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Ultrasound In Medicine

In medical testing, ultrasound equipment is used to produce a sonogram, or a picture of organs inside the body. Ultrasound scanners do not use X-rays. They use waves of such high frequency that they cannot be heard. (Frequency is the number of sound wave cycles per second. The highest frequency humans can hear is 20 thousand Hertz. The sound waves ...

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UltrasoundInMedicine
Medicine

Mother Nature's Own Brand of Bioterror

We've been hearing a lot about smallpox lately, as a possible bioterror attack. But Mother Nature has her own brand of bioterror. Smallpox has been with us for about ten thousand years, since the ... Continue reading

Bioterror
Engineering

Liquid Crystal Communication

The Information Age rides on beams of carefully controlled light. Because lasers form the arteries of modern communications networks, dexterous manipulation of light underpins the two definitive ... Continue reading

LiquidCrystalCommunication
Biology

Can You Drink Too Much Water?

Body fluids account for over 70% of an average adult's body. Our body fluids are composed of water and substances called electrolytes. Dissolved in water, these materials develop tiny electrical ... Continue reading

TooMuchWater
Biology

Electricity and the Brain

A child's electric train and our brains have something in common. They both require electricity for any activity to take place. But the brain uses electricity in a much different way than a toy train. ... Continue reading

BrainElectricity

The Handsome Betta Fish

BettaFishThe Betta fish is possibly the most handsome tropical fish out there. We say handsome because the male of the species is the bigger and more exotic one. Referred to as the jewel of the Orient, Betta are most abundant in the shallow rice paddies of Thailand.

Male Betta have long, velvety and colorful fins, and a biting and fighting personality. They are very territorial and two male Betta in the same small area will fight each other, sometimes to death-hence their nickname, 'Siamese fighting fish'. The Betta was first described in 1846 by Valenciennes and Cuvier. The first shipment of Betta arrived in the United States in 1909 and was called Betta splendens.

Betta is classified as a fresh water fish, however in addition to standard gills that are used to extract oxygen from the water, they have a specialized labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe atmospheric air through their mouths. Betta have quite a charming personality when interacting with humans and are one of the only fish which like to be petted!