AP Physics B

The God Particle - National Geographic Magazine

2011-12-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

The God Particle - National Geographic Magazine:

This is the last one, I swear. It is a good run down of the LHC and what they are trying to accomplish. Outside the scope of the course, but worth a read so you understand all of the hubbub.

Sound, the Way the Brain and the Ear Prefer to Hear It - NYTimes.com

2011-12-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

Sound, the Way the Brain and the Ear Prefer to Hear It - NYTimes.com:

This is where we are going with topics during short term.

Entangled diamonds blur quantum-classical divide - physics-math - 01 December 2011 - New Scientist

2011-12-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Entangled diamonds blur quantum-classical divide - physics-math - 01 December 2011 - New Scientist

This will make more sense when we get to the end of the school year, but I found the article now so have fun reading about quantum states.

Myths about myths about Thanksgiving turkey making you sleepy | A Blog Around The Clock, Scientific American Blog Network

2011-11-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

Myths about myths about Thanksgiving turkey making you sleepy | A Blog Around The Clock, Scientific American Blog Network

Agreement to tie kilogram and friends to fundamentals - physics-math - 25 October 2011 - New Scientist

2011-11-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Agreement to tie kilogram and friends to fundamentals - physics-math - 25 October 2011 - New Scientist

Nuclear clock could steal atomic clock's crown - physics-math - 07 November 2011 - New Scientist

2011-11-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Nuclear clock could steal atomic clock's crown - physics-math - 07 November 2011 - New Scientist

Thawing microbes could control the climate - environment - 06 November 2011 - New Scientist

2011-11-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Thawing microbes could control the climate - environment - 06 November 2011 - New Scientist

Soggy Solar System: Exoplanet Nursery Holds Massive Amount of Water: Scientific American

2011-11-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Soggy Solar System: Exoplanet Nursery Holds Massive Amount of Water: Scientific AmericanWow!

Why You Should and Shouldn't Care about Quantum Computing - Tested

2011-11-03T16:50:00.001-07:00

Why You Should and Shouldn't Care about Quantum Computing - Tested Maybe not the most reputable site . . . but then again maybe it is.

The real you: Say goodbye to online anonymity - science-in-society - 03 November 2011 - New Scientist

2011-11-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

The real you: Say goodbye to online anonymity - science-in-society - 03 November 2011 - New Scientist This is worth the three page read.

How Google's Self-Driving Cars Navigate Using Lasers [Video] - Tested

2011-10-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

How Google's Self-Driving Cars Navigate Using Lasers [Video] - Tested

With 7 billion on earth, a huge task before us - CNN.com

2011-10-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

With 7 billion on earth, a huge task before us - CNN.comJeffrey Sachs has written a number of excellent books on global population and globalization. Common Wealth is the one that I have read most recently. It is dense, but worth reading.

Stem cells: The nuclear option | The Economist

2011-10-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Stem cells: The nuclear option | The Economist

Neutrinos Travel Faster Than Light, According to One Experiment - ScienceNOW

2011-10-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Neutrinos Travel Faster Than Light, According to One Experiment - ScienceNOW

Clean air fixes cold poles in model of ancient climate - environment - 14 October 2011 - New Scientist

2011-10-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Clean air fixes cold poles in model of ancient climate - environment - 14 October 2011 - New Scientist

Dark energy, science's biggest mystery - CNN.com

2011-10-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

Dark energy, science's biggest mystery - CNN.com

Got War? Blame the Weather - ScienceNOW

2011-10-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

Got War? Blame the Weather - ScienceNOW
So bad weather is ultimately good for us?

New Nobelist Used His Discovery to Battle His Cancer - ScienceInsider

2011-10-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

New Nobelist Used His Discovery to Battle His Cancer - ScienceInsider

Veritasium Science Videos: Slinky Drop

2011-10-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

Veritasium Science Videos: Slinky Drop

As per Erich's request. Dave shot me this video first and I have to admit I got the answer wrong. I was thinking too much in a rigid body fashion.

U.K. Researchers to Test "Artificial Volcano" for Geoengineering the Climate: Scientific American

2011-09-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

U.K. Researchers to Test "Artificial Volcano" for Geoengineering the Climate: Scientific American
I don't know what to think of this.

One Per Cent: Home

2011-09-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

One Per Cent: Home
Short article, but between this and Folding@Home I think they are on to something.

Laser fusion trio team up to develop clean power - tech - 13 September 2011 - New Scientist

2011-09-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Laser fusion trio team up to develop clean power - tech - 13 September 2011 - New Scientist

Wish this had happened when we were on Chapter 26, but c'est la vie.

Can Mobile Phone Networks Be Improved to Better Cope with Emergencies?: Scientific American

2011-09-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Can Mobile Phone Networks Be Improved to Better Cope with Emergencies?: Scientific American

At times we will be looking at how technology will change the way that we do research. This is one article that lays the ground work for that discussion.

Why Is Swimming the Most Deadly Leg of a Triathlon?: Scientific American

2011-09-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Why Is Swimming the Most Deadly Leg of a Triathlon?: Scientific American

'Super-Earth,' 1 of 50 Newfound Alien Planets, Could Potentially Support Life: Scientific American

2011-09-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

'Super-Earth,' 1 of 50 Newfound Alien Planets, Could Potentially Support Life: Scientific American

Freedom to Riot: On the Evolution of Collective Violence | The Primate Diaries, Scientific American Blog Network

2011-09-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Freedom to Riot: On the Evolution of Collective Violence | The Primate Diaries, Scientific American Blog Network:

Electrified Bacterial Filaments Remove Uranium from Groundwater: Scientific American

2011-09-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Electrified Bacterial Filaments Remove Uranium from Groundwater: Scientific American

Passing Fear: Do Fuel Economy Gains Compromise Quick Acceleration?: Scientific American

2011-09-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Passing Fear: Do Fuel Economy Gains Compromise Quick Acceleration?: Scientific American

Skinlike Electronic Patch Takes Pulse, Promises New Human-Machine Integration: Scientific American

2011-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Skinlike Electronic Patch Takes Pulse, Promises New Human-Machine Integration: Scientific American

Power Walk: Shoe Inserts Using Conductive Droplets Could Charge Personal Electronics on the Go: Scientific American

2011-08-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

Power Walk: Shoe Inserts Using Conductive Droplets Could Charge Personal Electronics on the Go: Scientific American

Can Geothermal Power Compete with Coal on Price?: Scientific American

2011-08-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Can Geothermal Power Compete with Coal on Price?: Scientific American

MicroSkype

2011-05-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

A recent deal between Microsoft and Skype could mean users of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 may be getting a little face time. Microsoft’s phone has struggled against the Apple iPhone and Android for many reasons. In addition to lacking video chat, the Microsoft phone has only a fraction of the apps available for iPhone and Android. However, Microsoft notes that over 100 apps are added daily. Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Skype (for a hefty $8.5 billion – more than three times what the previous owners of Skype, Silver Lake, paid) is intended to increase the popularity of their phone. Microsoft is also planning to expand beyond AT&T to Verizon and Sprint in hopes of gaining customers.

Skype, which was planning on having an initial public offering in the near future, will now become a division of Microsoft and the current president of Skype will work under the Microsoft CEO.

I do not have a smart phone, but I do use Skype and it seems that Microsoft is making a smart move by purchasing Skype. It will be interesting to see how this purchase affects the company and if it improves sales of their phone.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=microsofts-skype-deal-promises-vide-2011-05-10

Robots Evolve to Look Out for Their Own

2011-05-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=robots-evolve-to-look-out-for-their-2011-05-03

This article compares robots and animals surprisingly well. It starts by saying that animals and even robots tend to look out for themselves. However, there are many trends in nature where animals sacrifice themselves for the greater good of their kin. This sparks the question: Might robots also learn to work for the good of their fellow robots? Small robots called Alice bots have already exhibited this behavior. While some have been initially programmed to cooperate with others, many have evolved over generations to help others. This type of behavior is called Hamilton's rule of kin selection. Researchers in Switzerland tried to test how close of kin two beings need to be in order for one to altruistically help the other. Using robots with sensors and a "genetic code" in the form of 33 1's and 0's, each representing a neuron, they gave the robots the task of finding "food" and then deciding whether to keep the food for themselves or share with others. Over multiple tests with multiple generations of robots (with gene variations, crossovers and mutations) they found that robots with closer related genetic codes tended to cooperate with each other more. This information could be used later on for flying-type robots that need to work together for formations.

This is really interesting stuff. The article mentioned that humans won't let robots evolve to the point where they start working together to end all life on the planet, but I'm still hesitant to start giving robots too much intelligence.

Freeze Out: Can Polar Bears Survive a Melting Arctic?

2011-05-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately life is getting harder for Polar bears. Polar bears live within the article circle, feeding primarily on ringed seals. Their feeding strategy involves swimming of the mainland to offshore ice floes and poaching seals as they come up to breathe through holes in the ice. However climate change is heating up the atmosphere and offshore ice floes are melting and disappearing. The result is that bears must swim much further out to sea to find ice floes, some drown in the process of finding them. Scientists realized the phenomenon when they began finding drowned polar bears. To learn more they outfitted some polar bears with tracking collars. One bear, a mom with a cub on its back, swam continuously for 687 kilometers and 232 hours in search of food in waters that were 2-6 degrees Celsius. The bear survived but lost 22% of her body fat, unfortunately the cub did not survive. The case of this polar bear and the failure of her offspring to survive doesn't bode well for the future of life in the arctic, other species are suffering as well. Polar bears were listed as threatened under the 2008 US endangered species act. Some argue that since it is illegal to engage in activities that harm or kill threatened or endangered species, that americans should be forced to reduce their green house gas emissions. This idea is somewhat radical, but it may be the only hope for polar bears.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=too-late-for-polar-bears

Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?

2011-04-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Concerns have been raised on whether or not vegetables and fruits today are still worth eating because they have much fewer nutrients than their ancestors 30 years ago. This, by no means is true, because fruits and vegetables are still our most abundant source of vitamins and minerals. It is true though, that many vegetables today lack the same nutritional value they had in years past.

