Scientists close to fountain of youth

From the Telegraph we have news that scientists have created “immortal cells” from a naturally occuring protein called telomerase. In mice.

A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Center in Madrid genetically engineered the rodents to produce 10 times the normal amount of telomerase and found that the mice lived 50% longer. Maria Blasco led the research and was confident that the results found in mice could be translated to humans within our lifetimes.

But how does it work? Here’s a great explanation from the article:

“The protein telomerase helps maintain the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes which act like the ends of shoelaces and stop them unravelling. As we age, and our cells divide, these caps become frayed and shorter and eventually are so damaged that the cell dies. Scientists believe boosting our natural levels of telomerase could rejuvenate them.”

The only drawback from this breakthrough is that this wonder protein, while increasing lifespans, also increases the risk of cancer.

But with dwindling 401k’s and an economy heading for the toilet, who would want to live longer anyway?

EPA wants to ruin national parks

MSNBC has an article today on a proposal by the EPA to cut restrictions on major polluters near national parks. This proposal would change the way pollution measurements are taken and analyzed and would basically make it easier to pollute the air in our national parks. The manner in which measurements are taken currently is in 3 hour and 24 hour cycles. This takes into account spikes in pollution brought on by heightened energy use, and currently, a spike in pollution that goes beyond the parameters set by the EPA is a violation of those regulations. However, this new proposal would average yearly pollution levels, thus changing the bar for violations and making it easier for polluters to get around regulations. Congratulations George W. Bush’s cronies at the EPA, you are assholes.

Here’s the National Park Service mission statement:

“to promote and regulate the use of the…national parks…which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Sorry Park Service, but the EPA is handing you a big “fuck you” note with this proposal. And the question must be asked, if our nation’s parks will be allowed to be marred by pollution then what is the point in having them in the first place? Why not turn the Smoky Mountains into a casino, or Arches into a theme park? If the point is to defile the areas our great nation set aside for their natural beauty then why stop at polluting the air? Forget Yucca Mountain, why not fill the Grand Canyon with nuclear waste.

The final word on this subject comes from Mark Wenzler, director of clean-air programs for the National Parks Conservation Association, “the administration’s staunch commitment to coal is so deep that they’re willing to sacrifice our national parks on the way out the door.” 

Thanks again George W. Bush. You can check another one off your list of American institutions to completely fuck up.

Could the economic crisis bring down China?

Joshua Kurlantzick, of The New Republic has an interesting piece regarding the effects of the recent global economic downturn in China. So far, 10,000 factories have already closed their doors this year, and the number could be 20,000 by the beginning of 2009. Protests are becoming more widespread and frequent as middle class urbanites see their houses lose 50% of their value and their kids unable to get jobs out of college. The only thing missing from this situation is a leader to give a voice to these protestors and a direction for their anger. The U.S. would be smart to find such a leader to rival Chinese President Hu Jintao, as the collapse of communist China could give rise to a new democratic system, and maybe, just maybe, wipe away all those American debts China holds.

Solar panel innovation

One of the drawbacks to solar energy is the fact that scientists haven’t found a way to efficiently gather the energy of sunlight using solar panels. A reason for this is the fact that it is difficult to absorb all the energy emitted by the sun without reflecting a portion of it back into space. Not any more.

According to this article from CNN, scientists from the Future Chips Constellation (FCC) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have developed a coating for solar panels using nano-technology that drastically increases the amount of energy absorbed and nearly eliminates any reflection.

“A typical untreated silicon solar cell absorbs just over two thirds of the sunlight it receives. But with the FCC’s nanoengineered coating, that figure rises to 96.21 percent.”

Of course there are the normal caveats to discuss, such as the fact that lab results are different from viable industry production, and decreasing the amount of sunlight reflected away from solar panels does nothing to increase the efficiency of the panels themselves, but no matter what, innovations like this antireflective coating are a step in the right direction.

This week in climate change news: tree fungus diesel and geo-engineering

There is much going on in the way of new energy and climate change news, so we’ll just jump right in. First up, tree fungus diesel.

Out of the Patagonia rainforest (located in southern South America, in Argentina and Chile) comes the news that scientists have discovered a tree fungus which produces chemicals nearly identical to diesel fuel.

That’s right. Diesel fuel from a tree fungus. Here’s the article from The Guardian.

Basically, what makes fuels like gasoline and diesel work is the existence of hydrocarbons. Feel free to click the link and find out more about hydrocarbons on Wikipedia. Hydrocarbons are molecules comprised mainly of Hydrogen and Carbon (among other elements). These molecules are highly combustible and exceptionally potent, which is why they have become such an important resource in an era when travel is the norm and fuel is needed for all aspects of existence.

