[Science] Antimatter! Hurray!

A closeup of the Magnetic Jar used in the CERN experiment
N. MADSEN, ALPHA/SWANSEA via Nature

In the top story for today from Popular Science Magazine, CERN physicists have announced that they've trapped antimatter, specifically anti-hydrogen, for a whopping 17 minutes; a feat that they previously were only able to accomplish for a few hundred milliseconds.

This is a great leap forward for the study of antimatter, which could potentially be the greatest producer of energy in the universe due to its ability to create energy from matter at a 100% conversion rate, a rate about 100 times stronger than a normal hydrogen bomb.

Anti-hydrogen, when coming into contact with hydrogen, completely annihilates the former, producing a huge amount of energy in the process. This exact interaction is what makes antimatter so difficult to store or produce, as any contact with the gases naturally present in the air would cause the antimatter to destroy both itself and the gases it came into contact with. Scientists got around this problem by, obviously, trapping the antimatter in a vacuum, as well as a magnetic field.

Scientists still don't know much about antimatter, they don't even know how gravity affects it. Which makes the success of this experiment all the more valuable and exciting. We're still lightyears away from producing large quantities of antimatter to power engines or the like, but this is a giant step in the right direction! BE EXCITED. I AM.

"This is Where Geeks Turn Into Rockstars..."

"...and that's the game changer." 

Is being a nerd cool now? Well this is news to me but Nancy Conrad, wife of late astronaut Peter Conrad, and founder of the Conrad Foundation which (go figure) hosts the Conrad Awards, seems to think that it's becoming this way.

The Conrad Awards, awards given to those students who complete the program, are a way for educators and students to get involved in solving tangible and real problems in today's society. Combining competition, fun, and good old fashioned nerdyness, this 3 year old program has quickly become an unintentional international project.

Founded on the ideals of Education, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, the program that Conrad and her team has come up with is based on the touching tale of her husband's rise from troubled child to Astronaut extraordinaire. 

Watch the video to found out more, and visit the Conrad Foundation's website for more information on how to get involved. I wish I was this enthusiastic about science when I was younger, or at least more involved.

[Science] Genetic Warfare - Sayonara Malaria

This is awesome and definitely for a good cause.

Scientists at University of Washington and the Imperial College in London (Via PopSci) have developed a gene sequence that when inserted into a population of mosquitoes suppresses the malaria virus and could be an effective form of mass prevention for malaria.

During testing it was revealed that the malaria suppressing gene spreads very quickly and very effectively though populations of mosquitoes, obviously this is the point. The only problem with this is that pesky law of unintended consequences that always seems to get in the way when man tries to manipulate his environment.

Annually 881,000 people die from malaria related illness, 85% of whom where children under the age of 5 years old. In addition $12 Billion are lost every year directly from malaria deaths. (More Malaria Facts)

There are dozens of ways to combat malaria and mosquito population, and that's one of the reasons you don't see malaria in much of the developed world, however poorer countries generally located on the equator don't have the money to invest in malaria treatments and preventions. What's more the complete eradication of malaria is likely impossible, considering that the only way to do that would be to decimate the entire mosquito population which in turn would severely harm ecosystems. (there's that law of unintended consequences again).

Obviously we don't want that, so the only way to make sure that those 748,850 children survive is to provide them with the preventative measures they need to combat malaria.