Inventions Still Untitled
On the eve of the All Fool’s Day the students of the MSU Biology Faculty were given
a task to write an essay on some unusual inventions or discoveries. Below you can see the
results of the freak of their imagination.
IT CAN DRY ITSELF!
Of course, all of you watched the famous film “Back to the Future”
and you probably remember the episode, when the main hero pushes the button on his jacket
and it is dried by itself. I may not remember this moment exactly, and the jacket
understood that it must dry itself…
Of course, years ago it seemed fantastical! But it is a reality today!
A group of scientists has made a jacket which can be dried itself. The structure of this
jacket is very difficult. But in spite of the fact there are some differences between a
usual jacket and an invented one, we can make a self-drying jacket from a usual one.
The self-drying jacket consists of four layers. The outer layer is made
from a waterproof material – like a usual jacket. The second layer consists of a
substance which will spread out in case it gets into water. This layer is called
“sensitive”. The bottom layer is made of an ordinary material, which you can find on
the interior of your jacket. It is the third layer that is the most important and
complicated. It sets up the high temperature to dry and works due to two usual batteries.
Being very convenient, this jacket has some flaws, though. For example,
it is unlikely to be on sale everywhere and it costs much more than you can imagine.
KITCHEN HELPER ABSORBS YOUR BAD MOOD
The unexpected discovery was made in one of the labs of Moscow State
University four months ago. Scientists found a new material which can absorb polar
substances, for example, water, alcohol, phenol, glucose, acid, glycerin and others. The
non-polar substances absorbent consisting of iron, silicon and hafnium successfully
absorbing benzyl, ether, alkenes tremendously fast, was synthesized earlier. Having
combined the two materials researchers obtained a very interesting surface. Thereupon
white-collar planners constructed a fascinating help for kitchen chores, a floor and wall
covering, which can seriously compete with the cleaning industry. All sorts of dirt and
liquids are absorbed during 5–7 minutes, leaving your kitchen spick and span.
A MAGNIFICENT MAGNET
Todays scientific industry is thought to be well-developed. And Russian
state universities confirm this by creating magnificent gadgets.
In the inorganic chemistry laboratory of the Chemistry Faculty of
Moscow State University a magnet on the base of hexaferrit of strontium has been invented.
The magnet turned out to possess extraordinary magnetic properties. Several areas of this
revolutionary magnetic material’s possible application have already been suggested.
In the first place, researchers proposed to implant the magnetic plate
into a human foot or hand. In the case of “a magnetic hand” anything will be attracted
to it (provided it is light enough to fly). “A magnetic foot” will allow its owner to
move along the walls and even the ceiling (provided the walker is not overweight).
Moreover, in case the magnet implantation is in the heart area, it is theoretically
expected to allow the attraction of any object desirable. At the moment the hypothesis is
waiting for volunteers to be experimentally tested.
Magnetic chips can also be implanted into the human brain, helping to
improve one’s memory and thinking ability. In addition, these fascinating chips are
practically harmless, this being one more real advantage. Maybe in the nearest future they
will help us, in turn, to invent more useful and interesting things.
ON UNIDEAL GAS
The ideal model of real gases is unideal gas, considered in the
Molecular-Kinetic Theory. Unideal gas is a gas lacking the power of mutual attraction. The
chaotic state of the thermal movement of molecules means that there is primary motion.
That’s why all the directions are not equivalent. Molecular collisions don’t bring
change to the rates of movement.
The motion of one gas molecule is beyond description, according to
Newton’s laws. These laws are known to describe a great number of molecules, but the
motion of a single molecule is portrayed by the Theory of Probability. So gases existing
in the present-day reality are similar to unideal gas.
PEOPLE LIVING IN SPACE
For thousands of years people have dreamed of travelling in space. But
it was not until 1957 that it became a reality.
On October 4, 1957 Russia launched the first man-made satellite into
space. It was called Sputnik 1. On April 12, 1961 the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
became the first man to orbit the Earth. On July 20, 1969 the American astronaut Neil
Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon. In 1986 the Russian space station Mir
was launched. Further progress is inevitable and soon we will be able to visit and even
live on other planets.
The next step was the building of the first moon base. About 30
scientists are now living inside a dome with an artificial atmosphere in it. This makes it
possible for them to live and work without spacesuits. It also means that they are able to
grow food.
The first lunar city is in the first stage of development. Schools and
universities, cinemas and discos, research labs and hospitals, even maternity homes for
first moon babies are being designed. The next great step is landing on Mars. The planet
is claimed to have once had water on its surface. It means that water is frozen
underground; humans will be able to extract and use it someday. By the end of the 21st
century, scientists hope, it will be possible to “terraform” Mars – transforming the
planet into an earthlike place with air and water.
