Turning Trash into Gas

Posted on December 13, 2007  Comments (0)

Frank Pringle has found a way to squeeze oil and gas from just about anything

Everything that goes into Frank Pringle’s recycling machine—a piece of tire, a rock, a plastic cup—turns to oil and natural gas seconds later.

The machine is a microwave emitter that extracts the petroleum and gas hidden inside everyday objects—or at least anything made with hydrocarbons, which, it turns out, is most of what’s around you. Every hour, the first commercial version will turn 10 tons of auto waste—tires, plastic, vinyl—into enough natural gas to produce 17 million BTUs of energy (it will use 956,000 of those BTUs to keep itself running).

Or rather, he had extracted it. Petroleum is composed of strings of hydrocarbon molecules. When microwaves hit the tire, they crack the molecular chains and break it into its component parts: carbon black (an ash-like raw material) and hydrocarbon gases, which can be burned or condensed into liquid fuel. Pringle figured that some gases from his microwaved tire had lingered, and the cold air in the shop had condensed them into diesel. If the process worked on tires, he thought, it should work on anything with hydrocarbons. The trick was in finding the optimum microwave frequency for each material—out of 10 million possibilities.

Related: Turning Trash into ElectricityConverting Emissions to BiofuelsTrash + Plasma = ElectricityHigh-efficiency Power Supplies

Long-Eared Jerboa

Posted on December 13, 2007  Comments (0)

photo of a long eared jerboa

Mysterious mammal caught on film, the link has videos too:

The long-eared jerboa, a tiny nocturnal mammal that is dwarfed by its enormous ears, can be found in deserts in Mongolia and China.

Until now, the creatures had proven extremely difficult to study, thanks to their minuscule size, nocturnal nature and the harsh desert environment that they inhabit.

“These creatures hop just like a kangaroo; it is amazing to watch. Little hairs on their feet, almost like snow shoes, allow them to jump along the sand,” he explained.

The expedition formed part of ZSL’s Edge programme, which focuses its efforts on conservation plans for animals that are both endangered and evolutionary distinctive. The long-eared jerboa is one of 10 species that the programme is looking at this year.

The Zoological Society of London Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) web site is a great source of all sorts of information. Including more on the Long-Earned Jerboa in the Gobi Desert. Great stuff, they have done a very nice job with their web site – even if they do force people to download the flash player for some material.

Genomics Course For College Freshman Supported by HHMI at 12 Universities

Posted on December 13, 2007  Comments (3)

HHMI Selects 12 Institutions to Launch Nationwide Science Education Experiment

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has selected 12 colleges and universities to participate in a nationwide genomics course that will involve first-year college students in authentic research. The new course is the first major initiative from HHMI’s Science Education Alliance, which seeks to enhance the teaching of science and inspire new generations of scientists.

In Fall 2008, first-year students at the six undergraduate institutions and six research-intensive institutions will take part in a year-long research course — the Phage Genomics Research Initiative – which is being developed by the Science Education Alliance (SEA). The SEA, headquartered at HHMI’s Janelia Farm Research Campus in Northern Virginia, will foster the development of a national network of scientists and educators who work collaboratively to develop and distribute new materials and methods to the education community.

HHMI is committing a total of $4 million over the first four years of the program.

Approximately 20 students at each institution will participate in the two-semester phage genomics research course, in which they will be taught to use sophisticated research techniques. Students will isolate bacterial viruses (phages) from their local soil, prepare the viral DNA for sequencing, and annotate and compare the sequenced genome. The goal is to immerse students in the process of doing science, and equip them with the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for successful research careers.

Related: $600 Million for Basic Biomedical Research$60 Million in Grants for UniversitiesImproving Engineering EducationHHMI Takes Big Open Access Step

A Child’s View of the OLPC Laptop

Posted on December 12, 2007  Comments (1)

A child’s view of the $100 laptop

Enter Rufus Cellan-Jones. He is nine, has far more experience of games consoles than computers, and has strong views on most matters. “Looks fun,” was his only comment when I handed over the small, green and white laptop, explaining that he was the only child in Britain to have one. But very quickly he was up and running. All I did was give him the security code for our home wireless network so he could take the XO online. The rest he figured out for himself

“I just seemed to work it out. It was rather easy. I didn’t even need help.” Surprise, surprise, his first discovery was a game. “I found Block Party. It’s like Tetris. I’m now up to Level 7.” I thought my young games fanatic might stick there but he moved on. “Then I discovered paint. You can use pencils, change the texture, use different sizes of brush.” Even better, there was an animation programme called Etoys. “That’s my favourite.You make things. You can see tutorials and demos. Then you can make a new project. I’ve made a crazy UFO which you can move.”

