47, an environmental scientist, Italian-American, married, 2 sons, originally a Catholic from Philly, now a Taoist ecophilosopher in the South due to job transfer. Enjoy jazz, hockey, good food and hikes in the woods.
From time to time we hear reports regarding “cloaking devices,” a la Star Trek, and how these are theoretically feasible. A new report indicates that work on cloaking device technology is underway, even though to cloak a material in optically visible wavelengths would require nanoscale materials – a technology decades away. Why the current flurry of interest, then? It is possible with current technology to develop a cloaking device that would work against radar, rendering an aircraft or ship invisible to such instruments.
The source of HIV has been found in wild chimpanzees living in southern Cameroon, according to a study. It is thought that people hunting chimpanzees first contracted the virus – and that cases were first seen in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo – the nearest urban area – in 1930. Scientists believe the rareness of early cases – and the fact that symptoms of AIDS differ significantly between individuals – explains why it was another 50 years before the virus was named.
The atmosphere is warming faster in subtropical areas, around 30 degrees north and south latitude, than it is elsewhere, observation shows. But scientists examining more than 25 years of satellite data also found that each hemisphere’s jet stream has moved toward the pole by about 140 miles, and another 150 to 300 miles of shift this century is possible. That could widen the tropics and expand some of the world’s driest regions, they say. The new research suggests that faster subtropical warming of the troposphere, which moves the jet streams, also could shift mid-latitude storm tracks poleward, Wallace said. That could reduce winter precipitation in regions such as southern Europe [already underway – KP], including the Alps, and southern Australia. [The deserts of the American southwest might well also expand – KP.]
A very interesting report on capturing methane from manure for power generation is available here. Not only is it a cheap, steady source of energy, but it prevents emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas. A single farmer’s 875 cows produce about 775 kilowatts of electricity, enough for about 600 homes. The greenhouse gas credits for capturing methane can be sold by farmers for additional income. When virtue is profitable we can expect it to take off: The New Hampshire based Environmental Power Company estimates 1,000 dairy farms across the United States could be tapped, as well as pig farms, and at pork and beef production factories. The potential annual market for manure gas is about 150 trillion British thermal units, or more than 250 million barrels of oil equivalent, it says. And Truthout today has a story reviewing a variety of alternative power sources people can tap into.
Science Friday! Just read about the “cloaking device” and the HIV origin in chimpanzees.
As to pig power via methane, my neighbor says – “Didn’t that idea come from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (or some such named movie?), you know, Mel Gibson invented the idea. And wasn’t there a Twilight Zone episode where people got to cloak their real bodies and showed an ideal form on the outside? I’d go for that, any work on that idea? You know, Victoria’s Secret could sell it.”
POTTSTOWN, Pennsylvania, May 25, 2006 (ENS) – President George W. Bush visited a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant Wednesday to make the point that the United States needs to build more nuclear power plants to expand the country’s energy supply without increasing global warming. “Nuclear power helps us protect the environment,” the President said.
Speaking at Exelon’s Limerick Nuclear Generating Station about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia, President Bush touched on the need for more renewable energy generated by the wind and Sun, but he focused most strongly on nuclear energy, calling it a source of power that is abundant, affordable, and safe.
“Nuclear power is safe,” the President said to applause. “It is safe because of advances in science and engineering and plant design. It is safe because the workers and managers of our nuclear power plants are incredibly skilled people who know what they’re doing.”
Rep. Filner, a democrat from California whose district stretches along the Mexico border, was on CNN a few minutes ago speaking on the telephone from his locked-down office about the alleged shots fired in his building. In the course of the interview Daryn Kagan made the mistake of asking him about immigration, and Filner said the Senate bill was mostly good with a few problems, but “neanderthals” in the House would keep anything from passing this year anyway. Kagan almost choked and immediately said, on the air out loud to Filner, “well we need to give someone on the other side equal time on this” or something to that effect. Hilarious television at it’s best. Someone needs to get a tape of it.
From time to time we hear reports regarding “cloaking devices,” a la Star Trek, and how these are theoretically feasible. A new report indicates that work on cloaking device technology is underway, even though to cloak a material in optically visible wavelengths would require nanoscale materials – a technology decades away. Why the current flurry of interest, then? It is possible with current technology to develop a cloaking device that would work against radar, rendering an aircraft or ship invisible to such instruments.
