Noise pollution refers to the excessive, upsetting, and disruptive noise that machines or animals create. Aircraft, rail, automobiles, and construction sites cause the most noise pollution. Noise pollution occurs both indoors and outdoors. Other sources of noise pollution include fireworks, air horns, dogs, audio equipment, mechanical equipment, building or car alarms, and appliances. Noise pollution was largely ignored until the mid-1970's when the government started placing regulations on industries that significantly contributed to noise pollution. What Are the Effects of Noise Pollution on Human Health? Noise pollution can have a Read More

Folding DNA to create different two or three dimensional shapes while at the nano level of size is known as DNA origami. By relying on the interactions between complementary base pairs, one is able to manipulate a long strain of DNA and force it to fold and twist in such a way as to create different designs. The original project required a process of taking a long strain of viral DNA and bending it and twisting it with the help of staple strands. These strands would bind to the long Read More

Laser skin tightening is done through the use of lasers to tighten the old and “loose” skin to give the appearance of youthful skin. After the technology was changed in the early 1990s from the ablative technology to the non-ablative technology, the risk and the recovery times from the treatments have greatly lessened. Especially the laser skin tightening technology has advanced with the change from the use of radiofrequency to the infrared frequency and an increase in the penetration depth, allowing a greater degree of skin tightening. Laser Skin Tightening Read More

Acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame K or Ace K, where “K” is the elemental symbol for potassium) is commonly used as an artificial sweetener or flavor enhancer. It is used in low calorie food products as it replaces sugar and other natural sweeteners that commonly add large amounts of calories. Acesulfame potassium’s trade names include “Sunett” and “Sweet One” and has the additive code E950 in the European Union. It looks like a white crystalline powder when pure. Acesulfame potassium’s chemical formula is C4H4KNO4S and is technically a potassium salt. Why is Read More

Unlike what some people imagine with laser tattoo removals and the myth of the skin being burned, it is actually a simple process of the laser making short pulses of intense light which passes through the top layers of the skin. This passing is basically absorbed by the tattoo pigments. The energy fragments the pigments into small pieces, which are later, naturally removed by the body’s immune system. Intense research in laser tattoo removing has been done to find the ideal frequency to remove the skin’s pigments, so that the Read More

A basal thermometer tracks temperature shifts in the body. Women mostly use it to chart their basal body temperature in order to predict their ovulation or fertile periods. Most basal thermometers come with blank basal body temperature charts and are digital in order to provide more accurate fertility predictions. How does a Basal Thermometer Work? A basal thermometer is accurate to the tenths place in Fahrenheit and reads temperatures in 30-60 seconds. Its sensitivity is important as this allows it to detect fluctuations in daily body temperatures. Digital types save Read More

MRI video goggles were designed to assist Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) patients from experiencing the effects of claustrophobia by providing 3d video and audio. The goggles immerse the patient DVD video and audio assisting them in avoiding the uncomfortable feeling and mental anxiety of being in a very small contained area for a period of time. It is expected that the experience will also assist the patient in relaxing during the exam, assisting the technician in getting a better scan result. The experience The goggles produce a video image that Read More

Cryogenics is the branch of physics that deals with the production of extremely low temperatures – usually lower than -238 degrees Fahrenheit – and it specifically looks into how materials behave when they are exposed to such temperatures. The experiments performed by Sir Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday paved the way for this new field of physics. Popular literature, however, often mixes up cryogenics with cryonics or the use of cryogenics to preserve biological matter. Cryogenics, literally "cold production," is also a commonly used term when referring to a state Read More

Methyl Iodide is a chemical compound that is relatively volatile. It is commonly found in the form of a dense, colorless liquid. It is also known as iodomethane and has the chemical formula CH3I (one carbon atom with three hydrogen atoms and a single iodine atom connected to it). Methyl iodide is a naturally occurring chemical compound that rice plantations emit in small amounts. Methyl Iodide Properties Methyl Iodide is a colorless liquid that turns purple when exposed to light for a long period of time because it is an Read More

Mind uploading is the term used for the theoretical transfer of a human mind to an external carrier. Mind uploading can also denote whole brain emulation, electronic transcendence, mind transfer, etc. Mind uploading does not refer to the transfer of the actual physical brain but rather the transfer of its consciousness to a robotic brain which will generate responses that cannot be distinguished from the actual original brain. In cases where the subjects' consciousness is transferred to a memory device, the result is an artificial intelligence. In cases where the Read More