Picture of the Week: "Magic" Balancing Broomsticks

When I woke up this morning, three of my Facebook friends had pictures of broomsticks mysteriously standing without help. By this afternoon, several more. At first I thought it was a prank, but I'm curious by nature, and well, the broom was right there. My household assumed I was crazy-nuts, awaking to find me taking pictures of a floating broom, but it totally worked! And it was really easy...so easy that I did it multiple times. Rumors say that it's the Equinox approaching or perhaps the full moon, but I would surmise that it's none of these.

As a snarky and sometimes obnoxiously precocious kid, it was my favorite game to debunk Old Wives' Tales. I think I got this from my mother, who once sat for an hour watching ice in a full cup melt, just to prove to her own mother that it indeed would not overflow, no matter how much ice she added. My family still fills coffee pots with cold water and ice trays with hot water, despite my insistence that this does nothing more than waste your time and perhaps melt your frozen veggies. (However I've heard some tricky physics about the hot water to ice thing) Once, my dad insisted that on equinoxes you could balance an egg; a special day. That was my cue to run to the refrigerator to balance an egg on a random day. Equinox-schmequinox.

It really is a cool and fun experiment to do in a classroom. Give each kid an egg on the Equinox and challenge them to stand it up. It always works out and it's always neat. But there's just one thing...few people do the counter experiment to prove that it doesn't work on other days. Besides, who just keeps eggs laying around a classroom? So you go around thinking that the Equinox is special, but try it any other day and you will find that it still works. Go...go right now and balance an egg. It will work. And it might make you smile.

A broom however would be a great tool in a classroom. And maybe after giving it the daily balance test, your students might sweep up a little. I'm not sure that I understand why it works. This article on Wired.com gives some explanation. I also can't say if it's easier or harder on one day or another, but it would be a fun concept as a teacher or parent to test with kids. If you do know how it all works, feel free to educate me in the comments. I would love to learn more.

Despite that right now it appears that my Facebook is turning into this:

I believe there is a scientific, rather than magical (or seasonal) explanation to the surreal floating broomsticks. We, in my house however, have our calendars marked for the Summer Solstice, just to see for ourselves.

Science Book Review: The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

Whether you seek murder mysteries, failed romances, meticulous histories, or elaborate chemistry, Deborah Blum's The Poisoner's Handbook has something for you. Loosely following the works of medical examiner Charles Norris and chemist Alexander Gettler as they raced to stay ahead of poisoner's and poisons used in the early 1900's, this book jumps from one dangerous compound to another,fluidly weaving the stories of those involved.

At a time when alcohol was not only king but criminal as well, mercury, methanol, radium and even the drink (ethanol) itself killed thousands in New York City. Poisons were easy to come by but hard to prove in a court of law. Forensic medicine was new and difficult to explain to a jury. Why was this proof any more true than what the defense was saying against scientific evidence?  As chemists became ever more driven to stop chemical criminals, prohibition itself seemed criminal enough for all the lives it took.

My favorite section was Radium. Marie Curie, one of the most respected woman scientists in history couldn't have known the harm her discoveries would bring. She was never without a sample in her pocket to show off to fellow scientists, a lovely, fascinating compound. So useful it was turned into "self-luminous" paint for the dials on watches. Women who painted the dials were equally fascinated and unafraid of radium. Not only did the women sharpen the paintbrushes with their mouths, Blum explains, "They sprinkled the luminous liquid in their hair to make their curls twinkle in the dark. They brightened their fingernails with it. One girl covered her teeth to give herself a Cheshire cat smile when she went home at night." Little did they know the substance would crumble their bones and cause leukemia.

I loved every moment of reading this book. Although it isn't a complete history of Prohibition, forensics, or any one character, it gives enough to get the reader involved in the story and excited about the science. My one wish for this book would be a set of full color images in the middle to go along with some of the tales. In fact, I was intrigued enough to look up one gruesome image described in the book taken by a sneaky photographer in an execution room. Those snapshots would have been a wonderful addition to the stories.

This book speaks to many audiences and is open enough for even the most novice science readers. Think of this book as a literary episode of 1920's CSI.  The Poisoner's Handbook reads like fiction and is even greater because of its truth. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking a well spun tale.

Picture of the Week: A Look Inside a Rocket Military Factory

Photo Credit Lana Sator

Although I have no idea how this shot was achieved, self proclaimed adventurer, Lana Sator of Russia, sneaked into a rocket factory a little more than a month ago and took some absolutely fascinating photos.  This is just one of many images she acquired by snooping around the grounds. On her live journal, she claims that it was as simple as basically hopping a fence.  Legal or not, these images are a stunning look into military manufacturing and the amount of science and engineering required. Some have likened the images to something from the Death Star, but science fiction may be more real than we think.