Obama attacks Bush administration policy, describing it as ad hoc, then describes how he will create a system that allows for the "prolonged detention" of terrorists without trial. I have to say I'm a little surprised.
Saturday, May 23
Friday, May 22
Thomas Friedman on how to sell a carbon tax (from his NYT Op-Ed column, "Moore's Law and the Law of More"):
Have no doubt: From right-wing tea parties to coal states to manufacturers, there is going to be a no-holds-barred campaign to kill any carbon price signal, including cap and trade. A vast army of lobbyists is already working against it. Only President Obama can blunt this. Only he has the platform for framing and elevating the issue properly and taking it to the American people with the passion and clarity needed to move the country. It will take more than one speech.
Here’s one way to start: “My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you about a new economic law. You’ve heard of Moore’s Law in information technology. I’d like to speak to you about the ‘Law of More’ in energy technology. Americans, Indians, Chinese, Africans, we all want more — more comfort in our homes, more mobility in our lives, more technologies with which to innovate. But there is only one way all 6.3 billion of us can have more and not make this an unlivable planet, and that is by living our lives and running our businesses in more sustainable ways and properly accounting for it.
“Right now we’re paying a huge price — a tax — for everyone trying to achieve more in an unsustainable way. But the ‘More Tax’ is not imposed by the U.S. government. It is a tax imposed by the market and will continue rising indefinitely as more and more people want more and more stuff. It will steadily drive up gasoline prices, home heating prices and factory electricity prices. But because this ‘More Tax’ is set by the market and not the government, many opponents contend that there’s nothing to be done: ‘Oh, $4.50 a gallon gasoline — that’s just the market at work. We can’t do anything about that.’ And then all that tax money out of your pocket goes to enrich oil companies and petro-dictators.
“My proposal is that today we fix a durable price on carbon-based fossil fuels, but set it to begin only in 2011, after we’re out of this recession. Every home builder, air-conditioning manufacturer, gasoline refiner, carmaker will know that it’s coming and will, I believe, immediately look for ways to profit from and invest in more energy efficient systems. Yes, the cost of gasoline or kilowatt hours will rise in the short term. But in the long term, your actual bills and expenses will go down because your car, appliances and factory will become steadily more productive and give you more power for less energy.
“I call it the ‘Carbon Tax Cut.’ You won’t receive the dividend in the first week or month, but you will get it soon, and it will be a permanent tax cut, a gift that will keep on giving.
“So those are our choices, folks — an escalating ‘More Tax’ forever, premised on immediate gratification and short-term thinking, or a ‘Carbon Tax Cut’ forever, which is exactly what you’ll get from establishing a carbon price signal that shapes the market in favor of American interests and not those of our adversaries and competitors. If you’re with me, write your member of Congress and senator today.”
Focus
Here's a tidbit from John Tierney's NYT Findings column, "Ear Plugs to Lasers - The Science of Concentration":...
When something bright or novel flashes, it tends to automatically win the competition for the brain’s attention, but that involuntary bottom-up impulse can be voluntarily overridden through a top-down process that Dr. Desimone calls “biased competition.” He and colleagues have found that neurons in the prefrontal cortex — the brain’s planning center — start oscillating in unison and send signals directing the visual cortex to heed something else.
...
“It takes a lot of your prefrontal brain power to force yourself not to process a strong input like a television commercial,” said Dr. Desimone, the director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at M.I.T. “If you’re trying to read a book at the same time, you may not have the resources left to focus on the words.”
...
Here are some tips from the author of "Rapt,” a guide to the science of paying attention, Winifred Gallagher.
Ms. Gallagher advocates meditation to increase your focus, but she says there are also simpler ways to put the lessons of attention researchers to use. Once she learned how hard it was for the brain to avoid paying attention to sounds, particularly other people’s voices, she began carrying ear plugs with her. When you’re trapped in a noisy subway car or a taxi with a TV that won’t turn off, she says you have to build your own “stimulus shelter.”
She recommends starting your work day concentrating on your most important task for 90 minutes. At that point your prefrontal cortex probably needs a rest, and you can answer e-mail, return phone calls and sip caffeine (which does help attention) before focusing again. But until that first break, don’t get distracted by anything else, because it can take the brain 20 minutes to do the equivalent of rebooting after an interruption. (For more advice, go to nytimes.com/tierneylab.)
