Pistol Shrimp

When I first saw this clip I was amazed. It looks like magic to me, but after a little explain science manages to prove how this phenomena works. As this video explains, the pistol shrimp manages to snap it's claw so hard that it create bubbles in the water that reach approximately 4700 degrees Celsius. This creates such a strong blow that it knocks out it's prey from a distance. Check out this clip and watch the pistol shrimp take out its prey with a simple snap of it's claw.

Chemistry through Cooking

I've always loved baking; It may be the smell of something sweet, the sneaky fingers that try to steal my cookie dough, or the bonding I get to do with my family. Although it could be any of those reasons, I believe I'm driven by the science of it; measuring the ingredients, mixing them together, heating them up and getting a result that looks completely different than what I started with. I love the chemistry of it.

It seems as though I am not the only person to make the astonishing correlation between cooking and chemistry. Harvard University is offering a Chemistry and Physics course that is taught through cooking experiments. When you think about it, that's exactly what the basics of cooking are: chemistry!

Here's the article The New York Times has published about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/dining/20Harvard.html?pagewanted=all

Now, I believe this novelty idea is not just meant for the "Ivy Leagues." In fact, Purdue's Chemistry Department is quite well respected (Purdue Professor of Chemistry, Ei-ichi Negishi just won the Nobel Prize this year for his discovery) and has the potential to be as succesful. Purdue's already strong Chemistry Department could become even more powerful by taking a few tips from it's suitor. Why not turn our Chemistry classes into something that non-traditional science majors will enjoy as well? Chemistry can be as educational and as fun a school makes it. Purdue can keep up with the best, this novelty idea would be a great addition to our Chemistry Department.