When legendary marine biologist Sylvia Earle started exploring the ocean 50 years she couldn’t fathom anything people could do to hurt the pristine blue waters that dominate the globe. In her 2009 TED Prize talk she says, “Then, not Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cousteau or Rachel Carson could imagine we could do anything to harm the ocean by what we put into it or what we took out of it.”

Back then, she says the leading oceanographic minds considered the world’s ocean to be a sea of Eden. But now she says, “We are facing a paradise lost.”

As the recipient of a TED Prize, she called upon the world to recognize that we have fished 90 percent of the big fish in the last 50 years. We are losing sharks, squid, blue fin tuna and other species at a rapid rate. There are dead zones appearing in the oceans that affect not just the animals and plants that call it home but all of us.

She says, “I hope for you help to explore and protect the wild ocean in ways that will restore the health and in so doing secure hope for human kind. Health to the ocean means health for us. And I hope Jill Tarter’s wish to engage Earthlings like us includes dolphins, whales and other sea creatures in this quest to look for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. And I hope Jill that we will find evidence one day that there is intelligent life among humans on this planet.”

She says, “Nothing else will matter if we fail to protect the ocean. Our fate and the ocean are one.”

As the winner of a TED Prize, Dr. Earle received $100,000 and a wish to change the world.

Young Sea Turtle Swims in Sea of Plastic

After her inspiring talk the work to fulfill her wish began immediately. VeriSign (the web encryption software) founder Addison Fischer gave $1 million to fund a project which grew into Mission Blue Voyage. The TED Prize team worked with Fischer and other offers to build on Earle’s wish.

Then just 14 months after she made her wish Sylvia Earle led a four-day Galapagos sea-voyage of 100 peopleLeonardo DiCaprio, Edward Norton, Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, Steve Case, Ted Waitt, Bill Joy, Jackson Browne, Damien Rice, Chevy Chase, Jean-Michel Cousteau and 30 of the world’s leading marine scientists.

That’s where Jackson Browne began thinking about the role of the ocean in our lives and that connection to Sylvia Earle and her TED wish prompted him to go on to write his song, If I Could Be Anywhere.

Browne says he started the song on the Galapagos trip but finished it the night before presenting at TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch in November 2010.

His song grew out of a talk that Jeremy Jackson gave on the trip. Browne says, “When he said we need to change who we are I really got that.” He says we are going to have to eat differently, consume differently and travel differently because business as usual is hurting the planet and the ocean in particular.

Since that trip Browne, who has long been a supporter of the environment and social movements (including Occupy Wall Street) has begun touring on a bus powered by biodiesel and he has banned all disposable plastic backstage at his concerts.

He says, “I’m committed to carry as much of what I’ve learned here and heard here back into my everyday life and my work.”

Huffington Post Interview with Jackson Browne aboard the National Geographic Endeavor, April 2010.

Plastic in the Ocean

In 2010 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute published a 22-year study that found a huge amount of plastic accumulation in the western North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea in addition to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch we’ve been hearing about for years. In this study, the researchers examined their haul of 6136 surface plankton net tows between 1986 and 2008. During that time they found over 60 percent of them contained some plastic. Students sifted through and hand-picked the millimeter-sized fragments with tweezers. They collected over 64,000 pieces in total.

So plastic does break down in the ocean. Generally it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces until plastic particles resemble jellyfish food, plankton or even grains of sand. And over 400 years the material does degrade fully. But in the meantime it is contributing to the deaths of albatrosses on low-lying atolls. It is killing turtles and other surface-dwelling creatures who get tangled or just slurp up some plastic with a fish they are eating. Larger plastic gets lodged in animal throats while babies often get fed plastic by their mothers which leads them to starve since there is no nutritional value in plastic.

Five Ocean Gyres and Home of Five Global Garbage Patches

After learning about the gyres and the vast amount of plastic pollution, Jackson Browne was moved to sing about the dire straits of the ocean.

If I Could Be Anywhere

Music and Lyrics by: Jackson Browne

Sliding through the shimmering surface between two worlds
Standing at the centre of time as it uncurls
Cutting through a veil of illusion
Moving beyond past conclusions
Wondering if all my doubt and confusion will clear

If I could be anywhere,
If I could be anywhere
If I could be anywhere right now, I would want to be here

Searching for the future among the things we’re throwing away
Trying to see the world through the junk we produce every day
They say nothing lasts forever,
But all the plastic ever made is still here
No amount of closing our eyes will make it disappear

If I could be anywhere,
If I could be anywhere
If I could be anywhere in history, I would want to be here

The Romans, the Spanish, the British, the Dutch
American exceptionalism, so out of touch
The folly of empire, repeating its course
Imposing its will and ruling by force
On and on through time

But the world can’t take it, very much longer
We’re not gonna make it, unless we’re smarter and stronger
The world is gonna shake itself free of our greed somehow

If I could be anywhere,
If I could be anywhere in time
If I could be anywhere and change things, it would have to be now.

They say nothing lasts forever,
but all the plastic ever made is still here
No amount of closing our eyes will make it disappear

And the world can’t take it, very much longer
It’s not gonna make it, ‘less we’re smarter and stronger
The world is gonna shake itself free of our greed somehow

And the world can’t take it, that you can see
If the oceans don’t make it, neither will we
The world is gonna shake itself all the way free somehow

If I could be anywhere, If I could be anywhere in time
If I could be anywhere and change the outcome, it would have to be now.

Florida has been wrestling with its python problem for years. Thanks to the tropical temps in south Florida the Everglades National Park has become a dumping ground for unwanted reptiles, particularly the non-native Burmese python. Wildlife officials have been battling the snakes for about twenty years.

They presume that parents of kids who outgrew their pets and the pets who outgrew their owners freed the snakes in the swamp. Some also believe that the wild python population began to grow after Hurricane Andrew destroyed pet stores selling the exotic snakes in 1992.

Park Service's Al Mercado, Rep. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Florida Wildlife Commission's Ron Bergeron and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Hold a Burmese Python

On a regular basis, giant snakes are turn up in backyard swimming pools, terrorizing neighborhoods. And in November game officials found a 16-foot python that had swallowed a 76-pound deer. Burmese pythons can grow to 26 feet and weigh well over 200 pounds. And unlike in its home in southeast Asia, there are no known predators in Florida that keep the snake population in check.

A study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that sightings of medium-sized animals like racoons, oppossums, rabbits, foxes, deer and bobcats are down dramatically — as much as 99 percent — in some parts of the Everglades where these snakes are most commonly found.

There is no way to tell for sure that the Burmese python is solely responsible for the drastic decline in medium-sized mammals. But scientists suspect it is. They are concerned that the invasive species will disrupt the food chain in the Everglades and upset the delicate ecosystem balance.

J.D. Wilson, a Virginia Tech research biologist and co-author on the study says, “The effects of declining mammal populations on the overall Everglades ecosystem, which extends well beyond the National Park boundaries, are likely profound.”

Between 2003 and 2011 researchers drove 39,000 miles of Everglades area roads, counting wildlife. Since 2000 the National Park Service has counted 1,825 Burmese pythons in and around the national park. The largest, 16.4-foot snake weighed 156 pounds and was captured earlier this month.

Burmese Python Swallows Adult Deer Whole in Florida, November 2011

Michael Dorcas, a biologist from Davidson College in North Carolina and the lead author of the study says, “The magnitude of these declines underscores the apparent incredible density of pythons in Everglades National Park.”

Here are the significant declines in medium-sized mammal sightings in the Florida Everglades.

Raccoons — down 99.3 percent
Oppossums — down 98.9 percent
White-tail deer — down 94.1 percent
Bobcats — down 87.5 percent
Rabbits — down 100 percent (no sightings)
Foxes — down 100 percent (no sightings)

The research also found slight increases in coyotes, Florida panthers, rodents and other mammals. But because those sightings were so rare they discounted them altogether.

Secretary Salazar says, “This study paints a stark picture of the real damage that Burmese pythons are causing to native wildlife and the Florida economy.”

The state of Florida banned the private ownership of Burmese pythons in 2010. Now the federal government announced new rules on January 17 that will ban the importation and interstate transport of Burmese pythons, yellow anacondas and three other invasive constrictors sold in the pet trade. All have been found roaming Everglades National Park.

