Say What?
betatron acceleration \BAY-tuh-trahn
ak-seh-leh-RAY-shun\ n. Acceleration of
particles by a changing magnetic field.
The changes give particles, such as
electrons, an energy boost and send
them corkscrewing through space at
high speeds. Researchers led by Maha Ashour-Abdalla of UCLA reported
online January 30 in Nature Physics that electrons in a type of space storm
that forms on Earth’s night side appear to build up most of their energy
via betatron acceleration caused by strong, shifting magnetic fields close
to Earth — and not from the rubber band–like snap of outlying terrestrial
magnetic field lines (shown in blue) that first sends the electrons hurling
toward the planet (SN Online: 2/15/11). The study may help scientists
understand auroras and other space weather phenomena.
SN Online
www.sciencenews.org
BODY & BRAIN
Broken neural loops distinguish vegetative states.
Read “Gravely damaged
brains have ‘bottleneck.’ ”
MAT TER & ENERGY
Bird plumage inspires a
new laser design. See “New
laser is from the birds.”
Science Past | FROM THE ISSUE OF JUNE 3, 1961
ATOMIC ENERGY SEEN BES T FOR ROCKET POWER — Atomic
energy is the most feasible source for powering rockets into
the far reaches of outer space. A refined model of a nuclear
power system now being developed could
be used to propel space probes to Mars and
Venus, [said] Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, chair-
man of the Atomic Energy Commission....
Already it is feasible to put an “atomic
generator” in a satellite whirling around
the earth to supply electric power. This
generator, weighing four pounds, could produce electric-
ity, equivalent to thousands of pounds of batteries, over a
five-year period.... Atomic energy can also be used in a world-
wide network of television satellites or weather stations.
Science Future
June 27
Go behind the scenes of Houston’s Cockrell Butter;y Center.
Go to https://store.hmns.org
HUMANS
Depression may boost
individuals’ analytical
skills. Read “Thinking
better with depression.”
July 15–17
Swim with the world’s largest
;sh at the fourth annual Whale
Shark Festival in Isla Mujeres,
Mexico. More information at
www.whalesharkfest.com
Introducing…
An international team of researchers has discovered a
new mineral buried deep inside a meteorite. Dubbed
“Wassonite” after the UCLA meteorite specialist John
Wasson, the mineral is made of sulfur and titanium and
has a crystal structure unobserved in minerals until now,
NASA scientists and their colleagues announced April 5.
The team found the streak of Wassonite (dark slash in
the X-ray image at left) in a
meteorite recovered in Ant-
arctica in 1969, in which the
mineral’s width spans about
a thousandth the thick-
ness of a sheet of paper. It’s
also surrounded by other
unidentified minerals. 0.2 ;m
LIFE
Ancient fungi finally found.
See “New fungi the dark
matter of mushrooms.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NASA; LTSHEARS; GEOATLAS/GRAPH-OGRE, ADAPTED B Y T. DUBÉ; JSC/NASA
MT
WY
Science Stats | BREATHE FREELY
The top ;ve cleanest and top ;ve dirtiest U.S. cities — as far as year-round air pollution from particles such as exhaust goes —all lie west
of the Mississippi, according to the American Lung Association.
Top five least and most polluted U.S. cities
Rank Location
Least polluted
1 Cheyenne, Wyo.
2 Santa Fe/Espanola, N.M.
3 Tucson, Ariz.
4a Great Falls, Mont.
4b Honolulu, Hawaii
4a
1
CA
HI
1
2c 5
AZ
2a
NM
2
3
