I guess they wanted to keep it a secret? In any event, TRIUMF’s 2018 year of celebrating their 50th anniversary is almost over. Their celebratory website, TRIUMF50 lists two events (scroll down to see them) for October 2018 and nothing after that. One event is in Ottawa (which is titled ‘#DiscoverTHIS: TRIUMF, Science, and Society’ on the TRIUMF50 website) and the other in Vancouver (Canada). Then, there’s the the other 50th sciencish anniversary in Vancouver,…

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Curiosity Collider seems to have started the fall 2018 season with a lot of oomph. They just hosted (along with Nerd Nite Vancouver and Science Slam Canada) a science bar night on September 18, 2018 (as per my September 13, 2018 posting). Barely a week after the bar night, there’s a Collider Cafe event on September 26, 2018 (from a September 21, 2018 announcement received via email), When science collides with music and performance, the…

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Michael Berger in his May 4, 2018 Nanowerk Spotlight article highlights research into creating all natural agrochemicals, Widespread use of synthetic agrochemicals in crop protection has led to serious concerns of environmental contamination and increased resistance in plant-based pathogenic microbes. In an effort to develop bio-based and non-synthetic alternatives, nanobiotechnology researchers are looking to plants that possess natural antimicrobial properties. Thymol, an essential oil component of thyme, is such a plant and known for its…

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It’s thrilling and I hope they are able to commercialize this technology which makes concrete ‘greener’. From an April 23, 2018 news item on ScienceDaily, A new greener, stronger and more durable concrete that is made using the wonder-material graphene could revolutionise the construction industry. Experts from the University of Exeter [UK] have developed a pioneering new technique that uses nanoengineering technology to incorporate graphene into traditional concrete production. The new composite material, which is…

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Curry was how I was introduced to turmeric. My father who came from Mauritius loved curry and we had it at least once a week. Nobody mentioned healing properties, which I was to discover them only after I started this blog. Usually, turmeric is mentioned in cancer cures but not this time. Turmeric Courtesy: Washington State University From a May 2, 2018 Washington State University news release by Tina Hilding (also on EurekAlert but dated…

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There are two items today, an event in Vancouver (Canada) and an online competition. Pediatric biobanking From a September 14, 2018 Café Scientifique Vancouver announcement received via email, Our next café will happen on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH at 7:30PM in the back room at YAGGER'S DOWNTOWN (433 W Pender). Our speaker for the evening will be DR. SUZANNE VERCAUTEREN the Director of BC Children’s Hospital BioBank. Her topic will be: GIVING PATIENTS, THE PUBLIC, AND…

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At last, commercially available ‘smart’, that is, electrochromic windows. An April 17, 2018 article by Conor Shine for Dallas News describes a change at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport that has cooled things down, At DFW International Airport, the coolest seats in the house can be found near Gate A28. That’s where the airport, working with California-based technology company View, has replaced a bank of tarmac-facing windows with panes coated in microscopic layers…

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From time to time I check out the latest on attempts to shrink computer chips. In my July 11, 2014 posting I noted IBM’s announcement about developing a 7nm computer chip and later in my July 15, 2015 posting I noted IBM’s announcement of a working 7nm chip (from a July 9, 2015 IBM news release , “The breakthrough, accomplished in partnership with GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Samsung at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering…

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Compared to five or more years ago, there’s a lollapalooza of art/sci (or sciart) events coming up in September 2018. Of course, it’s helpful if you live in or are visiting Toronto or Vancouver or Calgary at the right time.  All of these events occur from mid September (roughly) to the end of September. In no particular date order: Sense of beauty in Vancouver The September 10, 2018 Dante Alighieri Society of British Columbia invitation…

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Researchers at Finland’s Aalto University seem excited in an April 25, 2018 news item on phys.org, Perhaps the strangest prediction of quantum theory is entanglement, a phenomenon whereby two distant objects become intertwined in a manner that defies both classical physics and a common-sense understanding of reality. In 1935, Albert Einstein expressed his concern over this concept, referring to it as “spooky action at a distance.” Today, entanglement is considered a cornerstone of quantum mechanics,…

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