Stereo Chemistry wallpaper, Scientists study potential of oyster protein adhesives, University of Hawaii starts vault for endangered corals

Stereo Chemistry wallpaper

There have been adhesives developed from studying mussels and gecko feet. Scientists are now discovering oysters have some special natural adhesives of their own, Special Adhesive Helps Oysters Stick Together

Both oyster shell and oyster adhesive are made of protein and calcium carbonate, said Jonathan Wilker, a chemist at Purdue University and one of the study’s authors.

However, while shell contains about 1 to 2 percent protein, oyster adhesive contains five times this amount.

Still, oysters seem to use far less protein in their adhesive than other marine animals do. Mussels and barnacles produce a softer glue with more protein, while oysters produce a harder cementlike material.

Researchers speculate oyster glues might be well suited for use to cement bones and as a dental glue (anyone ever have a crown fall off).

Feds Propose Letter Grades For Vehicle Efficiency

“New technologies such as battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are entering the American market in greater numbers,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “We need to provide consumers with labels that include fuel economy and environmental information so that buyers can make better informed decisions when purchasing new vehicles.”

The grades would range from an A+ to a D, perhaps to spare automakers from having to see their least efficient vehicles slapped with an F. To earn top marks, a vehicle would have to get at least 59 mpg or the equivalent, while anything getting 14 or below would earn a D.

I was a little doubtful the EPA was making things simpler for consumers after the first couple paragraphs. As the article continues one begins to see that easy comparison of what constitutes energy efficiency is already more complicated than the old mpg ratings. Thus consumers are left to figure out the cost/benefit of say a hybrid factoring in the cost of a full electric charge, the cost of the gas and ultimately coming up with a cost per mile of driving. The preliminary samples of stickers proposed seem simple enough. The one above would be for a hybrid. There are other sample stickers at the link.

Vault Freezes Coral Cells to Preserve Them From Extinction

In an effort to preserve the biodiversity of Hawaiian coral species, scientists at the University of Hawaii have created the first frozen coral cell bank — similar in concept to a seed bank for plants.

“Because frozen banked cells are viable, the frozen material can be thawed in one, 50 or, in theory, even 1000 years from now to restore a species or population,” said biologist Mary Hagedorn of the University of Hawaii in a press release. “In fact, some of the frozen sperm samples have already been thawed and used to fertilize coral eggs to produce developing coral larvae.”

This report is both encouraging and sad. It is great someone has the foresight to start such a bank, yet it is necessary because corals are in dire straights. Direct human activity is killing them – shipping , divers collecting them and partly as a result of global warming and the ensuing uptake of carbon dioxide. General ocean warming is also leading to increased incidents of coral bleaching.

Illustrated Water Flow wallpaper, The coffee borer and global warming, Solar investment hinges on loan program renewal

Illustrated Water Flow wallpaper

Beetles Devastate Coffee Plants

Westly writes:

Until recently, the coffee berry borer was confined to just a few regions in Central Africa. But since the 1980s, the beetle has gradually spread to every coffee-growing region except Hawaii, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea. Juliana Jaramillo, a biologist at Kenya’s International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, suspects temperature increases are to blame. She and her collaborators recently identified the temperature range in which the beetle can survive. They found that the average minimum temperature the borer requires to reproduce is about 68 degrees F, and the mountainous regions of Ethiopia did not reach that temperature until 1984.

Local shade trees had provided natural cooling thus natural protection for coffee plants – now outpaced by global warming- and now farmers are cutting the trees to increase coffee yields. The trees are being devastated and the beetle population is increasing.Short of a new hybrid coffee or global cooling the situation does not look as though it will end well. Except for maybe tea drinkers.

Solar Power: Brighter Long-Term Investment Outlook

With utilities adopting standards to increase the amount of solar-generated electricity in coming years, the U.S. could bolster its presence in the global solar-power market. The quickening growth pace could present attractive opportunities for investors, according to some professionals.

At the end of 2009, the U.S. ranked fourth in total solar capacity, with 2.09 gigawatts installed, behind Germany with 9.79Gw, Spain with 4.01Gw, and Japan with 2.68Gw, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. With U.S. installed capacity growing at a faster pace than that of the international market, the country may be on track to become a more dominant market by 2014, according to Larry Sherwood, an analyst at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

Not by way of investment advice but just putting two and two together – there is some uncertainty in the solar investment market because no one is sure if the Energy Dept.’s Loan Guarantee Program will be renewed. If the program is renewed look for solar energy related stocks to edge up a bit.

