* Astronomy

Vibrational excitation through tug-of-war inelastic collisions
A new form of energy-transfer, reported today in Nature (3 July 2008) may have implications for the study of reactions going on in the atmosphere, and even for those occurring in the body.

The reaction under study is the simplest chemical reaction possible and yet it still continues to surprise us, even after 80 years of scientific investigation. Our work provides another vital piece of the jigsaw for understanding the mechanics of chemical reactions, such as those going on in the atmosphere - Dr Stuart Greaves, University of Bristol.

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