The special WATER issue (vol. 29, no. 2) of the magazine is now out and about. The table of contents and several of the articles are online. As you might guess, it’s full of improbable research about water.
Tag: water
Prize-Winning Oil Spill Helps Individual Save Money
ProPublica gives a detailed report about a little-noticed consequence of the oil spill that led to an Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize. The ProPublica report begins: A Massive Oil Spill Helped One Billionaire Avoid Paying Income Tax for 14 Years After the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig exploded in 2010, environmentalists surveying the damage in the […]
Upside down glass of water experiment revisited [study]
Dr Johan Lindén who is a lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Åbo Akademi University, Finland, has investigated the (famous) upside down glass of water experiment. But with a crucial variation – the card has a hole cut in it. Nevertheless, the water still stays in the glass – providing that the hole is small enough. […]
The Deposition of Airborne Droplets on Dead House-flies [study]
When it comes to the question of the optimum droplet diameter for deposition on dead flies (in woodland), there aren’t many pertinent research papers. Possibly only one. A 2009 study from R. T. Jarman of Chesterford Park Research Station, UK, recounts attempts, by experiment, to find out. “An experimental laboratory study of the deposition of […]
Innovative Scientists Talk About Their Childhood (9): Nicole Sharp and the Boat Ride
Here’s Nicole Sharp talking about a paddleboat ride she took when she was a child. That ride excited Nicole in a way that led to her eventual unusual career. Nicole created and runs FYFD, the most popular fluid dynamics web site in this part of the universe. ABOUT THIS LITTLE VIDEO SERIES—This is part of […]
Innovative Scientists Talk About Their Childhood (7): Nicole Sharp and the Paddle Boat
Here’s Nicole Sharp talking about a boat ride that, when she was a child, excited Nicole in a way that led to her eventual unusual career. Nicole created and runs FYFD, the most popular fluid dynamics web site in this part of the universe. ABOUT THIS LITTLE VIDEO SERIES—This is part of a series of […]
Innovative Scientists Talk About Their Childhood (5): Suzana Herculano-Houzel’s Ink-in-Water
Here’s Suzana Herculano-Houzel, talking about the ink in water that, when she was a child, excited Suzana in a way that led to her eventual unusual career. Suzana studies how brains do some of the astounding things brains do. ABOUT THIS LITTLE VIDEO SERIES—This is part of a series of sessions we (David Hu and […]
Hydroplaning Eider Ducks – the math(s)
Ducks can fly. Ducks can swim. And, unusually, they’re pretty good at something in between – viz. hydroplaning (a.k.a. ‘Skeetering’). If you’ve seen them doing it, you might have wondered about the physics (and math(s)) behind it. In which case, you are not alone … “Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) are heavy sea-ducks that spend a […]
The benefits of watering plants with Club Soda (study)
“We used six Helzine [sic] soleirolii, commonly known as Baby’s Tears, plants to conduct our experiment. The plants were divided into two groups, A and B. Both groups were placed in the same amount of sunlight and given the same soil. The plants were fed according to florist instructions. However instead of plain tap water, […]
The Solubility of Salt : A Divine Action Account (new thesis)
The next time you sprinkle a few grains of salt into your soup, then, if you have the time for it, you could consider the theological implications of doing so. To assist with your considerations, don’t miss the work of Professor Lisanne D’Andrea Winslow of the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, MN, US, who has […]