Reason 1,230 to preserve species and biodiversity, New viper species found, An enviornmental wishlist for Congress

Reason 1,230 to preserve species and biodiversity, How Mollusk Blood Could Cure Cancer

The giant keyhole limpet’s hemolymph carries a protein that is the essential component of a new cancer vaccine. Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) carries oxygen in limpet blood. It is an unusually large protein—near virus size—and contains many epitopes, which trigger our body to produce antibodies. When doctors inject KLH into the human bloodstream, it provokes a powerful immune response.

Some people have referred to those who want to save relatively unheard of species such as the giant keyhole limpet as ecofascists. Odd that those of us deeply concerned with the health and well being of the planet, including Homo sapiens are now fascists.

A new snake has been discovered in the Tanzanian forest. Matilda’s horned viper, a new snake species

Matilda's horned viper, Photograph by Michele Menegon, Science Museum of Trento/WCS

The exact location of this new species is being kept a semi-secret as its habitat is smaller than about 40 square miles ( hundred square kilometers). While I might be tough on exotic snake species running rampant in Florida and the exotic snake trade in general that doesn’t mean I’m anti-snake. This one, like many snakes is quite beautiful.

A review of the  Honda 2012 Civic Hybrid. With leather and navigation ($26,750). Average mileage in real world testing was 41.4 mpg.

They found the overall design less than great. I Like the new front end wedge look. The rear is kind of boring, but not so bad that it would keep me from considering it. The Honda Insight is both a little edgier and a modern classic.

Go green and do good, Colorful New Year’s Resolution Bracelets Help Clear Bomb-Littered Land in Laos

Adding to their creative ways of turning Vietnam War scrap metal into accessories, Article 22 releases a colorful Peacebomb Resolution Wrap Bracelet just in time for New Year’s.

A Wish List for Congress in 2012 - Counting down the top 10 ways Congress could improve its performance in the new year.

10. Kindergarten teachers descend en masse onto the Hill to refresh their former students’ memories about critical life lessons: You have to share and you can’t have your way all the time.

9. Congress resumes passing wilderness bills, starting with legislation that has bipartisan support in California, Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Michigan, and Tennessee.

8.  Lawmakers realize the Antiquities Act works just fine as a remarkably effective tool for protecting rare natural and historic treasures, and decide to leave it the hell alone.

The other seven are at the link. A recent PEW survey found this to be one of the, if not the most, obstructionist Congresses in U.S. history. Conservatives seem determined to stop any progress being made toward anything, especially the environment and the economy. Perhaps the 2012 election cycle will bring a shift and we’ll see a more progressive Congress that cares about preserving America’s natural heritage for future generations.

A bit of personal recollection and ecology from a fellow WordPresser, Juniper: an evergreen for all my seasons

Of all the flora about me as I grew up and the plants about me now, the juniper radiates scent and memories, even beyond the majestic pecan in my far pasture.  I burned juniper in a Folger’s coffee can to sweeten the air at campsites and even in my apartment from time to time, placing the coffee can at the edge of the hearth.

Sperm whale calf and mom

The sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale and has the animal world’s largest brain. This species feeds primarily on squid and is also found to be the deepest diving animal as it pursues prey at depths down to 3 kilometres (9,800 ft). They live in social pods. The females form a group all to themselves to protect and nurse the young. They give birth to a new calf about every 3 to 6 years. The calves are nurtured by the group for about ten years. Thus one can see how easy it would be to drive them to extinction by regularly hunting them. Some may remember that The Great White Whale in Moby Dick was a sperm whale.

Autumn Marsh wallpaper, Patagonian Ice Fields are receeding, Possible Alzheimer’s benefit for some vitamins – omega-3s

Autumn Marsh wallpaper

 

Scientists in Chile hike over plains of snow to recover valuable data.

Earlier this year, glaciologist Neil Glasser of Aberystwyth University, UK, and colleagues estimated that since 1870 the Northern Patagonian Icefield has lost more than 100 cubic kilometres of ice, and that the Southern Patagonian Icefield had lost more than 500 cubic kilometres since 1650. In both case, the melt rate had speeded up considerably in recent decades1.

The San Rafael Glacier, for example, about 55 kilometres southwest of Exploradores, has retreated 12 kilometres over the past 136 years, and is still shrinking. And earlier this month, scientists from the CECS released time-lapse photos showing that the Jorge Montt glacier in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field retreated by about one kilometre between February 2010 and January 2011.