Thursday, May 21
Happyhour Gene Determines Sensitivity to Alcohol
From NewScientist:A newly identified gene called happyhour makes fruit flies sensitive to booze. Drugs that mimic the effects of the gene may offer a new treatment against alcohol abuse, researchers say. Read more...
Goals Are More Important Than Help
From ScienceDaily:
Helping middle school students with their homework may not be the best way to get them on the honor roll. But telling them how important academic performance is to their future job prospects and providing specific strategies to study and learn might clinch the grades, according to a research review. Read more...
This was certainly true for me, and I think it applies for all ages.
Friday, May 8
Terreform: Growing Houses
The solution to our environmental problems is going to require some out of the box thinking. This is one of the most interesting ideas I have seen in quite a while (check out the website at terreform.org):
Wednesday, April 29
Unedited Torture and Ethics Interview
Take 20 minutes out of your day to watch as John Stewart ever so eloquently explains why torture is wrong and why America should be/is better than defending the use of it.
It is a series of three clips, after one you should be directed to the next.
It is a series of three clips, after one you should be directed to the next.
Thursday, April 23
Earth Day Photos
I know it was yesterday, but here are some of my favorites from 40 photos posted by the Boston Globe in honor of 40 years of Earth Day.
Rich = Green (not just money)
Here are two bold predictions made yesterday by John Tierney of the NYT:1. There will be no green revolution in energy or anything else. No leader or law or treaty will radically change the energy sources for people and industries in the United States or other countries. No recession or depression will make a lasting change in consumers’ passions to use energy, make money and buy new technology — and that, believe it or not, is good news, because...
2. The richer everyone gets, the greener the planet will be in the long run.
I strongly encourage you to read the article to find out more...
Wednesday, April 22
Swallowing the iPod Shuffle
I recently posted x-ray proof that sword-swallowing is not a trick, so why is it so hard for this sword-swallower to swallow a tiny iPod shuffle?
Can the iPod shuffle be swallowed? from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
Tuesday, April 21
Winners of the Green Innovation Challenge
Check out NewScientist's gallery showing the winners of an international competition to find innovations that could help combat climate change:Fraction Neurons
From NewScientist (full article):
FRACTIONS may be written as the ratio of two whole numbers, but that's not how our brains process them. Instead it seems we respond to fractions directly, without processing whole numbers along the way. This suggests that kids, who often dread fractions, could be taught them more intuitively.
Previous tests have shown that specifc groups of neurons respond to different whole numbers, with the number one altering the firing patterns of different neurons than the number three. Now Simon Jacob and Andreas Nieder of the University of Tübingen in Germany have shown that we have fraction-specific neurons too.
The pair scanned the brains of adults as they were shown a variety of different fractions - either as numerical ratios or in words. In both cases, specific groups of neurons altered their firing patterns. Crucially, control experiments showed that the volunteers weren't responding first to whole numbers, and then calculating the ratio, but were reacting to the fraction itself (The Journal of Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0651-09.2009).
Fractions tend to be taught as ratios of whole numbers, but Nieder says this may not tap our neural machinery in the most constructive way, making fractions harder to grasp than they need to be.
Monday, April 20
What We Can Tell From Facial Expression
I mentioned this study on how accurate our perception of a person is simply based on their picture in class today, so I figured I would direct those interested to the post, which can be found here. For more on the topic, check out You Don't Even Know What You Like
Corn Ethanol No Better Than Petroleum
Here's another nugget regarding alt. energy (SciAm.com):I've posted on this topic before, check out Beyond Fossil Fuels, Duckweed, Renewable Energy to the Rescue, Water vs. Energy, A Note on Biofuels and Alternative Biofuels.
Beyond Fossil Fuels
I want to direct your attention to a series that started today on SciAm.com. I am super busy with the end of school and trying to find a job, so I don't have any time to discuss it, but check it out:
Friday, April 17
Thursday, April 16
The Big Bang in Glass
I'm a big fan of blown glass in general, and this artist has tried to embody the theory of the big bang in a glass sculpture - and he actually has some pretty interesting things to say about it:
Seeing Through Walls
The previous post showed how a reflective coating and a camera can make it possible to see through objects - well here's another way:
Invisibility: From Sci-Fi to Reality
Check out these two almost unbelievable new technologies: first, the combination of a special reflective coating and a video camera may make it possible to see through the solid parts of your car to virtually eliminate blind spots; second, by altering electromagnetic waves it is possible to make light waves appear as if they pass right through an object, thus making it invisible. Check it out:
More on the Affect of Facial Expressions
This goes quite well with the video I posted about ten minutes ago:
X-Ray of a Sword Swallower
In case you thought sword swallowing was some sort of magic trick - here's your proof that it can really be done:
You Don't Even Know What You Like
It's a simple experiment/trick, and it's pretty cool. The guy shows two faces and asks which you like. Upon choosing he puts down the card, hands it to you, and asks why you picked it. The catch is, he is handing you the one you didn't pick - but more often than not you don't even realize, and proceed to explain why you like the picture you didn't choose. What's the explanation for this? Hell if I know.