Bend in the Vltava River wallpaper, Unmanned hybrid airship to stay aloft for 21 days, Red Crab migration secret uncovered

Bend in the Vltava River wallpaper

The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic at 435km in length and empties into the Elbe River

Air Power vs. Wind Power: World’s Mightiest Flying Force Rendered Impotent by Green Energy

The United States military has been blocking installations of wind-powered electrical generators in the Mojave Desert and elsewhere, the New York Times reports, because our $50 million warplanes get confused by them.

The military says that the thousands of existing turbines in the gusty Tehachapi Mountains, to the west of the R-2508 military complex in the Mojave Desert, have already limited its abilities to test airborne radar used for target detection in F/A-18s and other aircraft.

.Which might sound like a good argument against wind power, but as that blogger notes much of our radar system is based on processing systems from the 1950s. One would imagine that a moving jet would not be confused with a stationary wind tower. So why isn’t the military more concerned with getting its computer/radar processing abilities up to the processing power that many of you are using right now on your laptops, rather than fighting the installation of wind towers.

Unmanned airship from Northrop Grumman to stay aloft for 21 days

Northrop Grumman engineers are in the process of creating for the U.S. Army a persistent surveillance unmanned airship that can stay aloft for three weeks  — and are producing it in 18 months. Delivery of the Long-Endurance Multi-Int Vehicle (LEMV) is scheduled for December of 2012, the contract was awarded this summer.

The LEMV will be unique because it is untethered and provides persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) for 21 straight days for an estimated total fuel cost of $15,000, much cheaper than manned or other unmanned aircraft, says Liz DelGrosso, business development representative for Northrop Grumman in Melbourne, Fla.

….The airship will be a hybrid air vehicle, that can be unmanned or manned, depending on the mission, DelGrosso continues. If it is a manned mission the cockpit will be configured so a human can live up there for 21 days, she adds.

LEMV

The LEMV is about as long as a football field,is 17 stories high and capable of maintaining elevations of 20,000 feet(6km or 3.8 miles). It will be filled with helium with thrust provided by diesel engines and is estimated to be able to travel at 30 – 80 knots. The LEMV is also capable of carrying 2500 lbs of payload. That kind of payload isn’t practical for commercial transport in the way modern sea going super tankers are, but it does make one wonder if a fleet of hybrid helium craft couldn’t be developed which would be more efficient than tankers or at least more efficient than the large tractor trailers used to move commercial freight cross-country. Imagine how much less traffic we’d have – plus less highway maintenance – if we could cut transport truck use by 30 or 40 percent.

Crab migration uncovered by Bangor and Bristol teams

It is one of earth’s most spectacular migrations and is often hailed as one of the wonders of the natural world.

Now scientists from Bangor and Bristol universities have helped uncover the reason why tens of millions of crabs on Christmas Island are able to travel several kilometres to breed each year.

During the monsoon season, the red crabs scurry simultaneously through rainforests to the Indian Ocean.

Scientists say a hormone is key to the usually sedentary species’ sudden move.

They dig burrows in almost every square metre of available soil or live in deep crevices in rock outcrops. For most of the year, a crab will settle in one place, living in their burrow.

But during the monsoon season, in late November or early December the crabs – officially called gecarcoidea natalis – simultaneously undergo a breeding migration.

They travel several kilometres over a few days, through the rainforest, to eventually reach the sea where they mate and spawn.

The hormone – called crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone helps the gecarcoidea natalis make the most efficient use of glycogen and its conversion to glucose.

Orchids and Palm Hawaii wallpaper, Decoding of wheat genome will aid global food shortage, Ohio State University sets electric car speed record

Orchids and Palm Hawaii wallpaper

Decoding of wheat genome will aid global food shortage

Wheat production world-wide is under threat from climate change and an increase in demand from a growing human population. Liverpool scientists, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the John Innes Centre, have sequenced the entire wheat genome and will make the DNA data available to crop breeders to help them select key agricultural traits for breeding. Bread wheat, with an estimated world harvest of more than 550 million tonnes, is one of the most important food crops in the world…

With modern sequencing techniques scientists decoded the wheat genome in a year  – the human genome took 15 years. This breakthrough should help wheat breeders select breeds for traits that might yield more wheat yield per acre planted, better resistance to drought and resistance to fungus.

Dr Anthony Hall added: “Wheat production is already under pressure with failures in the Russian harvest driving up world wheat prices. It is predicted that within the next 40 years world food production will need to be increased by 50 per cent. Developing new, low input, high yielding varieties of wheat, will be fundamental to meeting these goals.

Much of the increase in wheat yields will be for naught if the world increases its consumption of meat – beef in particular. 12 pounds of wheat produces 12 loafs of bread, but only yields one hamburger.

Buckeye Bullet Sets EV Land-Speed Record

Topping 307 mph is an amazing feat in any vehicle. It’s even more so when the vehicle in question is a student-built electric vehicle.

