Another day, another 2D material. A March 9, 2018 news item on ScienceDaily announced the latest thin material from Rice university, Scientists at Rice University and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, have discovered a method to make atomically flat gallium that shows promise for nanoscale electronics. The Rice lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan and colleagues in India created two-dimensional gallenene, a thin film of conductive material that is to gallium what graphene is…

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The folks at the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) have just announced a pilot project heavily influenced by a successful Australian initiative matching scientists and lawmakers for a day. This is going to cost the participant money and the application deadline is August 31, 2018. If you’re still interested, from a July 10, 2018 CSPC announcement (received via email), The Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC), in partnership with the Chief Science Advisor of Canada [Mona…

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Is it STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) or is it STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics)? It’s STEAM as least as far as Dr. Scott Sampson is concerned. In his July 6, 2018 Creative Mornings Vancouver talk in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) he mentioned a major science education/outreach initiative taking place in the province of British Columbia (BC) but intended for all of Canada, Symbiosis There was some momentary confusion as Sampson’s slide…

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There’s a new technique for measuring hyaluronic acid (HA), which appears to be associated with osteoarthritis. A March 12, 2018 news item on ScienceDaily makes the announcement, For the first time, scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have been able to measure a specific molecule indicative of osteoarthritis and a number of other inflammatory diseases using a newly developed technology. This preclinical [emphasis mine] study used a solid-state nanopore sensor as a tool for…

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I don’t usually concern myself with SPF numbers on sunscreens as my primary focus has been on the inclusion of nanoscale metal particles (these are still considered safe). However, a recent conversation with a dental hygienist and coincidentally tripping across a June 19, 2018 posting on the Schrodinger’s Cat blog shortly after the convo. has me reassessing my take on SPF numbers (Note: Links have been removed), … So, what’s the deal with SPF? A…

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A July 3, 2018 Canadian Light Source news release by Colleen MacPherson describes an investigation into how dental implants and bones interact with the hope of making dental implantation safer and more certain, Research carried out recently at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) [also known as a synchrotron] in Saskatoon [Saskatchewan, Canada] has revealed promising information about how to build a better dental implant, one that integrates more readily with bone to reduce the risk…

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A June 26, 2018 HR MacMillan Space Centre (HRMSC) press release, received via email, announces an upcoming art/sci event, This July the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and Voirelia: Dance, Psychology and Philosophy Hub will be co-hosting Quantum Inkblot, an interactive evening exploring quantum physics through the lenses of physics and psychology, art, and astronomy. The evening will incorporate talks by a physicist and a psychologist, visual artwork, and original contemporary dance performances. The talks and…

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The microscopes used for nanoscale research were invented roughly 35 years ago and as fabulous as they’ve been, there is a problem (from a February 12, 2018 news item on Nanowerk), A University of Texas at Dallas graduate student, his advisor and industry collaborators believe they have addressed a long-standing problem troubling scientists and engineers for more than 35 years: How to prevent the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope from crashing into the surface…

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The microscopes used for nanoscale research were invented roughly 35 years ago and as fabulous as they’ve been, there is a problem (from a February 12, 2018 news item on Nanowerk), A University of Texas at Dallas graduate student, his advisor and industry collaborators believe they have addressed a long-standing problem troubling scientists and engineers for more than 35 years: How to prevent the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope from crashing into the surface…

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From a June 29, 2018 ArtSci Salon notice (received via email), July 4 – 22  | Out Of This World | Juried Group Exhibition “ Space… is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” – DOUGLAS ADAMS: THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (1979) July 4 – 22  | Out…

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