and assistance in creating better materials. One of the Great Quests of materials science is the world’s strongest material: can we make something that is flexible, strong, and tough? Can we make a fiber of it, so … Continue Reading →