Buffalo-sized comeback

by Josh Loposer
May 5th 2008 @ 10:45AM

Filed under: News, Activism

Does it make you mad that a bunch of jerks in the 1800s killed off all the buffalo, making it nearly impossible for you to ever see a wild herd grazing on the plains? For those who trivialize man's impact on the planet, the buffalo are a good reminder. It only took a couple of generations to drive the gigantic herds of North America to near extinction.

Surprisingly, some conservationists say that there's still hope. Researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society are optimistic that we may get a chance to see wild herds of bison roaming through North America again -- and sooner than you probably think.

Formed at the Bronx Zoo in 1905, the WCS has been trying to repopulate the Great Plains using its bison herd for the past century. After going through a ton of sites with their "conservation scorecard," conservationists think that surprisingly large swaths of the continent are still able to sustain herds of buffalo. Only about 20,000 buffalo are considered wild today, while about 480,000 live on ranches.

While it does give me some pause to consider what would happen when a buffalo herd crosses a major roadway -- i.e. a buffalo vs. Honda collision -- bringing back the buffalo would be a huge victory for conservation. Especially since the buffalo went from a symbol of the untouched natural world of North America, to a symbol of North Americans and their blatant disregard for the environment. The big question for us is not whether we can bring the buffalo back, but have we really changed our mindset enough?

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Portable medical scanners built to interface with cellphones

by Darren Murph, posted May 2nd 2008 at 6:10AM

You know those elephant-sized medical scanners? Totally amazing machines, sure, but things like that aren't apt to be shipped into obscure jungles throughout Africa. Thankfully, a team of researchers have developed something that could bring medical scanning to an even larger chunk of the world: a real live Tricorder. Of course, it's not really going by that moniker, but the diminutive scanner is able to interface with a cellphone via USB and utilize its 3G / WiFi access to send raw scan data to servers and receive images back. Granted, you won't get any high-resolution viewing from your average mobile, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

Proposed Telescope Focuses Light Without Mirror Or Lens

Posted by Soulskill on Friday May 02, @02:08AM
from the i-can-see-clearly-now dept.

A team of scientists from Observatoire Midi Pyrénées in Toulouse, France have been working with an unusual technique for focusing light. It takes advantage of diffraction - the bending of waves when they encounter an obstacle in their path - to focus light as it passes through a foil sheet with precise holes in it. The scientists suggest that an orbital 30-meter imager could resolve planets the size of Earth within 30 light-years. In addition, the foil is much lighter than traditional materials, and thus easier to transport. "A Fresnel imager with a sheet of a given size has vision just as sharp as a traditional telescope with a mirror of the same size, though it collects just 10% or so of the light. It can also observe in the ultraviolet and infrared, in addition to visible light. The imager can take very detailed images with high contrast, which is great for 'being able to see a very faint object in the close vicinity of a bright one.'"

Conceptual artificial plant enables you to practice before slaying flora

by Darren Murph, posted May 2nd 2008 at 4:24AM

C'mon, we know there are a few of you out there who couldn't keep a potted plant alive if a botanist was holding your hand, but there's hope for you all yet. At least, there is if QianJun Gao's masterpiece ever makes it past the drawing board. This eloquently dubbed Practice Plant features a trio of "flowers" that display barometric readings and turn colors depending on status, and the surrounding leaves will droop to signify their need for attention. Thankfully, even the brownest of thumbs could always restart this puppy and try again, and with enough trial runs, maybe one day those hanging baskets wouldn't sway out of your way as you waltz by.

US Responds to Worsening Global Food Crisis

by Melissa Schober
May 1st 2008 @ 8:17PM

Filed under: News, Polit-eco

A silent tsunami which knows no borders sweeping the world.

That is how Josette Sheeran, head of the UN World Food Program, described the worsening global food crisis. Food shortages have caused riots in Haiti, Cameroon, Indonesia and Egypt, among others.

The sharp increases in food prices are attributed to several factors, including (1) an increased demand for biofuels (corn being made into ethanol rather than sold on the food market), (2) drought (e.g., in Australia) or flooding (Bolivia, South Asia, some parts of E. Africa), (3) surging demand from developing nations like China and India, (4) shortages of fertilizer, and (5) property rights.

So what's being done to ease the burden on the world's poor?On May 1, President Bush called on Congress to appropriate $770 million in international food aid. Some $200 million in emergency food will be sent out immediately via the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Fund at the United States Department of Agriculture.

However, much of the request for the food aid is entangled with the emergency war supplemental spending bill - the one that wants $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - so I expect it'll be a while before a single cent of the request makes it into needy hands.

