Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Interesting ...

My mom gives me all her old magazines 'cause I have some sort of fetish for cutting out pictures and such. Well, I found something quite interesting in one of them.
From the November 14, 2008 issue of The Week:

A Surprising Source of X-Rays
Believe it or now, that roll of Scotch tape on your desk is an X-ray machine. Researchers at UCLA have discovered that by unspooling a household roll of invisible tape inside a vacuum, they can create bursts of X-ray light strong enough to produce clear images of the bones in their fingers. The phenomenon occurs because the sticky adhesive on the back of the tape becomes positively charged as it peels, while the polyethylene roll becomes negatively charged; the resulting buildup of electrical energy results in brief, explosive bursts of X-rays. "We're marveling at Mother Nature," says UCLA physicist Seth Putterman, who is already looking for practical medical and scientific applications. By the way, don't worry about being bathed in radiation next time you tear off a piece of tape: it only works when it's done in a vacuum.


That made me think hard ... but not about science! I was thinking "Who decided to pull tape off its little plastic O in the middle in a vacuum?!" I think the researchers were a bit bored one day on the clock.


Today's Featured Seller"
MontanaHatter!
After the Steelers' win in the Super Bowl I HAD to feature this shop! She has crocheted Steelers hats! *jumps for joy*

1 comment:

storybeader said...

you've got to wonder how knew technology and bits of information are discovered in the first place!

Welcome to the etsybloggers team!