Melodies divert droplets
So, today I’m revealing some the depths of my true chemistry geekiness. As I was poring over press releases, I found one from the University of Michigan that was fun– but probably also too geeky– to propose as a story idea: a microfluidic device that moves droplets based on sound waves. First of all, some [...]
A rackett– low sound packed small
Like other double reeds, the rackett produced by this instrument probably decreases as the player’s skill increases. When I was working on my article about carbon fiber instruments, I traded emails with a researcher in musical acoustics in Australia. He saw my blog post about Papalini’s bass clarinet and said: If you’re interested in low [...]
Dancing parrots (and elephants, too)
No, it’s not some kind of YouTube ruse or even a clever trick. Some animals have rhythm according to papers published this week in Current Biology (this one and this one). So, yes, the science is cool, but when there’s a fun video to go with it? Even better. We’re a parrot-loving household (a nearly [...]
polymer science meets art and a high school mea culpa
My most recent story (my first for Scientific American) combined all the elements of what I love about my work– the chance to meet interesting people, learn and experience new things, and allow my eclectic interests to co-mingle, at least for a little while. In other words, this former chamber musician got to flex my [...]
Curvy clarinet
Watching the Inauguration on TV today, this former chamber musician and band geek had to give a shout out for the John Williams piece performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill. I performed in chamber groups on both flute and piano during my high school piano recitals. [...]
