Think Like A Scientist

On February 19th, 2010, the 537th anniversary of Copernicus’  birth, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) gave its official seal of approval and announced that element 112 will be called Copernicium, and the  symbol will be Cn. Copernicium was first seen in 1996 by German researchers under the leadership of Physicist, Sigurd Hofman at the Center for Research in Darmstadt, Germany. Physicist, Sigurd Hofman said “his team wanted to salute an influential scientist, Copernicus who did not receive much praise for his scientific work during his lifetime, as well as make the link between astronomy and nuclear chemistry.” Copernicus (19 February 1473- 24 May 1543) was the first astronomer to formulate a heliocentric model. Copernicus’ heliocentric model placed the Sun at the center of the universe versus the Earth, which was believed to be the case at the time. Copernicus’ work stimulated further scientific investigations becoming a landmark in the history of science that is often referred to as the Copernican Revolution.

Copernicium is a synthetic radioactive element. It’s a heavier relative of zinc, cadmium and mercury. In total, about 75 atoms of Cn have been detected using nuclear reactions. Scientists suggest that Cn behaves like a typical member of group 12 demonstrating properties consistent with a volatile material. Welcome aboard Cn, and thanks to the German scientists for their persistence in proving the existence of Cn. For more detailed information about Copernicium check out the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry website.

Through the use of computer models that simulated the molecular structure of spider silk, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering research scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that spider silk could make ordinary materials stronger than steel. Spider silk is made of proteins, these proteins form into thin flat crystals called beta-sheets that are connected to each other by weak hydrogen bonds.  A key property of spider silk is its combination of strength and ductility its ability to to bend or stretch without breaking. The size of the crystals was critical in determining the strength of the silk. Additionally, the geometry of the crystals allowed the hydrogen bonds to work cooperatively, shielding each other against external forces. Professor Markus Buehler, who led the research team wrote in the journal Nature Materials “The application of our findings to the design of synthetic materials could provide us with new material concepts based on inexpensive, abundant constituents.” For further reading see the following article in Science Daily. This is another classic example of how man could imitate nature’s models, systems, and processes in the design of innovative new products. Check out the book, Biomimicry: Innovations Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus.