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Development of new technologies for good quality sustainable agroenergy farming and ecodevelopment are interrelated with agroclimatic conditions and primary land productivity.

Development of new technologies for good quality sustainable agroenergy farming and ecodevelopment are interrelated with agroclimatic conditions and primary land productivity.

Jan 24 2010 | comment(s)

Development of new technologies for good quality sustainable agroenergy farming and ecodevelopment are interrelated with agroclimatic conditions and primary land productivity. Primary land productivity will denend not only on its soil nutrient status but also nutrient availability which will be regulated by several factors including soil microflora, e.g. phosphate solubilizing orgamism making phosphate available. Any planting activity will alter the soil pH and thereby alter nutrient cycle. The depleted soils will require not only replenishment of nutrients but also organic matter. Tropical soils of semi arid and arid regions have organic contents less than 0.02 percent to 0.2 percent. Probihitive costs of FYM restrict its use which results in increased use of inorganic fertilizers.
Sing A Song Of Science : You, Me And Us

Sing A Song Of Science : You, Me And Us

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

Sing A Song Of Science : You, Me And Us

The song "You, me and us" popped into my head today.  When a song pops into my head like that it most commonly triggers a train of scientific thoughts rather than associated memories.

The song "You, me and us", to the tune of Cielito Lindo (Ay, ay, ay ay.) was recorded in 1956 by Alma Cogan.  You can listen to it here.
On The Bases For Morality: An Exchange

On The Bases For Morality: An Exchange

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

[this is a post in two sections, the first by my friend Julia Gailef, a journalist, the second being my response, below]

I hope Massimo won't start regretting his generous invitation for me to co-blog with him (hi readers! great to be here!) if I kick things off by immediately and publicly disagreeing with him.
Games Don't Cause Rickets

Games Don't Cause Rickets

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

Games Don't Cause Rickets

In the latest bad science reporting saga, many media reports are saying that scientists have said that gaming causes rickets.  Just do a Google search for "games + rickets" to see some examples.  As soon as I see the headline: "X causes Y,say scientists", I reach for my bovex* filter.

During my childhood in the 1950s I never met anyone with rickets.  It was a scourge of Victorian england.  Its rise was due to a change of lifestyles in the industrial revolution: most children worked in factories or mines, rather than in the fields.  I have observed that people who spend most of their time indoors tend to wear more clothing out of doors.
Good Germs, Bad Germs - Nutritions's Influence On The Immune System

Good Germs, Bad Germs - Nutritions's Influence On The Immune System

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

T cells, B cells - antibodies - intervene when viruses and bacteria make us ill and they wipe out intruders effectively but cause collateral damage in the body's own tissue, which has to be repaired.

In order for our immune system to not be in a constant state of 'red alert', causing chronic inflammation, there is a second defense system switched in series between our bodies and the outside world, essential because because there are trillions of bacteria on the barrier tissue like our lungs and skin. The majority of these microorganisms have been living with our body's cells as good neighbors for millions of years and the complex symbiosis of very different microorganisms supplies us with important natural substances such as vitamin B12.
UK Ban On Explosives Detector Exports

UK Ban On Explosives Detector Exports

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

UK Ban On Explosives Detector Exports


The ADE 651 is a lump of plastic with a wobbly telescopic antenna attached.  It is claimed by its manufacturers to be able to detect many things and substances at long ranges. 

The US Government says that during tests on a similar device it failed to detect a truck carrying a tonne of TNT when it drove up behind the operator.
Source: TimesOnLine

First Generation Biofuels Provide Foundation for Fuels of Tomorrow

First Generation Biofuels Provide Foundation for Fuels of Tomorrow

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

First Generation Biofuels Provide Foundation for Fuels of Tomorrow January 20th, 2010 Goto comments Leave a comment Biofuels provide much needed environmental, economic development and national security benefits. Ethanol is a first-generation biofuel that not only provides these benefits, but offers a platform from which explosive growth will be seen in future generations of biofuels. It’s important not to lose sight of the contributions ethanol is making, and will continue to make, to our growing demand for energy.
Candida albicans is a diploid fungus (a form of yeast) and a causal agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans

Candida albicans is a diploid fungus (a form of yeast) and a causal agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

Candida albicans is a diploid fungus (a form of yeast) and a causal agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans.[3][4] Systemic fungal infections (fungemias) have emerged as important causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients (e.g., AIDS, cancer chemotherapy, organ or bone marrow transplantation). In addition, hospital-related infections in patients not previously considered at risk (e.g., patients in an intensive care unit) have become a cause of major health concern.
The Humor Of Mark Twain

The Humor Of Mark Twain

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

The Humor Of Mark Twain

Mark Twain would have made a world-class blogger.  He could write most wittily on just about any topic.  Here is a selection of Mark Twain quotes on the topic of lies and truth.

