How would you be feeling, if you had parked your boat in the marina at Caergybi (
Holyhead) just off Ynys Môn (
Anglesey, see map below)
and found its anchor chains covered with this?
Does Spiderman get wet?
The hunt has been on for some time now for what are called superhydrophobic surfaces. These would be ideal for see-though surfaces such as windscreens and coating for solar cells, where any dirty water that splashes on will simply roll off it like the proverbial duck’s back.
Can one make plastic from glucose?
There has been much discussion lately about the ignorance of matters scientific among the public. With this is mind, here are some thoughts from Blighty.
I have just been speaking to my friend O, who is quite a senior figure in science education. He has been fighting a battle for years against the prevailing mindset. I will put forth a few of his complayntes:
The exam boards see it as their job, rather than the teachers’, to stretch children’s knowledge.
Science teaching is becoming increasingly mathematized.
It is aimed at producing academic scientists, rather than teaching folk at large who want to use their science in their jobs, e.g. plumbers and beauticians.