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Are there any benefits to using a daytime SAD lamp?

ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS TO USING A SAD LAMP? LISA SEYMOUR, DURHAM Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. The exact cause isn’t fully understood, but it’s often linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during shorter days. Some people find that a light box, called […]

How does Radiocarbon dating work?

HOW DOES RADIOCARBON DATING WORK? 1 High-energy cosmic rays, in the form of neutrons, strike nitrogen atoms in the upper atmosphere and convert them to the radioactive isotope of carbon, which is carbon-14 (also known as radiocarbon). This quickly oxidises to create mildly radioactive carbon dioxide. About 1.1 per cent of the carbon atoms on […]

What is biphasic sleep?

WHAT IS BIPHASIC SLEEP? MARK BRADY, MANCHESTER Biphasic sleep refers to that which is taken in two phases within a 24-hour period. Examples of biphasic sleep include taking a nap during the day before sleeping again at night. Another example is of waking during the night for a period before falling asleep again. In certain […]

What is the Magnus effect?

WHAT IS THE MAGNUS EFFECT? ADRIAN FLINT, VIA EMAIL When David Beckham curled a free kick into the goal against Greece to take England into the quarter-finals in the 2001 World Cup, he was exploiting the Magnus effect. A ball that is kicked head-on travels with the air flowing past it symmetrically in all directions. […]

Where were the atoms I am made of 100, 1,000, 1,000,000 years ago?

QUESTION OF THE MONTH WHERE WERE THE ATOMS I AM MADE OF 100, 1,000, 1,000,000 YEARS AGO? PETER JACKSON, CORNWALL Four elements account for 96 per cent of your mass: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. Oxygen makes up over 61 per cent of your mass, compared with hydrogen at just 10 per cent, but hydrogen […]