Physics in the News

In a matter of science imitating life, a topic Mrs. Cureton's classes read about in Science World Magazine on Tuesday was featured prominently in the news the same day.

Peter Higgs, a physicist from the United Kingdom, was awarded the Nobel Prize on October 8, 2013, for his discovery of the Higgs bosun particle. This particle helps physicists understand the nature of all matter. Mr. Higgs was 83 years old at the time of this award. He had been working on this project for many years, and achieved his goal in 2012.

Our magazine used the analogy of a field of snow to explain the significance of the Higgs bosun particle. On a farmer's field covered with snow, photons, (elementary atomic particles which have no mass) could be compared to skiers, who glide across with little effort. Snow-shoers could tramp across the surface with some effort, comparable to electrons, which do have mass. The Higgs bosun would behave like people trying to walk through deep snow in sneakers. It is a massive elementary particle.

The Higgs bosun was discovered by shooting elementary particles at high speed through an underground reactor with a 17-mile circumference.

Blue Bloods Keep Us Healthy

Did you know that horseshoe crabs have blue blood? Mrs. Cureton's biology classes know. That's because a feature article in Science World Magazine detailed how humans use the blood of horseshoe crabs to test medicines and medical equipment for bacteria.

Horseshoe crabs are trapped and drained of almost two-thirds of their blood. They are tagged so they are not used again too soon. A chemical in their blood causes it to form a clot when exposed to gram-negative bacteria. This bacteria can cause death in humans if it reaches the bloodstream.

Scientists use horseshoe crab blood to test syringes and artificial joints and any equipment that comes in contact with the human bloodstream, to make sure the gram-negative bacteria is not present. Before this discovery of the properties of horseshoe crab blood in the 1970s, scientists used live rabbits to test for the bacteria. The rabbits got a fever if the bacteria was present.

If you recently got a flu shot or any other vaccine, thank a horseshoe crab that the needle and medicine were safe.

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