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New Green Energy Plans Would Create 120 Green Tons Of Wood Demand

New Green Energy Plans Would Create 120 Green Tons Of Wood Demand

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

RISI today through its Wood Biomass Market Report, indicated that woodfiber will play a major role in any new green energy spending plans in the U.S. The Report stated that as of Dec. 12, estimates from the ever-expanding federal stimulus package suggest the green component (wood, wind, solar, etc.) will be a whopping US$50 billion over two years. If 20% falls to wood energy, that near term spending of US$10 billion would spur formidable growth, providing tens of thousands of new jobs -- and wood demand of perhaps 120 million green tons, long-term.

Science Writing In The Lay Media

Science Writing In The Lay Media

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

Obviously, scientificblogging.com is all about science writing (it's not just a clever name, as Wayne Campbell would say). Blogging, as Atlantic senior editor Andrew Sullivan said in the November issue, "is, in many ways, writing out loud." But what about that dying breed of the enterprising newspaper science journalist?

Government and Energy Research: Government funding should cast a wide net.

Government and Energy Research: Government funding should cast a wide net.

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

Many of the biggest breakthroughs in science come from unexpected directions. Many revolutions come from unknown almost unfunded scientist working in obscurity. How can politicians in Washington know what kind of energy research will make that next big breakthrough? They cannot! So what will they do?  Spend money on whatever political paradigm got them the votes they needed, or sounds good to their constituents.

Portable Test Will Enable Vets And Farmers To Identify Contagious Diseases Such As TB And Foot And Mouth On Site

Portable Test Will Enable Vets And Farmers To Identify Contagious Diseases Such As TB And Foot And Mouth On Site

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

A portable test being developed by biodetection expert Stratophase could soon enable farmers and vets to accurately detect highly contagious diseases such as bovine TB and foot and mouth in the field, reducing false alarms and containment time and enabling remedial action to be taken more quickly.

A total of 2,030 cases of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) were confirmed in Great Britain between February and September 2001.* Millions of cows were slaughtered during the eradication programme and large swathes of the British countryside fenced off and declared out of bounds to the public for fear of further spread of the infection.

Stratophase is working with other British experts to develop a new detector system using immunoassay diagnosis - a biochemical test that detects

What If Nicotine Addiction Has A Biological Basis?

What If Nicotine Addiction Has A Biological Basis?

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

Would you insist someone change if they are left-handed?   90% of the world is right-handed.  Short?  That's relative but the average height for an American man is under 5'10".    Genes do a lot of things, and a new study from the Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Psychiatry in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine says that smokers who carry a particular version of a gene for an enzyme that regulates dopamine in the brain may suffer from concentration problems and other cognitive deficits when abstaining from nicotine – a problem that puts them at risk for relapse during attempts to quit smoking.
Scientists Vow To Crack Down On Science Fraud

Scientists Vow To Crack Down On Science Fraud

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

Public confidence in the honesty of scientists is being harmed by a small minority of researchers who behave badly, heard attendees of a meeting in Madrid on 17-18 November that was organized by the newly formed Research Integrity Forum of the European Science Foundation (ESF) in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).   The European research organizations agreed to work more closely to tackle the problem of fraud and other misconduct in science.

Fraud in science includes inventing data (fabrication), manipulating data to produce an unjustified result (falsification) or presenting the work of other researchers as one's own (plagiarism).
Contact Between The Last Neanderthals And Modern Humans Uncovered

Contact Between The Last Neanderthals And Modern Humans Uncovered

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

It is widely accepted that Upper Paleolithic early modern humans spread westward across Europe about 42,000 years ago, variably displacing and absorbing Neandertal (alt. spelling Neanderthal) populations in the process. However, Middle Paleolithic assemblages persisted for another 8,000 years in Iberia, presumably made by Neandertals. It has been unclear whether these late Middle Paleolithic Iberian assemblages were made by Neandertals, and what the nature of those humans might have been. 

New research, published Dec. 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is now shedding some light on what were probably the last Neandertals. 
Would You Lose Weight For Money? This Study Says Yes

Would You Lose Weight For Money? This Study Says Yes

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

A preliminary study suggests that economic incentives appear to be effective for achieving short-term weight loss, according to a report in the December 10 issue of JAMA.
The Dark Chocolate Version Of Father Christmas Is Most Delicious (And So Filling You'll Forget Pizza)

The Dark Chocolate Version Of Father Christmas Is Most Delicious (And So Filling You'll Forget Pizza)

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

New research at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at the University of Copenhagen – shows that dark chocolate is far more filling than milk chocolate, lessening our craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. In other words, eating dark chocolate may be an efficient way to keep your weight down over Christmas. 

We have known for a long time that it is healthier to eat dark chocolate, but now scientists at the Department of Human Nutrition at LIFE, University of Copenhagen, have found that dark chocolate also gives more of a feeling of satiety than milk chocolate. 

Chocolate experiment 
Thiazolidinediones For Diabetes Double Risk Of Fractures In Women

Thiazolidinediones For Diabetes Double Risk Of Fractures In Women

Dec 10 2008 | comment(s)

Two common diabetes drugs — rosiglitazone and pioglitazone — are linked to higher fracture rates in women, according to a meta-analysis in CMAJ by a team of researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and Wake Forest University in the United States.