Bed Bugs an Increasing Problem
Bed bugs have always been somewhat of a mythical creature to me. Probably because because of the little rhyme recited every night by my parents as they tucked me in: "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite. And if they do, get out your shoe, and beat them 'til they're black and blue." (The second line wasn't recited by my parents, but learned later from peers at school.)Anyway, I have never taken this warning particularly seriously, but there may now be reason to heed the warning with a little more care. Check it out (from 60 Second Science):
Federal environmental regulators are hosting the first-ever "bed bug summit" to discuss emerging infestations of the insects around the country.
At the behest of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some 300 people gathered in Arlington, Va., yesterday and today to swap ideas about how to get rid of the critters, whose bites make up to half of victims itchy with hives. While there's no official count of how many people are bitten, cities including New York, Chicago, Boston and Cincinnati have reported growing bed bug problems, which experts blame in part on declining use of pesticides amid concerns about their health effects. Read more...
New Breed of Cancer Vaccine Shows New Promise
Seattle bio-tech company Dendreon has announced that it's anti-cancer vaccine, Provenge, prolongs the lives of prostate cancer patients. 500 patients for who no other therapies were effective participated in the study, but the exact results have not been released (leading to some suspicion regarding the truth of the claim).While most vaccines rely on prevention, provenge works by targeting immune cells/molecules to established tumors. Many believe this type of vaccine could be less toxic and more effective than chemotherapy or radiation, and when used in conjunction with chemo, the results appear to be synergistic.
However, while preliminary results are certainly promising, the FDA has been reluctant to approve Provenge - inciting outcry and criticism by many cancer-patient advocates. Maybe these latest results will help (when the details are finally released - and if the claims are true).
(link to article about another alt. treatment with nanoparticles)
Image: T-cell
Saturday, April 11
New Yorkers to be Entered in Science Experiment
Michael Bloomberg and Thomas R. Frieden forego the constraints of compelling evidence and consent to engage NY in the largest unapproved science experiment in a long time.Suppose you wanted to test the effects of halving the amount of salt in people’s diets. If you were an academic researcher, you’d have to persuade your institutional review board that you had considered the risks and obtained informed consent from the participants.You might, for instance, take note of a recent clinical trial in which heart patients put on a restricted-sodium diet fared worse than those on a normal diet. In light of new research suggesting that eating salt improves mood and combats depression, you might be alert for psychological effects of the new diet. You might worry that people would react to less-salty food by eating more of it, a trend you could monitor by comparing them with a control group.
But if you are the mayor of New York, no such constraints apply. Read more...Do you want New York's mayor and health commissioner leading a nationwide initiative to halve the salt in your food? Join the discussion. Go to TierneyLab »
Florida's Solar City
I already posted about this once, but for those of you who missed it, here is another article about Babcock Ranch, the first solar city in the U.S. (from SciAm.com):WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Florida utility and a real estate developer are aiming to bring the country's first solar-powered city to the Sunshine State.
FPL Group Inc's utility Florida Power & Light is working with the realty group Kitson & Partners to construct what the utility says will be the world's largest photovoltaic solar plant in a planned, environmentally friendly city near Fort Myers in southwestern Florida.
Called Babcock Ranch, the city will aim to build 19,500 houses and about 6 million square feet of retail, light industrial, and office space when it is completed, the developers said.
The entire project is expected to cost $2 billion. Read more...
Rare Megamouth Shark Caught in the Phillipines
From SciAm.com:On the morning of March 30, fishermen casting their nets in the Burias Pass, a centrally located channel in the Philippine archipelago, got the catch—not to mention surprise—of their lives: a megamouth shark so rare that some people still consider it a "cryptid", a creature that is seen so infrequently science can't confirm its existence.