A study done at the University of Texas comparing the nutrients of vegetables over the past 50 years showed that there has been a steady decline in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C. Many crops have been modified over time by scientists to grow faster and create larger and more fruits and vegetables to give the crop growers greater profits. The ability of the plants to take up the nutrients in the soil has not kept up with their speedy growth in size and quantity though.

Many scientists blame nutrient depleted soils for the lack of vitamins in our fruits and veggies today. They say the solution to the problem at hand is to alter crop fields between seasons to give land the time it needs to recover. Organic farmed plants often contain more nutrients than regular plants.

This article mostly just made me angry. I don't want to have fruits and vegetables working against me when I am trying to get my daily vitamins. Though they are still our best source for nutrients, it is still frustrating to find I would have to eat 8 oranges to get the same vitamin A as was in 1 orange 60 years ago.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss

Heal thyself: Rubbery polymer self-repairs under light exposure

2011-04-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

ARTICLE

This article discusses the creation of special new polymers that are able to heal themselves with nothing but ultraviolet light. This material could be incredibly useful for repairing torn material, cracked containers, or ripped clothing that is difficult to mend. These new polymers used a self-repair process similar to materials that self-repair with heat. The heat briefly liquifies the material, and fills the cracks, rips, cuts, and gaps before hardening back to the original texture. The new polymers use the same process, but with ultraviolet light instead of heat to excite the material causing it to become temporarily heated and liquified, and the imperfections are healed. The light is then turned off, and the material cools down in the fixed position. A few of the new polymers were able to recover to their original strength after the light repairs. These materials included metal ions such as zinc or lanthanum in a rubbery polymer. This new material has the potential to be incredibly useful, but it is important to remember that although it was discovered in a lab, no working applications of the technology exist. Scientists haven't created self mending clothing yet quite yet, but it may be on its way.

2011-04-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

link to my article

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=wireless-car-hacking

Highway Robbery: Car Computer Controls Could Be Vulnerable to Hackers

2011-04-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

This article talked about how modern cars are having more and more computer controlled parts and how hackers could possibly hack into your car the way they hack into your computer. In modern cars there are now lots of little computers called ECUs (electronic control units) that control things like braking and steering. All of these things are usually on the same network to make things easier to control as well as having things like the mp3 players and gps on that same network in the car. So a group of researchers have been working to see how they could hack into a car. They found they could potentially do things like unlock and turn on a car with a cell phone, allowing them to steal the car. They could also plug a laptop into the car and do things like disable the brakes.
The research shows that electronic security is important to have in our modern cars. A group in Germany with BMW are making a "blueprint" that car makers can follow to build more secure networks in their cars. Many manufacturers say their cars are safe though. Ford's SYNC system has a built in firewall, separates its vehicle control network from its network for mp3s and stuff, and encrypts all the data that is sent to the car from Ford so that the car knows the data is safe.
The researchers said that there success in hacking into some cars took years of research and should not worry anyone that their cars will be hacked, but this is something to think about for the future.

Baby Bios

2011-04-19T14:43:00.001-07:00

Most characteristics of babies are mysteries until the little humans enter the world. Oftentimes, expecting parents receive blood tests to check for genetic disorderssuch as Tay-Sachs disease or cystic fibrosis. Fetuses can be checked for Downsyndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, but this testing is risky and cancause miscarriages. As of now, regardless of the presence of a certain gene,doctors cannot predict whether theses diseases will be present in the child.However, recent breakthroughs in science show signs that more pre-birthinformation may soon be available. Scientists have discovered non-invasive waysto test the blood of the mother to diagnose any genetic diseases before thebirth of the child. This is possible because the mother’s blood containsfree-floating copies of genes from the fetus. The genes can be sequenced sothat individual chromosomes can be identified. One of the leading scientists inthis field tested 753 pregnant women and accurately diagnosed 100% of thefetuses that would be born with Down syndrome. Details on the procedure stillneed to be ironed out (there were three false positives), but scientists thinkthat a test for Down syndrome may be available within the next 2 years. Othertests for diseases like Tay-Sachs, hemophilia, and sickle cell disease may beready within four to five years.

I think thistechnology is interesting and relevant. It could be helpful for parents anddoctors, however the article also raises valid concerns. Big questions arearising as to how parents will respond to information about their unbornchildren and whether the government takes any action. I think this issue couldsurface and become more political in the following years so it will beinteresting to see how the topic plays out.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=too-much-information

Electronic health records

2011-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Currently between 20 and 30 percent of all healthcare physicians in the USA use electronic health records. Moving from paper to electronic health records has become more appealing in the past 2 years, under an act which provides incentive to switch. Health care providers who start using electronic health care records can receive $40,000 or more from the federal government. These incentives will convert to penalties in 2015 for companies that have not switched. The goal is to create a nationwide interoperable private and secure electronic health care information system, and to promote the exchange of records across geographic and institutional borders. Health care providers who have switched have seen decreases in costs and increases in revenue. Electronic health records can not only help bridge the distances between patients and various health care providers who are on a patients team, but can also enable the tracking of epidemics in real time as they enter a nation. They can also help analyse the relationship between new drugs and adverse events that were possibly caused by these drugs. Despite the benefits of this new system there is resistance. In the fiercely competitive field of health care sharing information is not a natural act. Giving your competitors your patients entire medical history makes it easier for them to woo your patients away from you. However, health care providers that have switched to the electronic system have found it to be very beneficial to them and there patients. Most health care providers say after they use the new system for 6 months they would never go back to the old one.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=electronic-health-records-face-huma-2011-04-16

Underground Xenon100 experiment closes in on dark matter's hiding place

2011-04-14T03:06:00.000-07:00

There has, recently, been a large breakthrough in regards to scientists finding the missing mass that makes up our world. Dark matter, which is theorized to be 4-5 times the weight of regular particles, has been invisible to scientists.

Scientists in Italy are monitoring an underground tank of xenon100 that is designed to identify when a particle of dark matter bounces off of regular matter. The collision creates a slight flash of ultraviolet light that can be sensed by the tank. To keep any other disturbances out there are many sheets of different materials that reflect almost all other cosmic rays. The machine does pick up some false signals from the radioactive decay of atoms in the experiment. Only 3 blips that could constitute dark matter showed up, which they say is an insignificant amount and does not prove dark matter's existence.

Though the experiment doesn't prove the existence of dark matter, it does show how unlikely it is for dark matter to collide with normal particles if it even exists. The false alarms throw doubt on other experiments where they claim to have found dark matter. Though unsuccessful in this attempt, the scientists are finding ways to reduce krypton contamination and make it more likely to find dark matter.

Dark matter seems like a really crazy concept. Something that seems so impossible to find seems like it shouldn't really exist. Or its existence should be insignificant due to the small amount in existence. Scientists keep pursuing it though, and maybe it could explain the mass of the earth and gravity better if these particles are found.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=underground-xenon100-experiment-clo-2011-04-14

Is Fukushima really as bad as Chernobyl?

2011-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a little bit more than a month since the devastating earthquake and 15-meter tall tsunami hit the coast of Japan. This article discusses the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was a result of the catastrophe, and the effects it will have on Japanese society. The partial meltdown of three reactors, along with multiple hydrogen explosions, places Fukushima at a 7 on the International Nuclear Event scale, a level only previously obtained by the explosions at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986. The incident at Fukushima is about 100 times worse than Three Mile Island, the worst civilian nuclear accident in the U.S. The radioactive iodine and cesium will persist in the environment for decades, which could potentially cause cancer or other health problems if ingested. Furthermore, the nuclear power plant has also dumped 11,500 metric tons of contaminated water into the surrounding sea, raising radiation levels in the ocean as well. The radiation emanating from Fukushima will be one of Japan’s worst problems in the wake of the earthquake, and final containment will likely be achieved by entombing it in concrete and preventing all human access. Obviously, this is a very frightening article because of the potential effects that Fukushima radiation can have all over the world. However, I also think that this demonstrates the power of what humans can create, and how much can go wrong when we are faced with such a tremendous natural disaster.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=is-fukushima-really-as-bad-as-chern-2011-04-12

Octopuses and squid are damaged by noise pollution

2011-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Noise pollution from sources such as offshore drilling, ship motors, sonar use and pile driving have a significant impact on the lives of marine animals. It has been widely known that it interferes with the lives of dolphins and whales because of their acoustic communication, but some researchers have recently figured out that it also hurts octopi and other cephalopods. The scientists did an experiment consisting of exposing octopi, squid and cuttlefish to "low intensity, low range" sounds over short periods of time, and then examined the animals with microscopes. They found severe damage to statocyst of the octopi, which is the "compartment responsible for spatial orientation and hearing." This means the noise pollution caused by the humans, which is much stronger than that of the experiment, may inhibit the cephalopod's ability to hunt, evade predators and even reproduce. And fluctuations in the cephalopod populations can also affect the lives of other marine animals in the food chain.

This concept of nose pollution in the ocean harming sea creatures is new to me. I didn't realize that humans contribute so much noise pollution in the ocean or that it harms marine animals. And it is sort of disheartening to hear yet another story of how humans have interfered with the lives of animals. I hope this information can be spread so more people will be aware of this and try to find solutions to reducing the noise pollution.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=octopuses-and-squid-are-damaged-by-2011-04-12

Watson Looks for Work

2011-04-11T22:04:00.001-07:00

So we talked about Watson, and everyone paid attention to Watson during his showing on Jeopardy earlier this year. But what's become of Watson now? This article discusses Watson's potential in the work force. Unlike many other computers, Watson is able to understand what people mean not just what they say or write. In addition, Watson can hold more knowledge than any human can be expected to remember. These talents, if that's the right word to use here, can be very useful in the work force. For example, Watson could speak to people calling with computer problems and translate their description of their problems into terms that the engineers could understand. Or, the article also proposes, Watson could help diagnose diseases based on a list of symptons or be used as a reference in law if he is given a large base of legal knowledge. In essence, Watson or computers like Watson could help out with information in any area because it can hold and access more information than any human to help answer questions and solve problems in various areas of work. As the article says at the end, "After four years of education, Watson has passed its final exam; now it’s time to go find a job."