Some believe the federal mandate goes a little too far. Practically, the snakes can only survive outside in a few parts of the country, including south Florida and Louisiana. The rest of the nation is just to cold for the snakes to take hold. Snake breeders and experts who use the mighty constrictors to educate people about reptiles say the overall ban could lead to a burgeoning black market for Burmese pythons and could hurt legitimate businesses in the process.

With some estimates of the Everglades invasive snake population approaching 30,000 research turns to understanding and limiting the spread of the invasive snake species.

Burmese pythons need freshwater to survive. But a team of biologists with the U.S. Geological Survey led by Kristen Hart in its Davie, Florida lab showed that the snakes can drink in their much-needed moisture through the tissue of animals they swallow. The team also ran experiments trying to understand the snakes relationship to water.

The team’s experiments suggest that newborn pythons can’t survive more than two months with only access to saltwater. But a pair of hatchlings survived over 200 days with access to only brackish (mix of fresh and saltwater) water. And a yearling snake with access to only saltwater survived 7 months. New research in the upcoming Journal of the Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology suggests that these super-swimming snakes could head for the sea and migrate long distances.

Scientists Haul a Big Burmese Python out of the Everglades

Already, Burmese pythons have already been found eating endangered wood rats on Key Largo, off the mainland Florida coast. The first snake was discovered alive in 2007 when two researchers studying federally endangered Key Largo woodrats were checking on the status of a male woodrat wearing a radio transmitter that had suddenly moved more than a mile from its original documented habitat.

The signal led the researchers — a University of St. Andrews graduate student Joanne Potts and a volunteer assistant — to a eight-foot Burmese python sunning itself.

The contents of the captured snake’s stomach included not only the collared woodrat but a second woodrat as well.

Jack Hanna, the director emeritus at the Columbus Zoo believes the Florida python problem is a state issue not a federal one. He is concerned that the far-reaching ban on exotic constrictors will choke commerce. He tells CBS This Morning the new ban might effect the 220 breeding programs at the nation’s zoos as well as hurt snake breeders.

He says, “There are reputable breeders in Florida and we can’t put these guys out of business because they help and there is a logical role with a lot of our breeding programs [at zoos].

For those expecting President Barack Obama to expound on the accomplishments of his laundry list of science and innovation policy he outlined in last year’s State of the Union, there were a few nods to but no specifics in this third State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.

As Forbes reported this morning for those interested in science and science policy the President’s address “offered some pretty thin gruel.”

The President stayed loyal to his pet issues of investment in basic research, jobs creation, education, clean energy and innovation.

With an expected mention of Steve Jobs he tied basic research to innovation. He said…

“Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.”

As in previous years President Obama focused his remarks around preparing and educating the country to create new jobs, new industries, innovate new energy sources, safeguard our security and find national prosperity. But in this speech, the President bookended his address with salutes to military achievements — first of getting U.S. troops out of an autonomous Iraq and then in ridding the world of Osama Bin Laden. And in the end he proclaimed…

This nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

But where is the meat of science policy that dotted previous addresses?

Last year the President kept the commitment he made in his State of the Union by submitting to Congress a budget with increases to National Science Foundation as a way to bolster basic research.

This year, he said…

Don’t gut these investments in our budget.

Last year President Obama set an ambitious goal: By 2035, he wants 80 percent of U.S. electricity to come from clean energy sources.

This year he focused on natural gas being extracted from shale in the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing. He said…

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. Because America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.

The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of 30 years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock –- reminding us that government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.

Now, what’s true for natural gas is just as true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled, and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.

Like last year the President found a 55-year-old furniture maker in need of job retraining. Last year it was North Carolinia’s Kathy Proctor who moved into the biotechnology field. This year he featured Bryan Ritterby from Michigan to tell the story of how a luxury yacht factory was converted to make wind turbines, which enabled Bryan to get a new job.

He also featured Jackie Bray, a single mom from North Carolina who went from being a mechanic to community college where she was retrained in lasers and robotics and now works for a gas turbine factory owned by Siemen’s in Charolotte.

President Obama made a clear point. The economy is changing and so must the way we educate people and prepare them for a new kind of workforce. He said…

Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that –- openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. It’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.

One way he proposes fixing it is by allowing students who come to the U.S. to study or those born here but to undocumented worker parents to become full citizens. He said…

Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: the fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn’t make sense.

If those words sound familiar, you’re right. President Obama said almost the same thing last year. Then he said, “Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens. Some are the children of undocumented workers, who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents. They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.”

Like last year, the President renewed his call for foreign students who are trying to obtain advanced degrees to be allowed to stay in the U.S. once they finish their studies.

Last year, he said, “But tonight, let’s agree to make that effort. And let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.”

This year, he said…

But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

On a final environmental note, President Obama recognized that comprehensive climate change legislation is not even on the political table this year. In a stern voice he threw down the gauntlet and challenged Congress to take a baby step. He said…

The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well, tonight, I will.”

The President announced that the Department of Defense is making a large clean energy commitment. He says the Navy is purchasing one gigawatt of wind energy electricity capacity, enough to power 250,000 homes each year. He also unveiled an executive plan to develop enough clean energy opportunities on public land to power three million homes.

But following a State of the Union last year that got many us all excited about the role in science in the Administration there were some conspicuous absences.

Like increasing access to taxpayer-funded research. Last year the President talked about openness and transparency in government that would allow taxpayers to see where research dollars go. But there was no mention of that commitment this year.

Alex Knapp, a reporter at Forbes adds to the list of missed State of the Union mentions. He asks the President, “Why not a program for building more makerspaces in public libraries? Why not build more on the contests the government has been running to solve certain scientific problems? How about broadening access to taxpayer-funded research and doing more to let the public and entrepreneurs out there know what discoveries are ripe for developing into economic opportunities? How about anything besides a banal platitude?”

SOTU Factoids:

Number of times Science mentioned 2
Number of times Technology mentioned 2
Number of times Engineering mentioned 1
Number of times Math mentioned 0
Number of times Climate mentioned 1
Number of times Innovation mentioned 6
Number of times Energy mentioned 23
Number of times Education mentioned 8

Republican Rebuttal Factoids:

Number of times Science mentioned 0
Number of times Technology mentioned 1
Number of times Engineering mentioned 0
Number of times Math mentioned 2
Number of times Climate mentioned 0
Number of times Innovation mentioned 0
Number of times Energy mentioned 2
Number of times Education mentioned 1

The official hydraulic fracturing song and video is so catchy and fun because it sounds like swearing. At least that’s why Time magazine deigned it number 2 in the Top 10 Creative Videos of 2011. Based on the three-year investigation by ProPublica into concerns about chemical pollution in the water supply near fracking drill sites, the song focuses on methane being released into the groundwater where drilling is happening.

But what’s the real science behind the accusatory lyrics, which leave the listener wondering if this new, cheap way of extracting natural gas is actually contributing to the global warming problem?

Oil and gas companies see it as a cleaner, more environmentally responsible energy alternative.

Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale

But a Cornell study last year found something different. It says that the methane in natural gas extracted by hydrofracking in shale makes it a potent climate changer. The study and others since then argue that methane leaks unburned into the air during extraction and processing prior to burning. And methane is considerably far more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2.

Methane has an atmospheric life of 20 years compared to carbon dioxide’s 100. But methane can cause other problems.

Gavin Schmidt, a climate modeler from NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies says, “There are indirect effects from methane emissions because it is chemically reactive in the atmosphere. It contributes to increases in tropospheric ozone and stratospheric water vapor (increasing the warming impact), and by changing the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere, affects it’s own lifetime, and that of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx) – which in turn affects aerosol formation, and indeed aerosol-cloud interactions.”

After a Duke University study found hydrofracking was polluting water to the extent that some kitchen taps could be set on fire, the water contamination issue began to boil.

Just recently, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun trucking water to homes in a town in Pennsylvania as a precaution.

Robert Jackson, who was part of the Duke Study says, “We certainly didn’t expect to see such a strong relationship between the concentration of methane in water and the nearest gas wells. That was a real surprise.”

The research found that water supplies within six-tenths of a mile of a hydraulic fracturing operation had on average 17 times more methane in the drinking water than wells further away from drilling sites.

Homeowner Lights Methane Contaminated Tap Water on Fire

In mid-January the U.S. EPA informed New York officials that the state needed better safeguards to protect water supplies near hyrdofracking sites.

To free the gas trapped in the underground shale formations, drillers pump millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals deep underground under enough pressure to fracture rock. The wastewater left over from the process has a way of getting into drinking water by being disposed of at sewage treatment plants.