The continental glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland are the world’s largest frozen landmass. The Patagonian Ice Fields come in third largest covering 14,000 square kilometers. About 75% of the earth’s freshwater reserves are locked up in glaciers.

References -  Glasser, N. et al. Nature Geoscience 4 303–307 (2011).

From a U.K. research team, Deep-sea creatures at volcanic vent

Researchers have been surveying volcanic underwater vents – sometimes called black smokers – in the South West Indian Ridge in the Indian Ocean.

The UK team found an array of creatures living in the super-heated waters, including yeti crabs, scaly-foot snails and sea cucumbers.

They believe some of the species may be new to science.

This area is also unusual because it is an “ultra-slow spreading” ridge, which means it is less volcanically active than other ridges, with fewer vents that are further apart.

Dr Jon Copley, chief scientist of the Indian Ocean vents project, said: “This place is a real crossroads in terms of the vent species around the world.”

Using a remote-operated, underwater robot called Kiel 6000, from the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM Geomar), in Germany, the team was able to train their cameras on the vents.

In the hottest habitat around the black smokers, they found snails and shrimp, as well as mussels, sea cucumbers and crabs. They then compared these with the animals found at vents on the neighbouring ridges.

Dr Copley said: “I was expecting there to be some similarities to what we know from the Atlantic, and some similarities to what we know from the Indian Ocean vents, and that was true, but we also found types of animals here which are not known from either of those neighbouring areas, and that was a big surprise.

“One was a type of yeti crab. There are two currently described species of yeti crab known from the Pacific, and it isn’t like those, but it is the same type of animal, with long, hairy arms.
Scaly-foot snail (David Shale) The team used an underwater robot to find creatures, such as this scaly-foot snail, around the vents in the Indian Ocean.

Stalked barnacle (by David Shale) There was a diverse mix of creatures, including this stalked barnacle, around the vents

Investigating the life at deep-sea vents may provide  more understanding of how these unique life forms more from vent to vent. Ocean vents can last for quite a while in human perspective, but in geological time old ones close and new ones open in relatively short time frames. How have species adapted to have the ability to travel from one vent to the other. The ability to determine where and when to move is literally a make or break one for species as they would otherwise become extinct. These relatively pristine deep-sea habitats are treacherous for humans, yet they are in danger because of human activity. China is already exploring the possibility of mining vent areas for minerals.

Possible Alzheimer’s benefit for some vitamins, omega-3s

A small but provocative study suggests that a diet high in vitamins C, D and E, the B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids and low in trans fats might offer protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

…The researchers found that high levels of those vitamins or omega-3 fatty acids were associated with better performance on the cognitive tests and with MRIs showing less evidence of the kind of brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer’s. Vitamins C and E and the B vitamins are commonly found in fruits and vegetables, while omega-3s and Vitamin D are found in fish and seafood.

The study also found that high levels of trans fats were linked to poorer mental thinking and memory skills and more brain atrophy. Trans fats are typically found in packaged, fast, fried and frozen foods, commercial baked goods and margarine.

Th researchers themselves caution that more studies are probably wise in order to conform their findings. Tat said there is nothing particularly radical about having a diet higher in fresh food like vegetable, fruits and seafood, while also restricting one’s intake of processed foods with trans fats. Up until relatively modern era food processing and fast food that is the way many people ate. My grandparents rarely ate prepared/packaged foods. Not because they were early health food or organic adapters, but because they thought it tasted better.

Make your house eco-friendly – Eco-friendly home remodeling

Garden in Oregon wallpaper, Images from NASA show new island formation, Citizen scientists’ climate-impact survey wraps up

Garden in Oregon wallpaper

Some interesting sightings from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites and the International Space Station (ISS):

An eruption (white plume) occurred in the Red Sea in December 2011.

The activity in the Red Sea included more than an eruption. By December 23, 2011, what looked like a new island appeared in the region.

…The volcanic activity occurred along the Zubair Group, a collection of small islands off the west coast of Yemen. Running in a roughly northwest-southeast line, the islands poke above the sea surface, rising from a shield volcano. This region is part of the Red Sea Rift where the African and Arabian tectonic plates pull apart and new ocean crust regularly forms.

The city lights of Spain and Portugal define the Iberian Peninsula in this photograph from the International Space Station (ISS)

Several large metropolitan areas are visible, marked by their relatively large and brightly lit areas, including the capital cities of Madrid, Spain—located near the center of the peninsula’s interior—and Lisbon, Portugal—located along the southwestern coastline. The ancient city of Seville, visible to the north of the Strait of Gibraltar, is one of the largest cities in Spain. The astronaut view is looking toward the east, and is part of a time-lapse series of images.