While I think that all that Watson can do is amazing and I can see the practicality of it, I still can't help envisioning science gone wrong with computers becoming smarter than humans and taking over. But that's probably just me...

Full article at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=watson-looks-for-work

New hope for preventing pre-term births

2011-04-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=new-hope-for-preventing-pre-term-bi-2011-04-08

For years, scientists have struggled with the mystery of why so many women have pre-term births. Pre-term births are defined as births that occur prior to thirty-seven weeks gestation. From 1981 to 2006, the rate of pre-term births climbed thirty percent, but since then it has fallen slightly. Some of the possible factors for this high rate include the fact that more women are having children later in life, the high rate of multiple births, an uptick in the number of induced labors, and voluntary C-sections. A new study conducted by the National Institute of Health shows that the use of a progesterone gel on women with a high risk of pre-term births can significantly extend the length of their pregnancies and improve the health of their newborns. This breakthrough in both maternal and child health could potentially save many lives. Another development has been the observation that a significant number of the women with a risk of pre-term births tend to have a short cervix. This fact can help physicians be more aware of such risks when before, the only indication of pre-term birth risk was family history. Ultrasound screening during the second trimester of pregnancy can help women by checking for a shortening of the cervix. Hopefully, these developments can better the health of pregnant women and newborn babies.

I've always found obstetrics to be a very fascinating field of medicine, so this article was very enlightening. I am now curious why the shortening of the cervix has anything to do with a pre-term birth. With any luck, even more studies will be conducted in this field to help more people.

Patent Watch: "StunRay" Disables with a Flash of Light

2011-04-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

The company Genesis Illuminations has been working to create what they are calling an incapacitating light beam. The company hopes the gun will be used in place of a gun or taser, which both have the potential to injure the person being perused. The stun ray would overload the neural sensors connected to the retina and create a white blindness, which is the inverse of normal blindness. The eye will only pick up the white light and there will be a loss of contrast in the person’s vision.

It uses a 75-watt lamp that magnifies the ray, which can be shined at someone. Most people freeze up if they look at the light, and it takes anywhere from seconds to 20 minutes to recover. The inventors say it is like walking from a dark room into a light room. The stun ray has a range of about 150 feet, which is 10 times that of a taser gun and has no damaging effects. The person has to be looking at the ray gun for it to work, but if the person has their back turned they are likely incapable of harming the officer pointing the gun.

I think this could be an extremely useful piece of equipment. It doesn’t necessarily have to be confined to law enforcement. For example, it could be useful in defending yourself when being attacked by an animal (i.e. dog, bear, etc). This seems like a really useful tool in avoiding physical damage while also incapacitating someone/something

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=patent-watch-apr-11

Aircraft contrails stoke warming, cloud formation

2011-03-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=aircraft-contrails-stoke-warmi

Recent studies show that condensation trails by aircraft today may be warming the planet more than all of the carbon dioxide emitted by aircraft since the dawn of aviation in 1903. Contrails are the white lines of vapor left by jet engines and add to the formation of high-altitude heat-trapping cirrus clouds. These recent studies may lead to changes in aircraft restrictions so that they do not emit as much greenhouse gases or so that planes have engines that condense vapor more into water droplets before releasing it into the atmosphere. Another possible fix is to divert plane flights from areas with high amounts of moisture in the air. Unfortunately, this might be counter-productive as there will be more carbon dioxide emissions from the longer flight. Though contrails may be warming the planet, they are nowhere near as bad as the effects of carbon dioxide emissions.

I've always been a little curious about the white lines left by planes in the sky. I realize that the vapor left by planes in the atmosphere can certainly affect global warming, but it doesn't seem like as big of a deal as the effects of burning fossil fuels.

Chemists Turn Used Motor Oil into Gas

2011-03-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Every car needs motor oil to run, and the oil must be changed regularly. Some of the oil is re-refined to produce oil for lubrication or heating, but most of it is just thrown away. Some chemists have found a way to turn this used motor oil into new gasoline. The chemists slightly altered the method of "pyrolysis." Pyrolysis is the method of "decomposing organic material with heat in the absence of oxygen," but it doesn't do very well with motor oil. Their new method mixes the oil with a liquid really good at absorbing microwave radiation, and it works a lot better than the previous method. I have never really thought about what happens to the used motor oil, but I bet it is very hazardous to the environment. So I'm very glad that people are working on finding environmentally friendly uses for the used motor oil.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=chemists-turn-used-motor-oil-into-g-11-03-29

Nanotubes Shrink Tests For Material Integrity

2011-03-28T21:10:00.001-07:00

This article discusses the developments in airplane technology that both makes the airplanes stronger and makes it harder to detect damage to the ariplanes. Up until now (and still now in many cases), airplanes have been made with aluminum. However, recently, airplane manufacturers have been using anew material that is a combination of (often) plastic and carbon or glass. This new material is stronger, but unlike aluminum, when it gets hit, there is no obvious dent to let those using the airplane know that something is wrong. Hence, the ariplane's inspectors have used the flow of heat to inspect whether there are any cracks in the plane because cracks will alter the flow of heat. Yet, while this technique works, it requires large, expensive heaters to heat a section of the plane and a heat sensitive camera to determine if the heat flow is affected. So to remedy this, MIT researchers have created a hand-held device that produces a small electric current that leads nanotubes to heat up. The nanotubes (that heat up in response to the small electric current) can then be the heat source that the inspectors use to find cracks in the airplane rather than the giant heaters. Using the carbon nanotubes and the hand-held device works better for the inspectors, then, because the equipment is less bulky, and, from what it sounded like in the article, less expensive.

I think all these technological advances made, both in the making of airplanes and inspecting airplanes, are really impressive. It just goes to show how one technological advance can lead to another.

Full article at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=nanotubes-shrink-tests-for-material-11-03-28

EV Nation?

2011-03-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

In President Obama’s last State of the Union address he proposed, “We can break our dependence on oil…and become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” While this goal would be excellent to reach, many wonder how likely it is that the United State can achieve this goal. It is hard to say whether this is possible, but consumer interest in electric vehicles (EV) is high. The waiting list for the Nissan Leaf tops 20,000 customers, and other auto companies such as Toyota, Mitsubishi and Ford are expecting similar interest for their eco-friendly cars.

On the political side, the federal government is offering tax credits up to $7,500 for the purchase of each EV. Large sums of money are being allotted to research and development for EV batteries, installation of charging centers, and grants to cities working to reduce oil dependency. The federal investment in clean energy has spurred many state and local governments to take action, as well.

However, even with a strong movement towards EVs, experts call Obama’s plan “very aggressive,” noting that it took over a decade for hybrids – which require no extra infrastructure – to go mainstream. The Electrification Coalition, an organization of pro-EV business leaders conducted a study that predicted as many as 14 million EVs on the road by 2020 if lawmakers continue to support the concept.

I find this to be very exciting. I love the idea of electric vehicles and reducing oil consumption. I have a feeling that because of the state of the economy, people will be more hesitant to buy a new car - even with tax incentives. It will be interesting to see how the EV market progresses. Hopefully the Electrification Coalition is correct.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=one-million-electric-vehicles-by-2015

The Smallest Mind

2011-03-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

This article was about a group of scientists that used light rays to control the mind of a small worm. The worm is about a millimeter long and happens to be one of the most studied organisms. All if its neurons and cells have been mapped out. Some special worms were genetically engineered to be able to respond to light hitting certain cells. The worms could be forced to stop, go, or even lay eggs on command. It is hoped that one day scientists will be able to "upload" a complete mind of some organism and be able to simulate it. The light used has an accuracy of 30 microns.

This worm can be simulated very well because it is a very simple organism. Simulating something as complicated as a human being may takes years, maybe decades or even centuries. this is due to the highly complex nature of the human brain. There are so many neurons and so many connections.

I believe this can be useful in the future, and the one example that comes to mind, being a runner, is being able to simulate someone in fatigue. If you can simulate a specific person running, you can really tell how far that person can go, or how fast he is able to push himself. Most of the time the real power is in your mind, and if you believe and try hard to finish, your body will do what your mind believes it can do.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-smallest-mind

MESSENGER spacecraft successfully enters orbit around Mercury

2011-03-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

This article is about NASA's MESSENGER satellite that was sent out to orbit Mercury in 2004. It finally reached the planet. Even though Mercury is relatively close to Earth in comparison to the other planets, very little was known about its magnetic field and its topology. This satellite will help us know more about Mercury's relatively recent past as it pertains to its volcanos. Scientific observations will begin April 4, and in the mean time NASA will check the status of the satellite because it is getting heavy radiation from the sun. MESSENGER has covered nearly eight billion kilometers.

I think it's fascinating how humanity already has satellites in orbit around five planets and our moon. It makes me want to come back one hundred years from now and know what we have learned from the planets. Some people think that humans are getting more advanced faster than we were in the past, and I agree, but this is just the beginning of the exponential graph. I think one day we'll look back on this age and talk about how slow progress was. "In MY day we were only in orbit around five planets."

Can You See Me Now?

2011-03-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

Scientists are now working to develop a new type of camera, gigapixel cameras. These powerful cameras will have the ability to zoom an incredible amount on objects in the frame. Google earth has gigapixel images but these are created from either hundreds or thousands of other photographs to make one high resolution shot. This can take hours to do, which is why people are working to make a one shot gigapixel camera. These cameras would be advantageous when taking satellite images in battle and using them to locate different objects or in law enforcement and finding license plate numbers. Some gigapixel cameras have been made and they use a sphere shaped lens. One issue with these cameras is that their images take up about 30 gigabytes of space. This would make image storage tough.

These cameras seem to have come a long way, and with $25 million in research in the past 3 years I believe they will be in use pretty soon. Though they have many advantages, the applications can be scary as images from a satellite could potentially be able to display things like views into the windows of your house or what you are carrying while you are outside.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-you-see-me-now

How weather could link Japan radiation to the US

2011-03-17T09:08:00.001-07:00

The nuclear implications that followed Japans catastrophic earthquake has raised fear of radiation leakage, a weather dependent phenomenon. Were there to be a serious fall out, tracking it would be a meteorological problem. Exactly where a radioactive cloud would go would be dependent on the weather, it would aslo depend on how high the cloud rose in the atmosphere. The winds vary highly between the near surface and the upper surface. Any cloud that rose high into the atmosphere would hit the jet stream and travel eastward towards California and Alaska. If this cloud stayed in the upper atmosphere it would cause no problems, but if the radioactive particles fell to the ground they would. If the cloud stayed at the lower level the winds would likely be steered out to sea and dissipate over the ocean. If the radioactive particles reach the upper atmosphere and travel to the USA on a direct path they will reach cities in these times.