In 2004, the EPA found that hydrofracking posed no risk to drinking water. Then Congress exempted the process, created by Halliburton in the 1990s, from the Safe Drinking Water Act. As a result of those moves, hydrofracking is now the common gas extraction method in nine out of every ten natural gas wells in the U.S. And there are almost 500,000 shale gas wells in the U.S., twice as many as there were in 1990.

In 2010 the EPA and other federal health officials, cautioned some Wyoming residents not to drink their water and to ventilate their homes when they bathed because the methane in the water could cause an explosion. In December, the EPA made the link between fracking and water contamination for the first time.

My Water’s on Fire Tonight

by David Holmes

Fracking is a form of natural gas drilling
An alternative to oil cause the oil kept spilling
Bringing jobs to small towns so everybody’s willing
People turn on their lights and the drillers make a killing

Water goes into the pipe, the pipe into the ground
The pressure creates fissures 7,000 feet down
The cracks release the gas that powers your town
That well is fracked….. Yeah totally fracked

But there’s more in the water than just H2O
Toxic chemicals help to make the fluid flow
With names like benzene and formaldehyde
You better keep ‘em far away from the water supply

The drillers say the fissures are a mile below
The groundwater pumped into American homes
But don’t tell it to the residents of Sublette Wy-O
That water’s fracked…. We’re talking Benzene…

What the frack is going on with all this fracking going on
I think we need some facts to come to light
I know we want our energy but nothing ever comes for free
I think my water’s on fire tonight

So it all goes back to 2005
Bush said gas drillers didn’t have to comply
with the Safe Drinking Water Act, before too long
It was “frack, baby, frack” until the break of dawn.

With the EPA out it was up to the states
But they didn’t have the money to investigate
Sick people couldn’t prove fracking was to blame
All the while water wells were going up in flames

Cause it’s hard to contain all the methane released
It can get into the air, it can get into the streams.
It’s a greenhouse gas, worse than CO2
Fracking done wrong could lead to climate change too

Now it’s not that drillers should never be fracking
But the current regulation is severely lacking
Reduce the toxins, contain the gas and wastewater
And the people won’t get sick and the planet won’t get hotter

What the frack is going on with all this fracking going on
I think we need some facts to come to light
I know we want our energy but nothing ever comes for free
I think my water’s on fire tonight

Music by David Holmes and Andrew Bean
Vocals by David Holmes and Niel Bekker
Animation by Adam Sakellarides and Lisa Rucker
Created by the Studio 20 journalism project at NYU.

Beaches along the coasts of Washington and Oregon are treasure troves of flotsam for avid beachcombers. But one scientist says that what’s on its way to the west coast is unprecedented and those areas are totally unprepared.

Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer is a self-proclaimed expert on manmade stuff that floats the ocean blue. He even wrote the book on it, called Flotsametrics and the Floating World.

Now he says the first evidence of what could be 20 million tons of debris from coastal Japan is beginning to arrive. After the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami devastated the eastern coast of Japan last March, cars, houses, people and their belongings were swept out to sea. Still over 20,000 people are dead or reported missing.

Ebbesmeyer says, “We are not prepared for this. Nobody is prepared. Nobody has even thought through the dimensions.”

And prepared or not, the floating field of debris is on its way. A buoy that landed on a beach in northwest Washington may be the first evidence of the flotsam storm that’s brewing at sea.

3 Japanese Buoy Types Washing Ashore from Oregon to Alaska, Photo by John Ingraham

He estimates that 25 percent will sink as it floats along ocean currents. Another 25 percent could reach the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. Probably another 25 percent will enter into the Pacific Gyre and return to Japan but not for about six years. The rest will likely pass by Hawaii on the way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where it will join plastic refuse from all over the world.

The Path of Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami Debris As It Moves from Japan towards the U.S. West Coast. Click on the image to see the animation.

He says, “There’s never been a devastation on one continent that has moved off to the other continent and actually recorded.”

Because of the nuclear accident that followed the earthquake and tsunami, Ebbesmeyer is concerned that some of the Japanese flotsam could carry radioactive material.

Nir Barnea from NOAA says there is little cause for alarm. He expects most of what washes up on Washington and Oregon beaches to be lumber and some household items. He says, “We don’t expect any debris items that are exotic or unusual.”

But beachcombers are always looking for those unusual items. Frequently Japanese fishing floats wash ashore in Washington after a big storm. If and when beachcombers find any Japanese items they can report the finds to Ebbesmeyer who is tracking the arrivals online.

The big west coast arrival wasn’t expected for about two years. In October a Russian cargo ship spotted boats, refrigerators and large pieces of homes near the Midway Islands about 1,700 miles from Hawaii and about 300 miles further east than expected.

NASA Projects Debris Field Track

That sighting forced scientists to revise their estimates down from five years to two. The Japanese flotsam patch is roughly twice the size of Texas and heading on a direct course with the Washington and Oregon coast traveling at about 7 miles per hour.

Ebbesmeyer says get ready because lighter weight items like the black buoy that washed ashore near Neah Bay, WA will get to the U.S. faster. He says that if the items ride high in the water, are lightweight and have a lot of area exposed to wind, they can travel up to 20 miles per hour. That means some items from Japan could begin landing on beaches as early as next year.

Ebbesmeyer believes the debris landing area will be more spread out than predicted. He thinks beaches from southern Alaska to California will see personal items from broken Japanese lives.

And at a December 13 meeting he said, “All debris should be treated with a great reverence and respect.”

He adds, “As of December 30, 2011, beachcombers reported more than 23 buoys from 17 locations scattered between central Oregon to Kodiak Alaska. He even says that a woman named Jody Godoy traced the writing on one buoy to an oyster farm along the tsunami-ravaged coast.

Ebbesmeyer is a retired oceanographer who has tracked ice bergs, oil from the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska and sewage outflow into Washington state’s Puget Sound. But he is known as the founder of Beachcombers Alert where he and his team track things that float, including tennis shoes, rubber duckies and messages in bottles.

Hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking to reach deep pockets of natural gas seems to be the culprit behind a small earthquake that shook Youngstown, Ohio on Saturday. By Monday, state lawmakers had imposed a two-week ban on drilling while the latest quake is investigated.

Since the epicenter of the 4.0 quake is less than one-tenth of a mile from an injection drilling site, many feel confident that the drilling practice is to blame.

Breaking rock with chemicals, sand and water pressure is a common practice used to access big pockets of natural gas trapped inside large underground geological formations. But that practice comes with a slew of environmental concerns.

Secondary wells drilled to dispose of the water/chemical mix called injection wells could be triggering the earthquakes, which have grown from rare in the area to monthly events.

A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says that the frack water being sunk in the Youngstown area isn’t just from Ohio. Over half of the waste water comes from nearby Pennsylvania, where the majority of the Marcellus Shale is located.

Deputy Director Andy Ware of ODNR says, “While we couldn’t say for sure that there’s a direct causation between the injection well and the earthquakes, we thought it better to be overly cautious.”

After a small earthquake in Youngstown on Christmas Eve, regulators asked drilling companies to stop injecting frack water into the ground. And after the New Year’s Eve quake, they decided to stop all drilling within a five-mile radius until the quake can be investigated.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Pennsylvania started shipping its frack water over the Ohio state lines, increasing the Ohio frack water burden by 400 percent since March 2011. Pennsylvania has permitted 7 injection drill sites while Ohio has 194.

Until April of last year Pennsylvania had been disposing of its drill waste “water” at treatment plants. But the treatment process didn’t remove all the chemicals and they escape into the groundwater. Now, much of that frack water is trucked over the Ohio state line and injected into the ground.

A city official of Hubbard Township, a mile from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border says, “It’s too toxic to discharge into the ground in Pennsylvania, but it’s OK to discharge into the ground in Ohio.”

And now it seems that practice may be causing earthquakes in an area that was seismically stable.

Michael C. Hansen, state geologist and coordinator of the Ohio Seismic Network says there is “little doubt” the quakes are related to injection well operations.

Geologists have long suspected that injecting liquids into underground rock formations can trigger earthquakes along fault lines because the liquids allow rock to flow more easily past each other. When rocks slide, the earth quakes.

In 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began monitoring the Arctic region, creating an annual report card to mark rapid change occurring there. Five years in and the news isn’t good.

The 2011 Arctic Report Card shows that the entire region is changing dramatically. Ice, both on land and at sea, is melting at record pace. That is upsetting the Earth’s albedo, allowing more of the sun’s energy to be absorbed by dark, open water and not be reflected back to space as it bounces off snow and ice.

