Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biofuels, Environment, Ethanol, Genomics, Marine Science, New Species, SciClips on 03 31st, 2008 | 1 Comment
Talking Trash About Biofuel
Steven Hutcheson, professor of cell biology and molecular genetics and president and CEO of Zymetis Inc. (right), and Ben Woodard, (left), director of the UMd Mtech Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility.
A super synthesizing microbe is turning trash into gold. Or at least sugar which can be refined into biofuel....
Xcor Intends to Cash in on the Cosmos
A California company is entering the race to commercialize travel to space. Following closely on the heels of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two unveiling two months ago, Xcor Aerospace is promising spaceships built and ready for launch by 2010.
Long Slow Quake Rocks Northwest
Slow-slip earthquake map, March 2008, courtesy of Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
An episodic tremor-and-slip earthquake is not a rockin’ occasion. In fact, the people in the Pacific Northwest can’t feel the tremors, which can last for weeks and release as much pent up pressure as a major...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Diseases, Health and Medicine, SciClips on 03 26th, 2008 | No Comments
MRSA Evades Natural Defenses
Staph aureus, seen here in clusters under an electron microscope, on the cover of the March 21 issue of Science.
The superbug MRSA that seems to be infecting its way across the world may be stronger than originally thought, according to new research.
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See previous coverage of the...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Health and Medicine, Physics and Chemistry, SciClips on 03 25th, 2008 | No Comments
No Time too Small for Physicists
Chin-Tu Chen (left) and Henry Frisch examine electronics boards in the Positron Emission Tomography laboratory at the University of Chicago. Photo by: Lloyd DeGrane
Physicists are trying to discover smaller and smaller units of time. This is useful in high-energy experiments and medical imaging. And,...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biofuels, Environment, Global Warming, Health and Medicine, SciClips on 03 24th, 2008 | No Comments
Black Carbon is New #2 Global Warmer
Scientists have been underestimating the power of black soot and other particulate pollution to warm the world. New science shows that black carbon is the second greatest contributor to global warming. Carbon dioxide is still number one.
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Eagle Ray Kills Woman in Florida
Eagle rays have been known to jump out of the water, especially when pursued. But an ill-timed leap landed one ray on the deck of a passing boat. The ray killed a woman on board by injecting her with its venom from the barb on its tail. The graceful sea animals are not known to be aggressive. Authorities...
Our Thirsty Planet Gulps Water
Glaciers are shrinking, lakes are drying up and water is in short supply. Billions of people will faces serious water shortages within 20 years. Will technology ride to the rescue, making appliances more efficient and lest wasteful? Or will it come down to conservation help solve the world water crisis?...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Astronomy, New Discoveries, Physics and Chemistry, SciClips, Space on 03 19th, 2008 | No Comments
Hubble Telescope Finds Organic Molecule on Extrasolar Planet
Courtesy of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
It’s hard enough to imagine a telescope being powerful enough to reach across space to see the deepest reaches of the Universe. Now NASA has found a way to identify individual chemicals in the atmospheres of planets light years away. And, a new...
Atlanta Hit By Strong Tornado
CNN Employee Stares at Downtown Atlanta Through a Newsroom Window, photo courtesy of Allison Parker
Atlantans are used to the warnings but tornadoes rarely strike within the city limits. Late in the evening of March 14 that all changed. A strong EF-2 twister hit the city’s commercial district,...
Giant Robot in Space
It sounds like science fiction but it’s real. A giant robot is being assembled during the current mission to the International Space Station. Built in Canada, Dexter will assist space-walking astronauts complete the station and starting next year will take over the heavy lifting.
Colony Collapse Disorder is Decimating Bee Populations
Last year 27 billion bees disappeared. That’s 36 percent of the total U.S. bee population. the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder has scientists puzzled and beekeepers scrambling. Only a few states are left unaffected by this situation. California has been hit the hardest and its $2 billion almond...