Anchorage 3,457 miles 7 days
Honolulu 3,847 miles 8 days
Seattle 4,792 miles 10 days
Los Angeles 5,477 miles 11 days

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=weather-japan-radiation-united-states

Is Seawater a Last Resort to Cooling Japan's Nuclear Reactors?

2011-03-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

This article is about the use of seawater at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan to help prevent nuclear meltdown. Usually, only pure water is used to cool off the nuclear reactors, because as the water cools off the reactors, the water heats up, and some of it evaporates. Usually, only pure water is used because pure water will not leave minerals that can accumulate on the reactors and make them unusable. However, now in Japan, to prevent a complete nuclear meltdown, saltwater may be the only hope. The saltwater is necessary because due to the tsunami, the systems that circulate purified water to keep the fuel rods from melting down failed and the backup diesel generators were flooded, so there is hardly any more pure water accessible to cool the reactors. Without the cirtulating of water, though, there would be a nuclear meltdown. So in a last attempt to prevent that, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has begun circulating seawater throughout the power plants. This will most likely permantently damage the power plant, one of the largest in the world, but I think they are making the right decision to protect the Japanese and any other people the nuclear meltdown could affect.

Full article at:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=japan-earthquake-tsunami-nuclear-seawater

How Does an Earthquake Trigger Tsunamis Thousands of Kilometers Away?

2011-03-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=japan-earthquake-tsunami-waves

The recent 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan caused a tsunami that claimed hundreds of lives. The tsunami was so devastating partly because of the depth of the ocean around it and partly because of great magnitude of the earthquake, which was the strongest recorded magnitude in Japan's recorded history. In this article, Greg Valentine, a geology professor, discusses how a tsunami can be a serious threat from great distances. He explains how the earth's plates beneath the Pacific Ocean are moving at a pace that's slow by our standards and what happens when they come in contact with Japan's crust. Because the crust around Japan is less dense, the ocean's crust dives dives under Japan's and the two grind against each other for some time. At some point, the Pacific plate goes down very suddenly, causing Japan's plate to bounce up and displace a great volume of water that becomes a tsunami. Tsunami waves are much more sever than normal waves and their intensity is partly determined by the depth of the water. At about 5,000 meters deep in the ocean, a tsunami's speed can be 220 meters per second whereas the speed is less with less depth. While the speed and path of a tsunami can be determined fairly well, it is difficult to determine the height of a tsunami because it involves understanding details of fluid dynamics and how the sea floor is shaped.

This article helped me understand just how destructive a tsunami can be. I can't even imagine what a wave going at 220 m/s would look like.

How To Cool A Nuclear Reactor

2011-03-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

The huge earthquake in Japan has caused problems at the nuclear power plants. They have shut down 10 of their 55 plants. This article discussed the problem with reactor No. 1 at Fukushima Daiichi, one of the biggest nuclear power plants in the world. The problem is that the electricity grid shut down, so the pumps bringing in cool water are not working. The major problem that they are worried about is that if the cooling system doesn't work, the reactor core might be damaged which could release nuclear materials into the cooling water which will increase the chance of the radioactive waste traveling outside the reactor. they do have backup diesel generators, but those are not working, so the Japanese government issued a "nuclear emergency," telling people within a 3 mile radius to evacuate. They are already working on bringing in replacements for the generators. This problem is just one of many huge consequences of this huge earthquake. I hope they can fix this problem quickly and that no radioactive material is released because that would just cause so many more problems. I am curious about how this will affect the electricity situation.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-cool-a-nuclear-reactor

The Future Is Now

2011-03-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

The Future Is Now. Although many of the popularly predicted years have passed: George Orwell's 1984, Y2K, 2010. It's not time for the world to end in 2012 yet, so what we have now is 2011. Nothing special, right? Wrong. In 1931, the New York Times celebrated it's 80th anniversary. To celebrate that year, the Times made predictions about what would happen that many years later, in 2011.

To make these predictions, the New York Times called in the help of some famous people. According to Henry Ford, "To make an eighty-year forecast may be an interesting exercise... but its principal interest will probably be for the people eighty years on, who will measure our estimates against the accomplished fact." He was right. In addition to ford, the Times called in two major physicists. Arthur H. Compton, 1927 Nobel Prize winner for his discovery of "Compton Scattering," predicted the increase of communications and television to create a more global community - "the whole earth will be one great neighborhood." And, to the extent that we can video chat with people across the globe, and watch newscasts of turmoil in distant countries, his prediction has come true. In a sense, the world has become a neighborhood - an online neighborhood - through Facebook.

Robert A. Millikan, 1923 Nobel Prize winner for his oil-drop experiment and the determination of the charge of the electron, predicted the rise of gasoline-powered machines. Specifically, he foresaw the importance of "learning to substitute stored solar energy for muscular energy." In our terms, "stored solar energy" is fossil fuel, produced by the decay of organisms that once converted the suns rays into energy, and "muscular energy" is in essence, machines doing the work of human muscles, for example driving replaces walking.

These were the predictions of the most prominent physicists of the time, and neither predicted anything nearly as Jetsons-like as jetpacks or robots that do all the work of humans.

Diabetes Belt Straps Southeast

2011-03-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

New research has uncovered a new “belt” strapped predominantly around the southeastern United States. The “diabetes belt” is a region including 15 states that have abnormally high rates of diagnosed type 2 diabetes: higher than 11.2 percent of the population compared with a national average of 8.5 percent. The new study investigated down to the county level and was able to uncover some striking trends and a distinctive geographical distribution. 644 counties in the diabetes belt also have higher rates of known risk factors of the disease such as a high obesity rate and lower education levels. However, investigators have found a silver lining to the problematic diabetes epidemic. Experts estimate that roughly 30 percent of the risk faced by those in the diabetes belt is related to changeable lifestyle choices.

The 15 states that comprise the belt are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Those conducting the study hypothesize that reasons for the distribution of diabetes could also be related to economic history in the area, which was predominantly agricultural. The economy has shifted away from manual labor, but perhaps diets have not. It is also important to note that while diabetes is weighted more heavily in the southeast, the disease is a pressing and prevalent issue throughout the entire country.

I think it is interesting and smart that investigators have delved so deeply into statistical research in an effort to target certain areas with higher problems of type 2 diabetes. Hopefully this research can be put to good use to help lower the disease rate.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=diabetes-belt&page=2

Raze of Glory: NASA Earth-Observing Climate Satellite Fails to Reach Orbit

2011-03-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

In the last few years NASA has built and launched two world class climate satellites, both of which promised new invaluable data on Earths chaining climate. Unfortunately neither of them will deliver that data. Both of them are at the bottom of the ocean after having had nearly identical rocket mishaps that prevented them from reaching orbit. The latest crash occurred on March 4 when the protective nose encasing the Glory satellite failed to separate from the rest of the Taurus XL rocket, causing it to crash. Nearly the same incident occurred in February of 2009 when another rocket carrying the OCO (orbiting carbon observatory) (another climate satellite) crashed because of a failed protective nose separation. Glory's job was to monitor the intensity of solar energy reaching earth's upper atmosphere and to measure how different airborne particles effect how much of that energy reaches earth's surface. Glory would be able to distinguish between man made airborne particles like aerosols and natural ones like dirt. This would have helped predict climate trends and sort how much influence man made airborne particles are effecting climate change. NASA does not have plans to launch another Glory satellite but are aiming for a 2013 launch of another OCO. Problems with the Taurus XL rocket were investigated after the first failed launch and NASA believed they had been solved. After the second failed launch NASA is reinvestigating the problems, this may delay the launch of the OCO in 2013.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=glory-observatory-crash

Predicting the Future of Oil

2011-03-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

This article is about the impending issue of oil prices in the future as well as how it will affect the U.S. economy and environment. Steven Chu, our nation’s 12^th secretary of energy and founder of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, guesses that it is only a speculator’s game. Chu talks about how the rise in popularity of the SUV is bad news for the environment as well as the economy. The U.S. now imports roughly $1 billion worth of oil every day, which is potentially being transferred into the bank accounts of our enemies. Furthermore, residents of China and India are getting the chance to fall in love with the automobile, and democratic revolutions in places like Libya makes an increase in oil prices very likely.

Of course, this is not a new problem, but I think the prospect of having no oil is a very scary one. A lack of oil would inhibit certain facets of our daily routines that we generally take for granted. This is why Steven Chu, instead of panicking at high prices, preaches that we begin to invest in turning scientific advances into deployable technology that would reduce U.S. demand for oil.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=predicting-the-future-of-oil-11-03-06

Drinking from a Bottle Instead of the Tap Just Doesn't Hold Water

2011-03-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

This article talked about how wasteful it is to buy bottled water instead of drinking tap water. Bottled water consumption has quadrupled since 1990. Americans drink about 50 billion bottles (30 billion liters) of water every year. 2.7 million tons of plastic is made each year for these bottles and it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to make that plastic (which is enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars for a year). And 86% of those plastic bottles don't get recycled. And bottled water even costs 1900 times more than tap water. All of that is wasted to get water that is basically the same if not less good for you than tap water.
This article reinforced my thoughts that buying bottled water instead of drinking tap water is pretty stupid. Of course there are times when bottle water is much more convenient, and thats fine, but to buy bottled water to like keep in your house to drink instead of your tap water is just stupid, and this articles shows why.

Automaton, Know Thyself: Robots Become Self-Aware

2011-03-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

This article discussed roboticist, Hod Lipson's, work at Cornell in trying to develop a self-image in robots. The idea is to help robots understand how they are made so that they can understand if something goes wrong and learn to adapt to different situations. Lipson and his team developed a four-legged robot and gave it an idea of what parts were used to make it but not how they were arranged, and the robot was able to figure out how to move (by trial and error). Then, they took away one of the legs of the robot so that it had to readjust its self-image and learn how to move with three legs instead of four.