2011 Arctic Sea Ice Extent, courtesy of NOAA Arctic Report Card

According to the report card, “The 2011 minimum is the second lowest, only 0.16 million km2 greater than the 2007 record minimum.” Overall, the 2011 minimum reached on September 9 was 31% (2.08 million km2) smaller than the 1979-2000 average. The report says, “The last five summers (2007-2011) have experienced the five lowest minima in the satellite record, and the past decade (2002-2011) has experienced nine of the ten lowest minima.”

All of the newly exposed water is allowing atmospheric carbon dioxide to sink into the Arctic waters and it is changing the chemical makeup of the ocean. As a result, the Chukchi and Beaufort seas have lower pH values. In other words the waters are becoming more acidic, which makes it difficult for tiny sea animals that rely on calcium carbonate shells to survive. The higher acid level makes shell formation more difficult.

The report card says, “The increased amount of open water enhanced the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere and the freshening of the upper ocean decreased alkalinity, inorganic carbon and calcium ion concentrations.” The melting sea ice exposed more water to the open air, allowing more atmospheric carbon dioxide to sink in the ocean, making the ocean more acidic. The report notes, “Although CO2 concentration in surface waters in 2010 and 2011 was not as high as in 2008, these waters have continued to be undersaturated with respect to aragonite.” By monitoring the aragonite levels scientists can determine if phytoplankton is having trouble forming shells.

In addition to watching the ocean and the atmosphere change, NOAA also monitors shorter term weather patterns and tracks the impact they have on the Arctic region as a whole. And the last few years, pressure over the North Pole shifted, pushing the coldest Arctic air far south to the United States and Europe while warmer air filtered over Greenland, rapidly speeding up the melt rate of glaciers there.

For the first time, the 2011 Arctic Report Card measured changes in Greenland. As a result of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) switching from positive to negative, caused unusually warm weather during Winter 2010-2011 and last summer. Those weather conditions in turn sped up the melt rate from the Greenland ice sheet.

The report says, “The area and duration of melting at the surface of the ice sheet in summer 2011 were the third highest since 1979.” According to satellite data, the Greenland ice sheet melted to its third lowest point since 1979 when record keeping began. Only 2010 and 2007 exceeded that ice loss.

NOAA principal deputy under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere Monica Medina says, “This report, by a team of 121 scientists from around the globe, concludes that the Arctic region continues to warm, with less sea ice and greater green vegetation.”

Using a familiar image of a stoplight, NOAA classified the five chapters of the report card according to level of change. The findings show that Atmosphere, Sea Ice & Ocean, Hydrology & Terrestrial Cryosphere have experienced significant change while Marine Ecosystems and Terrestrial Ecosystems have experienced some change. No coverage area received a greenlight, meaning little or no change.

The Report Card tracks the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, biology, ocean, land, and Greenland. This year, new sections were added, including, greenhouse gases, ozone and ultraviolet radiation, ocean acidification, Arctic Ocean primary productivity, and lake ice.

It concludes, “Sea ice and ocean observations over the past decade (2001-2011) suggest that the Arctic Ocean climate has reached a new state, with characteristics different than those observed previously.”

And, “In 2011 there was continued widespread warming in the Arctic, where deviations from historical air temperatures are amplified by a factor of two or more relative to lower latitudes. This phenomenon, called Arctic Amplification, is primarily a consequence of increased summer sea ice loss and northward transport of heat by the atmosphere and ocean.”

For artist Ap Verheggen there is a fine line between art and experiment. Last year the Dutch artist placed two sculptures on icebergs and intends for them to float off the coast of Greenland, sending a message about how climate change is also changing culture. That was a project he called cool(E)motion.

cool(E)motion, iceberg sculpture off Greenland, 2010

During his cool(E)motion installation he saw that first hand as native Greenlanders struggled to travel over treacherous sea ice when the winter freeze didn’t come. The Inuit depend on dogsleds to get around but the year he did the iceberg sculpture the ice was too thin to cross.

Inspired by his Greenland experience, he wants people to be able to break off icicles in the hot desert sun. In a new digital rendering of a planned project he calls SunGlacier, Verheggen is taking two seemingly incompatible elements — ice and deserts — and merging them into one thought-provoking installation.

SunGlacier, ice-making sculpture in the desert, anticipated date, 2013

With the help of a refrigeration company, Verheggen is planning to build gigantic elm-leaf-shaped sculptures outfitted with solar panels to collect sunlight in the desert. These giant water collectors will then absorb moisture from the air, freeze it on the back of the ridges in the leaves and in essence create glaciers in the desert.

The jury is still out on whether this is truly art or merely a way to solve an impending global water crisis. Either way, Verheggen is hoping to make people think.

He tells the Associated Press, “I give inspiration. What you can do with it is up to you.”

Verheggen takes the idea of art being in the eye of the beholder one step further by inspiring the audience to take his art and make something of it. In this case, create a way to produce water in the desert using solar energy to power cooling condensers that soak up humidity from the desert air.

Concerned about rapid global warming, he believes smart and innovative people need to be spurred to find creative responses to the changing climate. He says, “You have to open the borders of your thinking. To make ice in the desert is breaking down the border, and that is opening a new world.”

But his SunGlacier project is merely a philosophical statement, meant to demonstrate that the seemingly impossible is indeed possible. He says the piece is not meant to solve the world’s impending water crisis.

But if it has that effect, I’m sure he wouldn’t object.

So far the desert glacier is just a digital sketch. But Cofely, a Dutch refrigeration company that makes ice rinks and large walk-in refrigerators for food storage, is helping Verheggen test his theory for creating ice in desert conditions.

An unidentified African country has apparently volunteered to house the sculpture once the concept testing is finished next year.

SunGlacier, digital sketch of proposed desert installation

According to plans for the project, engineers have already produced a 4-inch-thick layer of ice on a slab of aluminum inside a shipping container-sized box that simulates desert conditions. With the air temperature set at 86 Fahrenheit and plans to crank it up to 122 a humidifier provides the moisture, and a fan is directed at the ice like a desert breeze. The end of the process results in a pool of water dripping off the surface of the ice sheet even as it thickens.

The refrigeration company is using only off-the-shelf technology. Erik Hoogendoorn, the project manager says, “Everybody thinks it’s dry in the desert, but it’s roughly the same amount of moisture in the air as here.”

The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Water Education says, “The project demonstrates that in a totally hopeless environment you can still generate hope. The message is that what many call the looming water crisis is not inevitable. There are solutions, and it all depends on human ingenuity. It all depends on us.”

András Szöllösi-Nagy runs the UNESCO water institute. The engineer and hydrologist says Verheggen’s art piece will carry symbolic importance. He adds, “We are not good at conveying simple messages in a powerful way. Science has its own limits, beyond which art can go.”

John Long is a geologist for Osborn Heirs, an oil and gas exploration and development company in San Antonio, Texas. When the earth started rumbling beneath is office he had a pretty good idea why. The answer he says is hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking.

He says, “Anytime you take fluid or add fluid to the Earth in this particular area it seems like it leads to earthquakes.”

The epicenter of the rare 4.8 quake last week is in the middle of the Fashing, 56 oil field, an area, Long says that workers have been blasting with chemicals and water to break the rock deep below the surface to reach oil and gas deposits more easily. Then then those fracking fluids are reinjected into wells when they can longer be used.

This process has been ongoing in this area for about 50 years and Long believes fracking has caused earthquakes in the past, dating back to the 1970s.

The quake that was felt across San Antonio and its surrounding counties may have started when a sleeping fault was forced awake from hydrofracking along its spine.

Most of the concerns over hydrofracking, which is becoming a widely used technique for extracting natural gas and oil locked in rock formations have centered around water quality and contamination of the environment.

Hydraulic Fracturing Process in Marcellus Shale

But a few geologists are watching the increase in fracking activity to see if it corresponds with an increase in earthquake activity.

Democratic members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee have asked 14 oil and gas companies for details about their fracking techniques. In a recent letter (PDF) Reps. Henry Waxman, Ed Markey and Diana DeGette sent to Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, they asked the leading gas and oil companies to provide amounts of diesel fuel they used in hydrofracking.

According to the letter, hydrofracking is ongoing in 20 states and between 2005 and 2009 32.7 million gallons of diesel fuel were used as part of the injection process.

