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Factoid Archive 5Grainy SnapshotSince 1977, American's consumption of Mexican foods has increased four-fold, and consumption of snack foods such as crackers, popcorn, pretzels and corn chips has tripled.
Bond, Helium BondUniversity of Minnesota chemists have become the first to use a mechanical tool to measure the length of a chemical bond, between helium dimers. A tiny sieve containing nanoscale holes revealed the bond length as 62 angstroms.
Hot FactsThe average surface temperature of the earth climbed to a record high in 1995, 58.7 F. Moreover, the years 1991 through 1995 were warmer than any similar five-year period, including the two half-decades of the 1980s, the warmest decade yet recorded.
New Bugs Entomologist Terry Erwin studies insect diversity in the rain forest canopy of the neo-tropics. Terry discovers between 1,500-2,000 species of insects in each tree he examines. Eighty percent of what he finds in a single tree is new to science.
Microbial MotorThe E. Coli bacterium propels itself with a 'motor' only one-millionth of an inch in diameter, a thousand times smaller than the tiniest motors built to date by man. The rotation of the bacterial motor comes from a current of protons. The efficiency of the motor approaches 100 per cent.
Toxic BrewThere are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee. Of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.
Poultry PowerThe waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100 watt bulb for five hours.
Recombinant Cow JuiceA telephone poll of nearly 2,000 households in the US revealed that 53.8% of consumers are skeptical about drinking milk from cows fed recombinant bovine growth hormone. 94 percent thought milk should be labeled to distinguish milk from rBGH-treated cows.
DNA Trail MixResearch biologists from the National Biological Service are using DNA samples from mountain lion feces to evaluate the cats' dietary patterns.
Global Cooling?The composite global temperature in the lower atmosphere was below average for the second consecutive month, while a record low temperature in the stratosphere was recorded in January, 1996. This could be caused by the greenhouse effect and/or ozone depletion.
ENIACENIAC, the first electronic computer, appeared 50 years ago. The original ENIAC was about 80 feet long, weighed 30 tons, had 17,000 tubes.By comparison, a desktop computer today can store a million times more information than an ENIAC, and 50,000 times faster.
The Blink of an EyeIf the 4.6 billion year evolution of our planet were conceived of as a single day, the 40,000 years of human existence would take up on the last two seconds.
Amazonian PlotA plot of land in Amazonia the size of a suburban lawn supports 300 species of trees.
Bond, Helium BondUniversity of Minnesota chemists have become the first to use a mechanical tool to measure the length of a chemical bond, between helium dimers. A tiny sieve containing nanoscale holes revealed the bond length as 62 angstroms.
New BugsEntomologist Terry Erwin studies insect diversity in the rain forest canopy of the neo-tropics. Terry discovers between 1,500-2,000 species of insects in each tree he examines. Eighty percent of what he finds in a single tree is new to science.SOURCE: Biodiversity Online Microbial MotorThe E. coli bacterium propels itself with a 'motor' only one-millionth of an inch in diameter, a thousand times smaller than the tiniest motors built to date by man. The rotation of the bacterial motor comes from a current of protons. The efficiency of the motor approaches 100 per cent.
Toxic BrewThere are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee. Of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.
Poultry PowerThe waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100 watt bulb for five hours.
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