Space awaits the 21st Century pioneers…
ZIMBABWE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
 Last
month the researchers of the Scientific Association of Zimbabwe made a fascinating
discovery. They found the region in the giraffe DNA-molecule which codes the form of the
giraffe’s neck. They also found the structure and composition of special nanoparticles
modifying the nucleonic sequence of this particular DNA-section. So now the length of the
neck, its form and other parameters are expected to be changed for all practical purposes.
For example, the neck can now take the form of question mark (Fig. 1); it also will
knot  itself
(Fig. 2) in different periods of giraffe’s development.
All the experiments are being carried out in the National Zoo of
Zimbabwe. Injections of a colloid solution containing special nanoparticles are made on
the early steps of the embryogenesis. The particles get to special germ cells which
influences the work of the enzymes, so that the nucleonic sequence changes during the
replication process.
This perspective invention seems to have wide future applications, many
scientists all over the world having been intrigued by it. So we’ll tell you about every
new discovery of the Zimbabwe Scientific Society.
MICROBIOCOMPOSITE TO FIGHT HIV
A new type of magnetic composites which combine magnetic and biological
properties has been created at MSU. Such combination of the properties is supposed to be
used as the basis of creating the drug against HIV.
The object of the scientific research was microporous aluminosilicates
with microorganisms in cages. These were fed by cobalt-containing mixture. That composite
is reported to have good magnetic and chemical characteristics. Furthermore, these
microbiocomposites exhibit enormous value of coercitive force, saturation magnetization,
high magnetic moment, high sorption volume and fast reaction to any biogenic influence.
Scientists discovered that these composites have a strong inhibitive
influence on the human immunodeficiency virus. The mechanism is considered to be the
following: microbiocomposite adsorbs HIV in alpha cages, then a further high magnetic
field springs up in composite to narrow down the virus activity. The first experiments
were performed on mice. From the results of the magnetic measurements, RFA, and multiple
biotests it can be concluded that the properties of this microbiocomposite are unusual and
can be used in medicine.
SMART IMPLANT
Dr. Ou Yang Zhu from Japan State University discovered a new
biomaterial consisting of phosphate, sulphate, calcium and silicate.
This material can be implanted, for example, into a kid’s ear. After
few weeks this implantation successfully adopted by the organism by building ties with the
patient’s brain. After a couple of months the brain is expected to start working twice
as hard.
First, Dr. Ou Yang Zhu made an experiment on mice. He took 10 mice and
implanted this material nameless into them. Then he put mice in a small world with its own
trees, rivers, mountains and climate, being in fact a copy of our planet. A few months
after the operation he noticed that the mice had formed a sort of an organization. In
another month, they had built a house in a cave. After few instances of lightning they
learned how to take fire and started to protect it. With the fire they learned how to make
food tastier. Maybe the next step will be building a town, Dr. Ou Yang Zhu doesn’t know,
he is going to carry on his observations.
But he decided that it has great promise, so he patented it and sent
his results of experiment to other leading universities of the Earth and one copy he sent
to MGU (Marsian Global University).
LASER BEAM, LASER DREAM
An interesting fact in the field of physical chemistry is reported to
have been discovered recently in a New York laboratory. Scientists noticed that some
substances can expand the frequency range of a common laser beam. The origin of these
processes is the response of a crystal structure to an oscillating electric field. An
electromagnetic wave polarizes the crystal and the material radiates excess energy in the
form of new frequencies of light.
The scientists claim that these substances, after they let laser beams
through them, can in turn emit a high-frequency beam. This can be applied in laser
medicine, optical technology and, possibly, in astronomy. With the newly-obtained
invention it will be feasible to explore the exact composition of all heavenly bodies,
making it a working part of a super-powerful laser.
INVENTION STILL UNTITLED
The laboratory where I work is called the Laboratory of Inorganic
Materials. My functions there are rather interesting but difficult at the same time. I was
surprised to learn that my lab is much more “physical” than “chemical”. But after
long hard work, we have some results, which I’d like to present today.
The object of my observation was a nanocrystal of CdTe. And my main
problem is in the raising luminescence of nanoparticles. And… Two months ago I did one
more experiment on nanocrystals luminescence so successfully that all of us were
surprised. My “big boss” (as he calls himself) phoned another big boss and offered to
create a device which will help to detect cancer in the first stages. So we have solved a
pressing problem of humanity.
