Imperial Tie Fighters in Chemistry Publications

Yes, really. I am amused. :)

Nobel Prize in Chemistry in Recognition of Molecular Motors and Nanomachines

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded for the creation of molecular motors and nanomachines. Here is the press release.

Periodic Table Battleship!

I approve!

Apology Cards Sorted by Discipline

Today's SMBC, which shows some apology cards sorted by discipline, is a big win! The psychology apology is the best one.

No Radioactive or Stable Isotopes Allowed!

Apparently, neither radioactive nor stable elements (nor any "materials of any kind that have been used with isotopes") are allowed in Jennings Hall at Ohio State University. I took a picture as proof.

Here Comes the (Smell of) Rain Again

In case you are curious, here is a very brief primer on the origin of the smell of rain.

The Smell of Old Books (and of New Video Game Systems)

Have you ever noticed the smell of old books? One researcher described it as follows: a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents.

On a similar note, I also have always noticed a distinctive smell when I get a new video game system. Yummy!

Polymeric K_{3,3}

Some chemists have now constructed the graph K_{3,3} (and other tiny graphs) out of a polymer, and they seem to want to go after Königsberg next.

In related news, I think the South Side (aka: applied and related) of the Mathematical Institute now should annex the North Crystal, which just so happens to have a K_{3,3} graph as its vertices and edges.

(I'll be truely impressed, however, when somebody successfully constructs the ZKK graph using such polymers.)

Booze Under the Microscope

Here are some awesome pictures of booze under the microscope. I approve!

Alcohol Under the Microscope

I mean that literally, by the way! The other side of the link has absolutely gorgeous pictures of various alcoholic drinks under a microscope. Some people drink alcohol; I just like it when it produces pretty pictures. (Way to go, chemists!)

(Tip of the cap to I Fucking Love Science.)

Memorable Homework Comments from my Frosh Year at Caltech

When I was a frosh (and, yes, of course I had to phrase it like this), I took introductory mechanics during my first term, just like almost everybody else did.

And I particular remember one comment that a physics TA wrote on a homework assignment amidst my free-body diagram that answered the question completely but for which I got only 3 of 4 points: "A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a sentence is worth a point. Please explain yourself."

I still remember this and I have taken this advice to heart (and passed it along as well) whenever I write papers or do just about anything else scientifically. So, to this Phys 1a TA whose name I am too lazy to look up right now, I raise my iced latte in a toast.

Another memorable homework incident from my frosh year was in Chem 41 (organic chemistry) when a TA wrote a brief note about my handwriting at the top of the first page and then signed his name. And then right below his signatures were the signatures of the 10-12 other TAs in the course... [I really need to find this Chem 41 assignment and scan that in... ]

Chemistry Nobel Prize Awarded for Quasicrystals

Physics didn't work out this year, but the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has gone to some very cool stuff---namely, it's been awarded for the experimental discovery of quasicrystals, which are (i) damn cool and (ii) caused the very definition of "crystal" to need to be changed. You can read more about it on wikipedia.

"It's life, Jim---but not as we know it."

There's some very exciting news from NASA today about research they funded: one form of bacteria can apparently thrive on arsenic, so the chemicals that can be used for life are broader than previously thought. One question to ask, of course, is just how broad might it be?

(I didn't check in any detail, but the following seems to be the case: The news release comes from NASA, but it appears to be the equivalent of the NSF having the news release. The article quotes a research-group member from Arizona State, and the research happens to be funded by NASA. I find the differing dynamics of mentioning "NASA-funded researcher" as opposed to "NSF-funded researchers"---a phrase that I don't remember ever seeing in such an article---to be interesting. OK, back to our main program: life with arsenic!)

(Tip of the cap to Julius Su, Meredith Alden, and Siamak Daneshvar. However, I have elected to link to the CNN article rather than the apparently very hyperbolic Gizmodo article that came out earlier.)

Japanese cover of "The Elements"

The Annals of Improbable Research just posted on Facebook a Japanese cover of Tom Lehrer's "The Elements"---now with more elements and a Japanese pop style. Yup, I think I've seen everything now.

Periodic Table of Swearing

Here is a Periodic Table of Swearing. Awesome! George Carlin would be proud.

Now I am wondering if there might also be a quasiperiodic table?

(Tip of the cap to Mariano Beguerisse Díaz.)

Remember Erick Carreira?

Well, I do. As you can see, he can be extremely classy.

I had him for Chem 41b (second term of organic chemistry). His lectures were very good and he did bring hydrocarbons to class for us to sniff (though I just got dizzy), but he can apparently cross the line. It's fine to be hard-core, and I remember how he was very annoyed when somebody got a 98 on one exam (and it was a hard exam; the rest of us did much worse---he should have been happy that there was somebody who had mastered the material to that extent), but there are also lines that one shouldn't cross. I myself am a demanding supervisor (I think that is very important), but I think that I am also a reasonable one. Neither the request nor the tone of that letter are even remotely reasonable.

Also, some of you might remember that there was a certain professor who went ballistic and crashed through Caltech's giant black plastic maze during my junior year. My memory is hazy now, but I'm pretty sure that was Carreira.

Update: It is important that I add the following note that I just got from Julius Su: "To be fair, I heard Carreira knew he'd gone too far with that letter soon after writing it, has been embarrassed by its wide circulation since, and that he and Guido patched up quickly and remain good friends to this day." This is very good to hear.

(Tip of the cap to Stephen Shepherd.)