Snow Is White In Real Life; In Paintings It Can Be A Different Story (Cool Weird Awesome 453)

Snow gets its white color because of the way light and color work - but in paintings, artists use a few other tones to make their snowscapes look more realistic and more interesting.

By |2024-01-06T08:49:40-05:00January 6, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Really, Really White Paint Can Act Like A Coat Of Air Conditioning On A Building (Cool Weird Awesome 405)

Scientists at Purdue University have a way to help keep us cool to the point that we might not even need air conditioning, and all it takes is a fresh coat of a special paint. Plus: the town of Asbestos, Quebec has finally chosen a new name!

By |2020-10-26T09:01:08-04:00October 26, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Fluorescents Just Got Even Brighter (Cool Weird Awesome 357)

Judging by my kids' toy collections I thought fluorescents were already about as bright as possible. But chemists at Indiana University and the University of Copenhagen have found a way to make the brightest fluorescent materials ever made. Plus: for World Elephant Day, meet Lucy, the elephant-shaped hotel on the Jersey Shore.

By |2020-08-12T07:29:57-04:00August 12, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

The “Vantafish” Is A Fish That Absorbs Light (Cool Weird Awesome 344)

Vantablack is a color that's so black it absorbs almost all of the light nearby. There's new research out about a "vantafish" that does almost the same thing to avoid its hungry bioluminescent neighbors. Plus: you've heard of drive-in theaters; Paris is going to have a "float-in" theater featuring "socially distanced boats" on the Seine.

By |2024-03-13T07:50:21-04:00July 17, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

The Race To Keep Day-Glo Paints Glo-ing (Cool Weird Awesome 130)

Paintings made with Day Glo paint - some by well-known and influential artists - are losing their glow over time. Conservationists don't yet know how to solve this puzzle, but we do at least know how Day Glo got started.

By |2021-06-09T08:46:45-04:00September 18, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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