This is from a British tabloid so some skepticism is warranted. Though Live Science reported on the same announcement. ‘Jurassic Park’ scientist aims to hatch a dinosaur using DNA from birds

Some might say that only a bird brain could come up with such a plan, but scientist Jack Horner is hoping to use living birds to hatch a dinosaur.

Horner, the technical adviser on Jurassic Park and professor of palaeontology at Montana State University believes that a modern bird’s DNA contains a genetic memory that could be ‘switched on’ again, resurrecting long-dormant dinosaur traits.

What’s more, he’s looking for a helper to assist in the retro-engineering of a prehistoric beast.

Horner explains that to make a dinosaur, he would start with the genome (the whole hereditary information encoded in the DNA) of an emu.

‘Emus have all the features we need in order to make a Velociraptor-sized dinosaur,’ he says.

‘If I were to make a dinosaur, that is where I’d start.’

Far-fetched as this sounds, his work is supported by other leading academics.

Sean Carroll, a geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, says: ‘The inventory of genes in a bird would be very similar to the inventory of genes in a dinosaur.

‘It is differences in the decision-making that takes during development that make the difference between a chicken and a tyrannosaurus.’

No reason to think that won’t turn out just great, right?

Citizen scientists’ climate-impact survey wraps up – Forest-monitoring project has measured 150,000 trees and provided researchers with reams of data.

“Forests play a huge role in regulating climates at global scale and provide livelihoods for many millions of people, so understanding how they are going to change and adapt to changing conditions is one of the most pressing environmental questions of our time,” says Robert Ewers, a forest biodiversity researcher at Imperial College London who is not involved in the Earthwatch project. “Every forest is different, so well-managed and quality-controlled citizen science such as Earthwatch’s programme represents a powerful way of gaining the large volumes of data that are needed to gain insight into the global patterns of forest change.”

Researchers are only just beginning to analyse data from the project. But some studies, such as that in Gutianshan National Nature Reserve in Zhejiang Province, China, have already confirmed that plantations can be a haven for biodiversity.

In one region of India it is estimated that as many as 1.3 million residents rely on the forest to make a living and for traditional medicine. Continuing shifts in climate pose a threat to both biodiversity and to the ability of native population to provide for themselves. This citizen science idea has been something like a human-powered super computer –  the volunteers have measured more than 150,000 trees, equivalent to 60 years’ work for one scientist.

MSU chemists become the first to support an 84-year-old theory, Bicycling to cut pollution and make rescues, Polar Bear Siku Gains Legions of Online Fans

MSU chemists become the first to support an 84-year-old theory

The same principle that causes figure skaters to spin faster as they draw their arms into their bodies has now been used by Michigan State University researchers to understand how molecules move energy around following the absorption of light.

Conservation of angular momentum is a fundamental property of nature, one that astronomers use to detect the presence of satellites circling distant planets. In 1927, it was proposed that this principle should apply to chemical reactions, but a clear demonstration has never been achieved.

….The experiment involved the preparation of two closely related molecules that were specifically designed to undergo a chemical reaction known as fluorescence resonance energy transfer, or FRET. Upon absorption of light, the system is predisposed to transfer that energy from one part of the molecule to another.

McCusker’s team changed the identity of one of the atoms in the molecule from chromium to cobalt. This altered the molecule’s properties and shut down the reaction. The absence of any detectable energy transfer in the cobalt-containing compound confirmed the hypothesis.

Being able to manipulate chemical structure in this way may have promising new ways to create electronic components and manipulate biological systems. I could see how, if it can be done on a large scale, it might be used to make toxic waste inert so it would not pose a hazard to human or animal life.

In a bid to clean polluted air, Houston to offer bicycle rentals at solar-powered kiosks

A Wisconsin company will install three solar-powered bicycle kiosks in downtown Houston as part of a program designed to cut greenhouse gas pollution in one of the nation’s most industrial cities.

Commuters and visitors will be able to get off the train or a bus and rent a bike to complete their journey. Similar programs have been successful in San Antonio, Chicago and Denver.

Boca Raton paramedics handle rescues on two wheels

Firefighter-paramedic Dave Weyer doesn’t always do his job from an ambulance. Often, he pedals through Boca Raton crowds to get to emergencies.

He’s the man behind Boca Raton Fire-Rescue’s new bike paramedic team, which deploys paramedics on bicycles into the city’s ever-growing crowds at downtown events and football games.

