DailyDirt: Science That's Almost Indistinguishable From Magic

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Tue, Oct 18th 2011 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Technology must really be getting better because Arthur C. Clarke's quote that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" seems to apply to more and more discoveries. Here are just a few examples of some pretty cool science that is real -- but not so easily explained.

Quantum levitation uses a superconductor, a magnet and some flux pinning -- and makes a neat science demonstration. If only we could find some room temperature superconductors... [url]
Quasicrystals won the 2011 Nobel prize in chemistry, and scientists used to say these materials weren't possible. Mother nature enjoys messing with symmetry a bit and coming up with patterns that M. C. Escher might have liked. [url]
Some metallic glasses are microalloys of several different metals -- and can exhibit extraordinary strength and toughness. Too bad these glasses aren't transparent, though. [url]
To discover more interesting science-related stuff, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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Filed Under: flux pinning, metallic glass, nobel prize, quantum levitation, quasicrystals, superconductor

12 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 18 Oct 2011 @ 5:07pm

Transparisteel
I know the formula for it, but if a give it you now I would be altering the future. And that would be against the Temporal Prime Directive
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Oct 2011 @ 5:22pm

Re: Transparisteel
That is ok, we want transparent aluminum anwyway
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Michael Ho (profile), 18 Oct 2011 @ 5:36pm

Re: Re: Transparisteel
Hmm. I wonder how many metals can be made into nearly transparent thin foils..? Gold films 0.00013 mm thick are see-thru, so maybe there's a metallic glass film that could be made?
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Oct 2011 @ 6:35pm

Quasicrystals
There's a nice Math Mutations podcast about these that explain how a substance can have a pattern that repeats in more than 3 dimensions that appears to not repeat in 3 dimensions.

http://www.erikseligman.com/mm/mm133.mp3

Transcript:
http://www.aracnet.com/~esel igma/mm/mm133.txt
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fogbugzd, 18 Oct 2011 @ 8:31pm

As the article on quasicrystals notes, implementing practical applications is being hindered by a restrictive patent. I thought patents were supposed to "promote the progress."
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 18 Oct 2011 @ 11:08pm

All Those Who Think There Is Such A Thing As Non-Magical Technology ...
... give us an explanation of how a light-bulb works.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Oct 2011 @ 12:15am

Re: All Those Who Think There Is Such A Thing As Non-Magical Technology ...
There's a little wire-type thingy inside the bulb, and when electricity goes through it, it gets so hot that it glows.
That's for old-style lightbulbs anyway. I think the new ones work the same way, except with some kind of gas instead of a wire.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Oct 2011 @ 6:18am

Re: Re: All Those Who Think There Is Such A Thing As Non-Magical Technology ...
I always thought that the switch on the wall opened up the chute for the little glow bugs to enter the bulb and do their thing.

Color me amazed!
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Josef Anvil (profile), 19 Oct 2011 @ 6:20am

LOL
You have to love the article on quasicrystals....

"However, their low tolerance and a restrictive French patent has limited their practical applications," Thiel said.
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Tim K (profile), 19 Oct 2011 @ 6:26am

Even better demonstration of Quantum Levitation
Saw this on Gizmodo yesterday. This video is a WAY cooler demonstration of Quantum Levitation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ws6AAhTw7RA
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lrobbo (profile), 12 Jun 2012 @ 11:41am

And a flux capacitor.
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Freemee (profile), 13 Aug 2012 @ 5:28am

I think that we are barely scratching the surface of what nature has to offer. We can do things know that only a few years ago were deemed impossible, and if things carry on who knows what we will be able to do in 10, 20 years to come? We will probably use these new discoveries to the good like develope a Brand New kind of dirty bomb!! Or find new ways to keep in touch with people that we dont want to keep in touch with :)
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