This level of intelligence is impressive, but the article then goes on to say that the robots that can develop self-images now are more basic robots with fewer parts. The article suggests that putting two "brains" in the robot might allow it to adapt even better because then there is one controller to actually control the robot and the other to reflect on the other controller's actions and figure out changes that may need to be made.

I think these are really amazing advances. However, at the end, the article says that sciencists have discovered that mental illness could develop in robots similar to the mental illness that develops in humans. For example, the robot who lost one of its limbs developed 'phantom limb' syndrome. This part of the article was most weird and scary to me because it really presented the idea that robots are becoming more humanlike and the science fiction idea of robots taking over the world almost seems to be becoming less ridiculous.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=automaton-robots-become-self-aware&page=2

Family Planning Stabilizes Population, but Investment is Down

2011-03-01T17:12:00.001-08:00

This article discusses the decline in worldwide fertility. The decline in fertility is good because it helps stabilize populations, especially in less developed countries. John Casterline, the director of the Initiative in Population Research at Ohio State, said that the key to the decrease in fertility is “family planning” and prevention of unwanted births. He says the good thing is that now they know that helping more people around the world with family planning will help stabilize the word population. However, the bad side, he says, is that there has been a decrease in the investment in family planning internationally.

To me it seems that “family planning” or preventing unwanted births is an obvious solution. But when I thought about it, I guess we have readily available contraceptives and information and many more freedoms here in the US. We take for granted the ease of preventing unwanted births, since it is so common, but it is probably much more difficult in less developed countries.

Amateur Cartographers Map Local 'Food Desert'

2011-02-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Volunteers with the Brooklyn Food Coalition held their data entry party recently in an attempt to map out many of the grocery stores in the Brooklyn area. They entered data from 200+ stores into their site, foodcensus.org, which has a map displaying a dot for all of the food stores in a small area of Brooklyn. When clicked on, these dots show the address and whether they carry a number of foods, including fresh fruits, veggies, whole grain bread, low-fat diary and other healthy foods. The Brooklyn area is well known for its lack of available healthy food. Recent research has shown that low income neighborhoods are often where ‘food deserts’ are. These areas have been shown to sometimes have higher cases of obesity, cancer, and diet related issues than the average area. Cartography, or mapping, has been becoming increasingly popular with recent technology making it much easier than in the past. The food movement in Brooklyn is to try and allow anyone who wants healthy food to have access to the food. Though the group is made of only 5 people, they have mapped out about 1/3 of Brooklyn and are hoping to recruit other volunteers to help with the effort.

I knew that healthy foods were often expensive, but I was not really aware that these food deserts existed so people had trouble even finding healthy foods. This seems like a relatively important problem to fix, because dietary issues seem to be prominent in the United States, especially when you consider the amount of obesity here. Hopefully movements like these can help people find healthy foods and also push stores to carry the healthier foods as well.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mapping-the-food-desert

Bloom with a View: Robot Subs Help Researchers Study Mysterious Antarctic Sea Life

2011-02-27T15:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antarctica-seaglider-phytoplankton-study

Antarctica has always been a difficult environment to conduct research in. Now, instead of venturing out to locations like Antarctica's Ross Sea in person, scientists are starting to use satellite-guided robotic subs to collect data. These robots, that can go deep underwater and remain for months at a time, are being used to study phytoplankton blooms in the Ross Sea that nourish an entire ecosystem for months before disappearing somehow. In fact, the phytoplankton is the only thing that sustains life in Antarctica. Researchers want to know why this algae that turns the sea from clear blue to green only remains in the waters from about mid-November to mid-January. Because of ice conditions, scientists can't access the area before late December. However, the robotic subs offer a good solution. Using these subs, scientists can find out what the phytoplankton depend on in order to grow. These robots have different sensors for depth, temperature, and salinity, as well as sensors to measure the biological properties of the water like the amount of oxygen and presence of chlorophyll. These robots called Seagliders have already been used in the recent BP Oil Spill disaster and have proved very effective and reliable.

I am always fascinated with technological developments that can help us to better understand the world we live in. The use of these robots seems very practical and may allow scientists to discover the answers to some really cool ecological mysteries.

Dolphin Deaths

2011-02-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Gulf Oil Spill seems to have eclipsed many minds, but aftermath is still showing up on the shores of Alabama and Mississippi. Since January 20, 2011, bodies of 20 infant and stillborn dolphins have been found on the 130-mile stretch of beach from Gulfport Mississppi to Gulf Shores, Alabama. About 10 adult dolphins have also been found. These numbers are about 10 times higher than usual for this time of year, which is calving season for 2,000 to 5,000 dolphins. The baby dolphins, most smaller than 3 feet, either died soon after birth or were aborted. Though no carcasses showed any clear indication of oil contamination, necropsies – the equivalent of human autopsies – are being performed to analyze the deaths. Adult dolphin mortality also tripled this year to 89 from about 30 in previous years.

I found this article to be very sad. Dolphins are already suffering and some varieties are on the endangered list, so it is not a good sign to see more dead dolphins washing up on beaches. I also think this is a good reminder of the consequences of the oil spill, which has not been talked about for a while but is still fairly recent. Hopefully scientists, the government, and those involved with marine mammal studies can find a way to help sea creatures affected by the oil spill and lower death rates.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=correction-baby-dolphin-deaths-spik

Is a U.S. Nuclear Revival Finally Underway?

2011-02-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

The USA is beginning to under go a nuclear renaissance, many companies like GA southern and SCANA are organizing projects to build nuclear reactors. This renaissance is happening slowly and although we may not see a large increase in the number of power plants between now and 2020, we will see a large increase between now and 2050. In many ways nuclear energy is a positive alternative to fossil fuels. It produces much less green house gas emissions than fossil fuels, and is very affordable. Because of the USA governments increased regulations on fossil fuel emissions companies like SCANA and GA Southern are looking to nuclear energy as an alternative. However nuclear energy has its flaws. For one the waste is radioactive and can be used to make nuclear weapons. Ultimately if all necessary pro cautions are taken and waste is properly secured and disposed off, nuclear energy can be a good alternative to fossil fuels.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=us-nuclear-revival-starting

Vulture restaurants are helping to save critically endangered birds of prey

2011-02-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

This article discussed vultures (as you could probably tell from the title) in India. Vultures used to be common throughout India, but in the past 20 years, 99.9% of Asia's vultures have died off. The main cause of death for the vultures is diclofenac poisoning. Diclofenac is an anti-inflammatory for humans a livestock, but it causes renal failure in vultures. The vultures eat the chemicals when they eat the carcasses of animals who have consumed the drug. As the vultures have died off, diseases, rats, and wild dogs have increased in India, threatening humans' safety. The use of the drug was banned in India in 2006, but many farmers still use it anyway. The vultures our still heading towards extinction. In an attempt to help the vultures, four vulture "restaurants" have been set up in India. At these "restaurants," the people running them provide carcasses that they buy from local villagers and test them to make sure they haven't been contaminated by diclofenac. If the carcasses are safe, they lay them out for the vultures. Apparently, all the "restaurants" are near freshwater so the vultures can bathe after their meals.

I enjoyed reading this article because it was an easy read but informative about something people are doing in Asia to help keep wildlife from going extinct. I feel like this is a story that is common around the world, and in a way it's sort of uplifting to see what people are willing to do to help animals. On the other hand, I can also see this as seeming a bit extreme. Why not just make diclofenac less accessible and enforce the ban more instead of making vulture "restaurants"? I don't know, though. What do you think they should be doing? Are the vulture "restaurants" a good idea?

Full article is at http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=vulture-restaurants-are-helping-to-2011-02-14.

Dropped Call: Studies Refute Contention That Cell Phones Cause Cancer

2011-02-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

Since cell phones have really only been in use for a few decades, the long term effects of cell phone usage are still unknown. According to the National Cancer Institute, the "low-frequency electromagnetic radiation" emitted from cell phones is non-ionizing, meaning it doesn't cause significant tissue heating or body temperature increases that could lead to cell damage. So the general belief is that they don't cause cancer. However, between 2000 and 2004, a European study showed some correlation between heavy cell phone usage and some forms of tumors. But this data is not the most reliable because there is a possible response bias. There is another European study currently underway. It is a long term study of about 250,000 people age 18 to 69 in Britain, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. They are tracking their cell phone usage over three decades and will factor in the usage of hands free devices. In the meanwhile, the FCC, or the Federal Communications Commission, suggests that people limit their cell phone usage time and use hands free devices as often as possible since it keeps the phone at a greater distance from your body, reducing the exposure to radiation.

The question of cell phones causing cancer has been a big question for a while, so I am glad that there is a study that is working on finding an answer. And I really hope it turns out that they definitely don't cause cancer or else we are all screwed.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cell-phones-and-cancer

X-rays blow up secret to van Gogh's fading sunflowers

2011-02-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

This article was about how a group of scientists tried to see what Vincent Van Gogh's paintings of sunflowers used to look like when they were new. The paint he used for yellow had chromium in it. The Cr(VI) decayed into Cr(III) over time and this caused the bright yellows to turn a brownish color. Samples of the paintings were treated with X-rays to verify and it turns out it's true.

I think it's interesting to see how chemistry can help us see what paintings looked like when they were first painted. I'm not into art nearly as much as chemistry, but art gets that much more interesting when it gets mingled with chemistry. Science has been used in the past to prove certain works of "art" as fakes. An example that comes to mind is the Shroud of Turin. Apparently it was the cloth used when Jesus died, but it was later proved to only be about 700 years old. Who knows what other truths chemistry will unearth about art in the future? Maybe the Mona Lisa was da Vinci in drag. We'll see.

-Luis

Oh, the humanity: Jeopardy! champs aim to take down IBM's Watson computer

2011-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

IBM has built a computer, named Watson after the founder of IBM, to attempt to take down the two most famous Jeopardy contestants. The two human contestants are Ken Jennings, the contestant winning 74 games in a row, and Brad Rutter, the contestant who won $3.2 million during multiple tournaments.

