The re-invention of silk "For a millennium, traders brought silk fabrics from the Far East along the Silk Road to Europe, where the beautiful yet tough material was fashioned into dazzling clothes. Today
bioengineers (video interview)are infusing the natural protein fibers spun by silkworms with enzymes and semiconductors. They are processing the modified strands under varying temperature, shear and acidic conditions to create
novel materials with remarkable properties."
posted by dhruva
on Mar 8, 2011 -
13 comments
The average human eye has three types of cone cells, each of which is sensitive to a different wavelength range of visible light. The difference in the relative signal from the three cones allows us to distinguish colors. Unfortunately, since these sensitivity ranges overlap, there are some combinations of signals from the cones that can't be created by light emitted from a real object. These are the so-called "
imaginary colors". However, by
selectively overstimulating one or more types of cone, we can still perceive these colors; this is the principle behind the
Eclipse of Titan, an optical illusion which produces both a green and a cyan that don't otherwise appear in nature. (Similar effects can be seen in the Eclipses of
Mars,
Neptune, and
Triton.)
[more inside]
posted by Upton O'Good
on May 10, 2010 -
64 comments
Atmospheric Optics.
Rainbows,
in spray,
of moonlight,
in reflective paint,
without sky,
with spokes,
twinned,
reflected,
in clouds,
in the fog, more.
Halos,
horizon distortion,
green flashes,
pillars,
near-contrails.
Surface and volume shadows.
Waves atop the atmosphere.
Mysteries.
Picture of the Day.
Via.
Previously. Still no unicorns.
posted by fantabulous timewaster
on Jan 13, 2009 -
18 comments
The Nature of Light and Color in the Open Air "Moreover, this book is written for all those who love Nature; for the young people going out into the wide world and gathering together round the camp-fire; for the painter who admires but does not understand the light and colour of the landscape; for those living in the country; for all who delight in travelling; and also for town-dwellers, for whom, even in the noise and clamour of our dark streets, the manifestations of Nature remain." - Marcel Minnaert
[more inside]
posted by jquinby
on Dec 23, 2008 -
17 comments
Athanasius Kircher was the
17th century's Jesuit version of the
übergeek. His scholarly attentions were drawn to egyptology, astronomy, magnetism, languages, optics, music, geology, mathematics and many many other pursuits. The
"dude of wonders" invented novel machines such as the
mathematical organ and
magnetic clock, established one of the first museums, published about 40 academic works (with
beautiful accompanying illustrations) and was globally revered as one of his time's greatest intellectuals. He is also the main link in the
Voynich manuscript mystery. [
MI]
posted by peacay
on Aug 7, 2005 -
12 comments