But so far no one is asking about drilling-induced earthquakes.

In late May, England stopped operation of its only hydrofracking project after two earthquakes near the site within an eight-week period. Dr. Brian Baptie, the seismology project leader for the British Geological Survey says, “It seems quite likely that they [the hydrofracking project and the earthquake] are related.”

And for the last few years Arkansas has been plagued by earthquake swarms. After two injection wells used to dispose of fracking fluid were shut down the earthquakes subsided.

Even Shane Khoury, the deputy director for the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission says preliminary reports showed evidence potentially linking injection activities with more than 1,000 mostly minor quakes in the region between October 2010 and March 2011.

Both Chesapeake Energy and Clarita Operating, the two companies with the injection wells maintain the earthquakes are from natural causes and not the result of drilling in the area.

The Center for Earthquake Research and Information recorded around 100 earthquakes in the seven days preceding the shutdown in early March, including a magnitude 4.7 quake on Feb. 27, which is the largest quake to hit the state in 35 years. Over a dozen quakes registered more than magnitude 3.0.

The week after the two wells went offline earthquake frequency dropped by half to 50. Once the wells were shut down, only two quakes have been magnitude 3.0 or greater. The majority were between magnitudes 1.2 and 2.8.

Scott Ausbrooks, a geo-hazards supervisor for the Arkansas Geological Survey, said the area’s seismic activity has dramatically declined since the injection well closures.

“We’re still having earthquakes, but that’s not unexpected,” he said. “We’ve definitely seen a marked decrease in the number of earthquakes since the shutdown, especially the larger ones.”

The Geology

Shale is the most abundant sedimentary rock. It is found in sedimentary basins worldwide. Shales that house significant quantities of natural gas are rich in organic material. They are usually found in mature petroleum sources where high heat and pressure have converted oil to natural gas. The rocks are sufficiently brittle and rigid enough to maintain open fractures. But the gas is locked in the rocks, which is why hydraulic fracturing is required to access the energy supply.

For the last ten years, natural gas production in shales has been growing rapidly. The Marcellus Shale is the largest natural formation believed to house up to half of the gas in North America. There are at least 30 major shale formations in the U.S. and many more nearby in Canada and Mexico.

Shale Gas Formations in the U.S., courtesy of Energy Information Administration

The Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas is an organically rich rock formation underlying the region. It also serves a major source of natural gas in Arkansas. Drillers free up the gas by using hydraulic fracturing or fracking, which requires injecting pressurized water to create fractures deep in the ground. The two injection wells at issue dispose of “frack” water when it can no longer be reused by injecting it into the ground.

Anti-hydraulic Fracturing Protest in Philadelphia, PA

Hydrofracking Safety

After the very rare 5.8 magnitude Virginia earthquake that shook the Atlantic coast in late August people began asking if fracking in Virginia was the cause. The short answer is no, because there was no such drilling going on within 100 miles of the Mineral, VA epicenter.

According to its Earthquakes Hazards Program, the U.S. Geological Survey says it is possible for human activity to cause earthquakes. It says, “Earthquakes induced by human activity have been documented in a few locations in the United States, Japan, and Canada. The cause was injection of fluids into deep wells for waste disposal and secondary recovery of oil, and the use of reservoirs for water supplies.”

After a series of similar small quakes near Dallas in 2009, Cliff Frohlich from Southern Methodist University worked as part of team that found a relation between seismic activity and hydraulic fracturing. Nothing conclusive points to the drilling as the cause of the quakes. If anything scientists are focused on the injection of frack water back into the ground as the most likely culprit.

Better understanding how geology of a region reacts to fluids pumped into formations is important especially as scientists figure out how to store carbon dioxide in a process called carbon sequestration.

Frolich says, “It’s important we understand why and under what circumstances fluid injection sometimes causes small, felt earthquakes so that we can minimize their effects.”

Nature has been doing things for billions of years without issue. Over time plants and animals have refined the way they live to reflect the optimal situation given the conditions they have to endure. This is the nature of evolution. The fittest survive but what fit means to nature may be different than our definition. Why is it that when humans came along we thought we could do it better? We forgot that nature has been doing this longer and better than we have.

In her TED Talk on biomimicry, Janine Benyus tells a story of her young neighbor in Montana who is very connected with nature. She says he sees life from his back looking up as he watches the sky, the grass and on one particular day, a wasp nest. Most people knock down the nests before they get very big but Benyus let nature take its course and let the wasps build a big one.

Her young and curious friend asked her, “How did you build that?” referring to the wasp nest. Even at such a young age Benyus says the neighbor boy assumed that she had built this feat of nature. She was saddened by the realization that the boy — like many of us — sees something elegant, artful and highly efficient and jumps to the conclusion that it is man-made.

She says, “Nature’s been doing just fine for 3.8 billion years.”

We just need to remember that and use nature as a point of inspiration to solve our biggest societal problems. And we must learn to crack the natural code.

So far great mathematical minds have discovered a few of nature’s mysteries by observing the repetition of patterns. Spanish artist Cristóbal Vila created this video featuring 3D animation to show a glimpse of what man has learned about the geometry of the natural world. In nature, numbers create beauty, reinforce structure, maximize efficiency and minimize resources. They combine form with function and infuse wonder and a little bit of awe.

Some even see the hand of God in the exquisite creations that nature concocts.

We can and will learn a lot of nature’s secrets if we just stop to take the time to look and listen. Perhaps whenever undertaking a big civic project city planners should begin by asking the question “How would nature do this?”

The Ask Nature project grew out of that notion. Guided by Benyus and her Biomimicry Institute, Ask Nature takes information gathered from E.O. Wilson’s Encyclopedia of Life and filters out one question that every scientist answers, “What can we learn from this organism?”

The answer? A lot. More than we can even fathom. Just look around and behold the natural solutions to the man-made problems we face.

Benyus says, “What we are doing in a TED-esque way is to organize all biological information by design and engineering function.”

We see the magic of nature through a series of numbers called the Fibonacci sequence.

Fibonacci Numbers

Leonardo Bigollo is a 12th Century mathematician who is also known as Fibonacci. He introduced the concept to western math even though something similar dates back to ancient India.

Fibonacci created the following scenario to demonstrate his idea. Though biologically unrealistic, he used rabbits to explain the system.

He envisions the growth of an idealized rabbit population, assuming that: a newly born pair of rabbits, one male, one female, are put in a field; rabbits are able to mate at the age of one month so that at the end of its second month a female can produce another pair of rabbits; rabbits never die and a mating pair always produces one new pair (one male, one female) every month from the second month on. The puzzle that Fibonacci posed was: how many pairs will there be in one year?

At the end of the first month, they mate, but there is still only 1 pair.
At the end of the second month the female produces a new pair, so now there are 2 pairs of rabbits in the field.
At the end of the third month, the original female produces a second pair, making 3 pairs in all in the field.
At the end of the fourth month, the original female has produced yet another new pair, the female born two months ago produces her first pair also, making 5 pairs.

At the end of the nth month, the number of pairs of rabbits is equal to the number of new pairs (which is the number of pairs in month n − 2) plus the number of pairs alive last month (n − 1). This is the nth Fibonacci number.

Fibonacci Sequence, courtesy of Wikipedia

Fibonacci Blocks, where the squares are successive Fibonacci numbers in length

Fibonacci Spiral, created by drawing circular arcs connecting the opposite corners of squares in the Fibonacci tiling using squares of sizes 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34.

In modern math Fibonacci numbers can be found in Pascal’s triangle, in the sequence of binary strings in computer science, and in a Pythagorean triple.

And the number, similar to the Golden Ratio, can be found widely in nature. It can be seen in the branching of trees or blood vessels in the lungs, in the arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruitlets of a pineapple, the flowering of artichoke, an uncurling fern. Fibonacci sequences can be found in pine cones, the spirals of shells, the curve of waves and the head of a sunflower.

Fibonacci Plants, the rose, the pinecone and the sunflower

We just have to remember.

Jeffrey Smith has written the book on genetically modified foods (GMOs). Now he’s on a crusade to rid the U.S. of unhealthy food hybrids that not even animals choose to eat.

He tells the story of a farmer who was growing corn for his cows. The farmer grew non-GMO corn next to corn that had been modified by Monsanto, a large agriculture company. First, he grew the corn independently and then when it was ready for the big cow taste test he separated the corn and gave the cows a choice of which feed they wanted.

