What material actually shrinks as you heat it from -271 to 777 Celsius (-456 to 1430 F)?
This incredible shrinking material is called cubic zirconium tungstate (alpha-ZrW2O8).
Brent Mitchell
Brent's dream was to grow-up and be a scientist. While the growing up part is debatable, he was a clinical researcher for seven years. He then decided to embark on a new dream and started Balanced Interactive, a web design company. He never lost his love for science and when his daughter asked what he thought about making a science trivia web site his answer was, "Lets do it!"
Science is a great game. It is inspiring and refreshing. The playing field is the universe itself.
~ Isidor Isaac Rabi (1898-1988) U. S. physicist. Nobel prize 1944.
Q&A's by the author
Find out more
What are your chances of being hit by a meteorite, meteoroid, or a meteor?
The chance is zero to very, very small. Still, people have by been struck by meteorites and lived.
What alien grows nearly a foot (30 cm) a day, is invading the United States, and makes a nice jelly?
Kudzu. While it’s a pest in the US, it has some good qualities.
What bounces, spins and is shaped like a soccer ball (a.k.a. football), but made of just 60 carbon atoms?
They are called "buckyballs". Their real name is a bit long.
What is the chemical symbol of gold on the periodic table?
"Au" from the Latin word for gold, aurum. Gold has many names.
What would happen if all the ice in the world melted?
Sea level would rise and large parts of the world would disappear. How likely is a complete melt down?
Are Ammonoids something you eat?
No, they’d be too hard to bite. Ammonoids are one of the more commonly found fossils. Where did they come from?
Does traveling in space make you taller?
Yes. Space travelers can gain 2.5-5 cm while in space. Something like this happens to you also.
A quick weekly message with the latests science Q&A's. Fun to read and share.