Scientists working for DOE say a material that captures and removes mercury and other toxic substances from industrial waste streams like a sponge is now commercially available. The technology, called self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports, or SAMMS, was developed at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The Battelle Memorial Institute, which operates the laboratory for the government, has licensed the process to Steward Environmental Solutions of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Scientists have developed a mathematical framework they say will enable astronomers to test a new five-dimensional theory of gravity that competes with Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. The theory holds that the visible universe is a membrane (hence “braneworld”) embedded within a larger universe, much like a strand of filmy seaweed floating in the ocean. The “braneworld universe” has five dimensions — four spatial dimensions plus time — compared with the four dimensions — three spatial, plus time — laid out in the General Theory of Relativity. The framework predicts certain cosmological effects that, if observed, should help scientists validate the braneworld theory. The observations should be possible with satellites scheduled to launch in the next few years. In a related announcement, another proposed experiment would search for gravitational waves predicted by Einstein, using the properties of quantum-entangled particles. Unfortunately, the technology to make such measurements doesn’t quite exist yet.
The source of HIV has been found in wild chimpanzees living in southern Cameroon, according to a study. It is thought that people hunting chimpanzees first contracted the virus – and that cases were first seen in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo – the nearest urban area – in 1930. Scientists believe the rareness of early cases – and the fact that symptoms of AIDS differ significantly between individuals – explains why it was another 50 years before the virus was named.
The atmosphere is warming faster in subtropical areas, around 30 degrees north and south latitude, than it is elsewhere, observation shows. But scientists examining more than 25 years of satellite data also found that each hemisphere’s jet stream has moved toward the pole by about 140 miles, and another 150 to 300 miles of shift this century is possible. That could widen the tropics and expand some of the world’s driest regions, they say. The new research suggests that faster subtropical warming of the troposphere, which moves the jet streams, also could shift mid-latitude storm tracks poleward, Wallace said. That could reduce winter precipitation in regions such as southern Europe [already underway – KP], including the Alps, and southern Australia. [The deserts of the American southwest might well also expand – KP.]
The Bush administration’s voluntary programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by industry have yet to deliver promised results, according to a report issued yesterday by the Government Accountability Office. And the Canadian government is following in Bush’s dirty footsteps: The Ottawa government appears set to walk away from earlier agreements that would have given the provinces millions of dollars to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
A very interesting report on capturing methane from manure for power generation is available here. Not only is it a cheap, steady source of energy, but it prevents emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas. A single farmer’s 875 cows produce about 775 kilowatts of electricity, enough for about 600 homes. The greenhouse gas credits for capturing methane can be sold by farmers for additional income. When virtue is profitable we can expect it to take off: The New Hampshire based Environmental Power Company estimates 1,000 dairy farms across the United States could be tapped, as well as pig farms, and at pork and beef production factories. The potential annual market for manure gas is about 150 trillion British thermal units, or more than 250 million barrels of oil equivalent, it says. And Truthout today has a story reviewing a variety of alternative power sources people can tap into.
Science Friday! Just read about the “cloaking device” and the HIV origin in chimpanzees.
As to pig power via methane, my neighbor says – “Didn’t that idea come from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (or some such named movie?), you know, Mel Gibson invented the idea. And wasn’t there a Twilight Zone episode where people got to cloak their real bodies and showed an ideal form on the outside? I’d go for that, any work on that idea? You know, Victoria’s Secret could sell it.”
Now that’s true science!
The Romulan Empire, leading the way.
More nukes for us, no nukes for Iran.
Link
Unlike certain politicians.
Rep. Filner, a democrat from California whose district stretches along the Mexico border, was on CNN a few minutes ago speaking on the telephone from his locked-down office about the alleged shots fired in his building. In the course of the interview Daryn Kagan made the mistake of asking him about immigration, and Filner said the Senate bill was mostly good with a few problems, but “neanderthals” in the House would keep anything from passing this year anyway. Kagan almost choked and immediately said, on the air out loud to Filner, “well we need to give someone on the other side equal time on this” or something to that effect. Hilarious television at it’s best. Someone needs to get a tape of it.