With this GoPro footage of the Penn State research reactor, you can see the intense blue glow of Cherenkov radiation which occurs when a charged particle (such as an electron) passes through a dielectric medium at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium.
By Gemma Paech, Washington State University
The amount of sleep adults need has once again come under the spotlight, with a recent Wall Street Journal article suggesting seven hours sleep is better than eight hours and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine drawing up guidelines surrounding sleep need.
So, what should the guidelines say? Unfortunately, when it comes to the amount of sleep adults require there is not really a “one size fits all”. Sleep need can vary substantially between individuals.
Mary Spiers, Drexel University
You’re probably familiar with the TV or movie plot device where a character is conked on the head, loses memory or identity and then gets conked again and memory is restored. Classic examples are in the 1951 Tom and Jerry Cartoon Nit-Witty Kitty and the movie “Clean Slate.”
Stephen Gorard, Durham University; Beng Huat See, Durham University, and Nadia Siddiqui, Durham University
A programme to teach young children the basics of philosophical thinking in UK schools has been shown to help them progress in maths and reading. A new study evaluated the use of the Philosophy for Children (P4C) programme in which primary school children are guided through discussions of questions such as “Should a healthy heart be donated to a person who has not looked after themselves?” or “Is it acceptable for people to wear their religious symbols at work places?”
The programme is intended to help children become more willing and able to question, reason, construct arguments and collaborate.
Richard Gunderman, Indiana University
The recent finding that telling lies induces changes in the brain has stimulated a number of misrepresentations that may wreak more harm on our understanding than the lies on which they report. CNN’s headline runs, “Lying May Be Your Brain’s Fault, Honestly,” and PBS reports, “Telling a Lie Makes Way for the Brain to Keep Lying.”
These stories are based on a study from University College London using a brain imaging technique called functional MRI. The authors report that as subjects tell lies, activation of the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with emotion and decision making, actually decreases, suggesting that subjects may become desensitized to lying, thereby paving the way for further dishonesty.
David R. Montgomery, University of Washington
One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the Roman Empire and other ancient societies around the world. Other agricultural myths hinder recognizing the potential to restore degraded soils to feed the world using fewer agrochemicals. 
An artificial light called the CoeLux is making it possible to have daylight anytime. Through a scientific process designed to replicate the sun, the amazing skylight appears to feature crystal blue skies and adds an illusion of depth with the addition of a sun gazing in from above.
Gillian Foulger, Durham University; Jon Gluyas, Durham University, and Miles Wilson, Durham University
People knew we could induce earthquakes before we knew what they were. As soon as people started to dig minerals out of the ground, rockfalls and tunnel collapses must have become recognized hazards. 
Shazia Sadiq, The University of Queensland
Big data is big news these days. But most organisations just end up hoarding vast reams of data, leaving them with a massive repository of unstructured – or “dark” – data that is of little use to anyone. Given the potential benefits of big data, it’s crucial that we find better ways to gather, store and analyse data in order to make the most of it.
Marijuana, or cannabis, as it is more appropriately called, has been an essential part of humanity's medicine chest for almost as long as history has been recorded. Despite its ancient history, this non-toxic plant still remains illegal in many states and countries. Enforcing these laws in the U.S. also costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually and results in the arrest of more than 693,000 individuals per year -- far more than the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
It's great to see car companies getting involved with improving safety, especially so when it doesn't involve their own vehicles. Developed by Volvo Cars, 'LifePaint' is a unique reflective safety spray which can help anyone riding a bicycle at night stand out to passing vehicles.
Roderick S. Graham, Old Dominion University and Brian Pitman, Old Dominion University
The internet is much more than just the publicly available, Google-able web services most online users frequent – and that’s good for free expression. Companies frequently create private networks to enable employees to use secure corporate servers, for example. And free software allows individuals to create what are called “peer-to-peer” networks, connecting directly from one machine to another.
Peter Kogler, an internationally renowned Austrian artist who lives and works in Vienna, has hypnotized the world with his latest psychedelic installations at the ING Art Center in Brussels.
Using paint and projections, he makes simple galleries, lobbies and transit centers look distorted, warped and twisted. Born in Innsbruck in 1959 and living in Vienna, Peter is one of the pioneers of the computer-generated art. He has been creating art for more than 30 years and still manages to surprise the viewers.
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