But we haven’t finished our work and soon another student who also
works in our laboratory obtained one more sample. We were happy, because since that time
we have had a super-strong laser. It was a great achievement!
I’d like to express my gratitude to all the members of my laboratory.
But the only problem we have is that we don’t know what to call our
invention. That’s why I ask you to help us. The author of the most interesting version
will be rewarded!
BIOMATERIALS FOR YOUR HEALTH
The greatest discovery has been made recently in California, USA.
American researchers (Smeeth and Walltrow) seem to have solved one of the major problems
of biomaterials in the field of materials science.
Biomaterials are needed for making bone-implants. Nowadays surgeons are
interested in bone-implants, the structure of which is similar to the natural bone
biomineral – Hap (hydroxyapatite). These are materials based on calcium phosphates –
Hap, DCPD (dycalcium phosphate), TCP (tricalcium phosphate), CPP (calcium pyrophosphate)
and so on. Different complex methods of making such implantat existing so far are both
time-consuming and quite expensive.
The American researches just simply took sheep’s bone, loaded it in a
special solution and then replaced the patient’s broken limb with it.
That implant is identical to natural bone and the number of stages in
the synthesis is less than it was before.
“So you’ll soon meet people with animal bone in an arm or a leg…
The thing is you won’t find differences between a healthy man and my patient,” –
says Dr. Smeeth. “What else can we take from nature? Who knows?” – he added.
CHEMIST’S MISTAKE
One day I stayed in the lab too long while making a synthesis of a
substance. I had to wait till evening as it didn’t dissolve in an alcoholic solution of
ammonia. Eventually I understood that my substance had been made wrongly; I struck my hand
on the table in anger. The test-tube was overthrown, a few drops fell on my hand and I
noticed that my hand became invisible. And then I was in the laboratory the whole night
through. =)
I called my scientific adviser (using my invisible hand) and reported
to him this unusual circumstance. He wasn’t surprised at all. He said he had been
waiting this result for so long! I thought I had discovered a new substance: it wasn’t
what I’d expected but it WAS what my adviser had expected. All my coy vanished at
once… Though he told me that nobody knew about it and this novel project would modify
our life greatly.
We published the report in a scientific journal; the editor-in-chief
wouldn’t agree to issue it because of the obvious incredibility of this discovery until
he was shown the effect. Lots of people came to us to talk about my unexpected substance
and everybody was given an answer that I had knocked over a part of laboratory glassware
and thus discovered it. They didn’t believe me, though! I was scared of being blamed for
the lie but my scientific adviser protected our project (and me) from destructive
criticism.
We’re going to create our own manufacture of that substance and sell
it to an organizations needing it.
ALIEN TRACES ON EARTH!
Once upon a time, in a very distant Galaxy… Star Wars
There are many tales and legends about extraterrestrial civilizations.
Part of them seem to be true, some are blatant invention, but they still don’t give the
answer to the main question…
What if alien civilizations really exist and have visited our planet?
The question is thrilling and teasing, with no convincing answer so far. To clear up the
situation, we pursued independent research and obtained astonishing results.
Theoretically, if aliens have visited the earth, they must have left
traces, such as camping sites, lost gadgets or other artifacts. Although heaps of
different traces are claimed to have been found elsewhere, something is inevitably wrong
with almost all of them. Movies, photos and especially material evidence either
mysteriously disappear, or are faked, and those not numerable that remain are not
very convincing. The other “evidence” are stories about ‘little green men’ from
UFO’s regularly failing to kidnap the American President and replace him with a clone,
or even less plausible genetic experiments resulting in transmuted monkeys, i.e. humans,
appearance. Obviously, all of these are hard to believe.
This despondent picture changed when a startling discovery, definitely
proving the aliens’ arrival on Earth, was made: it was their spacecraft that we have
found! The idea emerged while watching the famous film “Star Wars”. Suddenly we have
noticed that the so-called “Main Building” of Moscow University, being reduced twenty
times in every dimension, is quite alike the Star Wars fighter “X-wing”.
We consider the suggestion quite plausible, especially because there
has been, so far, very little known about “MB” lower underground and highest floors. A
scientific expedition was launched and brought revolutionary results! Deep under ground,
in the lowest levels, a strangely-looking construction was found; the latter turned out to
be huge propulsion engines. As for the secret 34th floor there appeared to be a chamber
clearly reminding one of a pilot’s cabin!
Although all these constructions seem to be fairly old, they are
satisfactorily preserved. The following study revealed the electronics and optical schemes
in the pilot’s cabin that were thoroughly scanned; among the most significant findings
is a navigating device tuned to the alien home system in the M87 galaxy. The examination
of the engines on the 7th floor showed that both thermometer acceleration and magnetic
complex hyper drive are ready to restart working.
