The Daily Populous

Wednesday April 4th, 2018 day edition

image for Carl Bosch Is Why You Are Alive and the Gulf of Mexico Isn’t

Ammonia is transformed by these symbiotic bacteria into nitrates, which are then taken up by plants.

The resulting ammonia gas could be easily transformed into ammonium nitrate or urea for use in fertilizers.

Well, for starters, many of us wouldn’t be without it: Half of us wouldn’t be alive today if not for synthetic nitrogen.

While Oppau’s legacy today reaches into every corner of the globe—and our bodies—the facility itself didn’t last that long.

In 1921, workers discovered that 4,500 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse had hardened during a period of wet weather into an unusable mass.

So, to loosen it up, they drilled holes in it, stuck some dynamite in, and lit the fuse.

The resulting blast killed more than 500 people (including those workers), destroyed 80 percent of the homes in the town, and ripped the roofs off of homes 15 miles away. »

Finding order in disorder demonstrates a new state of matter

Authored by lanl.gov
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‘Spin doctors’ note that topological order, associated with quantum mechanics, also applies to classical material called artificial spin ice.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., April 2, 2018—Physicists have identified a new state of matter whose structural order operates by rules more aligned with quantum mechanics than standard thermodynamic theory.

In a classical material called artificial spin ice, which in certain phases appears disordered, the material is actually ordered, but in a “topological” form. »

Adult recipient of stem cell transplant in Calgary cured of sickle-cell disease

Authored by calgary.ctvnews.ca
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Stem cell transplant procedures had been used to treat children with the disease but doctors feared the complications could do more harm than good on adult patients.

In November of 2017, Agyepong underwent a complicated and risky stem cell transplant at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre under the direction of Dr. Andrew Daly, who leads Alberta’s bone marrow transplant program.

Agyepong is optimistic and excited by the idea that the success of her stem cell transplant could result in additional sickle-cell disease patients being offered the treatment. »

Mexico formally asks US to clarify Trump's border remarks

Authored by thehill.com
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Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. said Tuesday that his country has formally asked the Trump administration to clarify the president's announcement that he is planning to deploy troops along the U.S. southern border.

"The important thing is that both countries share the idea of having a secure border," he added.

Such a move would dramatically escalate the U.S. presence along the border, which is currently protected by the U.S. Border Patrol. »

How the Christian movie series God’s Not Dead fails to be Christian

Authored by vox.com
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Most people outside the series’ target bubble notice its outsize, navel-gazing persecution complex right off the bat.

The professor gets hit by a car at the end and dies, but not before he becomes a Christian.

She wins the case, defeating the ACLU lawyer (Ray Wise) who vows to prove that God really is dead. »