In addition to outright aid, World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy is calling for a refocus on international agricultural development and a re-thinking of current policies, including protectionist subsidies and tariffs.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund recently held a series of meetings to address the crisis. Following the meeting, the World Bank announced a "New Deal for Global Food Policy" that will provide cash, redouble food-for-work programs, and assist with agricultural development, including plantings.

Robert Zoellick, head of the bank, also spoke about the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Plus Plus (EITI++). The initiative "seeks to develop national capability to handle the boom in commodity prices, and channel the growing revenue streams into fighting poverty, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, and disease." Or, more simply, it wants countries with natural resources like oil, natural gas, or mineral wealth to channel the revenue funds into infrastructure development.

MIT reinvents the Post-It note... with Post-It notes

by Nilay Patel, posted May 1st 2008 at 11:56PM

We've seen countless attempts to re-invent the Post-It note, but no one's ever really managed to improve on the basic design -- which might be why MIT's "Quickies" concept doesn't even try. The electronic note system is instead based around a digital pen and special pad, which saves your notes as you jot them down on RFID-embedded Post-Its. Software on your PC then does some quick OCR and, according to the inventors, "uses its understanding of the user's intentions, content, and the context of the notes to provide the user with reminders, alerts, messages, and just-in-time information." Since the database can also store location information, sticking the note on a book or other object allows you to locate it later using the RFID tag, and you can even have notes SMS'd to their recipients. Pretty wild -- but we're more impressed someone finally found a good use for all those digital pens out there. Check a video of the system in action after the break.

Man stages Wii Fit experiment to lose weight, gain fame

by Joshua Topolsky, posted May 2nd 2008 at 2:01AM

About a year ago, one morbidly obese (er, a tiny bit chubby) man began a quest to find out what happens when you stop being polite and try to exercise via Wii Sports (see above). Apparently after losing 9 pounds, dropping two points from his BMI, and 3-inches from his waist, he's ready to go again, this time with the Wii Fit. Sure, it sounds like a second-rate Super Size Me publicity stunt -- and it probably is -- but who doesn't want to see just how lean the Wii's newest accessory can get you? Now, the tubby 191 pound man will run himself through a rigorous Wii Fit program for five shocking weeks. The stunt has already scored him an early Fit from Nintendo, so there's no telling where this could go. We expect to see an Adonis or skeleton when it's all over, pal -- either will do.

Better-educated Women Are A Healthier Weight, New Research Reveals

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — A new comparison of multi-national data, released this month, reveals that highly educated women have a healthier average weight than less educated women, but that the meaning of "healthier" changes according to a nation's relative wealth. In countries where malnutrition is prevalent, better-educated women weigh more. But in wealthier countries -- with rapidly growing rates of obesity -- better-educated women weigh less.

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Anti-fibrotic Mechanism Of A Chinese Medicinal Herb May Inspire Drug Development

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — A team led by Dr. Xue-Hai Tan from the Beijing Genomics Institute has determined that the antifibrotic function of Chinese herbal extract Cpd 861 is mediated by both downregulating the synthesis of collagens and upregulating the degradation of collagens. This effect is evidently different from that of Western antifibrogenic drugs and could allow for the development of effective antifibrogenic drugs from Chinese medicinal herbs.

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Life Without Limbs

"I believe that everything is in God's control and is all part of God's plan for our lives," says Nick Vujicic. Watch this video and see God's glory revealed in this young man's life.

Renewable energy to quadruple in 10 years, maybe

by Josh Loposer
May 1st 2008 @ 1:03PM

Filed under: News, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

According to the head of GE's renewable energy group, US renewable energy could quadruple -- or at least double -- in the next 10 years, from where we currently sit at 2.5%. This is the kind of news that it's hard to know how to take. Quadrupling the amount of renewable energy over the course of a decade seems a little bit behind schedule -- doubling today's puny levels seems downright pathetic.

In 5 to 10 years, renewable energy will make up about half of GE portfolio -- they're currently pouring $6B into renewable energy. While that's an impressive corporate transformation, it also highlights the cost effectiveness of renewable energy at the point in time -- not so good. Companies like Google are pouring hundreds of millions into green technology, vowing to bring prices down. In the meantime, progress is discouragingly slow.

If we're looking at 10% in 10 years, at best, that probably means that some kind of stop gap measure will be necessary, rather than just wait around for renewable energy to reach critical mass. Maybe that means Geldof and the nuke people are right, although the thought of nuclear reactors everywhere might not sit well with all of us.