Watson is an advanced language-processing machine that will take the question, determine an answer, and if the machine has a high enough confidence, buzz in and guess the answer. Watson will not be connected to the Internet, though it will be able to be fixed by IBM technicians if he breaks down.

One of the hardest parts of the challenge for Watson will be simply understanding the questions because they are often full of puns that the robot may not understand. Wordplay may also be hard for the robot to understand.

After a pole at Scientific American the staff is split on who will win. Some say that the speed of a human to buzz in will beat out the robots slow clicking mechanism. Others say that Watson’s vast knowledge will bring him the victory. Each of the contestants has pledged to give a portion of their winnings to charity. The competition will take place between February 14 and 16.

The idea that a robot has a vast enough knowledge to compete with humans is a little scary. Also that it will potentially be able to reason around puns and other wordplay is pretty crazy. I’m excited to watch the episodes and see how the robot does!

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=oh-the-humanity-jeopardy-champs-aim-2011-02-14

Climate change keenly felt in Alaska's national parks

2011-02-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climate-change-keenly-felt

As of late, climate change has been hitting Alaska particularly hard. National parks such as Denali and Kenai Fjords are being reshaped by mudslides, vegetation, and other effects of climate change in Alaska. Some better-known impacts such as frequent wildfires and the decline in certain wildlife populations that depend on sea ice and glaciers have been noticed as well. For years, Alaska has been warming at three times the rate of the lower 48 United States, so parkland has been greatly affected. Though tourists and other visitors may not notice the changes, experts certainly do. Park managers have had to create new trails and adjust due to retreating glaciers and melting. Runoff and glacier melt have been significant concerns as flooding is becoming more and more frequent. Tourist attractions are being endangered by mudslides and debris. Some marine waters are also being contaminated from absorbing atmospheric carbon, which may become a grave problem for fish populations.

Climate change is always a pressing issue, and it doesn't seem much is done to take care of it until we're presented with major problems. Places like Alaska are being especially affected and may lose valuable tourist attractions. I certainly hope this does not happen as I have yet to visit Alaska.

Affordable Orbital

2011-02-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

Engineers Bob Twiggs & Jordi Puig-Suari back in 2000 began working on what are today called CubeSats. CubeSates are cubic, one-liter, one-kilogram, low cost spacecrafts (around $100,000) that are designed to be launched in batches into outer space. They dramatically reduce launch costs by riding shotgun, if you will, on other space missions. Puig-Sauri & Twiggs' idea was to make space science affordable for most science labs. Both NASA & the NSF have picked up on CubeSats and many teams have already began projects using these compact spacecrafts and some have already succeeded in completing their missions. Some companies have begun selling some CubeSat components like solar panels & transceivers off-the-shelf.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=cubesats-photos
-Donovan Thomas
1/9/11

Web Watchers

2011-02-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

We live in a technology engrossed society. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t enter our name, birthday, password or some other personal information into a computer. This article examines where that information goes, how it is used, and how the public’s response to online security has shifted over the years. If you’ve ever used a Gmail account, you may have noticed the small ads on the side of the screen. A closer examination of the ads reveals that they personally target the online user based on the content of their email. A software algorithm scans e-mails for key words. This means machines are scanning your inbox, an act which some feel violates privacy. When Gmail was first launched in 2004 it drew complaints about this feature, especially from a California state senator who proposed a bill illegalizing e-mail scanning.

The article gives other examples of services that “track” our actions. For example, Grocery store cards store information about the food we purchase. Amazon.com remembers our name and our buying history. Facebook has collected personal information from over half a billion users. While it can seem invasive that companies collect this information, the article argues that our privacy fears stem from more of an emotional rather than rational response. While information like voting and medical history is best kept private, how important is a grocery list? The article mentions how with constant advancements in technology privacy is dwindling, but so are people’s fears. It says users should have minimal fear about online security

I thought this article was interesting because online security is something I think about a lot when online. The internet has become such a natural part of our lives, but sometimes I forget how easily my information is to access. I also find it interesting how much personal information people share to the public, especially through social networking sites.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=dont-worry-about-whos-watching

The YouTube Cure: How Social Media Shapes Medical Practice

2011-02-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

We all know that social media makes communication significantly faster. Usually, it’s a good thing. News spreads quickly. We can talk to people who live in different cities, countries, or even continents. There are all sorts of great things about faster communication – but the downsides are turning out to be significant as well, especially within the medical community.

In December of 2009, vascular surgeon Paolo Zamboni reported that inflating a tiny balloon inside twisted veins in the neck provided relief from multiple sclerosis (MS). It caused an uproar – physicians were skeptical and Zamboni himself said that his findings should be subjected to more rigorous testing.

Regardless, huge numbers of people with MS have been demanding this new, unproven treatment. Why? Because their social media and networking websites told them that it would work. Social media has amplified both the research and the demands of would-be patients to the point that doctors have found themselves playing catch-up every step of the way. Often, word of research gets around on social networking sites before the doctors hear about it. Social media, in many cases, has caused many patients to assume that the cure will work until other research indicates otherwise – a somewhat disastrous attitude to take when regarding one’s own health.

To tie it back to a relatively pop culture aspect, this reminds me a lot of the incident a couple weeks ago regarding Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler’s hurt knee in the NFC Championship Game. Cutler hurt his knee very badly in the first half and was, against his wishes, taken out of the game. Other football players exploded on Twitter within minutes, claiming that Cutler was soft, weak, a cry-baby, someone who just gives up on the big stage, and much, much worse. The fact was that if Cutler had tried to play the rest of the game, he could have permanently hurt the knee and ended his career. But the players on Twitter jumped to conclusions and when they realized their mistake, it was too late.

What Would Reagan Do? Check the MRI

2011-02-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

WWRD = What Would Reagan Do? Well turns out that during Ronald Reagan's presidency, he did in fact have Alzheimer's disease. Using today's technology of imaging & spinal taps, it has been reveals that Alzheimer's sets in as many as 15 years by the time the 1st symptoms appear. The use of imaging and spinal fluid "biomarkers" can probe the course of the disease years before the 1st symptoms become evident. Considering how old Reagan was, aging still clearly remains the largest risk factor in developing Alzheimer's. Also considering how old John McCain was, it's a good thing Obama won. McCain might be forgetting the names of world leaders durring crucial meetings or maybe forgetting what the big red button does.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=what-would-reagan-do-check-the-mri-2011-02-07
1/9/11
-Donovan Thomas

Bioengineered Blood Vessels Are State-of-the-Artery

2011-02-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

Another sign of why the World needs more and more engineers. Bioengineers engineered fully functional blood vessels using human cells from a donor and then "seed" them together onto a degradable polymeric scaffold. Lead author Shannon Dahl explains, "The cells proliferate and secrete extracellular matrix proteins, which are the proteins in your tissues that give your tissues strength. And during the time of culture, the polymer degrades away." What remains is a bioengineered blood vessel ready to be implanted into a needing patient. The implants shouldn't trigger any immune responses and clinics can store a supply of these man made blood vessels for up to a year
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=bioengineered-blood-vessels-are-sta-11-02-07
1/8/11
-Donovan Thomas

2011-02-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

the link for my article

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=microsoft-kinect-hack&page=2

Notions of Motion: Hackers Harness Microsoft's Kinect for Business and Pleasure Applications

2011-02-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

The new Kinect that Microsoft made for Xbox 360 is a webcam kind of device that uses cameras to sense your whole body and lets you play games buy moving your body and waving your arms and legs. After it came out, hackers quickly started hacking it to see what they could use it for besides just the xbox games. Microsoft is perfectly fine with the hackers though and encourages them to test the Kinects capabilities. They are figuring out how to use the Kinect, and also now another motion detecting device, in places such as public art exhibits and the work place. Hackers from MIT from a company called Evoluce used Kinect to surf the web and control Windows 7 and PowerPoint. These motion detecting devices are looking like the future for interacting with your computer and many more possible things. Researchers say that using this technology in the workplace can make work much more enjoyable; certain movements trigger certain feelings in your brain and therefor we can use the technology with movements that trigger good feelings to make a more enjoyable work.

Microsoft is very focused and deeply invested in this "natural user interface" (like the Kinect), it is the future and it probably wont be far in the future where many things in our life are controlled this way.

Global growth: More than 10 percent of adults worldwide are now obese

2011-02-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

Fast food and other trappings of convenience have been spreading across the world at a wide spread rate, bringing their associated obesity problems with them. According to an analysis published in the "The Lancet" nearly half a billion people were obese in 2008, nearly double the 1980 rate. BMI (Body mass indexes) have increased by .4kilograms each decade, reaching 23 in 2008. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese and a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight. Obesity is no longer only a problem for western nations, but is now a global problem. However western nations still lead the pack, with the USA in first place. In the USA 34% of the adult population is overweight, and BMI's have increased by 1.1 each decade (the highest rate in the world). The USA and other western countries also have the highest cholesterol rates in the world, although they have been dialing it down thanks to increased screening and better medical management. The obesity crisis needs to be stopped. People need to be come more aware of the importance of a healthy diet. Awareness of the importance of a healthy diet, and increased medical screenings should help combat the problem.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=global-growth-more-than-10-percent-2011-02-04

E-book lending services ramping up as e-readers storm the market

2011-02-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

According to this article, amazon sold 115 kindle books for every 100 paperback books since the beginning of 2011. Also, Barnes & Noble and Amazon have sold a lot of Kindles and other e-book reading devices. With this huge increase in the use of e-books, companies have had to deal with one of the major problems of e-books - the inability to lend the books out. They have found a way to let people lend their e-books, but there are restrictions. It is up to the original publisher to decide if the book can be loaned, and it is typically only for 14 days. Also, they can be loaned only to one person at a time, and the reader cannot read it while it is being loaned. These somewhat tight restrictions have begun to open up a market for other ways to facilitate e-book lending. There is a website, Bookswim.com, that connects people to lend and borrow books with a credit system. And now libraries are starting to offer e-books for loan.

