Recently, I had the occasion to ponder the principle of fail-safe while whirling around at breakneck speeds 20 feet off the ground. Since nothing works perfectly forever—including terrifying carnival rides—it's reassuring to know that the principle of fail-safe takes this simple fact of life into account.

Whenever cancer is discussed, a familiar phrase is often heard: the earlier it's caught, the better the chances of survival. Early detection is the next best thing to avoiding cancer altogether, and now researchers are hoping to have discovered a safe, new method of detection that relies on a newcomer in the fight for early detection: the nanoparticle. More specifically, MIT's Tech Review reported last week that researchers are beginning early-stage clinical trials on infrared-emiting nanoparticles that they hope will prove effective in detecting early-stage melanoma.

It really bothers me when I see engineering students working on homework that rely upon computer-based references for equations.

Tom Beddard, a web developer and designer with a PhD in laser physics, has combined his math and science expertise with his visual abilities in a new Web-based program that creates gorgeous 3D fractal worlds. Take a look at the sample video in the panel to the right.

The ongoing saga of the Air Products attempted hostile takeover of Airgas has come to a conclusion—for now. Late Tuesday night, a year after this battle began, a Delaware Court ruled against Air Products and did not force a redemption of Airgas’s "poison pill."

In this fantastic piece entitled Replacing Body Parts on PBS’s NOVA series, Neil deGrasse Tyson explores new research in the field of human organ transplantation. He notes that a common problem with organ donation is that the recipient’s body rejects the transplant because it identifies the organ as being foreign. A new solution for this problem is to create an organ that is made of the recipient’s own cells. The researchers included in the video, including Chemical Engineer and MIT professor Bob Langer, take organs from cadavers of humans or other mammals and wash out the cells with a chemical found in shampoo.

There’s no such thing as starting at the top for most people. Learn how some of today’s prominent chemical engineers got their start in the working world in this weekly series of personal profiles. This week, we feature AIChE board member Jennifer Sinclair Curtis.