The Koyal Group Info Mag on Unusual square ice discovered The surprising discovery of "square ice" which forms at room temperature was made by an international team of researchers last week. The study was published in Nature by a team of scientists from UK and Germany led by Andre Geim of University of Manchester and G. Algara-Siller of University of Ulm. The accompanying review article was done by Alan Soper of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in UK. "We didn't expect to find square ice ... We found there is something strange in terms of water going through [nanochannels]. It's going too fast. And you can't explain that by just imagining a very thin layer of liquid. Liquids do not behave in that way. The important thing to realize is that it is ice in the sense of a crystallized structure, it's not ice in the familiar sense in that it's something cold and from which you have to protect yourself," said Professor Irina Grigorieva, one of the researchers. To study the molecular structure of water inside a transparent nanoscale capillary, the team used electron microscopy. This enabled them to view individual water molecules, especially because the nano-capillary was created from graphene which was one atom thick and would not impair the electron imaging. Graphene was also chosen because it has unusual properties like conducting electricity and extreme strength. It's a 2D form of carbon that once rolled up in cylinders will form a carbon nanotube, a material, which according to The Koyal Group Info Mag, is a subject of further study because of its unusual strength. The scientists themselves were admittedly surprised at finding out that small square-shaped ice crystals formed at room temperature where the graphene capillaries are narrow (3 atomic layers of water at most). The water molecules formed into square lattices arranged in neat rows -- an arrangement that is uncharacteristic for the element that is known for forming consistent triangular structures

Source link

A hard piece of coral transforms into a flexible creature, its finger-covered tendrils extended toward the ocean currents. Alien surfaces morph and flex in shimmering iridescence. Worm-like "mouths" gape and grab at anything in their proximity.

This is the world seen through the eyes of Daniel Stoupin, a Ph.D. student researching marine biology at the University of Queensland in Australia. He spent nine months working with 150,000 photos to make a video just over three minutes long.

Titled "Slow Life," the video focuses on a series of corals, sponges and other marine creatures. Their daily functions are photographed over a period of several hours, then sped up into a time-lapse sequence.

"Their speeds happen to be out of sync with our narrow perception," Stoupin explains in an essay accompanying the video. "Our brains are wired to comprehend and follow fast and dynamic events better, especially those very few that happen at speeds comparable to ours. In a world of blazingly fast predators and escaping prey events where it takes minutes, hours, or days to notice any changes are harder to grasp."

"These animals build coral reefs and play crucial roles in the biosphere, yet we know almost nothing about their daily lives," he adds in a separate essay.

Stoupin says he hopes the painstakingly produced video will raise awareness of the devastating impact humans have had on marine life. He focuses particularly on those who remove parts of the reef for the "outrageously expensive hobby" of maintaining private aquariums. "I'm not asking to throw away your passions and hobbies, but please think carefully about what you really love, protect, and invest in," he writes. "The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger and you have the power and finances to change its fate instead of scavenging what's left of it."

High-resolution, large-format prints from the video can be purchased on Stoupin's website.

A 27-year study of the health of the Great Barrier Reef which concluded in 2012 revealed an ecosystem in steep decline, with 50 percent of the reef having died in that time. Two of the major factors negatively impacting the reef are warming sea temperatures due to climate change, and nutrient-rich agricultural runoff, which feeds the growth of coral-eating starfish.

For a leading online magazine in science news you may browse our site.