I have been working like sin all night to get a lecture written. I have finished it, I call it "Frozen Truth." It is a little top-heavy, though, because there is more truth in the title than there is in the lecture.  From a letter, Jan. 8, 1868
...
"In one respect the sick-nurse is perfection--when she is on watch, she never snores."
...
Science : It's More Than Just Words

Science : It's More Than Just Words

Jan 23 2010 | comment(s)

Science : It's More Than Just Words

Science, like law and many another discipline is widely noted for its jargon.  I love jargon because I love language.  I love language because I was blessed with parents who loved language.  I came to love science through being taught its experimental and investigative methods at school, overlaid on a strong foundation of inquisitiveness built at home.  Through studying the science of linguistics I came to understand that language is a common thread in all human endeavors.  To understand any branch of human endeavor, one must understand first how language may lead or mislead.
You Can't Replace Scientific Thinking With Computers

You Can't Replace Scientific Thinking With Computers

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)


I've lamented multiple times the negative influence on scientific culture of some trends in the use of computational tools to analyze large datasets, particularly in biology.

Over at Nobel Intent, John Timmer brings up another issue related to computational models of complex phenomena: reproducibility:
I want to be hit by a crusty meteorite, too!

I want to be hit by a crusty meteorite, too!

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

A doctor's office in nearby Virginia, just one state down from me, got clobbered by a 'mango-sized' meteorite this week.  Where others see disaster, I see envy. My envy.  My favorite writeup is from The Register, because they have wit and write everything like a TV soap:

Nobody was hurt in the meteor strike, and the pieces of interplanetary debris were subsequently identified as being extraterrestrial by a geologist, fortuitously married to the doctors' receptionist.
...
Dr Linda Welzenbach of the Smithsonian - evidently a woman with an encyclopaedic knowledge of asteroid strikes in America - immediately
Natural drug from the plants

Natural drug from the plants

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

Natural drug from the plants are gaining popularity because of several advantages such as often fewer side effect, better patient tolerance, relatively less expensive and acceptance due to a long history of use, especially herbal medicines provide rational means for the treatment of many diseases that are obstinate and incurable in other system of medicine. However, the chemical complexity of many natural products and the lack of assurance of a renewable supply have created a diminishing interest by the pharmaceutical industry, which in turn endorses the pivotal role of academia and public organisations in the protracted exploration and evaluation of natural products( Patwardhan, 2005; Cordell and Colvard, 2005).
Plants accumulate phytochemicals of high value

Plants accumulate phytochemicals of high value

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

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Acacia pinnata Willd. ( Biswul ) and Acacia senegal have medicinal value

Acacia pinnata Willd. ( Biswul ) and Acacia senegal have medicinal value

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

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Pithecellobium dulce Benth. has medicinal value

Pithecellobium dulce Benth. has medicinal value

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

Pithecellobium dulce Benth. Vernacular Names :- Bombay : Chinch, Deccanibabul, Vilaitiyamli ; English : Deccany Babool, Madras Thorn, Manila Tamarind ; Gujrat : Ekadasi , Vilayati ambli ; Hindi : Dakhani babul, Vilaiti yimli, Vilati imli; Tamil : Karkapilli, Kattuppilli, Konapuli, Korukapuli ; Telgu : Simachinduga, Simachinta. Family :- Mimosaceae . Distribution :- It is found throughout India.
Assessing The State Of Science Journalism

Assessing The State Of Science Journalism

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

Based on a survey of UK science journalists and 52 in-depth interviews with specialist reporters and senior editors in the national news media, researchers from the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies say that specialist science news reporting in the UK is in relatively good health, but also warn that a wider crisis in journalism poses a serious threat to the quality and independence of science reporting.
Chandra Observatory Reveals Spectacular X-Ray Tails

Chandra Observatory Reveals Spectacular X-Ray Tails

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

An international team of astronomers has viewed two distinct "tails" found on a long tail of gas that is believed to be forming stars where few stars have been formed before. The new observation was made by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and is detailed in a paper published this month in the Astrophysical Journal.

This gas tail was originally spotted by astronomers three years ago using a multitude of telescopes, including NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Southern Astrophysical Research telescope, a Chilean-based observatory in which MSU is one of the partners. The new observations show a second tail, and a fellow galaxy, ESO 137-002, that also has a tail of hot X-ray-emitting gas.
Seeing Neuron Connections In 3-D

Seeing Neuron Connections In 3-D

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

 Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry have obtained 3-D images of the vesicles and filaments involved in communication between neurons. The effort was made possible a novel technique in electron microscopy, which cools cells so quickly that their biological structures can be frozen while fully active.

"We used electron cryotomography, a new technique in microscopy based on ultra-fast freezing of cells, in order to study and obtain three-dimensional images of synapsis, the cellular structure in which the communication between neurons takes place in the brains of mammals" Rubén Fernández-Busnadiego, lead author of the study, which appears in the Journal of Cell Biology
What To Do About Near-Earth Objects?

What To Do About Near-Earth Objects?

Jan 22 2010 | comment(s)

In a recently released report the National Research Council lays out several options NASA could pursue in order  to detect more near-Earth objects (NEOs) – asteroids and comets that could pose a hazard if they cross Earth's orbit. While impacts by large NEOs are rare, a single impact could inflict extreme damage, raising the classic problem of how to confront a possibility that is both very rare and very important.

Far more likely are those impacts that cause only moderate damage and few fatalities. Conducting surveys for NEOs and detailed studies of ways to mitigate collisions is best viewed as a form of insurance, the report says. How much to spend on these insurance premiums is a decision that must be made by the nation's policymakers.