Wedenesday 27th, 2010 Science News
And Into the future: New Cool Stuff that Lasers can do
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| DAILY LIFEThe loss of a fiber optic cable in San Jose, Calif., last year highlighted how crucial lasers have become in our lives. |
Lasers have been around for 50 years this year, but scientists never imagined what lasers would be used for in our daily lives. From telecommunications to scanning the price for a food item in the grocery store to reading a DVD or CD to so many other uses.
"But for all of these practical uses, scientists who are exploring the future applications of lasers — from harnessing the power of the sun for carbon-free energy to altering weather patterns — say that the future of lasers is only getting brighter, and more intense. The next generation of lasers is going to be 10 to 100 times more powerful than present-day lasers."
Some of the things that this article talks about is how lasers may be used for detecting weather and influencing rainfall, creating carbon free energy, brain research, light amplification and biotechnology.
The story of lasers and its many applications illustrates the value of basic research, says Fritz. When the laser was invented, “no one could have envisioned how much of an impact it would have on society.”
This article interested me because I didn't realize how invested or rather dependent we are on lasers. Also, something that was discovered so long ago is still opening itself up to new possibilities.
Imagination is something that goes hand in hand with science. Lasers have given us all a foundation for some many things we use today. To think that they could offer us cleaner power or way to understand our brains is exciting. Understanding what makes the tiniest brain tick might give us insight as to better use our own.
If you are interested in looking at this article then click onto the following link:
