Facts of the Matter Premium http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium RSS Feed for Facts of the Matter Premium en-us Fri, 04 May 2012 11:45:05 GMT Nature keeps own records of Earth's climate changes http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120504_nature_keeps_own_records_of_earths_climate_changes.html Although detailed climate records exist for only 150 years or so, several Earth sensors keep records that allow us to infer past climate information. These proxy climate data sources substitute for actual weather instruments. MRIs provide best means to find soft-tissue injuries http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120420_MRIs_provide_best_means_to_find_softtissue_injuries.html Before the development of magnetic resonance imaging, X-rays were the only way to image inside the body. X-rays are too energetic and show hard structures such as bones while they penetrate connective tissue and organs that show only as ghostly images. Beaches change constantly as sand comes and goes http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120406_Beaches_change_constantly_as_sand_comes_and_goes.html A beach seems constant from day to day, yet it is an ever-changing river of sand. On a geologic time scale the life of a beach is like a fruit fly in our human time scale. Think of the human body as a microbial ecosystem http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120302_Think_of_the_human_body_as_a_microbial_ecosystem.html Normally we think of an ecosystem in reference to the environment in which we humans live. From the perspective of a microscopic organism living inside us, however, the human body is the ecosystem and indeed the whole universe. Lubricating grease keeps the world churning along http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120217_Lubricating_grease_keeps_the_world_churning_along.html Everybody knows what "greasy" means, even if only from that coating on your hands after downing a bucket of the Colonel's finest. But rendered animal fat is a different kind of grease from that used for lubrication. There is no such thing as 'chemical free' products http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120203__There_is_no_such_thing__as_chemical_free_products.html Listening to commercials, one would think that chemicals are harmful and should be avoided. Ads for carpet cleaning, household products, toiletries, pet foods and other products claim to be chemical free. Loss of coral reefs forecasts danger to global ecosystems http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120120_Loss_of_coral_reefs_forecasts_danger_to_global_ecosystems.html Coral reefs are among the most complex ecosystems on the planet. Often called "rain forests of the sea," coral reefs occupy less than 0.1 percent of the world ocean surface. Their low abundance belies their great importance. Nanotechnology replicates geckos' ability to adhere http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20120106_Nanotechnology_replicates_geckos_ability_to_adhere.html Behold the ubiquitous gecko climbing a vertical wall in the blink of an eye or scurrying across the ceiling in gravity-defying dashes. For at least 2,000 years people have wondered what made geckos' feet stick, because the footpads do not feel sticky to the touch. Entire human brain functions nonstop even during sleep http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20111216_Entire_human_brain_functions_nonstop_even_during_sleep.html Research has debunked the notion that we use only 10 percent of our brain, firmly filing it in the urban myth category. Lockheed Martin attempts to harvest energy from sea http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/factsofthematterpremium/20111202_Lockheed_Martin_attempts_to_harvest_energy_from_sea.html Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) as a means for generating electricity has been around for a long time. French physicist Jacques Arsene d'Arsonval proposed it in 1881. One of his students, Georges Claude, built a 22-kilowatt experimental system at Matanzas Bay, Cuba, in 1930.