With no help from his Dad, he has learned far more about computers than he knew a couple of weeks ago, and the XO appears to be a more creative tool than the games consoles which occupy rather too much of his time. The One Laptop Per Child project is struggling to convince developing countries providing computers for children is as important as giving them basic facilities like water or electricity. Unusually, Rufus does not have an opinion about that controversy, but he does have a verdict on the laptop. “It’s great,” he says.

Related: What Kids can Learn on Their OwnOne Laptop Per Child – Give One Get OneMake the World BetterAppropriate TechnologyMicrofinancing Entrepreneurs

Randomization in Sports

Posted on December 11, 2007  Comments (1)

Here is my comment on, The Sun Devil Suggestion System:

My father was a professor (of statistics, chemical engineering… at the University of Wisconsin. I remember one time he wanted the football coach to randomly select the play for certain situations. They would have say 4 plays for 3rd and 3. Instead of making the decision of which to run he thought they should just randomly pick from those 4. The idea was that would eliminate the coaches’ bias which the defense could predict and plan for. The theory was being more unpredictable would lead to more success. They didn’t go for it.

Here is a post on the Freakonomics blog today, Why Don’t Sports Teams Use Randomization? by Ian Ayres:

Levitt and others have tested the degree to which professional tennis and soccer players are successful at playing randomized strategies. But it remains a mystery to me why coaches don’t have random number generators (any laptop would do) to help them pick the next pitch in baseball, or the next play they will call in football.

He then goes on to discuss an equally interesting but different topic faulting coaches for failing to take enough risk in football – in going for a first down on fourth down. That supports my gut instincts. The “conventional wisdom” seems mainly about not “seeming stupid” not the best long term results.

Related: Testing Mixed-Strategy Equilibria When Players Are Heterogeneous: The Case of Penalty Kicks in SoccerMinimax Play at WimbledonStatistics for Experimenterssports related posts

Capture Wind Energy with a Tethered Turbine

Posted on December 11, 2007  Comments (2)

magenn floating wind power (photo)

The technology looks interesting. The ability to deploy the turbine high in the air without expensive towers seems like a huge advantage (of course it will have to work in the practice which I imagine will be the most challenging part). The wind is much more consistent and stronger further off the ground. Many attempts at new energy solutions will help find the best solutions. for emergency use, fast deployment seems like another winning feature.

While this seems a bit unconventional I think some of the ideas that seem crazy are going to be important sources of energy in the future. It will be interesting to see if it can catch on. Some interesting details from Mangenn’s web site:

  • Magenn Power is currently in the prototype phase of our Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS). Magenn Power plans to ship our first official product, a 10 kW version in 2008. A 4 kW version may also be available in 2008.
  • Magenn assumes a depreciable life span of at least 15 years before major refits are required.
  • The Magenn Air Rotor System is a closed inflatable structural design with inherent integrity, stability, and low cost. Furthermore, MARS is a buoyant system that only requires a low cost tensioning cable to secure it and transfer energy to the ground.
  • MARS units will be deployed for disaster relief, to third world communities with limited or no infrastructure, for various military applications, to remote locations, and in harsh climates.
  • The MARS 10 kW unit will be approximately 25′ x 65′ when inflated, it will come standard with a 400 foot tether; this configuration will have a shipping weight under 500 lbs.
  • Magenn Air Rotors can be raised to higher altitudes, thus capitalizing on higher winds aloft. Altitudes from 400-ft to 1,000-ft above ground level are possible, without having to build an expensive tower, or use a crane to perform maintenance.
  • Final pricing is yet to be determined on the 10kW MARS unit: target list price will be between $3 dollars to $5 dollars per watt. (Please Note: This price is subject to change).
  • MARS will be deployed up to 1,000-ft altitude at this time. The benefits of higher altitudes are being investigated. Future MARS units may be deployed at altitudes far beyond 1,000-ft.

Related: USA Wind Power CapacityMIT’s Energy ‘Manhattan Project’Home Engineering – Windmill for ElectricitySouth Korea To Invest $22 Billion in Overseas Energy ProjectsWind Power Technology Breakthrough

Robot Water Striders

Posted on December 10, 2007  Comments (0)

Scientists crack how insect bounces on water:

Walking on water may seem like a miracle to humans. But it is a humdrum achievement for the little water strider, which is able to bounce up and down on water too. Scientists have already solved the mystery of how their six slender, stilt-like legs evenly distribute their scant body weight over a relatively large area so that the “skin” formed by the surface tension of the water supports them, so four millimetre across dimples form under each foot as they skim about.

But scientists remained puzzled by how they could jump up and down upon the surface of water. Now a team in South Korea is about to report that it has at last explained the water strider’s baffling ability to leap onto water without sinking, in a forthcoming issue of the journal Langmuir, an achievement that could help further develop robots that can move about on lakes and reservoirs to monitor water quality, spy or explore.

