The Indianapolis Museum of Art's conservation lab

A few years back - when I was helping teach an ASM materials science camp at Southport High School in Indianapolis - I got to tour the Indianapolis Museum of Art's conservation lab. It was a fascinating tour as we got to see their pigment collection, how they scanned paintings and other artworks, and were able to see the science that goes into both conservation and authentication of artworks. 

It's really wonderful to be able to see that there are do many non-traditional science jobs out there, particularly when those science jobs overlap with other areas of interest. I would imagine that an art-lover with a science bent would be thrilled to know about this as an option in the career field.

Big thanks to Gregory Smith - you can see him a few videos below this - for providing that spectacular tour for our camp group.

How Kodak Conspired to Keep Nuclear Testing Secret

Dr Derek opens this video visiting what I consider pretty much hallowed ground, the Trinity test site in New Mexico. It's hallowed because it's horrible, but it's one of my bucket list sites to visit. Someday...

From there, Dr Derek goes on to tell the story of how Kodak figured out that the US government had exploded a nuclear bomb in the US desert by exploring the source of radioactive contamination in strawboard used to package x-ray film that they sold and that had begun to become fogged (exposed) in spite of it having never been used.

The Kodak scientists figured out that the beta radiation being emitted by whatever was in the strawboard had to have come from cerium-141, something that the exploring scientist knew had to be from a nuclear explosion based on his experience having worked on the Manhattan Project himself.

And then Dr Derek goes on to follow some of the more significant dangers of radioactive fallout from those above-ground nuclear tests - images of which you can see in the marvelous book 100 Suns by Michael Light.

The incestuous relationship between the government and Kodak was certainly problematic, and I'm glad that Dr Derek covers that aspect of our nuclear history.

Why Is Blue So Rare In Nature?

What's blue and smells like red paint?

Blue paint

You're welcome.

The material science in making blue colors - particularly when there aren't any blue pigments involved - is amazing. It's based primarily on interference with light reflecting off the surface and deeper layers within the wing scale. There's a great diagram of it at about 3:00 in the video.

It's similar to what happens on the rainbow surface of oil slicks on puddles...or on roast beef.

Even cooler, the butterfly wing scales also have nano-arrangements that also make them hydrophobic.

The video host is correct that the creation of the blues - and other similarly produced colors - is amazing.

It's pretty amazing that no vertebrates produce blue pigment and only a single butterfly actually does.