I think it is really interesting how people adapt to the technological advancements. People first make portable book reading devices so they don't have to carry lots of heavy books and waste paper. Then websites were created just for the purpose of sharing the new e-books. Our lives are always changing because of technology.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=e-book-lending-services-ramping-up-2011-02-02

Simulation Says Single Collision Created Pluto's 3 Companions

2011-02-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Scientists believe that the moon was created by an earth shattering collision (haha earth shattering) between an object the size of mars and the earth. Now, they are contemplating whether or not this same thing happened with a different planet, Pluto.
According to planetary scientist Robin Canup, all three of Pluto's satellites could have come from just a single impact. It was thought that Pluto's moon, Charon was created by an impact, but now scientists think that two pieces of debris orbiting the planet that were found in 2005 could be from that same impact.
A computer simulated collision yielded icy debris that could be the two non-moon satellites. This means, though, that the two things orbiting Pluto will be icy. NASA's New Horizons probe will reach the debris in 2015, and if it is found that the debris are icy, it is likely they came from the same impact creating Pluto's moon.
The thought that planets actually collide scares me. I know it seem inevitable that this would happen, but knowing that's how our moon was created is quite bizarre. It will be interesting to see if scientists' computer models were accurate in predicting that the debris will be icy.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=simulation-says-single-collision-cr-11-02-01

Researchers Weigh the Benefits of a New Kilogram Standard

2011-02-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

Ever since 1889, the SI unit kilogram has been based on the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder kept in a lab vault somewhere outside Paris. This standard, however, has become outdated. The kilogram is the only unit based on something manmade. All other units are based on scientific measurements that are universal and unchanging. Over the years, the mass of the "official kilogram" has shifted slightly, and although it is not enough to impact everyday life, it is enough of a change to annoy measurement scientists.

There are now plans being made to tie the mass of a kilogram to Plancks's Constant, a constant and unchanging number. This seems like a good way to define the kilogram, but the technology required to make the calculations has not been fully developed yet. There was meeting of measurement scientists on January 24th at the Royal Society in London to further discuss changes to the measurement units. However, until the technology to define the kilogram comes about, we will have to stick with that little cylinder somewhere in France.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=researchers-weigh-benefits-of-a-new-11-01-24

Can Giraffes Float?

2011-02-01T11:37:00.001-08:00

Whether giraffes can or cannot float has been discussed by scientists for years. The question is so unknown because there have been no definite observations of them swimming aside from a few segments of film in which they wade into a river. Designing an experiment that didn’t consist of pushing a giraffe into a deep pool to see whether it drowned or not have been hard to come up with, because that seems to be the only way to figure it out. Donald Henderson (Palaeontologist) made a computerized, three-dimensional, digital giraffe by calculating, the animal’s centers of mass and buoyancy, it’s surface friction, and resistance against moving limbs. The group of scientists performing the experiment used flotation-stimulating software to test the buoyancy of the giraffe. The results of the experiment were that the giraffe can technically float but it wouldn’t be able to function comfortably in the water. The neck would be pulled to a horizontal position due to the heavy chest and shoulder area, it would sit very low in the water, and it would suffer from high drag.

You Smell Flowers, I Smell Stale Urine: Each of us lives in our own olfactory world

2011-02-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

This article is about the differences in every person’s ability to smell things and the intensities at which the scents are detected. The article focuses on the differences in olfactory receptors and the mutations that are accumulated. The mutations build up and become a “pseudogene” which means it basically blocks that receptor. Every person has different blocked receptors, which means that every person has a specific and individual “blind spot” of smell, something that they are unable to detect. This is referred to as a “bar code situation” in which everyone has a different bar code, no matter how small the difference. Tests have been done to further research with large amounts of people smelling a range of odors. The results were that people smelled the odors differently. Some that were strong and intense for some people were weak for others, and some that were pleasant for some were not for others.
I thought this article was interesting because I’ve always been interested in how different people smell, hear, or see things differently. It’s interesting to know that no two people smell things exactly the same and that there are odors we can’t smell at all, regardless of whether we know what that odor is or not.

How to humanize technology--from the scatological to the sublime

2011-01-31T17:44:00.000-08:00

This article discussed the idea that we can humanize technology, the opposite of the common belief that technology dehumanizes us. To do this, the article presented many technologies that are part of the "Talk to Me" exhibit at the MOMA that interact with humans or objects that humans interact with. For example, in the picture on the right is the "Gesundheit Radio" that, true to its name, sneezes when it collects too much dust. Another technology called "Crossfire" is a table setting complete with china that shutters in response to the track from an emotionally tense dinner scene from the film American Beauty. There was also one called "EyeWriter" which enabled a paralyzed L.A. graffiti artist to draw by moving his eyes. All of these technologies I thought were very neat. The shuttering table setting reminds me of the dishes in Beauty and the Beast, and I believe that the "EyeWriter" is a wonderful use of technology to improve someone's life. At the end, the writer poses the possibility that the new technology may make some uneasy because it could gain an "uneasy independence from the utility we assign". But at least in reading about it, I find all of the technologies pretty neat.

Full article at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=how-to-humanize-technology-from-the-2011-01-28

South Carolina scientist works to grow meat in lab

2011-01-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=south-carolina-scientist-works-to-g

At the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Vladimir Mironov has been working to grow meat. Though not many scientists are bioengineering meat, Mironov believes it could help solve future global food crises. This research has not received much funding for a few reasons, chief of them being that most people do not like the idea of having their food grown in a laboratory, even though there are many foods on the market created in a similar fashion. Mironov aims to create meat that is essentially like regular meat taken from animals, including texture and taste. He has taken myoblasts, cells that create muscular tissue, from turkeys and combined it with nutrients to create muscle tissue. However, in order to get a real steak-like quality, a vascular system will need to be added so the cells can receive oxygen. In the future, cultured meat could even become cheaper than farm meat and would even be convenient for interplanetary exploration.

I thought that this article was a little odd but not disgusting. Though the idea of processed meat sounds weird, it makes sense. There are many people in the world who don't have enough to eat and would gladly have this kind of meat. If it can be cheaper and produced more efficiently than conventional meat, then I'm all for it.

Sussing Out Simians: Humans Can Accurately Size Up a Chimp's Personality after Viewing Its Face

2011-01-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever looked at someone and immediately known something about them? Something they’re thinking or feeling, something that shows in their facial expressions? Well, it appears that chimpanzees are so genetically and culturally similar that humans can accurately guess an individual chimp’s personality just by observing its face.

It sounds pretty cool, but what’s the use? It turns out that the comparison between the faces of chimps and humans sheds light on the evolution of our faces and their role in body language. More importantly, it could yield insights into the nature of autism.

In the experiment, the humans rated the chimp faces on a seven-point scale for four traits: dominant, active, sociable, and sympathetic. People accurately identified dominant and active personalities and usually correctly guessed sympathetic ones, but had trouble with judging sociability. Then, they added pictures of humans into the mix, asking the volunteers to assess the dominance of the individual chimps and how extroverted each human was (again, on a seven-point scale).

Finally, the humans were put through tests measuring their personality, empathy, and autistic traits. The volunteers then compared the chimp faces for dominance and the human faces for how extroverted they were. Interestingly, the volunteers whose social skills embodied autistic traits were worse at reading the humans but normal at judging the chimps.

The theory (which is grasping at straws to simply try and get an impressive sounding result) is that it reflects a human-specific social cognition that has evolved past the social skills and traits off other primates. In my opinion, it seems kind of obvious that we, in general, have more advanced social skills and traits than chimps. It strikes me as counterintuitive that this was the “big result” to come out of this study. What else do you guys think this could show?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sussing-out-simians-human

Food Frenzy

2011-01-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

In a world of fast-food and influential advertisements, it seems as if many Americans are “supersizing” too many meals. The obesity epidemic has reached a point where, if current trends continue, it will surpass smoking to claim the title of number one factor in early death, reduced quality of life, and added healthcare costs. According to the CDC, 1/3 of adults in the United States is obese, an additional 1/3 is overweight, and the numbers are rising. The Journal of the American Medical Association claims that obesity causes roughly 160,000 deaths per year that could otherwise be avoided. Studies have also shown that the average obese person costs society over $7,000 per year in additional medical expenses and can rack up additional expenses close to $30,000 in a lifetime.

The article then addresses the looming question: why do people, and Americans in particular, struggle so much with obesity? It seems as though the idea of eating fewer calories than one burns is much easier said than done. The article proposes that our species evolved to consume energy-dense foods to survive. However, in today’s world of enormous portions, empty calories, and less physical activity, the extra food is not getting burned off. The article also mentions that up to 2/3 of dieters gain weight in the years after their diet.

This seems like a big issue to me. Not only does it cost more to care for obese citizens, but obesity poses a major health risk to a large portion of society. I am not sure what the best way to approach this problem is, but it seems as if changing food portions and using healthier ingredients would be a good place to start.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-fix-the-obesity-crisis&print=true

Smart Bomb' RNA Molecule Could Take Out Drug-Resistant HIV

2011-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

A recent study has found that a lab generated strand of RNA has the potential to slow/stop production of HIV in patients and also kill free floating virus cells. The RNA is called chimaera. It blocks the replicating capabilities of infected cells and also binds to a protein on free floating cells to kill them.

The RNA strand is not new, but was recently tested in animals. Animals that were injected with chimaera had about a week where the HIV counts in their blood were dropping. The RNA can be re-injected weekly and keep working.

The great importance of this RNA is that HIV cannot evolve so that it is no longer affected by it. After the HIV in people becomes drug resistant, they run out of options. Chimaera has the potential to give these people a longer, better life if they are willing to be injected weekly.

chimaera though does not rid the body of the virus, and scientists think they can produce a strand that will be more affective than the one they have now.

I never knew this technology existed. It is a brilliant idea. I think the production of RNA that could potentially target cancer cells is a step that could come soon. This would take away many of the problems associated with chemotherapy.

Sticky Business: Video Shows the Right Way to Extract Silk Glands from a Black Widow Spider

2011-01-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

If any of you get a sudden urge to dissect a black widow spider and extract the silk glands, then you should watch the video because it shows the complete and somewhat gross process, and it only takes an hour and a half to three hours. They start by anesthetizing the spider, and then they cut off the abdomen. Once they cut open the abdomen, they carefully remove the seven separate silk glands in a specific order.