The drugs, called thiazolidinediones, help improve glycemic control and decrease insulin resistance in patients with diabetes. 
Sagittarius A* Black Hole In Our Galaxy Gets Triangulated, Except Using 28 Stars

Sagittarius A* Black Hole In Our Galaxy Gets Triangulated, Except Using 28 Stars

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

By watching the motions of 28 stars orbiting the Milky Way's most central region with admirable patience and amazing precision, astronomers have been able to study the supermassive black hole lurking there. It is known as Sagittarius A* (pronounced "Sagittarius A star"). The new research marks the first time that the orbits of so many of these central stars have been calculated precisely and reveals information about the enigmatic formation of these stars — and about the black hole to which they are bound.
Cognitive Efficiency Determines How Advertising Affects Your Brain

Cognitive Efficiency Determines How Advertising Affects Your Brain

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

As we watch TV, listen to the radio or flip through the pages of a magazine, most of us ignore the relentless onslaught of advertising. But are we in fact being persuaded and influenced by the glossy pages of that magazine or that 30 second commercial? The prevalence of advertising on consumer preference has long been debated by communication and psychology professors alike, none of whom can agree to the meanings of their research, which have all yielded vague and inconclusive results. A new area of study has suggested that human response to advertising is based on our cognitive efficiency instead of marketing manipulation.
Fully Upgraded C-5M Super Galaxy To Extend Lifetime To 2040

Fully Upgraded C-5M Super Galaxy To Extend Lifetime To 2040

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

Lockheed Martin has just delivered the most recent upgrade of the military's cargo backbone, the C-5M Super Galaxy, to the U.S. Air Force at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Georgia. The aircraft contains a host of upgrades and modernizations intended to help its keep its status as the dominant cargo plane of the U.S. Military.
Christmas Shopping Advice You Won't Be Using For 2008

Christmas Shopping Advice You Won't Be Using For 2008

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

From Esquire magazine, 1949:

"A word to the wives is sufficient.  And the word is NO.  When you have serious shopping to do, leave the pretty things at home.  They can call in a few harpies from the neighborhood, set up a Kaffee-klatsch, tear a few reputations to ribbons, and be as happy as birds."

Now, this is not a Sciencetatorship, you are welcome to go ahead and use these sentiments despite me cautioning against it, but be forewarned that this was meant to be funny even in 1949.  And it's still funny.   But in 1949 they didn't have No Fault divorce laws and community property.  
Causes Of Death On Mount Everest Explored - And It's Not Avalanches Or Ice

Causes Of Death On Mount Everest Explored - And It's Not Avalanches Or Ice

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

Everyone knows mountaineering can be dangerous and climbing Mt. Everest more dangerous than most. Counterintuitively, most deaths occur during the descent, in the so-called 'Death Zone' just above 8,000 meters. But why deaths happen hadn't really been explored until now. An international research team has conducted the first detailed analysis of deaths during expeditions to the summit of Mt. Everest. They identified factors that appear to be associated with a greater risk of death, particularly symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema and published their results in the British Medical Journal.
When Did Nut Allergies Descend Into Sensationalism?

When Did Nut Allergies Descend Into Sensationalism?

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

Measures imposed to reduce exposure to nuts are often based on irrational fears of nut allergies and are becoming increasingly sensationalist, according to Professor Nicolas Christakis from Harvard Medical School on bmj.com today.

A peanut on the floor of a school bus leading to evacuation and decontamination for fear that it might be eaten by the 10 year old passengers, and schools declaring themselves "nut free" by banning nuts, peanut butter, homebaked goods and any foods without ingredient labels, are just some examples cited in the article.  According to Christaki, there is no evidence that any of these extreme restrictions work better than more circumscribed policies or that they are worth the money and disruptions they create.
Tree Carbon Calculator - Now Californians Can Measure The Carbon Storage Of Trees In Their Back Yard

Tree Carbon Calculator - Now Californians Can Measure The Carbon Storage Of Trees In Their Back Yard

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

U.S. Forest Service scientists at the Center for Urban Forest Research are providing online software that can show users how much carbon dioxide an urban tree in California has sequestered in its lifetime and the past year.   The Tree Carbon Calculator is free and programmed in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that provides carbon-related information for a single tree in one of six California climate zones.

It can be found at the U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/urban-forests/ or the Center for Urban Forest Research Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/cufr/ 
Warm Up Before Exercising Is Common Sense (Though It Still Needs To Be Said)

Warm Up Before Exercising Is Common Sense (Though It Still Needs To Be Said)

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

A warm-up program that focuses on improving strength, balance, core stability and muscular awareness cuts injury in female footballers by a third and severe injuries by almost a half, according to research published on bmj.com today.

In an accompanying editorial, John Brooks an injury expert for the Rugby Football Union, says that people participating in any sport at all levels should adopt a warm-up program like this to reduce injury. Previous studies investigating the effect of warming up on the risk of injury have focused on key warm-up elements — raising the core temperature, stretching the muscles used, and conducting movement specific exercises — but the effect on injury has been unclear until now.
The Meaning Of Milton 400 Years Later

The Meaning Of Milton 400 Years Later

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

Many people may not know that this past weekend marked the 400th anniversary of John Milton’s birth (he was born on December 9th, 1608). “But Milton remains incredibly relevant to us today,” says Shannon Miller, professor and chair of the English department at Temple University. 

Milton is the seventeenth-century English poet who is considered equal or superior to William Shakespeare. “He is important to us both for the issues of political revolution in which he was invested and for his poem Paradise Lost which explores issues of political revolution within a narrative about the fall from Eden,” says Miller.

Naturally, people found a way to link Milton to the recent election of Barack Obama - and one pundit even found a way to make John McCain into Satan.  
Dispelled - High Fructose Corn Syrup Causal Link To Obesity

Dispelled - High Fructose Corn Syrup Causal Link To Obesity

Dec 09 2008 | comment(s)

A supplement in the December 2008 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that reviews the history and development of high fructose corn syrup finds no scientific support for the hypothesis that high fructose corn syrup is causally linked to obesity in the United States or globally any more or less than other caloric sweeteners.