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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

THE SPECTATOR
February 22, 2008
 
 

Did You Know That?
Wacky Facts: Total Space Case

by Kate Tumarello '11

  • Scientists estimate that between three to five new stars are born every year within our own galaxy.
  • Approximately 60 percent of the light on a moonless night comes from sunlight reflecting off of the particles that make up the interplanetary dust cloud.
More. . .
 

DNA-Based Computers the New Standard for the 21st Centruy?

by Nicholas Berry '09

    The microprocessor is the heart of any computer: it performs the calculations and executes the programs that allow a computer to operate.  Conventional microprocessors consist of a small, thin piece of silicon onto which transistors have been etched.  Since their creation in the 1970s, microprocessors have been constantly improved upon in terms of their processing speed and size. More. . .
 

How to Shoot Down A Satellite: Sci-Fi Becomes Real

by Elijah LaChance '10

    Just hours after a Navy missile interceptor struck a dying spy satellite orbiting 130 miles over the Pacific Ocean, a senior military officer expressed high confidence early Thursday that a tank filled with toxic rocket fuel had been breached. In other words, the U.S. Navy had successfully shot a dying satellite out of the sky, a feat that was once deemed possible only in science fiction, but which the military has been working on since the time of the space race. More. . .
 

PROFESSOR PROFILE
David Gapp, Biology



THE FACTS:


Name: David Gapp
Department: Biology
Graduate School: William and Mary
Experience: Postdoctoral work at the Jackson Laboratory
Research: Reptile and amphibian gastrointestinal tracts and hormones; environmental contamination loads
More. . .
 

The Science Behind Multi-Player Gaming

by Alex Hinton '10

    Just about everyone on campus knows, or is friends with someone who plays, or has played a massive multiplayer online game. WoW (World of Warcraft), CS (Counterstrike), and GW (Guild Wars) among others have become popular abbreviations among massive multiplayer online gamers (MMOG) who are increasingly involved in the online gaming scene. Ever since becoming popularized by the first generation MMORPG, Ultima Online, the online gaming industry has received a massive boon in development, but also in expanding player base. By 2006, MMORPGs had reached a collective global membership somewhere in the field of 15 million players. More. . .
 

What's on the Web? DailyGalaxy.com

by Kate Tumarello '11

    Any website that guarantees "News from planet earth and beyond" is bound to be geeky, somewhat interesting, possibly confusing, or some combination of the three.  DailyGalaxy.com is definitely some combination of the three. More. . .