That's likely an overstatement when it comes to the megamouth, first spotted in 1976 in waters near the Hawaiian island of Oahu. But, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) in Gainesville, which dubbed last month's catch "megamouth 41" (this being only the 41st observation of one of these sharks)—this is the eighth specimen snagged in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines. Read more...
Like Loud Misic, Scared of Going Deaf - Fear No More
From SciAm.com:
Anti-Loudness Protein Fans of club music and rock concerts who like the volume cranked up to 11 but want to save their hearing might someday pop a pill rather than plugging their ears. Scientists have pinpointed the biochemical mechanism in ears that works to limit damaging effects of loud sound. When a noise registers in the brain as too loud, the protein nAChR, located on sensory hair cells in the inner ear, kicks in to limit the ability of the hair cells to respond. Mice genetically altered to produce a more potent nAChR could not hear soft sounds, and they suffered less permanent damage to their hearing when scientists blasted 100-decibel noise at their ears. "We know some drugs can modify the protein," says Paul Fuchs of Johns Hopkins University, who published the findings in the January 20 PLoS Biology. "But we need to know more about specific amounts" before a sound-protecting drug can be made. So don't toss the earplugs yet.
--Kate Wilcox
Why Do People Believe in Creationism or Evolution?
For anyone interested in the evolution/creationism debate, I would like to direct your attention to this extremely interesting podcast from SciAm.com. It is somewhat long, but the first ten minutes are an interview with University of California, Berkeley, psychologist Tania Lombrozo, who talks about why people believe what they do, especially regarding evolution or creationism.
Friday, April 10
Anatomically Normal Girl with Y Chromosome
This is quite amazing and could prove to be a significant finding for the field of developmental biology, and it might not have been discovered if it weren't for prenatal genetic screens. Check it out (from NewScientist):
A seven-year-old girl with a Y chromosome is providing new clues about a possible "master switch" of maleness.
The girl has the normal chromosome count – 46 – and should be male. Other children who have the male sex chromosome but do not appear to be boys have been found to have gene mutations that temper the Y chromosome's effects. However this child doesn't have ambiguous gonads, shrivelled testes or other developmental defects. She instead has a normal vagina, cervix and set of ovaries.
A team led by Anna Biason-Lauber, of University Children's Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, thinks the patient's normalcy is due to mutations in a poorly understood gene on chromosome 17 called CBX2.
The child's unique condition might not have been discovered were it not for tests performed before birth to check for major genetic defects, such as an extra copy of chromosome 21 that causes Down's syndrome. Those tests came up negative and indicated the child would be a boy.
Cosmic Hand
This awesome picture is just one of eight great astronomy pictures from NewScientist's gallery rounding up the best images released in commemoration of 100 Hours of Astronomy, an event celebrating the International Year of Astronomy.Better Light Bulb?
The pending extinction of traditional incandescent bulbs in the United States and abroad has created an enormous market opportunity for energy-efficient lighting technologies. The current shortcomings of compact fluorescent lights and pricey LED bulbs show that future dominance of the American socket is still very much up for grabs.Vu1 (that is, “view one”), a company based in Seattle, thinks it has a shot.
The company’s tag line, “light without compromise,” suggests that it’s keenly aware of the biggest stumbling block for most next-generation lighting technologies: they don’t behave like incandescent bulbs, which is what most consumers are accustomed to. “We believe that we’ve got something here that will be much more comparable with people’s expectations than what’s been out there until now,” said Vu1’s chief executive officer, David Grieger. Read more...
Thursday, April 9
"Do Parents Matter?"
Sorry Mom and Dad, but I didn't say it. From SciAm.com:Do Parents Matter?
A researcher argues that peers are much more important than parents, that psychologists underestimate the power of genetics and that we have a lot to learn from Asian classrooms.
A researcher argues that peers are much more important than parents, that psychologists underestimate the power of genetics and that we have a lot to learn from Asian classrooms.
In 1998 Judith Rich Harris, an independent researcher and textbook author, published The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out The Way They Do. The book provocatively argued that parents matter much less, at least when it comes to determining the behavior of their children, than is typically assumed. Instead, Harris argued that a child’s peer group is far more important. The Nurture Assumption has recently been reissued in an expanded and revised form. Mind Matters editor Jonah Lehrer chats with Harris about her critics, the evolution of her ideas and why teachers can be more important than parents.If you have any interest in the nature/nurture debate, I suggest that you read the interview...
Solar City to Rise In Florida: Will it Work?