Whatever the case, it seems obvious that 10% isn't going to cut it. Personally, I don't think anything less than 25% is going to feel very substantial. It's going to take much more ambitious goals in order to spark the kind of effort that will bring clean energy into the dominant position.

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Self-Healing Robots of Doom From UPenn

Posted by timothy on Thursday May 01, @01:30PM
from the just-a-bit-freaky dept.

OshMan writes "University of Pennsylvania's ModLab is doing some interesting stuff with modular robots. In this case involving absolutely no weapons! An example clip on youtube shows one of their cluster robots re-assembling itself after being kicked apart. For more information about the program check out their site. So let the Borg and Terminator jokes begin!"

[+] robot, science (tagging beta)

Flower Power May Bring Ray Of Sunshine To Cancer Sufferers

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — A mini-protein found in sunflower seeds could be the key to stopping tumors spreading in prostate cancer patients, according to QUT researchers. Dr. Jonathan Harris, a senior lecturer in Queensland University of Technology's Faculty of Science, and PhD student Joakim Swedberg, both from the University's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, are working on the naturally occurring molecule. "We are interested in this miniprotein as a potential treatment of prostate cancer, in particular for those patients who relapse," said Dr Harris.

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How Deep Is The Earth's Crust Under Europe?

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — The Earth's crust is, on global average around 40 kilometres deep. In relation to the total diameter of the Earth with approx. 12800 kilometres this appears to be rather shallow, but precisely these upper kilometres of the crust, the human habitat, is of special interest for us. Europe's crust shows an astonishing diversity: for example the crust under Finland is as deep as one only expects for crust under a mountain range such as the Alps.

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Electronic House picks Home of the Year 2008 winners, we drool

by Darren Murph, posted May 1st 2008 at 11:14AM

Here it is: the hotly anticipated list of best homes as selected by Electronic House. Interestingly enough, this year's winners are quite different than the champs of 2007, and we suspect all that talk of green these days has something to do with it. Yep, for the first time ever, an "energy-efficient, sustainable" home snagged the highly-coveted gold, but make no mistake, this domicile is packed to the gills with electronic goodness (some of which actually helps keep energy waste down). Even if that doesn't pique your interest, EH has selected a plethora of other swank abodes to highlight, including the best home theater, a pimped out yacht and cribs with hidden treasures. Go on, get lost in the pages upon pages of snapshots and descriptions below -- and feel free to brag in comments if your pad wound up a winner.

The Science of Iron Man

Posted by timothy on Thursday May 01, @11:18AM
from the no-duh-it's-iron-man dept.

holy_calamity writes "New Scientist takes a look at the evidence-base behind the science and technology in the new blockbuster Iron Man, and finds it is pretty solid. From exoskeletons to real-time translation there are at the very least proof-of-concept demonstrations of pretty much all the glitzy tech the hero Tony Stark uses."

Asian travel industry indifferent to climate change

by Patrick Metzger
May 1st 2008 @ 11:05AM

Filed under: News, Polit-eco, Travel and Vacation, Climate Change

You'd think that at a meeting held by a group called the Pacific Asia Travel Association, most of the delegates would be from, you know, Asia. However, AFP reports that at a recent conference held by PATA to discuss greening up the travel business, Asian airlines and tourism companies were woefully underrepresented.

Officials from PATA, who declined to be named, said they had invited more Asian companies, but faced overwhelming disinterest. The impression that they had was that many Asian businesses don't have climate change or other environmental issues on their radar screen yet.

Air travel is thought to account for between 2 and 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The article speculates that Asian airlines and other travel businesses will probably become more eco-conscious as they come under pressure from overseas partners, and also as they become influenced by the next generation of kids who've learned about climate change in school. And if that doesn't do the trick, the increasing frequency of massive typhoons, floods, and sandstorms in various places around the continent might attract their attention.

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Nuclear power: Now with greenhouse gases!

by Patrick Metzger
May 1st 2008 @ 9:30AM

Filed under: Polit-eco, Alternative Energy, Climate Change

For all the obvious ecological downsides of nuclear power - catastrophic meltdowns, waste that will be toxifying our water table until the sun explodes, giant mutant swamp monsters etc. - it's always had at least one thing going for it. Unlike coal, gas, or oil power stations, nuclear plants don't produce planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Now a new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology says nukes may lose even that advantage. A group of Australian researchers have calculated that the greenhouse gases emitted from the nuclear power process will rise substantially in the future.