Scientists have figured out different kinds of silk produced by each gland (except for one) such as egg case silk from the tubuliform gland or scaffolding silk from the major and minor ampulate glands. Black widows can be found in garages, wood piles and bushes mostly in western North America. They are used because the females have large abdomens, making it easier to extract the glands without rupturing them.

As most people have heard, spider silk is stronger than steel, so many researchers all over the world have been working on developing synthetic fibers that mimic spider silk. Scientists can use the extracted glands to find what proteins and genes are present in each gland, and they can clone the genes into bacteria or yeast to create the artificial spider silk.

It would be very helpful to have synthetic spider silk fibers because it is so strong. It would be put to use specifically in commercial, industrial and military applications. This article really highlights how far our knowledge of science and animals has come, and what we are capable of in the future. It seems to me that scientists are very close to finding the perfect methods of creating artificial spider silk.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=video-extract-silk-glands-black-widow

The quest for cool: Novel approach leads to brighter, more efficient white LEDs

2011-01-19T15:11:00.001-08:00

This article is about phosphor-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that have been replacing both incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs in residential buildings. However, for this trend to continue, advances need to be made to increase longevity and reduce glare.
LEDs shed light because electrons move around in a semiconductor. However, if you've seen an LED light before, you know how strong and bright they can be but only in a certain spot. People who create these LEDs fix that by coating the semiconductors with phosphor to produce white light. However, the phosphor also causes an absorption of the light meaning that not all the light produced is being shed which reduces the energy efficiency of the light. Researchers have been working on solving this problem. One approach is to combine "optimally shaped optics" and to put the phosphor farther away from the semiconductor die. This leads to an increase in the amount of light.
I think it's interesting that even now, decades after the creation of the light bulb, research is being done to increase its longevity, make it brighter, and make it more energy efficient. The science in the article was slightly complicated, but I was able to get the gist of what the scientists were attempting. They're attempting to change things that I didn't even know went on inside a light bulb.
The full article is at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=the-quest-for-cool-novel-approach-l-2011-01-18

Consumers and Calorie Counts

2011-01-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

Little numbers are creeping onto restaurant and fast-food menus across the country. Not the price; the number of calories. Some local and state governments have established mandatory calorie count displays for menu items. But, will this new information alter consumer choices when it comes to food? A study conducted at a fast food restaurant suggested no. When customers were asked if they would like to “downsize” their order to cut 200 calories (opposite of “supersize”), only about 33% accepted.

Another study observed the Mexican-style fast-food chain, Taco Time, which started posting calories on the menu more than a year ago. Consumer food choices were compared before and after the calorie information was available. The numbers show few changes in consumer choices before and after the nutrition fact was provided.

Eric Finkelstien of Duke University’s Global Health Institute offered insight to the data. One argument he made was that people who eat at Taco Time in the first place are not overly concerned about health. He compared the fast-food-phenomenon with that of smoking, stating that the change in smoking was due to cigarette taxes, not health information. Finkelstein is not sure if he’s in favor of taxing unhealthy food, though he does think it would have an effect.

I find it interesting that so few people are persuaded to change their order even after seeing the calories. I was recently at a restaurant that did provide the nutritional information and it did affect my order. I am also undecided about the idea of taxing fast food. I think it is an interesting proposal, but could create serious issues in society.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=calorie-labeling-menus&page=2

Hole's on First?: New Evidence Shows Black Hole Growth Preceding Galactic Formation

2011-01-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=dwarf-galaxy-black-hole

For a long time, scientists have wondered whether black holes or galaxies come first or if they both come into being at the same time. A recent discovery by Amy Reines at the University of Virginia may provide some answers to this question. While looking at bursts of star formation in the dwarf galaxy Heinze 2-10, a sort of proxy for early galaxies in the universe, Reines noticed unusual radio waves and radiation levels coming from a certain point. These signs pointed to a massive black hole. This is odd because Henize 2-10 lacks a detectable spheroid, or galactic bulge, near its center. The spheroid is usually directly related to the mass of the black hole. This suggests that black holes may be able to form ahead of a galaxy. Heinze 2-10 and other dwarf galaxies may have much to tell us about the evolution of galaxies and black holes. If this incidence is noticed again in other dwarf galaxies, we may be able to learn a lot more about how black holes and galaxies develop.

I found this article a little confusing at first as astronomy isn't something I know much about. However, I was able to understand how amazing it would be if we were able to figure out how galaxies and black holes come about. Black holes are actually one of the scariest things in the world (or rather, in the universe) but understanding their evolution would be pretty cool.

Lakes a big source of climate-warming gas: study

2011-01-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Scientists have recently found that lakes and rivers emit far more greenhouse gases than people initially thought. These gasses are responsible for a large part of global warming. A study of 474 bodies of water showed that they emit methane equivalent to approximately 25 percent of carbon dioxide in the world. This carbon dioxide is absorbed by the earth and growing plants.
Some of the carbon people thought was being stored in the earth is going to be counteratcted by these water sources emitting gas. Lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water had not originally been properly put into most global warming models, making them innacurate. Many scientists are stressing the extreme importance of of forests and other environments that are considered carbon sinks and help offset global warming. They are becoming more rare.
The threat of the gas in not knew, but now scientists understand the source of the gas. A climate conference in Cancun, Mexico agreed to set a system to slow deforestation in the Amazon in an attempt to also slow climate change. Deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of greenhouse gasses from human activities. Draining the waters would likely just release carbon dioxide stored in the soil, so scientists want to leave the waters be even though methan is about 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. They say we can expect more heatwaves, floods, droughts and rising sea levels from both the methan from lakes and carbon dioxide from factories and people.
It's pretty shocking that water could effect the environment in such a large manner. I never thought that it would cause global warming, and never even considered that it would be releasing greenhouse gasses. This was a really negative article on the topic of global warming.

Biotech researchers join forces to advance a possible blood test for cancer

2011-01-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

This article is about the development of blood tests to determine if someone has cancer. It discussed the headway that Johnson & Johnson Co. and Massachusetts General Hospital have made in creating new technology to capture, count, and characterize cancerous tumor cells in blood samples. The technology they have developed is a silicon chip fitted with microscopic columns that sample and analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs). CTC technology has been approved to to be used as a tool to help monitor metastatic prostate and breast cancer patients. Also, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, other efforts are underway to detect cancer with blood tests. This technology measures proteins in the blood to identify cancer in some of its earliest stages. These two types of blood tests may one day (soon) work with imaging technology to better test for cancer and determine what course of action to take when cancer cells are found.

I found this article interesting because cancer research has been a big part of medical research for years with often unsuccessful or at least difficult ways of determining if someone has cancer, especially more rare types of cancer or types of cancer that only show up in later stages. If these blood tests for cancer prove successful and effective, they can completely alter the treatment of cancer by helping to more definitively diagnose cancer in the earlier stages of its development.

Microbubbles Used to Breach the Blood-Brain Barrier

2011-01-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

What a nice alliteration in the title.

The blood-brain barrier is a densely packed group of cells that line brain capillaries. The purpose of the barrier is to protect the brain from potentially harmful chemicals, but it also blocks medications from getting to the brain, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or antitumor drugs. Researchers have been trying to find a way to breach the barrier just long enough to let the medicines in, and they have recently found a "less invasive and more cost-effective method" with the microbubbles. The basic idea is to inject microbubbles, made of a simple gas surrounded by a rigid lipid cell, into the bloodstream and guiding them by ultrasound to the blood-brain barrier. Once the microbubbles break through the barrier, the scientists inject drug-coated, magnetically charged nanoparticles into the patient and guide them with an MRI beam. When tested on rodents, the microbubbles allowed about 20% more medicine to reach the brain. However, this process is not quite ready for use on humans because using the ultrasound with too high of an intensity will cause tissue damage. I hope they continue to learn more about this process because it seems like they are on the verge of a great medical breakthrough. I know doctors and scientists have been trying to find cures for these brain diseases for a long time, so I hope they can make this work. I did not know that part of the problem was that they couldn't easily get medicine to the brain. But now that this problem is on its way to a solution, then I guess they are getting even closer to finding cures and better treatments.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=breaching-the-brain-barrier

Invisibility Rug Hides 'Large' Objects

2010-12-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Objects large enough to be seen with the naked eye have been cloaked with an invisibility carpet for the first time. Invisibility cloaks have been used before to shield objects from certain wavelengths of light but only on microscopic objects. Larger objects are now being cloaked using calcite crystals. Cloaking is achieved by bending light rays so that the rays seem to come from the ground right under the object. In order to create a cloaking device, one needs a material that can bend incoming and outgoing light rays by differing amounts depending on the dimensions of the object being concealed. Fortunately, calcite can achieve this feat depending on its orientation. The cloak is even designed to work under water, which may be useful for governments and military. This type of cloaking carpet is also cheaper than previous invisibility cloaks.

I was attracted to this article because it sounded like invisibility cloaks from the world of Harry Potter might become available. Invisibility is usually something related to magic or super-powers, but knowing that it can actually be achieved is really cool.

To Tell the Truth: Brain Scans Are Not Ready for the Courtroom

2010-12-16T16:20:00.001-08:00

Brain scans should not be used for lie detection unless their reliability is proved

Increased research about brain scans and understanding how to read minds has been beneficial to medical practices and leads to possible medical breakthroughs. Some Commercial firms have begun to use the brain scan research to apply to lie detection, but many people think that they are jumping too quickly. There has been research done on how to use medical technology for lie detection, and studies have concluded that there is a relationship between the functional magnetic resonance imaging and the blood flow in one’s brain when telling a lie. While this may theoretically work, it’s always been tested on people who knew that they were being tested, not in situations that are more relevant to the courtroom. The credibility of the lie detection tests has come up in courtrooms on numerous occasions, and often ruled against the viability of the lie detection test. In both cases the article lists, the lie detection test was ruled as non-credible information, because there is no knowledge on how it should be used, especially in real-world situations. Many other techniques for lie detection are being tested, but whether they will every be used in the courtroom to prove a point is up in the air.