Physics Buzz

Laboratories across the country stand at the forefront of scientific research in fields that include nuclear fusion, neutrino oscillation and the search for traces of dark energy as well as advances in biology, chemistry, medicine, geophysics, material science and more. The year 2014 will bring some of these laboratories’ projects to a close, see the completion of other projects-in-progress and witness the first runs of long-awaited experiments like Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory’s NOvA experiment and Brookhaven National Laboratory’s National Synchrotron Light Source II. In 1931, Earnest Orlando Lawrence founded Lawrence Berkeley National Lab . The lab initially served as a site for research using his new instrument, the cyclotron, which won him the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics. Since then, the lab has led many scientific research experiments including the recent Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey ( BOSS ), which will conduct its last sweep of sky in June. BOSS is an i

On today's podcast I talk with Francesca Casadio, a scientist at the Art Institute of Chiago , and Volker Rose, a physicist at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Together, this duo just answered a long-standing question about the type of paint Picasso used in some of his pieces (including The Red Armchair , seen here). The paint in question was the first commercial house paint, and a symbol of Picasso's rebellion against the old world art establishment. It's a story of mystery and passion, like a Nancy Drew book, but with science! (And no murders or trap doors.) While art historians obviously benefitted from this research, Rose says the study provided valuable information for him as well. The key ingredient in both house paint and artists paint at that time, was zinc oxide: a material that has properties similar to silicon, making it a candidate for use in various electronic devices .  To hear more, check out this week's podcast .