He says that without fail the cows chose the regular old non-GMO variety, AKA corn. He says the cows would approach the modified corn and sniff it before walking out of their way to reach the non-GMO corn trough.

Smith believes that if only humans had the sense of cows, we wouldn’t have any genetically modified ingredients in the food supply. He says, “It turns out there’s only nine food crops that are genetically engineered but they’re pretty widespread because soy and corn in particular are practically omnipresent in processed foods.”

Other countries have banned GMOs. Zambia, Venezuela India and all of Europe are GMO-free. But in the U.S. up to 70 percent of processed foods contain one or more genetically modified food ingredients.

What is a GMO?

A genetically modified organism is an organism that has been genetically altered using engineering techniques. In foods, the most common technique is called recombinant DNA technology, where molecules from different plant species are combined into a single hybrid with a new set of genes.

Some GMOs are transgenic, meaning that they have intact DNA segments or functional genes from another organism inserted into them.

Food expert Elisa Zied is the author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips. She says, “If a food is genetically modified it means that its genes are altered. DNA from one species is inserted into DNA of another species to create a unique genetic combination that doesn’t occur in nature.”

There are only a handful of crops that have been genetically modified. They include corn, canola, cotton, and soy. However, those are the plants whose derivatives are found in just about all processed foods.

In addition, recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is commonly injected or fed to cows which then genetically alters the milk they produce. That hormone is often blamed in part for human obesity. After all, the hormone stimulates milk production in cows. Imagine what it does in people.

Food Fight

The big fight over GMO foods was fueled by a single Supreme Court ruling in 1980, which allowed companies to patent lifeforms for commercialization.

California company Calgene began selling the the first genetically modified food in 1994. It was the flavrSavr tomato, which was more resistant to rotting than its unaltered version. No special labeling was required and the FDA took a wait and see approach to new gene-modified foods.

Then came insect-resistant cotton and soybeans that could tolerate a potent chemical herbicide, both in 1996. Then thousands of patent applications poured forth starting a GMO frenzy.

According to the Grocery Manufacturers of America in the U.S. by 2009, genetically modified varieties dominated 89 percent of the planted area of soybeans, 83 percent of cotton, and 61 percent of corn.

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho is a geneticist and biophysicist who runs the Institute for Science in Society. She says, “Genetic engineering is inherently dangerous, because it greatly expands the scope for horizontal gene transfer and recombination, precisely the processes that create new viruses and bacteria that cause disease epidemics, and trigger cancer in cells.”

But well-meaning scientists invented genetically modified food crops as a means to common crop problems. GMO plants are resistant to disease and they can tolerate herbicides. They can also become more nutritious when vitamins are added.

However, most anti-GMO activists say the danger far outweighs the benefits and that a worldwide ban on GMO foods must be levied before it’s too late.

The U.K. Greenpeace website calls GMOs an utter disaster. It says, “The science of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another was supposed to be a giant leap forward, but instead they pose a serious threat to biodiversity and our own health.”

The debate rages on and for now GMO is making its way into our grocery stores and our stomachs.

Jeffrey Smith, anti-GMO activist and author of Seeds of Deception says, “I would say 70 to 80 percent of the food sold in the supermarket has some derivative of genetically modified food crops. In addition you have alfalfa, which is used as hay for animals, a little bit of zucchini, crooked neck squash and Hawaiian papaya. There’s also a genetically engineered drug for cows that increases milk supply, but also creates a hormone in the milk that many doctors and scientists think is quite unhealthy.”

No Laws Against GMO in the U.S.

Some consumer advocates estimate as many as 30,000 different products on grocery store shelves are contain genetically modified ingredients. That’s largely because many processed foods contain soy. And, half of North America’s soy crop is now genetically engineered.

Now, 93 percent of soy, canola oil and cottonseed, 86 percent of corn and 95 percent of sugar beets are genetically modified and they are base ingredients in most of the foods we eat and find in grocery stores.

Smith says just nine food crops have been approved for genetic modification but many others have been affected in the process.

Honey - Honey can be produced from GM crops. Some Canadian honey comes from bees collecting nectar from GM canola plants. This has shut down exports of Canadian honey to Europe.

Cotton - Resistant to certain pesticides – considered a food because the oil can be consumed. The introduction of genetically engineered cotton plants has had an unexpected effect on Chinese agriculture. The so-called Bt cotton plants that produce a chemical that kills the cotton bollworm have not only reduced the incidence of the pest in cotton fields, but also in neighboring fields of corn, soybeans, and other crops.

Rice - Genetically modified to contain high amounts of Vitamin A. And rice containing human genes is being grown in the U.S. but destined to treat infant diarrhea in the developing world.

Soybean - Genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides – Soy foods including, soy beverages, tofu, soy oil, soy flour, lecithin. Other products may include breads, pastries, snack foods, baked products, fried products, edible oil products and special purpose foods.

Tomatoes - Made for a longer shelf life and to prevent a substance that causes tomatoes to rot and degrade.

Corn - Resistant to certain pesticides – Corn oil, flour, sugar or syrup. May include snack foods, baked goods, fried foods, edible oil products, confectionery, special purpose foods, and soft drinks.

Sweet corn – genetically modified to produce its own insecticide. Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have said that thousands of tonnes of genetically engineered sweetcorn have made their way into the human food supply chain, even though the GMO crop was approved only for use in animal feed. Monsanto says that about half of the U.S. sweetcorn acreage has been planted with genetically modified seeds.

Canola - Canola oil. May include edible oil products, fried foods, and baked products, snack foods.

Potatoes - (Atlantic, Russett Burbank, Russet Norkatah, and Shepody) – May include snack foods, processed potato products and other processed foods containing potatoes.

Flax - More and more food products contain flax oil and seed because of their excellent nutritional properties. No genetically modified flax is currently grown. An herbicide-resistant GM flax was introduced in 2001, but was soon taken off the market because European importers refused to buy it.

Papaya - The first virus resistant papayas were commercially grown in Hawaii in 1999. Transgenic papayas now cover about one thousand hectares, or three quarters of the total Hawaiian papaya crop. Monsanto, donated technology to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, for developing a papaya resistant to the ringspot virus in India.

Squash - (yellow crookneck) – Some zucchini and yellow crookneck squash are also GM but they are not popular with farmers.

Cotton seed oil – Cottonseed oil and linters. Products may include blended vegetable oils, fried foods, baked foods, snack foods, edible oil products, and smallgoods casings.

Meat - Meat and dairy products usually come from animals that have eaten GM feed.

Sugarbeets - May include any processed foods containing sugar.

Dairy Products – About 22 percent of cows in the U.S. are injected with recombinant (genetically modified) bovine growth hormone (rbGH).

Vitamins - Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is often made from corn, vitamin E is usually made from soy. Vitamins A, B2, B6, and B12 may be derived from GMOs as well as vitamin D and vitamin K may have “carriers” derived from GM corn sources, such as starch, glucose, and maltodextrin.

How can the public make informed decisions about genetically modified (GM) foods when there is so little information about its safety? The short answer is labeling. But efforts thus far to pressure the FDA have fallen short.

According to the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 50 new plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization and are waiting to go into production.

Just Say “No” to GMO Rap, by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Seven billion is a big number. It looks like this: 7,000,000,000. According to National Geographic magazine If you started counting out loud to 7 billion, it would take you 200 years. And, If you took 7 billion steps it would take you around the globe 133 times.

By the end of October, that’s how many people will inhabit Earth. This symbolic population milestone comes with a list of caveats and some opportunities as well. The lucky 7 billionth planetary citizen will likely be born in India or China, the leaders in global population.

We add 80 million people per year as water tables are falling, soil is eroding, glaciers are melting, and fish stocks are vanishing.

China is number one with 1.34 billion, followed closely by India with over 1.2 billion while the U.S. is a distant third with 312 million.

However, demographers at the United Nations Population Fund estimate that we are adding 219,000 people to the planet per day, which puts on target to reach 8 billion by 2025 and 10 billion people by 2083.

With all those people and a finite supply of space and resources, there are some challenges that lie ahead. Namely, poverty, access to food and water and a hope for a clean environment.

In Sub-Saharan Africa 900 million people suffer under the double burden of the world’s highest birthrates and the world’s deepest poverty. In 40 years that region will house almost 2 billion people, accounting for almost half of the projected growth, according to the New York-based Population Council.

Rural families flock to cities. Now 21 cities have populations larger than ten million. Over 335 cities have more than one million. And only 9 of those cities are in the U.S.