Nuclear power, of course, requires uranium as fuel. As high-grade uranium gets scarcer, locating and mining it will become more energy intensive, with companies digging deeper to find the metal, refining more ore in order to produce it, and producing more pollution in the process.

As with gas and oil, we'll also eventually run out of uranium, although estimates of when that will happen vary widely. Really, who thought this was a good idea in the first place?

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Before Fossil Fuels, Earth's Minerals Kept Carbon Dioxide In Check

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2008) — Over millions of years carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been moderated by a finely-tuned natural feedback system-- a system that human emissions have recently overwhelmed. A joint University of Hawaii / Carnegie Institution study published in the advance online edition of Nature Geoscience links the pre-human stability to connections between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the breakdown of minerals in the Earth's crust. While the process occurs far too slowly to have halted the historical buildup of carbon dioxide from human sources, the finding gives scientists new insights into the complexities of the carbon cycle.

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RC-12 wireless mini video camera can record itself getting lost

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 2:06PM

We've seen a number of cameras mounted on RC vehicles before, but if you're looking for a more out-of-the-box solution, you may want to consider this so-called RC-12 camera now available from Japan Trend Shop, which is not only smaller than most, but able to be used underwater as well. Apparently, the 2.7 megapixel camera will work up to 30 meters away with the included 1.2GHz Morse typeS receiver, and last for about 45 minutes on a single charge, which is likely more than you'll ever want to shoot in one go, unless of course you happen to be recording some first-person footage from your next robot laser battle, which we could never possibly get enough of. As you might have guessed, however, the pint-sized kit doesn't exactly come cheap, with it setting you back $269, plus some fairly hefty shipping charges.

[Via OhGizmo]

UK customers find out exactly how far their food has traveled

by Ellen Slattery
Apr 30th 2008 @ 3:00PM

Filed under: News

Tesco shoppers will soon be able to see exactly how far their food traveled to get to their plate, and how much carbon was emitted to get it there.

The UK chain (similar to Walmart) is trial-running the program, slapping "seed to store" information on everything from orange juice to lightbulbs. In the meantime, the chain will continue to research information on other products, while tackling challenges like determining exactly, say, how many greenhouse gas emissions biofuels have.

Will Tesco's program be met with cheers or jeers? Will customers even notice - or care? Only time will tell, but I continue to be wary of large chains making big environmental claims. Ironically, if the program were truly successful, people would have to stop shopping at chain stores and grow their own food or buy at farmer's markets or local organic co-ops, which is exactly, of course, what Tesco doesn't want.

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Absinthe Uncorked: The 'Green Fairy' Was Boozy -- But Not Psychedelic

ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — A new study may end the century-old controversy over what ingredient in absinthe caused the exotic green aperitif's supposed mind-altering effects and toxic side-effects when consumed to excess. In the most comprehensive analysis of old bottles of original absinthe -- once quaffed by the likes of van Gogh, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso to enhance their creativity -- a team of scientists from Europe and the United States have concluded the culprit was plain and simple: A high alcohol content, rather than thujone, the compound widely believed responsible for absinthe's effects. Although consumed diluted with water, absinthe contained about 70 percent alcohol, giving it a 140-proof wallop. Most gin, vodka, and whiskey are 80 -- 100-proof and contain 40-50 percent alcohol or ethanol.

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Aspirin-like Compounds Increase Insulin Secretion In Otherwise Healthy Obese People

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2008) — Aspirin-like compounds (salicylates) can claim another health benefit: increasing the amount of insulin produced by otherwise healthy obese people. Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, the first step toward type 2 diabetes.

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Nanoengineered Barrier Is World's Best Protection From Moisture And Oxygen

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2008) — A breakthrough barrier technology from Singapore A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) protects sensitive devices like organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and solar cells from moisture 1000 times more effectively than any other technology available in the market, opening up new opportunities for the up-and-coming plastic electronics sector.

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Moral Philosopher Questions Memory Manipulation

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2008) — Is medicated memory manipulation ethically sound? And perhaps more importantly, who should be charged with the decision to deliver such a treatment: patient or physician? Elisa Hurley, a philosophy professor, is seeking answers to these questions in her research currently underway at The University of Western Ontario.

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Rockerfellers call for Exxon climate change action

by Patrick Metzger
Apr 30th 2008 @ 8:30AM

Filed under: Polit-eco, GreenFinance, Activism, Climate Change

When you and I holler about global warming, it may not mean much, but when a group of folks whose name is immortalized in the song "Puttin' on the Ritz" start complaining, people sit up and take notice.