From SciAm.com:A Florida developer unveiled plans today to build the nation's first solar-powered city – a cluster of homes, offices and factories less than 20 miles from Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast."Babcock Ranch" would be built on 17,000 acres in Charlotte and Lee counties, with more than half of the land set aside for nature preserves, agriculture and other open space. Florida Power & Light Co. would build a 75-megawatt solar photovoltaic array to supply electricity to the development's 6 million square feet of residential, industrial and retail buildings.
The big question: If you build it in this economy, will buyers come? Find out...
Wednesday, April 8
Armed and Curious
A fleet of 40 vehicles armed to the teeth with advanced tornado tracking/monitoring equipment controlled by 100 scientists will spend next month trying to unravel the mystery of tornadogenesis. For more of the techie details, click here or check out the video below (kind of long, but pretty cool):Duckweed: The Newest Alt. To Corn Ethanol
Duckweed is a small aquatic flower that can convert nutrients in waste into starch. And not only can it remediate polluted water, it is actually more productive than corn. According to researcher Jay Cheng, ""Based on our laboratory studies, we can produce five to six times more starch per unit of footage." Read more...(from Wired Science)Tuning in on Back Pain
Full article from NewScientist:
TUNING forks, brushes and erasers can all help to quickly and cheaply reveal which painkiller to prescribe for back pain.
From a patient's description, doctors struggle to distinguish between neuropathic pain from nerve damage, such as in sciatica, and pain from inflammation, yet each requires a different painkiller. Only expensive tests such as MRI scans reveal the source precisely, leading Joachim Scholz of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and his colleagues to look for a quicker, cheaper way.
The team compiled a list of quick questions and physical tests and assessed the response of patients diagnosed with each type of pain. From this, they whittled the list down to six questions and 10 physical tests that included rubbing brushes, safety pins, tuning forks and pencil erasers on the back. Together, the tests can show whether or not the pain is neuropathic (PLoS Medicine, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000047).
The whole list takes just 15 minutes to complete and also distinguishes between three types of neuropathic pain.
Viral Batteries
From NewScientist:GENETICALLY engineered viruses that assemble into electrodes have been used to make complete miniature rechargeable batteries for the first time. The new lithium ion batteries are as powerful as existing devices but smaller and cleaner to make, claim the team behind the work. The technology could improve the performance of hybrid electric cars and electronic gadgets. Read more...
100 mpg Car Contest
From NewScientist:Last night in California a list of 111 teams was announced – one of which may hold the key to motoring's green future. They are the registered entrants to the Progressive Auto X Prize, a contest that will award prizes totalling $10 million for vehicles that can go 100 miles on the energy equivalent to that in a gallon of fuel.
Notable by their absence were the world's largest car manufacturers – bar Indian firm Tata – who don't seem interested in taking part. The list is varied spanning slick Californian start-ups with electric cars, to less-refined backyard efforts still finalising their designs. Read more...
See a gallery of some of the vehicles entered into the Auto X Prize
Tuesday, April 7
Is GM Serious?
Check out their latest project. Is this supposed to be the idea that revitalizes the company? I hope not!!!
Monday, April 6
For the Bird Watchers
From Wired Science:With an old computer and 30 dollars worth of off-the-shelf components, you can gear up with cutting edge avian monitoring technology and help save the birds.
For years, birdwatchers counted by sight during the daytime. The night — when most migratory birds travel — was literally hidden to them. But that's changing. Anyone can attach a microphone to a computer running birdcall-identifying software and track birds passing overhead in the darkness.
"You wouldn't be able to understand what's happening at night without this technology," said Andrew Farnsworth, a Cornell University ornithologist. "And when it comes to recording the things I work on, that's something anyone can do."
Scientists already depend on citizen birdwatchers for data that provides the foundation for estimates of species health and behavior. Their spare-time jottings are collated in efforts like the Great Backyard Bird Count, eBird, North American Bird Phenology Program and Project Feederwatch. With hundreds of species threatened by habitat loss, climate change and pollution, that data is now invaluable for conservation efforts.
But because many species migrate at night and are hard to find during the daytime, birders can miss them, said Farnsworth, or are forced to use proxy measures: If a bird seen yesterday isn't seen today, then it probably left. "It's not that the proxy methods are bad," he said, "but we're finding this method of nocturnal tracking can be incredibly powerful." Read more...