The Venturi Buckeye Bullet built by students at Ohio State University achieved an average speed of 307.7 mph during a two-run pass at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Tuesday.

There are some photos at the Buckeye Bullet Blog. Now if we only had highways where we could travel at those speeds. I remember an article written by a Chicago commuter who estimated they spent almost 500 hours per year commuting. Lets say you are in the work force for about 45 years, that’s 22,500 hours or 937 days or 2.5 years commuting.

Dell Cuts 18 Million Pounds Out of Packaging Loop

In December 2008, Dell announced a plan to transform computer packaging. And in that time, the company has increased the amount of recycled content in its packaging by approximately 32 percent, including the introduction of bamboo packaging. To achieve the company’s larger packaging goals of increasing recycled content in its packaging by 40 percent by 2012 the company is implementing a strategy based on the three Cs: Cube, Content and Curbside.

The reporter at the link says Dell has integrated the equivalent of more than 9.5 million half-gallon milk jugs into its packaging. Dell still has a way to go. Part of what it is trying to achieve in terms of the entire recycling loop is to get local recycling companies – the folks who pick up our recycled bins – to start recycling bamboo.

Egg-Shaped Salt and Pepper Shakers Made of Reclaimed Wood. Made in the good ol’USA by Domestic Aesthetic. Pictures at either link.

Kent Wells: BP Exec Avoids Answering When Relief Well Will Be Finished. From some hearings over in Houston. The phrase “I don’t recall” seemed to pop up a lot. Apparently if you want to be an oil company executive that phrase is the crutch to use for any tough question.

Farm Meadow wallpaper, UK may have found mite resistant bee, Half penny sized frog discovered

Tree Farm Meadow wallpaper

UK bee industry abuzz with mite resistant breed

A British beekeeper said on Wednesday he may have discovered a strain of honey bee immune to a parasite that has been gradually wiping out populations of the vital insect worldwide.

Scientists have been trying to find a way to fight the pesticide-resistant Varroa mite.

But now a retired heating engineer who has spent 18 years searching for a mite-resistant breed may have made a breakthrough.

Ron Hoskins, 79, from Swindon in southern England, says he has managed to isolate and breed a strain of bees which “groom” one another, removing the mites.

A British environmental consultancy estimates bees pollination of just apples, pears, plums and raspberries creates $308.4 million a year in crop value.

The hybrid we will not be seeing in the U.S. – Honda Jazz Hybrid Will Get Paris Premiere

The Honda Fit compact car — called the Jazz everywhere in the world but in North America — has long seemed to be an obvious choice for hybrid power. Now Honda’s agreed: the Jazz will get a hybrid engine in 2011, but it won’t be for sale in the United States.

The Jazz Hybrid, announced this week and to be on display next month at the Paris motor show, will borrow the same Integrated Motor Assist system and CVT gearbox that are in the Insight and Civic Hybrid. Fuel economy and emissions data, also to be announced in Paris, were expected to be very close to those models.

Honda Jazz

That’s OK we will still have the Fit (which looks similar) and hybrid Insight ( just based on looks I tend to slightly favor the Insight over the Prius). In addition the U.S. will have the sporty two seat  hybrid Honda CR-Z which went on sale Tuesday.

Smallest frog in Asia discovered in Borneo

Researchers on an expedition in Borneo have found a new and very tiny species of frog.

Male adults of the new species, named Microhyla nepenthicola, grow to approximately one centimetre in length.

The researchers first discovered the diminutive red and orange amphibian on an expedition to Kubah National Park in 2004.

They have now described the discovery in the journal Zootaxa.

The team found the frog when it emerged from a small pitcher plant, Nepenthes ampullaria, in which it lives.

The Microhyla nepenthicola adult size is about one centimeter. The diameter of a penny is 1.9 cm. Odd they should live in pitcher plants which are among the few carnivorous plants. The fluids inside the pitcher plant have digestive enzymes in them. The frog seems to take advantage of this – without being digested itself – feeding off the decomposing organic matter in the plant.

Another denier of the catastrophic consequences of global warming – who seems utterly oblivious to science of any kind – might be the next senator from Alaska – Leading AK GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Joe Miller: ‘We Haven’t Heard There’s Man-Made Global Warming’

A 2009 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States found that “97–98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in the field support the tenets” of the IPCC’s conclusion that man-made greenhouse gases are responsible for the planet warming.

Skeptical Science, using data from several government agencies that monitor the global climate, created this graph demonstrating how the rise in carbon dioxide has closely tracked a rise in global temperature over time..

Just in time for the holiday season, another anti-science zealot making decisions about public policy and the environment.