However, most hydrocarbons are only found in fossil fuels, which are a finite resource. With the discovery of this tree fungus, called Gliocladium roseum, there is hope for a fuel source which will not be exhausted at some point in the future. Gary Stobel, a scientist from Montana State University who led the team that discovered Gliocladium roseum said “this is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances.” Many other organisms, like algae for instance, produce chemicals similar to hydrocarbons, but none with the density and explosive potential of this tree fungus. The fuel will be called mycodiesel and according to Stobel, it could be used to power a diesel engine without any modification whatsoever.

From the BBC we have an equally interesting story about combatting climate change through geo-engineering.

Scientists with the Royal Society and the National Oceanography Centre are tackling the climate change problem head on by researching ways to counteract the emissions of greenhouse gasses into Earth’s atmosphere using geo-engineering. Once a crackpot theory confined to the pages of science fiction, geo-engineering is slowly gaining more respect within the scientific community especially in terms of combatting global warming (the thought being that if humanity has destroyed the environment with pollution then humanity should be able to undo the destruction with counteractive projects on a global scale). And one of the first geo-engineering projects gaining some steam is the use of iron to “encourage plankton to absorb more carbon dioxide.”

Dr. Richard Lampitt of the NOC likens the process to fertilzing the oceans. By adding iron, plankton will be nourished and the abundance of nutrients will cause plankton populations to rise, simultaneously absorbing more and more carbon dioxide as the plankton spreads.

However, the infusion of iron into the oceans could have unintended consequences. What if the plankton grows too fast too quickly? What if it does not absorb the theorized amount of 1/8th of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? What if it leads to an explosive algae bloom which would block sunlight from reaching other plants important to the balance of sea life, thereby disrupting an already fragile ecosystem?

Only time will tell if either of these ideas are feasible or simply crackpot schemes, but regardless, they are both very, very cool.

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America

After defeating Republican John McCain for the presidency, Barack Obama gave this historic victory speech in front of a crowd of thousands in Chicago. God bless America, the only country where anything is truly possible.

Vote today because some people can’t

In honor of election day, and as a reminder that voting is both a right and a privilege, here’s a list of countries that don’t vote.

Bahrain

Bhutan

Brunei

Fiji

Jordan

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Monaco

Morocco

Myanmar

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Tonga

United Arab Emirates

(Note, technically the Vatican City is a monarchy, but that monarch, the Pope, is actually elected. Also, we didn’t count those countries where voting is mainly for show E.G. Cuba, Venezuela)

Beer Factor

Reprinted from Nov. 20, 2007.

By Chief Contributor Frederic J. Rohner 

Why I don’t want to have a beer with my president–We’re about a year away from the presidential elections and ever since the Clinton-era it seems that the “media” like to make a big deal about what I like to call the “beer factor.” For some reason, it has become apparent that a large group of american voters want a president who they would be able to sit at a table in a bar or restaurant and have a beer with. I do not, in any way shape or form agree with this sentiment. 

Why? Well for one reason, a lot of the people who I enjoy sitting around drinking beer with are idiots. Sorry fellas, but it’s true and it’s the reason I enjoy your company. The “beer factor” is not a good qualification for being president– the president of our country is supposed to be the leader of our great nation, and one cannot lead from the middle of the crowd, leaders must be out in front, engaged in the action of leading.

Our current president, Dubya is the perfect example of the “beer factor.” Although he no longer drinks (because of a series of “youthful indiscretions” which led to his born-again christian beliefs) Dubya is the epitome of the leader whose followers would feel comfortable with sitting around a round table in a smoky roadhouse. And look where it has gotten us.

Can you imagine feeling comfortable in a bar with Abraham Lincoln? With Martin Luther King jr.? JFK? Ghandi? FDR? Benjamin Franklin? Ok, maybe Franklin is not a good example, but then again there are exceptions to every rule.

One of my favorite presidents, Woodrow Wilson was not the “sit around the bar and chat” kinda guy, but he was a forward thinking leader who spearheaded the failed League of Nations which eventually became the U.N. and who, if he hadn’t been ridiculed for his 14 points proposal at the end of WWI he may have been able to prevent the disaster that was WWII. Wilson wasn’t an average joe, he was the president of Princeton, and then the President of the United States, head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries in terms of intelligence, morality, and vision.

So what’s my point? That a leader is someone we should look up to, a person who inspires so much respect within us that we would shutter at the mere thought of being granted the priviledge of sitting in their presense. A leader is someone who, through their intelligence, courage, and moral sense, stands head and shoulders above those they lead. In short a good leader is quite the opposite that the “beer factor” provides.

So when we go to the polls a year from now, I say instead of thinking about who we would love to sit around and have a beer with, we should really be thinking about it in the opposite way: who is the candidate that is so intelligent, that inspires so much respect that it borders on awe, that if we were given the chance to sit down with them we would hardly be able to speak but instead would be compelled to only listen to what this person has to say.

We’ve had far too many average joe presidents and not nearly enough leaders.

Which option does your favorite candidate resemble?