The Daily brief: July 20, 2011

July 20, 2011, 9:01 p.m.

Radioactive Earth | Scientists are one step closer to knowing exactly how radioactive the earth is thanks to an experiment that was run partly by Stanford researchers. The project measured neutrinos, a type of subatomic particle, and were able to determine that approximately half of the Earth’s heat comes from radioactive decay of thorium and uranium.

Ignoring the ACT? | The Reading and Science sections of the ACT are poor predictors of college success, according to a report by researchers at Stanford and the University of Chicago. The Mathematics and English sections, however, were much better predictors. If the Reading and Science sections were ignored, the authors said, students might be better matched with their colleges.

Augmented Music | Edgar Berdhal and his team of researchers on campus have created actuated instruments, which are traditional instruments such as the violin that produce tones independent of the performers. This is achieved through several sensors that are installed on the instrument to measure and induce vibrations.

Overheard | “When the corporate guys get involved, it usually means that we’re at the top of the market.” — Andrew S. Rachleff, GSB lecturer and founder of Benchmark Capital.

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