image credit: Cesar Hidalgo; image source; larger image

Network Theory: A Key to Unraveling How Nature Works - Sep 1, 2010

You are looking at a network diagram that shows the interconnectedness of the world economy. To learn more about this network, visit Mapping the World Economy.

- To find out how networks are related to "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," visit Network Theory: A Key to Unraveling How Nature Works.
- To learn about a physicist who studies networks, see Physics Rules Network Dynamics.

Image credit: American Physical Society; Image source; Larger Image

Making a supersonic jet in your kitchen - Aug 16, 2010

What exactly happens when an object makes a splash in water? The disk shown above was pulled into water in a reproducible way to investigate the splash.

- The results were surprising... including a supersonic jet of air!
- To learn more, see Making a supersonic jet in your kitchen, and don't miss the video of the splash.

Image credit: Philippe Lijour; Image source; larger image

The Real Sea Monsters: On the Hunt for Rogue Waves - Aug 1, 2010

This "rogue wave" broke over the deck of an oil tanker, and was much taller than the other waves on the ocean at the time. See Freak Waves, Rogue Waves for graphs of rogue waves building up in the ocean, and for the measurement of one that struck an oil platform in the North Sea.

- To learn more about these waves, see The Real Sea Monsters: On the Hunt for Rogue Waves
- Also, check out this Discovery News article to find out about a cruise ship that was recently damaged by a huge wave.

Image credit: soapbubble.DK; image source; additional image

From Soap Bubbles to Technology - Jul 16, 2010

The soap film you see here, made in between two metal rings, is called a catenoid, and it uses the minimum area to enclose a given volume. Click on the image to see another example of a "minimal surface" soap film.

- Minimizing area can reduce construction costs--see this catenoid-shaped cooling tower, from this Wikipedia page.
- To learn more, visit From Soap Bubbles to Technology.

image credit: MODIS Rapid Response Team; Image source ; Larger image

About Dust - Jul 1, 2010

This satellite image shows a recent dust storm in China that was so large it spread out to neighboring countries. For more on this storm, see this Time magazine article and also About Dust.

- Find out how dust storms might be good for Beijing.
- Also, see this photo essay on a dust storm in Sydney, Australia
- And for dust storms around the world, visit Earth Snapshot.