New Goggles Light the Night for LifeFlight
December 17, 2009
Vanderbilt LifeFlight is now using technology once reserved for military operations or secret spy missions.
With the ability to enhance light 10,000 times, the air ambulance service’s new night vision goggles essentially turn night into day.
“You can see a lit cigarette 10 miles away,” said Wilson Matthews, R.N., E.M.T., chief flight nurse for LifeFlight’s base in Lebanon, Tenn., who is part of the night vision transition. “You go from seeing nothing to seeing the texture of tree leaves.”
Matthews said night vision will be most useful when making scene landings because pilots and nurses will be able to see the trees, power lines, rising terrain and other hazards on the ground.
Blast Waves Cause Brain Injuries Even Without Direct Impact
December 11, 2009
Traumatic brain injuries have been associated with military conflicts for a long time, especially those involving explosives. The explosive devices used in warfare since the invention of gunpowder have not only proved deadly but also extensively damaging to those not mortally wounded by the explosions.
Brain injuries generally occur when mechanical (physical) loads are placed on the brain, leading to problems in the functionality of the brain. Generally, these injuries are seen in car crashes or sporting accidents where a high velocity object is involved. However, in a combat scenario involving explosive devices, new research indicates that one of the reasons for the high instances of brain injuries in soldiers close to a blast is the force wave generated by the explosion. This force causes a squeezing of the skull or an extreme and sudden acceleration of the head, either of which can cause serious physical pressure to be placed on the brain and potentially damaging it.
From Sundials to Atomic Clocks: The Measurement of Time
December 9, 2009
The passage of time is an abstract concept that we all take for granted. We all eat, sleep and go to work at roughly the same time each day. Few of us give little thought about it but it is an integral part of all our lives. That’s why humans have, for thousands of years, continuously developed more and more sophisticated ways of measuring the passage of time. From sundials to computer time servers and atomic clocks, people have for generations strived to accurately measure the passage of time. This article describes the fundamental nature of time, how it is measured by movement, and how it is closely related to the concept of space. It also highlights the advancements of high technology time references and International time standards.
Blue Heaven: Why the Sky Is Blue
November 24, 2009
That the sky is a beautiful shade of blue is one of those irrefutable facts of life that the vast majority of humankind generally accepts. But while most of us would take this for granted, there are still others who may actually be curious as to the true nature of this phenomenon.
There are among us those who at some point are sure to have contemplated “why is the sky blue?” Is there a reason for this, an explanation, or could it all have been merely coincidence that the sky would be of such a color? Could the sky have been any other hue? Red, perhaps? Yellow, green, purple or pink, even?
Effective Approaches to Lifelong Learning
November 20, 2009
There are many ways to learn. Depending on your current skills, passions, goals, and network you can find ways to learn that will interest you. Here are some affordable tips to help you become a lifelong learner.
First, learn to love and use the library effectively. With so many books, movies, tapes, and cd’s the library is a place that is full of learning potential. The library is an affordable place for anyone looking to reach higher level of learning. The library is affordable because using a library is free, unless you return materials late.
Optical Illusions; Are They of Scientific Value or Just Ephemeral Entertainment?
January 28, 2009
We’ve all had some fun with optical illusions, staring blankly at pictures for 5 minutes until a rabbit turns into a duck, or a Jackson Pollack style painting slowly morphs into a forest scene, or more often than not nothing happens at all and you’ve been gazing dumbly at a set of squiggly lines and splodges for God knows how long.
However do these optical illusions have any other value than brief entertainment? Can they be used to improve people’s perception?
How To Help Your Kids Love Science
December 19, 2008
One of the toughest things to learn is how to enjoy learning. That sounds a little ridiculous but it’s very true.
Children begin to become interested in learning at a very young age. By the time most people are only 4 years old they are discovering more and more about the things they are interested in. So how do we encourage this behavior? How do we help our children want to learn and develop a desire for knowledge?
They only way to help children stay interested in learning is to make learning something they want to do. As with most successful child-learning-support techniques it involves YOU the parent/teacher. It’s really quite simple!
Tabloid Science: Attack of the Maneating Catfish
October 31, 2008
If London’s SUN newspaper is to be believed, a giant Asian catfish known as the Goonch has mutated into a maneater, after developing a taste for the human remnants dumped from riverside funeral pyres. Based on a new documentary being aired on Britain’s Channel 5 television, the behemoth catfish tale has just enough plausibility to focus new interest on a species that occasionally makes its way into home aquariums.
To Predict Global Climate Change Look to the Sun
September 10, 2008
A trip to the beach during the summer requires the use of proper suntan lotion to prevent a very bad sunburn. In fact, a hot summer day makes us often retreat from the sun into the cover of nearby shade. However, a cold winter day will often make us long for the warmth of the sun’s direct rays.
When we plan each day, it is around the sun. The sun determines our scheduled activities in the daylight and during the dark of each night. The changing seasons are a function of the number of hours of sunlight. So, if the sun is such a factor in our lives each day, why do we not even consider the sun as a catalyst for future global climate change?
A History of Magnets and Their Many Uses
July 21, 2008
Magnets have been in use for thousands of years. The first known reference to magnetism dates back to the 4th century B.C.E. from a Chinese literary work called “Book of the Devil Valley Master.” In this book, it was written that “lodestone attracts iron to it.” Lodestone is a type of magnetite metal with a special crystalline structure that can naturally create a magnetic field, thereby attracting and magnetizing iron. By the 12th century A.D., Chinese sailors were using lodestone rocks as compasses for sea navigation.
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