A group of descendants of John D. Rockefeller, founder of ExxonMobil predecessor Standard Oil, are calling for a shake-up in management at the oil giant, saying that the company is "failing to address the future of energy". The family are apparently concerned about Exxon's late and reluctant conversion to climate change belief, and subsequent failure to do much about the issue.

The group is looking to have the jobs of Chairman and CEO, currently both held by Rex Tillerson, to be split into two separate roles. It's not known exactly how much Exxon stock the family actually owns, so it's unclear whether their request will have any impact.

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Electric plane ready for take-off

by Patrick Metzger
Apr 29th 2008 @ 6:28PM

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Gadgets and Tech, GreenTech

Some day soon, we could all be traveling around the world in whisper-quiet electric jetliners.

Just kidding. You can't keep a passenger jet in the air with a ceiling fan. That said, Slovenian aviation firm Pipistrel is now officially taking orders for the Taurus Electro, said to be the first commercially available aircraft which uses electrical power to aid in flight.

Actually it's not technically a plane, but rather a "microlight motorglider",and while I wouldn't want to fly the family to Europe in it, it's a big step forward in practical greener flying. The Electro uses its motor only for take-off, however, operating as a glider while aloft.

While that may not sound revolutionary, battery-powered flight has been difficult to achieve, principally because in the past there haven't been batteries light enough to fit in a plane and still powerful enough to keep the thing flying. However, in recent years innovative technologies have created new opportunities for the prospective carbon-neutral pilot.

The Electro will currently run you about $167,000 and doesn't really have much practical use, but you're almost sure to be the first person on your block to own one.

via [Greentech Media]

Power strip monitors your usage, makes you feel bad

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 4:02AM

Energy conservation and gadgetphilia are tough to combine, but this Power Cost Controller power strip might be just the ticket for those looking to monitor -- and potentially cut back on -- their power usage. The strip's display counts kilowatt-hour power usage and tracks by hour, week, month, and year. It also monitors line quality with voltage, line frequency, and power factor readings. We're just not sure if we really want to know how much power we're using, but if you're ready for the bad news, the strip is $99 and available now.

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McCain not alone in need for econ 101 lesson

by Melissa Schober
Apr 28th 2008 @ 3:51PM

So, it appears that Sen. McCain isn't alone in his need for an Econ 101 refresher.

Today, presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized Barack Obama for not supporting the plan to suspend federal taxes on gasoline and diesel from Memorial Day through Labor Day. "I understand the American people need some relief," said Sen. Clinton.

There's no denying that the Americans are cash-strapped. As oil prices climbed toward $120 a barrel, food costs continue to skyrocket, and access to credit tightens, suspending the gasoline tax would almost certainly provide some small measure of short-term relief. But suspending the tax, in the long-term is a terrible idea.Sen. Clinton proposed paying for the suspension by imposing a "windfall profits tax" on oil companies. Sounds like a great idea, especially as oil companies reap incredible, mind-boggling profits. But exactly how will Sen. Clinton accomplish this?

Anger at the oil executives abounds on Capitol Hill. There have been hearings, and more hearings. But, to quote the Bard, it seems more a tale full of sound of fury, signifying nothing. I haven't seen any legislation on changing the corporate tax structure. Even if such legislation were introduced, it'd need to be vetted by the Ways and Means (House-side) and Finance (Senate-side) Committees, each with their share of members who are reluctant to start raising taxes on the proverbial hand that feeds them.

Since raising taxes on oil companies, is, in my opinion, a non-starter, the money that should be coming from the tax will have to replaced somehow -- more deficit spending, increased taxes down the line, an even more decrepit infrastructure, or some combination thereof. The question really is, "Pay now or pay later?"

Smithsonian Gets Military UAVs

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday April 28, @02:27PM
from the skynet-positioning-assets dept.

NetworkWorld is reporting that a new exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is featuring some of the military's more prominent UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). In addition to the vehicles themselves a large number of supporting technology is also on display. "Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used by all four military branches for missions ranging from reconnaissance and surveillance to attack and each branch is represented in this exhibit: Predator, DarkStar, X-45A (Air Force); Shadow 200 (Army); Dragon Eye (Marine Corps); and Pioneer (Navy)."

New Drug Discovery Tool For Alzheimer's Disease Discovered

ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2008) — An article in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease presents a detailed characterization of a new drug discovery tool for Alzheimer's disease. It demonstrates that an abnormal form of tau protein, as it occurs in Alzheimer's disease, can be produced in very simple cell models in an unambiguous way. Most importantly, it also shows an example of a chemical compound, found in nature, which is highly effective to completely suppress the abnormal changes of tau.

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