Weyer designed and made some custom bicycles to use for the program ( pictured at link). With what looks like some large blue saddle bags to haul on their calls the paramedics will be getting their daily aerobic work-out.

The life of a night crawler

Polar Bear Siku Gains Legions of Online Fans

A 1-month-old cub named Siku is so cute, he’s gone viral. The 8-lb. bear was born Nov. 22 at Denmark’s Scandinavian Wildlife Park, but his mother, Ilka, could not produce enough milk to feed her new cub.

The zoo stepped in, and with caretaker Frank Vigh-Larsen at the helm, staffers have been hand-rearing Siku ever since.

Fall Mountain Meadow wallpaper, The world’s largest reindeer herd has plummeted in size, Apple has plans to use hydrogen in batteries

Fall Mountain Meadow wallpaper

 

The world’s largest reindeer herd has plummeted in size

The world’s largest reindeer herd has plummeted in size, with local indigenous people blaming the spread of massive industrial projects in the area.

The George River herd, which once numbered 8-900,000 animals, stands today at just 74,000 – a drop of up to 92%.

The herd roams the vast tundra of Quebec and Labrador in eastern Canada. Known as caribou in North America, the animals are central to the culture of the Cree and Innu people of the region.

According to the Innu large-scale projects such as flooding due to new dams, new mines for iron ore and building new roads are the main culprits in depleting habitat and breeding grounds. For the native tribes reindeer/caribou are an integral part of their daily lives and traditions. Canada is not unlike te U.S. in that well funded special interests are listened to, while those with less money and political clout are largely shut out of major decisions that affect a way of life.

Mark this up as a rumor that has a better than even chance of being true, Apple has plans to use hydrogen in batteries allowing iPhones and iPods to hold a charge for WEEKS

‘Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refuelling,’ the filings report.

Not only would their plan to use hydrogen fuel cells get rid of ‘the need for a bulky and heavy battery’ but it would also help the environment.

‘Our country’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling,’ the company wrote in it’s patent application.

‘These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources,’ it continued.

I do not want this blog to be about patents, though I am a little confused/concerned about a hydrogen fuel cell patent in this case. What is it that Apple has discovered that is quantitatively different enough in the way of basic hydrogen energy cell technology that would warrant a patent. If hydrogen fuel cells – where all the basic steps are about the same goes the way of Monsanta and its seed craziness, the future development of hydrogen fuel cells is under a terrible shroud of patent infringement paranoia.

A look at the video confirms the irony of “finest moments”. Exclusive Video: The House Natural Resource Committee’s Finest Moments Of 2011

From the beginning of the 112th Congress, it was suspected that Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) would lead the committee on an “oil above all” mission, and that proved to be the case — 20 out of 65 oversight hearings were held on how to do more oil and gas drilling, while just four were held on spurring renewable energy development. Hearings weren’t the only way Republicans attempted to prioritize the bottom line of their corporate contributors over the public lands that belong to all Americans — indeed, they went so far as to push extreme measures to mine uranium next to the Grand Canyon and deny the existence of an entire industry of green jobs, both of which are shown in this video.

The House of Representatives in the 112th Congress as a whole has the dubious distinction of being “the most anti-environment House in the history of Congress,” averaging more than one anti-environmental vote for every day the House was in session in 2011.

You see politicians in crime shows all the time involved with taking money for votes. It almost seems like a cliché. How can public officials get away with voting according to who gives them campaign contributions. Large contributors even cover their bets by throwing a little money almost everyone’s way, with the largest amounts going to who has the most power to advance the agenda of the business that is trying to get special treatment. In the 2010 election cycle NRC Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) received 6 times the contributions from industry than he did in 1998. Hastings is either not very good at covering his tracks or just doesn’t care about how corrupt he is – Ethics claims target Doc Hastings

Rep. Doc Hastings, already under fire as chairman of the stalled House ethics committee, accepted a $7,800 trip to England in 2000 from a company he championed for a multibillion-dollar contract at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, records released by an advocacy group yesterday show.

In addition, other records released yesterday by a political Web site show that Hastings, a Republican from Pasco, did not file a required travel report for a 2004 trip to a resort on Stuart Island, B.C. That was paid for by another company also working at Hanford.

Hastings represents the state of Washington’s 4th congressional district -Yakima, Wenatchee, and the Tri-Cities. Hastings get paid about $175,000 a year plus a subsidized insurance plan. Washington voters could probably get an actual criminal to do the same “work” for half that amount.