Article archives

The sky is blue, clouds are white, and the transmission of light through dense media

The sky is blue, clouds are white, and the transmission of light through dense media

Condensed matterPhysics

By DIPC

Newton suggested that the apparent colours of natural objects depend on which colour is most strongly reflected or scattered to the viewer by the object. In general, there is no simple way of predicting from the surface structure, chemical composition, etc., what colours a substance will reflect or scatter. However, the blue colour of the […]

Little waste collectors

Little waste collectors

Biology

By José Ramón Alonso

Ants are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically significant organisms on earth. They have colonized almost every landmass on Earth and the only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass. Although their species richness […]

Free water policy in South Africa

Free water policy in South Africa

Economics

By José Luis Ferreira

Standard supply and demand analysis shows that competitive markets will deliver a given commodity up to the point where costs (as perceived by producers) equal benefits (as perceiver by consumers). When both producers and consumers internalize all costs and benefits, the result is efficient in the sense that the market does not dilapidate resources. An […]

MI weekly selection #155

MI weekly selection #155

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Stability improved by allowing plasma closer to fusion reactor walls Researchers studying magnetic confinement fusion have found that allowing plasma to get closer to reactor walls may make the system more stable. It was a scary proposition because if their experiment didn’t work, it would have melted the reactor. Teams from China and the US […]