John Bongaarts, a spokesman for the research organization tells the Associated Press, “Most of that growth will be in Africa’s cities, and in those cities it will almost all be in slums where living conditions are horrible.”

The International Water Management Institute predicts that by 2025 1.8 billion people will live in places from severe water scarcity.

Many African nations are realizing that smaller families are more favorable for food production and access to water.

Lagos, Nigeria is about to overtake Cairo, Egypt as Africa’s biggest city. There, the former Nigerian health minister says reaching the 7 billion global population number should be a wake up call. He supports formal education for girls, getting teenage girls to stay in school and for women to control the number of children they have.

Babatunde Osotimehin says, “It’s an opportunity to bring the issues of population, women’s rights and family planning back to center stage.” He says there are over 215 million women worldwide who need family planning but don’t have access. He adds, “If we can change that, and these women can take charge of their lives, we’ll have a better world.”

But around the world, the challenges of a growing population are different. In Europe population numbers are barely growing and that’s only because of immigration, which in itself is highly controversial. The death rates in developed countries are outpacing birthrates. But shifting populations from around the world are offsetting those losses and creating steady population growth.

In India, there is a population imbalance. More than half of India’s population is under 35. This “youth dividend” could either be a boon to the Indian economy or it could zap their resources and slow the nation’s population growth, which by 2025 could be 1.6 billion people, making it the most populous country.

A population demographer in New Delhi says, “If the young population remains uneducated, unskilled and unemployable, then that dividend would be wasted.”

India also has a growing gender gap, where boys are outpacing girls in the latest census data. Indian families are showing a preference for sons and because of a surge in sex selection tests, many female fetuses are being aborted.

In China, after decades of forced family planning where urban families are allowed on child and rural families two children, the population growth has slowed rapidly. Perhaps too rapidly. Soon, China will have a shortage of young people to take care of a massive elderly population.

Like India, China has a gender gap. The United Nations says there are 43 million missing Chinese girls because parents restricted to one child opted to abort female fetuses.

In the western world France and the U.S. have the steadiest growth rates, both bolstered by immigration. Italy and Spain are both facing people shortages to help with a rapidly aging population. For the last consecutive four years more people have died in Italy than have been born.

But Lagos, Nigeria is clipping along at a six percent annual population growth. With 15 million and growing in the capital city, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with over 160 million. In Nigeria, 60 percent of the population is under 30 and needs education, training and access to healthcare.

Ndyanabangi Bannet, the U.N. Populations Fund’s representative in Nigeria says, “It is a plus if it is taken advantage of but if it is not harnessed, it can be a challenge, because imagine what hordes of unemployed young people can do.”

A recent article in the journal Nature suggests that with drastic changes in agriculture we can accommodate a bigger population. University of Minnesota ecologist Jonathan Foley says there are five key changes we need to make to boost food output and accommodate a bigger global population.
1. Stop farming in places like tropical rainforests, which have high ecological value and low food output
2. Improve crop yields in regions of Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe where farmland isn’t meeting its potential
3. Change farming practices to better manage water, nutrients, and chemicals
4. Shift diets away from meat
5. Stop wasting food (up to one-third of all food grown is wasted either in production, transport, or after purchase)

But with 696,000,0000 million able bodies under the age of 30 in India and Nigeria alone, we have the opportunity to change the world for the better before the next 3 billion arrive.

Surfers are a group of ocean super users. They spend a great deal of time in the water and on top of the waves. They notice slight variations. And they depend on a clean, safe environment to catch a wave and hang ten. As a result they are first responders when it comes to anything encroaching on their territory.

In Hawaii, development stands in the way of surfers chilling in the swells near the Kewalo Basin. Now a group of surfers that has failed to stop a big development project are going to measure the health of the water before construction so there will be a scientific baseline for them to compare. For the Friends of Kewalos, it’s a way to say “I told you so” in advance.

Working with Bob Richmond at the University of Hawaii Kewalo Marine Laboratory, the group bought a $2,000 instrument to measure temperature, salinity, acidity, oxygen levels and dissolved solids. They will continue to take readings regularly to monitor any changes that occur as a result of planned construction to increase the size of the marina.

Dr. Richmond says, “This is all information that really matters for the life in the ocean and also the people who are surfing in the ocean as well.”

Some surfers are worried that a bunch of “stuff” will get dredged up when construction begins and that will foul the crystal blue water where they like to surf. Ron Iwami says, “We figure during construction all the nasty things at the bottom will flow out and go out where we surf.”

Dr. Richmond sees the surfers as a valuable asset and one that has a vested interest in the outcome of this data collection.

Hawaii surfers aren’t the only ones monitoring the world’s waters.

The Surfrider Foundation tracks more than 60 campaigns surfers have going in the U.S. and Canada to make sure the ocean stays surf safe.

Ranging from water monitoring projects in Hawaii to fighting against plastic pollution, surfers are taking an active role in watching out for their waves.

Since 2006 the organization claims 172 victories. While some of those “victories” are to stop utilities from dumping waste or banning oil drilling in surfing waters, many wins involve getting local laws passed to ban plastic bags at grocery stores or to ban Styrofoam food containers.

The organization says it is trying to raise awareness about single-use plastics and clean water.

Ask any surfer and he will tell you the ocean is undergoing a seismic shift. Jellyfish swarms are becoming more common. Algal blooms are turning clear waters murky and choking the oxygen from the water when they die. Oceans are heating up and animal habitats are shifting. There is so much going on in the oceans and just not enough scientists to monitor all the changes.

U.S. surf champion Mary Setterholm says, “Surfing is being in harmony with the ocean.”

With such an intimate relationship with the water, surfers are among the best positioned to watch for significant changes in their surf spots. Perhaps it’s time they start documenting those changes as part of a global ocean change surfer network.

Surf’s up. Now let’s help keep it that way.

A couple of years ago San Diego surfers faced a fouling problem. But theirs was from garbage not construction. Surfers were offered free hepatitis A vaccines because runoff from Mexico and other waste from north of the border was making surfing downright dangerous. Doctors in 2009 warned that the hepatitis levels were high enough to make surfers sick.

Tropical Storm Lee pushed high surf into Gulf of Mexico beaches but not messy oil from the British Petroleum spill last year. And it also put predictions to the test. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year oil looming offshore has hardened and sunk to the seafloor where it has formed giant tar mats, which have been difficult to locate.

During tropical weather pieces of those mats break off and get churned in the surf and formed into balls. Those tar balls roll ashore and collect on the white sand beaches of Alabama and Mississippi and Florida.

In Gulf Shores, Alabama tar balls are just part of the beach flotsam and jetsam. Tourists and locals alike don’t appear bothered by them, many not even realizing they are washing ashore.

Local authorities say that they have been a constant presence on Alabama beaches since the oil spill in April 2010.

At Orange Beach however, the tar balls are as big as baseballs and litter the pristine looking sand. Again, authorities say it’s not as bad as it could be.

They know that the tar mats are out there but BP hasn’t been able to find them. Instead, they opt for tropical storms and hurricanes to break up the offshore oil and send it to the beaches where clean up crews can manage the removal more easily.

The black and brown tar balls are being sent to Auburn University for testing to see if they are indeed from the BP oil spill. So far the company isn’t taking responsibility for them but they are helping to clean up the beaches along Lee’s path.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon says most of the tar balls there were very small, the size of a fingernail. Still a few people walking barefoot on the beach found their feet covered in sticky crude oil when they returned to hotels and condos nearby.

The Associated Press talked to Connie Harris of Alabaster, Ala. who was staying at a Gulf Shores condominium over Labor Day weekend. She says, “When we walked on the beach, we had tar on our feet.”

A spokesman for the City of Gulf Shores says that this year isn’t as bad a last when oil and tar covered gulf coast beaches. But he says, “It confirms our fear that there are tar mats just offshore and that we may have more tar coming in whenever there’s a storm.”

At the end of July city spokesman Grant Brown says a 1,500-foot by 30-foot tar mat as much as 18-inches thick exposed itself just west of Little Lagoon Pass just off the water’s edge in Gulf Shores.

So far Brown says that between 3 and 3.5 miles of tar mats have been recovered and cleaned up. But because there are daily tar ball sightings he presumes there is still a lot of oil just offshore.

BP has 250 people working in the field along Alabama beaches in strike teams who respond when tar mats reveal themselves or tar balls wash ashore. Generally the big balls start rolling on shore about three days after a big storm.

