Data storage in DNA: We all know DNA holds all the information we need to divide cells and create the organs and tissues that make us human beings. But have you ever thought whether DNA can hold other types of information? A study published in Nature demonstrated that DNA can potentially be used as a tool to store information in the future. As the cost of storage is increasing while our budget doesn’t, DNA may become a useful and cost-effective method to store your homework and word documents!
Friendly spiders: A strange phenomenon was observed by arachnologists, who study spiders for a living. They found two closely related species of spiders forming a distinct “spider society,” in which parent spiders tend to the infant spiders of other spiders. They conducted an experiment where they introduced an “intruding” spider to a clan of others, only to be surprised by a high success of the intruder becoming a friend that was welcomed.
Is a kilogram really a kilogram?: It may surprise some of you that unlike certain units like the ampere, second, kelvin and mole, a kilogram is actually based off the weight of a lump of metal sitting in a laboratory in Paris. In fact, the absolute mass of the lump is known as “The Kilogram.” However, some scientists are now arguing to change the definition of a kilogram by using subatomic particles as references, with the help of the Planck’s constant. If this sweeping change occurs, the lump of metal that has served as a universal reference for all mass measurements made in the world will become just an old lump of metal.
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