One possible reason that Stradivarius violins sound so exquisite is that they are made from low-density wood, hewn from trees that struggled to grow during the “little ice age” around 1650. By treating spruce and sycamore with a fungus that causes decay, researchers have produced lighter wood with similar resonant properties to Antonio Stradivari’s instruments (New Phytologist, ).
Rigid pressurised suits are fine for floating about in space, but they make walking laborious and difficult. With its return to the moon in mind, NASA has commissioned a range of spacesuits made up of bendy, lightweight separates with different…