Related: Robo Insect FlightWorld’s Lightest Flying RobotUnderwater Robots CollaborateRoachbot: Cockroach Controlled Robot

Time’s Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2007

Posted on December 10, 2007  Comments (0)

Time’s Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2007 – I don’t really agree with these but a couple are interesting:

#1. Stem Cell Breakthroughs
In November, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and molecular biologist James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin reported that they had reprogrammed regular skin cells to behave just like embryonic stem cells. The breakthrough may someday allow scientists to create stem cells without destroying embryos

#4. Hundreds of New Species
…700 new species of organisms — including carnivorous sponges and giant sea spiders — some 2,300 ft. to 19,700 ft. (700 m to 6,000 m) down in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica. Scientists also reported the identification of 24 new species in an isolated area of Suriname, where the exploration for bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, led to the discovery of 12 dung beetles, an ant species, six species of fish and five new frogs, including one with fluorescent purple markings. Other fauna finds include a legless amphibian near Goa, India; 11 new species of plants and animals in central Vietnam’s tropical “green” corridor; a new monkey in Uganda; a sucker-footed bat in Madagascar; a clouded leopard in Sumatra and Borneo, and a sea cucumber off the coast of Taiwan, nicknamed “Little Strawberry.”

Related: Popular Mechanics 2007 Breakthrough Award: the WindbeltThe Best Science Books

Roachbot: Cockroach Controlled Robot

Posted on December 9, 2007  Comments (3)

Roaches are gross. Robots are good. But — cockroach-controlled robots?” Nice quote :-) The video shows roboticist Garnet Hertz’s large robot moved by a cockroach on a pingpong ball (a cockroach trackball).

Related: Robo Insect FlightLego Autopilot Project UpdateRobots Sharing TalentsNSF Robotics Report

Scientists Cure Mice Of Sickle Cell Using Stem Cell Technique

Posted on December 9, 2007  Comments (0)

Scientists Cure Mice Of Sickle Cell Using Stem Cell Technique

Using a recently developed technique for turning skin cells into stem cells, scientists have cured mice of sickle cell anemia — the first direct proof that the easily obtained cells can reverse an inherited, potentially fatal disease.

researchers also cautioned that aspects of the new approach will have to be changed before it can be tried in human patients. Most important, the technique depends on the use of gene-altered viruses that have the potential to trigger tumor growth. “The big issue is how to replace these viruses,” said Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., who led the new work with co-worker Jacob Hanna and Tim M. Townes of the University of Alabama Schools of Medicine and Dentistry in Birmingham.

The researchers converted those skin cells into iPS cells by infecting them with viruses engineered to change the cells’ gene activity so they would resemble embryonic cells. Using DNA splicing techniques in those cells, the researchers then snipped out the small mutated stretches of DNA that cause sickle cell disease and filled those gaps with bits of DNA bearing the proper genetic code.

Next, the researchers treated the corrected iPS cells with another kind of virus — this time one designed to induce a genetic change that encouraged the cells to mature into bone marrow cells.

Finally, each mouse that gave up a few skin cells at the beginning of the experiment was given an infusion with the corrected marrow cells created from its own skin cells. Those cells set up permanent residence in the animals’ bones and began producing blood cells — the major function of marrow cells — and releasing them by the millions into the circulatory system.

But now the blood cells being produced were free of the sickle cell mutation.

Antibacterial Chemical Disrupts Hormone Activities

Posted on December 9, 2007  Comments (0)

Antibacterial Chemical Disrupts Hormone Activities:

A new UC Davis study shows that a common antibacterial chemical added to bath soaps can alter hormonal activity in rats and in human cells in the laboratory — and does so by a previously unreported mechanism.

The findings come as an increasing number of studies — of both lab animals and humans — are revealing that some synthetic chemicals in household products can cause health problems by interfering with normal hormone action. Called endocrine disruptors, or endocrine disrupting substances (EDS), such chemicals have been linked in animal studies to a variety of problems, including cancer, reproductive failure and developmental anomalies.

The researchers found two key effects: In human cells in the laboratory, triclocarban increased gene expression that is normally regulated by testosterone. And when male rats were fed triclocarban, testosterone-dependent organs such as the prostate gland grew abnormally large. Also, the authors said their discovery that triclocarban increased hormone effects was new. All previous studies of endocrine disruptors had found that they generally act by blocking or decreasing hormone effects.

In their disclosure statement, the authors report that six of them have taken steps to patent their findings through the University of California.

Research paper Triclocarban enhances testosterone action: A new type of endocrine disruptor?.

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