Master of the Mint

I read today that Sir Isaac Newton was a "Master of the Mint." It is quite interesting this activity of the great scientist. But, what is the Mint? It is the "place where money is coined." The term derived from a Latin moneta, that we have, as it is, in Italian.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mint
The online etymology dictionary tells that the adjective meaning "perfect" (like a freshly minted coin) is from 1902; hence "mint condition". I like this coin as a fresh mint candy.

Graphyne

"Super-strong, highly conducting graphene is the hottest ticket in physics, but new computer simulations suggest that materials called graphynes could be just as impressive."

Physics - Graphyne May Be Better than Graphene

Uturuncu

"Uturuncu, or Uturunku, the highest summit in southwestern Bolivia, is a stratovolcano. ...Researchers have determined that a large, roughly circular "disc" of land surrounding the volcano, approximately 70 km across, has been rising at a rate of 1 to 2 cm per year since at least the early 1990s, making it "one of the fastest uplifting volcanic areas on the Earth"." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uturuncu
and also: Temen que supervolcán Uturuncu se prepare para explotar en Bolivia
http://www.connuestroperu.com/mundo/32/24804-temen-que-supervolcan-uturuncu-se-prepare-para-explotar-en-bolivia

Moon, Venus and Jupiter

February 24, 20:00, Turin

Conjunction: Moon, Venus and Jupiter (and Coolpix)

Neutrino: only furious

Science Magazine tells

BREAKING NEWS: Error Undoes Faster-Than-Light Neutrino Results - ScienceInsider

See my old posts

http://stretchingtheboundaries.blogspot.com/2011/09/neutrino-fast-and-furious.html

http://stretchingtheboundaries.blogspot.com/2011/09/speed-of-neutrinos-and-cosmic.html

Flying pyramids

Intrinsic Stability of a Body Hovering in an Oscillating Airflow

Bin Liu, Leif Ristroph, Annie Weathers, Stephen Childress, and Jun Zhang

Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 068103 (2012)

Published February 9, 2012

Synopsis: Floats Like a Pyramid, Physics, APS

"Writing in Physical Review Letters, Bin Liu and co-workers at New York University present results from experiments on an inanimate pyramid-shaped flyer, or “bug.” Their choice of the shape was made in view of previous experiments with tethered flight, which showed that pyramids could hover in an airflow."

http://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.068103

Another Earth

Astrónomos europeos hallaron un planeta rocoso, como el nuestro que podría contener agua y vida a 22 años luz de la Tierra, en la constelación de Escorpio.

Hallan planeta rocoso que podría contener agua y vida

Aurora boreale

Vídeo: Impresionantes auroras boreales en el norte europeo
Video da Murmansk,  Russia al link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qWKLobBmPA

Joule Unlimited

Joule Unlimited will build a production plant for turning sunlight and CO2 into liquid fuels.

Photosynthesis Fuel Company Gets a Large Investment - Technology Review

Get physical

Michael Quinion (World Wide Words) writes
"Have you noticed how physical has begun to be more popular as one element in retronyms relating to the online world? If you actually go into a store to buy something, instead of ordering online, that’s physical shopping. Similarly, a physical book is one made with ink on dead trees, in contrast to a digital e-book. Both terms have been around for more than a decade but my impression is that they’ve only recently gone mainstream."
http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/yurg.htm