Biological Science The decision is historic. It’s the first time that Marlowe has been officially recognized as a co-author of the three plays, which are believed to have been written around 1591. Taylor has used the whirlwind of international media attention to teach people why Shakespeare matters, why literature matters and why the past matters. “I think the plays will be more studied by scholars and critics, and they will be more likely to be featured in college classrooms and graduate seminars,” Taylor said. Read more: gonol.es/Shakespeare-Marlowe
National MagLab Mini-magnet packs punch A magnet that fits in the palm of your hand has claimed two world records. Made of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape, it reached a magnetic field of 11.3 teslas (or T, a unit of magnetic field strength) while inside a larger, 31.2-T resistive magnet. Operating as one 42.5-T hybrid magnet, it achieved two records at once: the highest field in which a superconducting magnet has ever operated and a world record for an HTS magnet operating within a background field. The new record is within striking distance of the MagLab’s 45-tesla hybrid magnet, which has held the Guinness World Record for any continuous-field magnet since 1999.
Dinosaur egg hatch time
Geology Mainak Mookherjee
A human typically gives birth after nine months. An ostrich hatchling emerges from its egg after 42 days. But how long did it take for a baby dinosaur to incubate? Groundbreaking research led by an FSU professor establishes a timeline of anywhere from three to six months depending on the dinosaur. In an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, FSU biological science Professor Gregory Erickson and a team of researchers break down the complicated biology of these prehistoric creatures and explain how embryonic dental records solved the mystery of how long dinosaurs incubated their eggs. “Some of the greatest riddles about dinosaurs pertain to their embryology — virtually nothing is known,” Erickson said. “Did their eggs incubate slowly like their reptilian cousins — crocodilians and lizards? Or rapidly like living dinosaurs — the birds?”
Is there water under Earth’s surface? Water covers about 70 percent of Earth’s surface, but scientists also want to know how much lies inside the planet. A mineral called brucite may hold part of that answer.
Seungyong Hahn
In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, FSU geology Assistant Professor Mainak Mookherjee reports that water exists far deeper in Earth than scientists previously thought.
Gregory Erickson
Mookherjee and Andreas Hermann from the University of Edinburgh estimate that in deep Earth — roughly 250 to 370 miles into the mantle — water is stored and transported through a high-pressure form of the mineral brucite.
Read more: gonol.es/DinoEggHatchTime
Seungyong Hahn
“We are this close,” said Seungyong Hahn, the new magnet’s designer. “It’s really good motivation for the next attempt.”
“We didn’t think water could be stored by hydrous minerals such as brucite at these depths,” Mookherjee said. “But now that we know it’s there, we need to figure out how much water could be effectively stored inside it.”
Read more: gonol.es/Mini-magnet
Read more: gonol.es/DeepEarthWater
UNIVERSITY NEWS Vires 13