Whether gas, liquid or solid; radioactive or stable; reactive or inert; toxic or in your vitamin pill, the 118 building blocks each has its own chemically idiosyncratic characteristics--and certain commonalities. See what makes your favorite element unique on this interactive periodic table
What happens when you introduce an architect who builds "Transformer"-like self-assembling structures to an urban agriculturalist who makes futuristic farms and an engineer who designs nuclear reactors that eat radioactive waste? Watch National Geographic Emerging Explorers Skylar Tibbets, Caleb Harper, and Leslie Dewan share stories of how they're inventing tomorrow's realities in the fields of architecture, agriculture, and nuclear engineering.
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - Radiation from Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster has spread off North American shores and contamination is increasing at previously identified sites, although levels are still too low to threaten human or ocean life, scientists said on Thursday.
Tests of hundreds of samples of Pacific Ocean water confirmed that Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant continues to leak radioactive isotopes more than four years after its meltdown, said Ken Buesseler, marine radiochemist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
This case study describes a visit by "Naomi" to her physician, who upon seeing Naomi's bloodwork decides to prescribe her a cholesterol-lowering agent, a statin. The case discusses (1) the prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as atherosclerosis, which can lead to strokes and heart disease; (2) circulating lipoprotein particles including LDL and HDL, differentiating between which is a risk factor for heart disease and which is protective; (3) the pathway for cholesterol synthesis; (4) the evidence demonstrating that statins inhibit the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which is the committed step for cholesterol synthesis; and (5) the kinetic mechanism by which statins inhibit the enzyme. Students examine and interpret data from radioactive tracer and enzyme kinetics studies. The case ends with another visit by Naomi to her physician, who reexamines her bloodwork after she has been taking a statin for six months. Students are asked to determine whether the drug was effective for Naomi and, if not, what changes could be made to her regimen. The case was originally written for use in a survey of biochemistry course for upper level undergraduates.
Group items tagged 
