Comments

idratherbegolfing_413

Science

A Magnetic Machine Plucks Pathogens from Blood

By Posted on 6.22.2009 8 Comments
If your uncle says he's getting magnetic therapy, you might feel the urge to tell him to save his money instead for that tinfoil hat to keep the CIA from reading his mind. But if he's being hooked up to Don Ingber's magnet machine, it just might save his life.

6.22.2009 at 06:05pm - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

I'm curious... I know red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which to my understanding contain high levels of iron, a very magnetic substance, anyone know how this technique avoids disposing of healthy red blood cells with the pathogens? Otherwise very neat trick, but it requires known antibodies for the infectious agent in order to work, a possibly very limiting problem
Science

A, T, G, C and What?

By Posted on 4.17.2009 8 Comments
Turns out life has more essential building blocks to play with than previously thought: researchers at Rockefeller University have discovered a new nucleotide in the mammalian DNA code. Remember good ol' adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine? Well, the alphabet of our DNA sequence is about to receive a new letter. Meet 5-hydroxymethylcytosine; we aren't sure what it does or where it's located, but we know it's important -- really important.

4.20.2009 at 01:54am - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

So this nucleotide would still code for the same amino acid if it was in the genetic sequence? Why is this so groundbreaking as : the reason why humans and other animals are so different?
Science

A, T, G, C and What?

By Posted on 4.17.2009 8 Comments
Turns out life has more essential building blocks to play with than previously thought: researchers at Rockefeller University have discovered a new nucleotide in the mammalian DNA code. Remember good ol' adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine? Well, the alphabet of our DNA sequence is about to receive a new letter. Meet 5-hydroxymethylcytosine; we aren't sure what it does or where it's located, but we know it's important -- really important.

4.18.2009 at 08:57pm - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

I don't understand. We've sequenced mouse genomes thousands of times before, how have we never noticed? Does this nucleotide not exist in the actual genome, but is free-floating in the cell? Or does this nucleotide appear like one of the traditional 4 when we run sequencing tests? Can anyone help me out?
The Environment

The Big Thaw

By SciIll Staff Posted on 9.11.2009 20 Comments
One hundred thirty miles north of Nome, a small coastal village on Sarichef Island is feeling the effects of climate change. Shishmaref, Alaska, is falling into the sea. Rising temperatures are melting the permafrost, the layer of frozen ground beneath the surface. Without this firm base, waves have eroded the land on which Shishmaref’s villagers make their home. They must relocate their houses inland or start all over somewhere else.

2.2.2009 at 01:37pm - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

If all of these "positive feedback loops" such as permafrost melting exist in our ecosystem, how has our planet continued to remain in equilibrium for such a long time. I can only conclude that their must be some sort of negative feedback that kicks in once climate reaches a drastic state. The only question is how severe is the negative feedback and what consequence will it have on humanity.
The Environment

Ole! Spanish Greenhouses Make Climate Less Caliente

By Rachel Durfee Posted on 10.14.2008 2 Comments
The southern coast of Spain is known for hot parties, hot food, and hot people. But one thing it may soon be known for is cooling the climate. The southeastern region of Almeria is home not only to paella and flamenco but also to the world's largest expanse of greenhouses. The roofs on these "hot houses" reflect incredible amounts of sunlight – so much, in fact, that scientists now say they could be responsible for lowering the local temperature.

10.14.2008 at 06:45pm - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

This is remarkable, I've always wondered what the effect would be on global temperature if we all painted the tops of our buildings white, instead of black or gray, which of most them are. White obviously reflects much larger amounts of solar energy than black Could solving the warming really be as simple as reflecting more light back into space? Realistically, I think it could be a solution, if we are unable to solve the output of CO2 in time. It's times like these I wish I had a climate simulator on hand to calculate the effect.
Cars

2011 Chevy Volt Unveiled

By Posted on 9.16.2008 33 Comments
Today, after a nearly two-year tease, General Motors unveiled the final design for the car that it hopes will save the company: the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the world's first production plug-in hybrid. The Volt is designed to drive 40 miles on a single charge of its giant lithium-ion battery; after that, an onboard 1.4-liter four-cylinder flex-fuel engine kicks in to power the electric motors that drive the car. GM will most likely make 10,000 of the cars in the first year of production; it's expected to go on sale in November 2010.

