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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Carl-E on 07 Oct 2010, 07:26

Title: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Carl-E on 07 Oct 2010, 07:26
Well, the Nobel prize for Physics came out a couple days ago, for the development of graphene, an atom-thick layer of carbon that's incredibly strong, stable, transparent, and an excellent electrical conductor.  Perfect for things like touchscreens.  The physicists got the idea one day when they peeled a piece of scotch tape off a block of graphite.  That's not how it's made, but it let to the final result. 

And you heard it here first (http://questionablecontent.net./view.php?comic=1111)! 
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: smack that isaiah on 07 Oct 2010, 07:38
I guess I'll say this here, but the Nobel prize for Chemistry went to a guy who went to my school (UD), researched here, was a professor here, and made his discovery here!  He also started the CSST lab here, and is generally awesome.

I'm a Chem Engineer, so I got quite the earful about him yesterday.

He discovered a Palladium catalyzed reaction which can form a carbon-carbon bond between sp2 hybridized carbon molecules.  This was expanded pretty far after his initial discovery, and it's actually a really important catalysis reaction for pharmaceuticals today.
I dunno, I guess I'm in the right field of study b/c I got really happy/a bit teary eyed in my orgo class hearing about his work, his struggles (he lost a lot of funding in 1989 and retired early when his backers thought that this Pd catalyst was just applicable to a niche field), and his final triumph and recognition with this Nobel prize.

edit: oh, his name is Dr. Heck, and next semester I have to learn and memorize the Pd-catalyst reaction he developed, the Heck Reaction
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: JD on 07 Oct 2010, 08:03
He also levitated a frog.
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: tomart on 07 Oct 2010, 09:18
Well, the Nobel prize for Physics came out a couple days ago, for the development of graphene, an atom-thick layer of carbon that's incredibly strong, stable, transparent, and an excellent electrical conductor.  Perfect for things like touchscreens.  The physicists got the idea one day when they peeled a piece of scotch tape off a block of graphite.  That's not how it's made, but it let to the final result.  

And you heard it here first (http://questionablecontent.net./view.php?comic=1111)!  

Yes, this comic is how i keep up with modern scientific advancements.  Anthro-PCs, flying roombas, boyfriend-bots, i'd have to go comb through the archives to find them all!
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Akima on 07 Oct 2010, 13:50
Permanently inhabited private space-stations, super-intelligent orbital weapons (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=665)...
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: peterh on 13 Oct 2010, 02:47
Well, the Nobel prize for Physics came out a couple days ago, for the development of graphene, an atom-thick layer of carbon that's incredibly strong, stable, transparent, and an excellent electrical conductor.  Perfect for things like touchscreens.  The physicists got the idea one day when they peeled a piece of scotch tape off a block of graphite.  That's not how it's made, but it let to the final result. 

And you heard it here first (http://questionablecontent.net./view.php?comic=1111)! 

In fact, when I heard about the prize, the first thought that went through my head was "gawd, I've seen Raven talk about that!"

Am I a nrrd now?
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Akima on 17 Nov 2010, 23:02
I have a cunning spam!
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Carl-E on 17 Nov 2010, 23:48
Congratulations? 

 :?
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Streetwise on 18 Nov 2010, 00:10
WOW...

just read the phone interview from Konstatin Novoselov, one of the winners, and yeah, they got the idea/ the whole thing started with scotch tape and graphite...

I'd love to know if this gent is a reader, 'cause ... crazy, i don't know what date comic # 1111 was... but if it was around the time these gents were experimenting, i would encourage Jeph to reach out.  :-D

Unless of course Jeph got the idea from a scientific journal / release thinger, 'cause that could make sense as well. Either way, Good on yah for bringing awesome science into the comic.
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: AnAverageWriter on 18 Nov 2010, 00:18
Do you think they could thicken it and make a super-strong replacement for standard glass? Windows and such?
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: akronnick on 18 Nov 2010, 00:23
WOW...

just read the phone interview from Konstatin Novoselov, one of the winners, and yeah, they got the idea/ the whole thing started with scotch tape and graphite...

I'd love to know if this gent is a reader, 'cause ... crazy, i don't know what date comic # 1111 was... but if it was around the time these gents were experimenting, i would encourage Jeph to reach out.  :-D

Unless of course Jeph got the idea from a scientific journal / release thinger, 'cause that could make sense as well. Either way, Good on yah for bringing awesome science into the comic.

Comic #1111 posted on or about April 1, 2008.

I know this for that is the day I began reading QC, finding it from the XKCD/QC/DinoComics April fools joke switcheroo.

And Graphene has been around alot longr than that.
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Carl-E on 18 Nov 2010, 00:52
Graphene was quoted in the comic, precedence is obvious. 
Title: Re: How Nobel of you!
Post by: Akima on 18 Nov 2010, 18:21
Congratulations?   :?
Ah. I don't know how that happened... I think the spam thread entry I was replying to has been deleted. Sorry.