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Climate 'tipping points' may arrive without
warning

post from Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought on 09 February 2010 07:31:12 PM. © Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought

A new University of California, Davis, study by a top ecological forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in Earth's natural systems will occur -- a worrisome finding for scientists trying to identify the tipping points that could push climate change into an irreparable global disaster.

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/climate-tipping-points-may-arrive-without-warning

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We might err, but science is self-correcting

post from Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought on 09 February 2010 05:29:45 PM. © Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought

My non-scientist friends are beginning to ask me ?What?s gone wrong with science?? Revelations about melting glaciers and potentially dodgy emails about global warming, the resurfacing of Andrew Wakefield and the MMR scare, and the sacking of the Government?s drugs adviser, have created the impression for some people that science is in a mess.

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/we-might-err-science-self-correcting

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Solar POWER in the Midwest

post from FUTURISM NOW on 09 February 2010 05:12:58 PM. © FUTURISM NOW

Mario Monesterio, Westwood Renewables, tours the solar modules at St. John?s University in Minnesota. The project is complete and is producing electricity for the campus. Photo by Jason Wachter

There’s a brand new operational solar array in the upper midwest, and it’s performing at expected rates even in the dead of winter. This array is in Minnesota, and the largest in the upper midwest. If this is successful here, it can be successful anywhere the sun shines.

From the local newspaper:

The (St. John’s) university?s experiment in capturing energy from the sun began operation Dec. 10. The 1,820 black-paneled modules were installed in a 14-acre farm field just northwest of campus.The project is a joint effort of the university, the Order of St. Benedict and Westwood Renewables. The Eden Prairie-based company received a $2 million grant from Xcel Energy to build the largest solar farm in the Upper Midwest.

This is exactly what we need more of in the United States. Too many people still consider solar power some type of oddity, but it can and will produce a lot of power. This array is currently producing only 4% of the university’s power needs, but on a series of cloudless, sunny days it can supply up to 20%. Read more here.

Solar power is getting to be very popular in Minnesota and across the United Sates. There is also money to be made with real green energy. From a letter to the editor that appeared in the Star Tribune last week, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Timothy Geithner, one of the most disliked people in the Obama administration, visited Minnesota last week and injected some hope into the local economy. He visited the Honeywell corporation and announced the Obama administration’s support for an additional $5 billion in funds to be used for “clean energy manufacturing”. This is welcome news and will create jobs.

Secondly, the letter went on to point out, green energy companies have received stimulus money for advanced energy manufacturing projects. One of two companies to received some of this money, which amounted to $154 million for this company, was REC Silicon, and the 2nd largest amount ($84.2 million) went to SolarWorld. SolarWorld is based in Germany, but manufactures solar panels in the United States in Washington, Oregon and California. The polysilicon used to make solar panels is made by REC Silicon. Honeywell manufactures materials for solar panels also. All these companies will make solar power more affordable, more efficient, and will help create more clean energy jobs. This is the stimulus money doing good things and it deserves our support.

We hear how many jobs coal miners would lose if the coal mines were shut (only 63,000) but what if they were all employed in producing, installing and maintaining solar panels and wind turbines? Then there would be no need for all of that dirty, toxic coal.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.civilianism.com/futurism/?p=4289

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Stats Rock!

post from The Logic of Science on 09 February 2010 04:49:46 PM. © The Logic of Science

In an August 2009 New York Times article, here’s what a Google mucky-muck has to say about the world of math and science:?I keep saying that the sexy job in the next 10 years will be statisticians,? said Hal Varian, chief economist at Google. ?And I?m not kidding.?Knowledge of statistics and, most importantly, how to [...]

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http://www.micfarris.com/2010/02/stats-rock/

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More good science in HuffPo

post from Bad Astronomy on 09 February 2010 04:14:54 PM. © Bad Astronomy

Steve Newton of the wonderful National Center for Science Education has written another article promoting science in the Huffington Post, this time about asteroid impacts. And special bonus; he gives your loyal host here a shout-out.Specifically, he[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BadAstronomyBlog/~3/zm1ab4NcKzA/

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An Artificial Pancreas For Diabetes: Still In The
Works

post from Science Ain't So Bad on 09 February 2010 03:44:00 PM. © Science Ain't So Bad

THAT'S one. (A pancreas.)

image from Creative Commons

Medicine: Type 1 Diabetes.

An artificial pancreas really is just over SOME horizon now. An announcement from Cambridge (article in the Lancet) describes the fine work of Dr Roman Hovorka at the University of Cambridge, working with a group of seventeen diabetic kids.

A cure for diabetes would be nice, of course. And there are some intriguing hints but, for now, an artificial pancreas would be stunning enough.

If it works out (and if it is widely accepted), this development has the potential to greatly reduce the complications of the disease, ease peoples’ lives, and reduce health care costs significantly (Wouldn’t THAT be nice?).

Back to which horizon this is over.

It’s hard for MISTER ScienceAintSoBad to say this but, once again, this is only a tantalizing possibility of something that is badly needed. We ARE a lot closer, thanks to the great work being done. Maybe as little are three, four or five years.

Karen Addington (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) says this is a “proof of principle” and that we “need to redouble our efforts.”

I’m not sure that’s what we want to hear. But reality IS so darn real, isn’t it?

ScienceAintSoBadRating = 9

Read The Full Article:
http://scienceaintsobad.com/archives/2477

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Google Buzz Challenges Facebook, Twitter In
Social Evolution

post from Singularity Hub on 09 February 2010 03:14:01 PM. © Singularity Hub

I just watched the live presentation announcing the official launch of Google Buzz, a new an innovative play on the social networking space from Google. My takeaway is a resounding Wow! As we are painfully aware, the onslaught of messages, photos, videos, comments – what Google likes to call “buzz” has been overwhelming in recent [...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SingularityHub/~3/sC-AP1r6v0c/

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Underdogs have more motivation Not so fast, study
says

post from Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought on 09 February 2010 03:13:49 PM. © Machines Like Us - Science at the speed of thought

Members of a group or team will work harder when they're competing against a group with lower status than when pitted against a more highly ranked group, according to a new study.

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http://machineslikeus.com/news/underdogs-have-more-motivation-not-so-fast-study-s
ays

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Interesting Site

Science Fair delivers scientific news, from dinosaurs to distant galaxies. Their coverage focuses on research advances and breaking stories in the scientific world, with an emphasis on intriguing reports. Clink: http://content.usatoday.com/community/forums.aspx?plckForumPage=Forum&plckForumId=Cat:1e854d47-431b-4ba8-8a01-485a8ed65b56Forum:9d9202d8-1e9c-45e6-bf53-05d427236f7e

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http://cbt20.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/interesting-site/

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Do You Know Why Glenn McGee Wants to Live Forever

Well, your first answer chould be, "Doesn't everyone?" But if the actual answer is, "I haven't a clue", then click on this link. McGee, the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Center for Practical Bioethics, will discuss how...

Read The Full Article:
http://blog.bioethics.net/2010/02/do-you-know-why-glenn-mcgee-wants-to-live-forev
er/

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