Word: clumped
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...predictable response to this, of course, is the claim that 16-celled—or eight-celled, or whatever number seems sufficiently small—embryos are not human beings at all. After all, we are told repeatedly, they are just a “clump of cells,” and killing them is no different from disposing of a patch of dry skin or clipping your toenails. Besides, they’re in petri dishes, and what kind of human beings live in petri dishes? Not you or I, certainly. Embryos don’t have feelings, they...
...MILL THE SPORES Once the spores are dry, they are ground down to the smallest possible particle size, anywhere from one micron (one spore) to 20 microns. The process adds electrostatic charges to the particles, which makes them clump together...
...spores to be used as a weapon, they need to be dried and processed into a stable, powder-like form that will disperse in the air. The most refined bacterial spores form a fine, white dust. Cruder preparations have a brownish tint and are heavier; these spores tend to clump together and drop to the ground, making them less effective terror weapons...
...manufacturing sufficient quantities of any bacteria in a stable form is a technical and scientific challenge; plague bugs, for example, degrade within hours when exposed to the sun, and anthrax spores tend to clump together in humid conditions. The Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo sprayed anthrax and botulism eight times over parts of Tokyo without effect...
...next took on the mystery of cosmic structure, why galaxies clump together in huge clusters rather than spread uniformly throughout space. He and a colleague suggested that the reason was knots of warped space-time called "topological defects." The idea was brilliant, but observations proved it quite wrong. Many scientists would have fought to save their pet theory. Spergel cheerfully declared it dead and moved...