NYT: The Green Home
The NYT has an ongoing series called The Green Home (pretty self-explanatory). For your convenience (because we're all lazy when it comes down to it), I have provided links below to the articles that have been published so far:
In honor of spring and the continuing quest for the perfect lawn, here are some tips on achieving an attractive yard without wreaking environmental havoc.
Don’t Sweep It Under the Rug
Jeffrey L. Carrier, who heads the sustainability effort for the Carpet and Rug Institute, discusses the environmental impact of carpeting.
Five Beginners’ Steps to a Greener Home
The author of “Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies” distilled a vast amount of green advice into five must-do steps.
Recycling Gadgets When They Go Pffft...
Jason Linnell, the executive director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling, discusses how to dispose of old electronics.
Investigating whether cleaning products labeled “organic” and “natural” really are better for the environment.
"It's the Economy AND the Environment, Stupid!"
From NewScientist:
A big cloud of cyber-fuss has blown up over an article in the New Yorker which argues that prosperity can only be achieved by rampant greenhouse gas production.
By pitting the economy against the environment that article, by David Owen, makes a mistake that the former chief economist of the world bank, Nicholas Stern, has been warning us of for several years now: It's not either the environment or the economy. It's both. Read more...
Galaxies Spell Out Cosmic Warning/Apology!
From NewScientist:Trolling through a physics preprint server today, a colleague of mine spotted several highly intriguing papers.One (pdf), from a project called Galaxy Zoo that invites volunteers to analyse and categorise galaxies in images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, reports on a strange new class of galaxy cluster (see images).
The team writes: "Upon detailed inspection, the morphologies of individual galaxies and close systems approximate the familiar geometric shapes of letters of the basic modern Latin alphabet. . . . the existence of these messages might indicate intelligent life beyond our own."
From the observed phrases ("Caution! Structure formation in progress", "Delays possible for 7 Gyr" and "We apologise for the inconvenience"), it's clear that these are cosmic road signs, and that the creator of the signs speaks the Queen's English (this I deduce both from the "s" in apologise and from the general politeness of the message).
"Congress Delays Obama's Green Push"
From NewScientist:
The US president has big plans to revitalise his nation by pumping vast amounts of cash into 'green jobs' and reducing carbon emissions, but Congress seems to have other ideas. Read more...
Sunday, April 5
Masturbation Relieves Hay Fever
From NewScientist:
Spring is here and with it come the woes of hay fever. Never fear, however, as there may be a quick and pleasurable treatment to clear those bunged noses, for guys at least – a well-timed ejaculation.
That's what Sina Zarrintan, a neurologist from the Tabriz Medical University in Iran proposes, anyway. The logic behind the proposal is based on the fact that the nose and the genitals are both connected to the same part of the nervous system that controls certain reflexes – the sympathetic nervous system.
A blocked nose is caused by swollen and inflamed nasal blood vessels, irritated by an infection or pollen in the air. But during ejaculation, the sympathetic nervous system constricts blood vessels across the body. That should soothe the swollen nasal blood vessels, freeing the airway for normal breathing, according to Zarrintan. Read more...
What If We Had No Forests?
From NewScientist:
THE acres upon acres of lush tropical forest in the Amazon and tropical Africa are often referred to as the planet's lungs. But what if they are also its heart? This is exactly what a couple of meteorologists claim in a controversial new theory that questions our fundamental understanding of what drives the weather. They believe vast forests generate winds that help pump water around the planet.
If correct, the theory would explain how the deep interiors of forested continents get as much rain as the coast, and how most of Australia turned from forest to desert. It suggests that much of North America could become desert - even without global warming. The idea makes it even more vital that we recognise the crucial role forests play in the well-being of the planet. Read more...
Stem Cells May Provide Cure For Hearing Loss
From NewScientist:
Human ear cells vital for hearing have for the first time been created in the lab, and could eventually yield new treatments for hearing loss.
Such cells have been created before from mice, but the new cells will reveal more about how human hearing works.
"We believe these are the first from humans," says Marcelo Rivolta of the University of Sheffield, UK and head of the team presenting its findings on Monday in Oxford at a conference on stem cells.
"Stem cell therapy for hearing loss is still some years away, but this research is incredibly promising and opens up exciting possibilities," says Ralph Holme, director of biomedical research at the UK Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which co-funded the research with Deafness Research UK.
The team grew the cells from cochlear stem cells they'd isolated from fetuses following abortions, with the full consent of the women involved.
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