9.20.2008 at 02:45pm - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

Ok children, let's settle down now. Enough of the petty disagreements. I think we can all agree that the chances of other electric cars being produced will only benefit the entire economy. Our economy is built on competition driving down prices and driving up innovation. Rather than arguing about which option will win out in the end, why don't we enjoy the fact that eventually the best product will win out. Btw, glad to hear that the Volt will eventually incorporate photovoltaics into their design.
Cars

2011 Chevy Volt Unveiled

By Posted on 9.16.2008 33 Comments
Today, after a nearly two-year tease, General Motors unveiled the final design for the car that it hopes will save the company: the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the world's first production plug-in hybrid. The Volt is designed to drive 40 miles on a single charge of its giant lithium-ion battery; after that, an onboard 1.4-liter four-cylinder flex-fuel engine kicks in to power the electric motors that drive the car. GM will most likely make 10,000 of the cars in the first year of production; it's expected to go on sale in November 2010.

9.19.2008 at 01:59am - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

Too bad GM failed to incorporate photovoltaic cells into the Volt. If GM had looked into thin-film solar panels for the roof of the car, they could have drastically improved its range. Companies like Nanosolar have proven the cost-effectiveness of thin-film solar panels. For the minimal cost, the Volt could sit out in the company parking lot and charge from the sun during the day, rather than sucking power from the grid at night. Too bad GM, you almost hit it perfect this time. We can only hope that the Volt will still sell so that the thin-film solar roofs can be implemented on future models. Maybe an upgradable option on future Volts? Just a thought...
The Environment

Permafrost Contains Vast Store of Carbon

By Laurie J. Schmidt Posted on 9.8.2008 5 Comments
With so much focus on sea ice and ice shelves, the role of permafrost in the global climate cycle is often not on the public's radar screen. But according to a new study published last week in the journal Bioscience, permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere contains more than two times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and rapid thawing could make it a significant contributor to global climate change.

9.8.2008 at 09:34pm - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

Huh? europeanguy, that doesn't make any logical sense, if you would like to site a scientific source for that let us know, but I know you don't have one, so thats ok
The Environment

Permafrost Contains Vast Store of Carbon

By Laurie J. Schmidt Posted on 9.8.2008 5 Comments
With so much focus on sea ice and ice shelves, the role of permafrost in the global climate cycle is often not on the public's radar screen. But according to a new study published last week in the journal Bioscience, permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere contains more than two times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and rapid thawing could make it a significant contributor to global climate change.

9.8.2008 at 11:10am - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

This is why the global climate emergency is far greater than many scientists, politicians or the entire public understand. The positive feedback mechanisms built in to our environmental situation results in drastic changes that once set into motion cannot be overcome. Combining this release of CO2 as the earth heats up with the albedo effect from melting sea ice, means if we do not solve this issue soon, the earth will reach a point that we will never recover from. If only the Sarah Palin's of the world could understand these basic science concepts that threaten our societies...
Gadgets

A More Efficient Hybrid

By Annemarie Conte and Esther Haynes Posted on 9.8.2008 14 Comments
One of the first things Eric Mattessich discovered in engineering school was that the typical internal combustion engine blows about 70 percent of the energy it creates straight out of the tailpipe in the form of heat. So, he wondered, could he adapt the kind of heat-recapturing mechanisms used to make powerplants more efficient to work on hybrid cars? “The technology has been around since the 1900s,” he points out. “It’s just that no one has put it into such a small package before.”

9.6.2008 at 10:52am - Comment by idratherbegolfing_413

Good point FreeWi, I think the article was in PopSci about a year ago about the inventor you took an engine and added another cycle to it. He modified it to inject fine water mist directly into the cylinders to then expand as steam and capture some of the heat from the gasoline combustion after the regular piston cycles were complete. Don't quote me, but I think he improved efficiency somewhere around 30 percent. If only there was a way to extract energy from gasoline without burning it so we could avoid the heat loss... maybe a new type of method is needed.