UNION WESTER NEWS

  The tree that grew from a mysterious seed found in a desert cave may hide a treasure. The plant may be the source of tsori, a type of medicinal balm that appears in the Bible. Another name is balm of Gilead.   Carbon dating has found that the seed, found in a cave in the Judean Desert, dates back to between 993 and 1202 AD. It is therefore about 1,000 years old, but it germinated anyway.   The tree was actually planted in 2010 — but the studies only came out now. The scientists responsible spent these years developing studies to better understand which tree they were talking about. Unidentified plant   The tree is still in a pot and has been identified as belonging to the Commiphora species, the same family that gives rise to frankincense (a type of incense) and myrrh.   Although there are several studies, the plant has not been identified with certainty. More information should be discovered after the first flowering — which should only ha...

  Engineers have developed a cement-based material that is 5.6 times more resistant to damage than conventional cements. And it was inspired by human cortical bone.   Inspired by the architecture of the hard outer layer of human bone, engineers at Princeton University have developed a cement-based material that is 5.6 times more resistant to damage than traditional cements.   The bioinspired design allows the material to resist cracking and prevent sudden failure. This sets it apart from its conventional, brittle cement-based counterparts.   In a paper published in the journal Advanced Materials, the research team led by Reza Moini and Shashank Gupta demonstrates that cement paste implanted with a tube-shaped architecture can significantly increase resistance to crack propagation and improve the ability to deform without sudden failure.   Cement inspired by human cortical bone   In brittle construction materials used in buildings and c...

  Movimento sem contato O engenheiro Dan Ludois, da Universidade de Washington, nos Estados Unidos, conseguiu tornar prático um conceito de motor elétrico perseguido há séculos. Benjamin Franklin e vários outros descreveram os princípios de funcionamento e construíram protótipos de motores elétricos baseados em forças eletrostáticas nos séculos 18 e 19. Mas ninguém havia conseguido torná-los práticos. As vantagens de um motor eletrostático são várias, a principal das quais sendo a possibilidade de movimentar coisas sem contato. Mas esses motores também têm potencial para serem mais baratos, mais leves e desgastarem-se muito menos. Motor eletrostático Nos motores elétricos tradicionais, a eletricidade é convertida em movimento mecânico giratório através do magnetismo. No motor eletrostático, os campos elétricos são convertidos diretamente em movimento giratório. "Uma carga se acumula na superfície dos pratos, e se você puder manipular a carga, você pode converter ...