Nick

Diamonds – A Girl’s Best friend…..

August 26, 2011 By Nick

Well, diamonds have long been revered and acknowledged to be the hardest substance on earth that the only thing capable of cutting it would be another diamond. Diamonds if you don’t know are made from carbon through which the millions of years under intense pressure and heat in the earth’s crust has transformed it into a very tough symmetric crystal that is almost indestructible. It cut’s glass and has a sense of mystique breaking up light into the many wavelengths that show up as the colors of the rainbow.

Then scientists and material manufacturing experts who have been experimenting with the production of artificial diamonds in laboratories and industrial complexes producing diamonds of industrial grade come up with a reliable and repeatable method for doing so. The second largest use for diamonds are for industry where they are used in abrasives/drills, Semi-conductors and coatings for optics giving them an almost scratch-proof finish, the first being for jewelry. That is why scientists have developed ways to manufacture them in the lab, taking only days rather than thousands or millions of years. These diamonds are at the microscopic level and they have also found it to be one of the best conductors of heat and around. Disks of diamonds that result from man-made processes can cut through ice with only the body’s heat transmitted through the finger compared to gold, silver or aluminum (today’s most widely used heat dissipation products). This makes it a candidate for future heat sinks and other technologies that would require heat removal such as cooling systems for super computers and such. Costs are still quite high so doing expect to see a diamond based cooling system for your PC but they are developing applications for these man-made gems.

Gemologists have argued that the influx of man-made diamonds is a threat to the value and standing of natural diamonds that they may someday be impossible to tell apart. The only give away of an artificially made gem is that it is too perfect. Perfect color (which can be blue, yellow, clear and many other shades depending on the minerals that were present in the carbon as it crystallized) and the absence of cleavages or cracks and flaws are the main giveaways. They are also seeking to have trace elements to be included in the carbon mixture to give some form of detection method making it easier to recognize a real gem from the rest.

Plastics – the tough kind

August 19, 2011 By Nick

Plastics have revolutionized the way we live on this earth ever since they were synthesized from petroleum. The good thing about them is that they are tough and can be customized chemically to contain just about anything. From acids, bases to other very hazardous chemicals, plastics have been used to hold them. There is only one very big problem though; they’re also very much indestructible. Yes, there are biodegradable plastics today yet they still lack some of the qualities of their polluting kin. Bury plastic bottles used for soft drinks in a landfill and they’ll be around for a long long time. You can’t burn them for being derived from oil, they release toxic fumes. Recycling which is the best option is still much to be seen as the way to go. There are over a hundred thousand types of different plastics on this earth and even out (on satellites and space craft) and designing recycling methods for all of them might be too costly. All the different types have to be handled differently, treat them the same and you end up with plastic that is only suitable for use in trash bags and other menial applications.
The seas of the earth is now being strangled by tons upon tons of plastics which range from discarded fishing nets, lines and other types. They pose a very real hazard for wildlife and other marine organisms and also become dangers to us when they get tangled around fishing vessels or sucked into the engines of recreational craft. Plastics that are irresponsibly disposed of in the seas, stay there, even traveling around the world as the ocean currents shift. Plastics thrown in Asia have been found in the beaches of Europe and North America which is testament to their indestructible nature. The ocean has no disposal methods for such waste and they just float around, that without action eventually end up clogging our beloved seas, rivers and streams.
Be responsible and re-use plastic bags from the supermarket. Recycle bottles and other stuff than can be for they mean less need for raw materials thus less pollution. Be Green ,Be Clean.

Other news

South Korean Government Threatening Selfie Stick Retailers with $27K Fines and Jail Time

The Korean comfort women issue has been raised again

North Korea: surfing the net in the world’s most isolated nation

Medical Gadgets Galore – Tricorders

June 28, 2011 By Nick

If you have watched the famed space exploration movie Star Trek, then the gadgets we would be talking about would be no stranger to you, Tricorders. Remember the gadget Dr. McCoy waves in front of injured people that gives him the entire picture such required medical information form injured person and even dispenses the right amount of drugs to cure all ailments? Well that’s fast becoming a reality for medical technology has moved towards miniaturization by making medical gizmos and gadgets that are portable and capable of interfacing with mobile phones to send data to medical facilities allowing them to broadcast recommendations to the attending emergency crew, but it still can’t dispense drugs on its own.
Medical technology has been catching up and is one of the most to benefit from new discoveries made with materials and microelectronics and it goes on everyday. A new toothbrush, a new test for cancer and new genes discovered with use of some of the world’s most powerful computers that crunch numbers at the tera-flop level. All this to understand something that is not even visible without and scanning electron microscope. New fabrics such as the new ones with Chitosan that have their own built-in antibacterial capabilities and to ward off germs and bacteria. The stuff is so good they’re talking about using it for Military Uniforms. New materials that save lives such as Kevlar and Nomex that have resulted form studies of spider silk which is many times stronger than steel.
New and smaller medical gadgets mean more lives saved all over the world and in the battlefield. Man’s drive to improve the quality of life is getting better and better, just wish the money and technology would come cheap enough for them to help the millions of people who live below the poverty line of most developed countries where most lives are lost without a fight.