February Science Tidbits

General Science History
In 1901, a loop-the-loop centrifugal railway was patented by Edwin Prescott of Arlington, Mass. (No. 667,455) which he had installed at Coney Island in 1900 where it was known as Boynton's Centrifugal Railway. It had a 75-ft incline and a 20-ft-wide loop. He had previously obtained a patent for a roller coaster on 16 Aug 1898 (No. 609,164). This patent was to improve on the earlier design, having a purely circular loop, which resulted in an uncomfortable shock to passengers as the car entered the loop. The new design was made to offer more comfort by varying the radius of the curve of the loop to be greater at the entry point, but decreasing radius toward the horizontal diameter of the loop. The patent also covered other details of coaster construction.


Biology History
In 1995, news of research linking brain structure and artistic talent was released by at a press conference in Washington. Dr Gottfried Schlaug announced the work of his team of researchers at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Mass. Persons with perfect pitch were found to have a region in the left hemisphere of the brain, the plenum temporale, to be enlarged. However, it was also necessary that to have perfect pitch, a person must be exposed to music before age 10 years. Failing that, having an enlarged plenum temporale does not of itself normally coincide with having perfect pitch later.


Earth Science History
In 1966, three days after its takeoff, the unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft landed safely on the moon in the Ocean of Storms. It was the first ever soft landing on another celestial body, and opened the way for manned trips to the moon, by removing doubts lest the surface was an unsafe dusty quicksand. On striking the surface, the Soviet probe ejected a 250-lb capsule which then rolled upright and unfolded four spring actuated petals to steady itself. A TV camera with a revolving mirror system enabled Luna 9 to take pictures, including panoramic views of the lunar landscape and closer views of nearby rocks, which were transmitted back to earth until 6 Feb when the batteries ran out and contact with the spacecraft was lost.


Physics History
In 1932, the "neutron" was described in an article in the journal Nature by its discoverer, James Chadwick, who coined the name for this neutral particle he discovered present in the nucleus of atoms. He was an English physicist who studied at Cambridge, and in Berlin under Geiger, then worked at the Cavendish Laboratory with Ernest Rutherford, where he investigated the structure of the atom. He worked on the scattering of alpha particles and on nuclear disintegration. By bombarding beryllium with alpha particles, Chadwick discovered the neutron for which he received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1935. He led the UK's work on the atomic bomb in WW II, and was knighted in 1945.


Chemistry History
In 1886, German chemist, Clement Winkler discovered the element germanium. He had a background in managing a cobalt glassworks and then on the faculty of the Freiberg School of Mining, when he discovered germanium in the mineral argyrodite. Analyzing the silver sulphide ore, he found that all the known elements it contained amounted to only 93 per cent of its weight. Tracking down the remaining 7 per cent, he found the new element he called germanium (for Germany). This turned out to be the eka-silicon predicted by Dmitry I. Mendeleyev in 1871.


Quote
The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.  - Khalil Gibran