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Microscope can scan chemical processes in real-time
Atomic force microscopes are the tool of choice to see the tiniest atomic structures, right down to hydrogen bonds. The drawback with current models is that they're too slow to create anything but static images, making them useless for processes like chemical reactions. However, MIT researchers have created a prototype model that's 2,000 times faster than any commercial product, making it feasible for video (below). "People can see, for example, condensation, nucleation, dissolution or deposition of material in real-time -- things [they've] never seen before," says MIT professor Kamal Youcef-Toumi.
Music union threatens Journey composer with $50K fine
The American Federation of Musicians has threatened Journey composer Austin Wintory with a $50,000 fine for working on video games, Wintory explains in a video. AFM President Ray Hair and a committee enacted a video game recording contract in 2012 that bars union members from working on new projects in the games industry. The contract was passed without a vote from union members, Wintory says. Wintory composed the score for The Banner Saga, and days before the game launched, he received a letter charging he worked against union regulations and threatening a $50,000 fine. Wintory has been vocal online about his stance on AFM's anti-gaming contract.
Visualized: a hydrogen bond seen for the first time
Chalk one up for atomic force microscopy. As detailed in a paper published recently in the journal Science, researchers in China have used the imaging technique (as opposed to scanning tunnelling microscopy) to capture an image of a hydrogen bond for the very first time. As io9 explains, hydrogen bonding is common in nature -- responsible for the properties of water and the link between the two strands of DNA's double helix -- and it's something that chemists have long been able to visualize, albeit only on a theoretical level. According to Chemistry World, while there remains much to learn about the nature of hydrogen bonds, the researchers hope that this latest development will help lead to atomic force microscopy (or AFM) being used as a routine tool to examine molecules and offer a clearer picture of them.
