Miners sometimes add lead nitrate to prevent this and speed things along. But is there a way to fine-tune the process to get more metal out of the ore?
Science is often divided into two parts: the basic, knowledge-for-its-own-sake part and the applied, turn-it-into-products part. This is a division convenient for structuring organizations and funding processes, but doesnt reflect the real world.
Studies show that blasts of electrons from a particle accelerator are an effective way to clean up dirty water, nasty sewage sludge, and polluted gases from smokestacks. Now researchers need to make the technology more compact and reliable.
Like surfers on monster waves, electrons can ride waves of plasma to very high energies in a very short distance. Scientists have proven that plasma acceleration works.
Symmetry often discusses the connections between particle physics and other parts of science, nature, and culture. This issue shows how broadly particle physics pervades other aspects of life.
Physicists at Alabama A&M University hope to improve the safety of artificial heart valves by forming them from a material bombarded with silver ions from a particle accelerator.
In a March 1 Op-Ed piece in the New London Day, former Connecticut Congressman Bob Simmons raised concerns about provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the so-called stimulus bill.
Particle physics joins forces with other fields to look at two important factors shaping weather: temperatures high in the atmosphere and the dampness of the dirt beneath our feet.
Many of the people trained in particle physics move on to jobs in industry, where their skills are in high demand. There you can find a theorist exploring for oil or an accelerator scientist working on cancer treatments.