The nearest future expedition will be aimed at the refueling the
engines with hydrogen-based fuel and reactivating the flight systems. We hope our dear
university will not mind too much about its little loss…
BE HAPPY, GET UP EARLY
All aspects of modern life depend on today’s high technology
achievements. An important and fairly necessary novelty was devised two weeks ago. It is a
unique alarm-clock that looks after your organism while you sleep and wakes you up at the
most reasonable moment. It’s true that we have four stages of sleep: from sensitive
stage to the one that is often called “rapid eye movement” or REM. The latter
generally comes later in the night, after periods of intense slow-wave sleep. It is in
this phase that scientists believe we watch our brightest dreams. REM is also believed to
be the worst moment to be woken up: one feels tired and even depressed. So, a unique
morning guard will look after you while you sleep and begin working only after you have
gone through your most vulnerable sleep phase.
Before going to bed you put on a special soft bracelet. It consists of
materials and sensors that define what sleep stage you are in. The information is
constantly processed and transferred from the bracelet to the alarm-clock tableaux.
The role of your night guard plays SnO2 nanotubes. Sleeping people emit
pulses which pierce SnO2; as a result electric current occurs. The signal is caught with a
special an arrangement which tunes the particular frequency featuring the sleep stage you
are in. SnO2 sensor properties depend on shallow effects so raising the correlation of the
shallow square to the capacity one can enhance them. The unique and cost-effective way to
obtain SnO2 nanotubes was suggested half a year ago.
So in the short run we won’t have unpleasant morning impressions. We
will wake up full of energy to start a new busy day instead.
DIAMONDS FROM FULLERENE C60 MOLECULES
The diamond is absolutely irreplaceable in many areas of human life –
from jewellery and manufacturing to electronic and cosmic industries. These are right
because diamonds have many interesting properties: exceptional hardness, thermal
conductivity, optical transparency, index of refraction and chemical and radiation
resistance. We also can try adding some admixtures to study their influence.
In 1939 a young member of the University of Chemical Physics, Ovsej
Leipunskij, made calculations on equilibrium’s line for the “graphite-diamond”
system. This work allowed greater understanding of the conditions needed to synthesize
diamonds from graphite, pressure and temperature assessed value being already calculated
by Leipunskij.
In recent decades scientists have discussed the possibility of
obtaining diamond from fullerene C60 molecules using high pressure and temperature.
Resulting from a recent experiment in one of the laboratories of the
Chemical Faculty of Moscow State University, the raising rate of diamond growth from
fullerene C60 molecules up to 1g per night was discovered. This technological revolution
in diamond production will allow lowering the temperature and pressuring to 100єC and 1
mega bar respectively (the existing parameters are 1000C and 2.5 mega bars). The novel
technology is hoped to be cost-effective and will also increase the diamond’s purity.
SOUTH POLE IS NOT NECESSARY!
Humankind has known about magnetism since very ancient times. Compasses
use the magnetic field of the Earth to guide travelers; magnets were used to find small
iron items. Now they help us concentrate ores and transport items (like trains). Even
more, electromagnets are used to accelerate particles of matter in TVs and in scientific
equipment.
Every magnet had one peculiarity, though: the two poles. Had until now,
when, after many years of hard work in laboratories of quantum physics of PEI, we
eventually have magnets with only one pole! The basis of this invention is a small
particle called “magnetic monopole”, that has been theoretically predicted in the mid
20th century. And now we can create this particle from neutrons: one neutron can be
splinted into two monopoles with different poles and many other particles and
anti-particles. All this can be splinted with magnetic field to isolate monopoles in
special containers. There they can be contained for further use or exploration.
The perspectives of monopole magnets technology are fairly wide.
Monopoles may be used as the basis of a new means of transport, like hover-trains or
vacuum tubes where things may move extremely fast without energy loss. They can also be
used as petrol for starships or as terrible weapon, because...
Monopoles are not stable enough. If a monopole crashes into a proton
(and they would very often if they could fly out of the magnetic field, where they are now
contained), they unite in a monstrous particle that soon (after few moments) splits into
photons, electrons, positrons and...one magnetic monopole. During this process great
amounts of energy exude and explosion occurs. So, there is the only way found out to
stabilize monopoles: they become more stable when they are near other monopoles with
another sign of the magnetic field. And that is why monopole magnets are now contained
together and act on the environment as regular magnets.
The step that was made is extremely wide, but we did not get closer to
the solution.
Submitted by Tatyana Surganova
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