Word: eurekas
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Museum of Earth History that opened last week in Eureka Springs, Ark., isn't nearly as big as more famous natural-history museums in Chicago, Washington and New York City; in fact, the whole thing would probably fit neatly inside one of their exhibition halls. And its nine replicas of dinosaur skeletons and skulls don't quite measure up to the rich fossil collections on display elsewhere...
...says??there's??no??such??thing??as??a??eureka??moment? Physicist David Grier sure had one. Grier and graduate student Eric Dufresne were trying to build a new kind of "optical trap"--a device that splits a laser beam and uses it to capture particles of a single substance. They knew that multiple traps, used in tandem, could let scientists play traffic cops on a molecular level, separating a substance into component parts--removing bacteria from blood, for example. For a year, Grier and Dufresne had been trying out fancy glass splitters, but nothing had done the trick...
Jhoti and four of his scientists hit the pub when they had their eureka moment. In October 2002 their advanced X-ray and crystal technique revealed that a chemical was binding to a protein that is a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease. The chemical was a fragment of what could eventually become an Alzheimer's-conquering drug. "I first thought the team had played a trick on me," says Jhoti. Drug giant AstraZeneca, which had been searching for such a chemical for years, enlisted Astex's help. In 2003 the company signed a contract to pay Astex $40 million...
...doesn't kick in until regulators approve the drugs for commercial use and the developers start receiving royalties, which can take years. "There are a lot easier ways to [make money] than to put your life into a high-risk adventure," says Dahiyat. Fortunately, the occasional chance to shout "Eureka!"--or at least, "We've got structure!"--also keeps their innovators going...
...grand old flags. Some Australian nationalists this month are lobbying to ditch their current symbol, far left--which includes Britain's Union Jack--because it conjures up the country's roots as a penal colony. Instead, the Aussies are pushing for a new flag celebrating the 19th century Eureka Stockade, a tax revolt some liken to the Boston Tea Party. Australia is just one of several countries reconsidering their colors. --By Jeremy Caplan...