Federal cleanup authorities claim there is a plan for handling oil-stained debris if tropical storm surge pushes gloppy oil onto local shores. But officials in Alabama’s coastal communities say they haven’t yet been briefed on the details of that plan.

Philip West, the Orange Beach Coastal Resource Manager says, “We have to expect that there could be significant amounts of tar that will create issues and complicate the debris cleanup effort if we have a storm. We hope we don’t have one, but you have to plan for it.”

Tropical Storm Lee didn’t kick up the environmental crisis some had thought but it did remind gulf coast residents that though the beaches look clear again the BP spill isn’t over yet.

According to a new study it could take 1,200 years, 300,000 researchers and $364 billion to identify and catalog all the species on Earth.

New research in the online journal PLoS Biology, a publication of the Public Library of Science uses a new way of calculating just how many plants and animals inhabit Earth. So far of the estimated 8.8 million we have discovered just 1.9 million.

Recent discoveries have been small and weird. They include a psychedelic frogfish, a dime-sized lizard and a blind, hairy lobster found on the ocean floor near Antarctica. Some scientists are actively searching for species to fill in the big gaps on the species pyramid. Others just happen across new species.

Describing the wild world in which we live biologist and study co-author Boris Worm from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia says, “We are fairly ignorant of the complexity and colorfulness of this amazing planet.”

Scientists from the U.S. and Canada who are part of the Census of Marine Life released the study this week. It found the previous estimate of global species a bit too difficult to pin down. The range of 3 million to 100 million didn’t sit well and researchers have been trying to narrow the number.

Using a new computer modeling method Dr. Worm and Camilo Mora from the University of Hawaii now believe the number to be somewhere between 7.5 million and 10.1 million. Even with the more improved method for counting the study admits it could be off by as much as 1.3 million.

In 1758 Carl Linnaeus built the system that is still used today to name, describe and catalog species. In the 253 years since, about 1.25 million species — roughly 1 million on land and 250,000 in the oceans — have been described and entered into central databases. But there are about 700,000 more species that have yet to reach the central databases. They are sitting in limbo between discovery and classification, many waiting patiently in backroom of major museums like the Smithsonian.

Based on the new way of estimating the number of species on Earth, the biologists estimate there are 6.5 million species found on land and 2.2 million or 25 percent living in the ocean depths. They suggest that about 86 percent of all species on land and 91 percent of those in the seas have yet to be discovered, described and catalogued.

According to the Associated Press, evolutionary biologist Blair Hedges from Penn State University says the new study isn’t good enough and could be off by millions. He thinks there are many tiny species lurking in corners of the unexplored Earth. And he should know. In 2001 while rooting around in dead leaves in the Dominican Republic in 2001 he found the world’s smallest lizard, a half-inch long Caribbean gecko. And then in 2008 he discovered a four-inch snake in Barbados that lays a very long egg.

Who Cares?

Scientists don’t want to classify every living creature on Earth just for the sake of saying they did it. They are trying to identify new species which could potentially have benefits for humans, ranging from medicine to climate adaptation.

Famed biologist E.O. Wilson says undiscovered species need to be found before they disappear taking possible cures with them. He says, “We won’t know the benefits to humanity from these species, which potentially are enormous.”

In order to advance medical and other science he says we need to know what’s in the environment.

Dr. Mora says, “Many species may vanish before we even know of their existence, of their unique niche and function in ecosystems, and of their potential contribution to improved human well-being.”

Lord Robert May, a past president of the British Royal Society praised the new system for estimating species numbers. He says, “It is a remarkable testament to humanity’s narcissism that we know the number of books in the U.S. Library of Congress on 1 February 2011 was 22,194,656, but cannot tell you — to within an order-of-magnitude — how many distinct species of plants and animals we share our world with.”

But fledgling projects like the Census of Marine Life and the Encyclopedia of Life are trying to speed the process given that human activity appears to be hastening the demise of habitats that could contain undiscovered species.

If the 8.8 million number is right, Erick Mata says, “Those are brutal numbers.” The executive director for the Encyclopedia of Life says even with an accelerated rate of discovery, “We could spend the next 400-500 years trying to document the species that actually inhabit our planet.”

Do Something that Counts

The International Union for Conservation of Nature monitors 59,508 species and classifies 19,625 as somehow threatened. Right now this is the most sophisticated system for monitoring known species and it is only looking at about one percent of the entire list.

That’s where citizen scientists come in. Scientists believe that some of the yet-to-be-discovered species could be found in our own backyards.

What will you do to help find, describe and catalog species that scientists discover?

A meta-study in the journal Science says – changing global temperatures are pushing species towards the poles and higher altitudes.

A meta study is a study that rounds up all the other related studies (in this case 54) and analyzes them for trends or patterns that emerge. After looking at the scientific literature on species migration for the last 40 years, it appears that animals and plants are responding to a changing climate by moving further north and to higher elevations.

While it may sound strange that trees are picking up and moving in essence that’s what’s happening. Of course, they can’t uproot themselves and walk up a mountain or further north to a more suitable climate. But researchers have found that 2,000 species of plants and animals are finding new homes thanks to climate change.

And the rate at which the they are moving to a more suitable climate is staggering, much faster than the commonly accepted rates found in the scientific literature.

Chris Thomas, Biology professor at the University of York in England and the meta study project leader says, “These changes are equivalent to animals and plants shifting away from the equator at around 20 centimeters [8 inches] per hour, for every hour of the day, for every day of the year.”

That’s a rate three times faster than scientists thought plants and animals were migrating because of climate change. That amounts to a shift of 10.1 miles to the north per decade. And species are moving higher up hills and mountains as well at a rate twice what scientists thought. On average species are moving at a rate of 36.1 feet higher per decade.

While it may not sound like a lot of movement Dr. Thomas says that there is no other explanation why plants and animals would be permanently shifting their habitats to higher latitudes and higher elevation. He also says the speed at which the change is occurring is very dramatic.

I-Ching Chen, another lead researcher on the meta study says this project shows that global warming is pushing plant and animal species toward the poles and to higher elevations. Dr. Chen says, “We have for the first time shown that the amount by which the distributions of species have changed is correlated with the amount the climate has changed in that region.”

This analysis of the literature spells trouble for animals in Arctic regions where the climate is warming twice as fast as anywhere else. There is nowhere for these species to go. The same holds true for plants that are already perched on mountain tops. They can’t climb any higher.

Dr. Thomas and other scientists fear that many of the species that are unable to adapt by shifting their homes will simply die out.

The meta study focused on the scientific literature in Europe and North America, leaving a gaping hole in what’s happening in equatorial regions, where temperatures are warming much more slowly than higher latitudes. In the tropics moisture not temperature may be having the same overall effect on species. That’s the subject for another meta study.

And while the overall trend pointed toward a warming world forcing the migration of plants and animals toward the poles and to highter elevations, a significant minority of species moved to lower latitudes and lower elevations. Dr. Thomas attributes this to other pressures that have an effect on species distribution. Habitat loss, land use, and other pressures besides climate change do have an impact on species movement.

He told the New York Times, “Land use change, habitat loss — there’s a long list of pressures which must all be balanced. Climate change is a huge pressure, but it’s just one pressure facing species around the world.”

The growing garbage problem may have a new solution–fungus that eats plastic. For years mounting mounds of plastic have been choking landfills and polluting the ocean. Now an annual undergraduate trip to the rain forest may have found a solution to the plastic problem.

Unleashing creativity in science sometimes has amazing results. That’s what a group of Yale students discovered after they took a trip to the Amazon rainforest in search of fungus that could hold medical or scientific promise. Upon their return they tested the fungus to see if they could detect any biological activity.

One undergrad started the project in 2010 and then graduated. Another 2011 participant in the Yale Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory course picked up where she left off and that led to the isolation and discovery of an enzyme in a fungus that helps degrade polyurethane and turns it back into carbon.

Dr. Scott Strobel says, “The average third grader asks all kinds of great questions; they probe, poke and manipulate. Then somewhere around fourth grade we drive the interest in science right out of these kids. People conclude they can’t do science, but in reality they have been doing science all their lives.”

He teamed up with Howard Hughes Medical Institute to create the class and create opportunities for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world. HHMI gave a $1 million grant to fund the program for four years.

Yale biochemist Kaury Kucera is a post doctorate researcher who co-leads the annual rainforest trek. She told the New Haven Register, “We take 15 undergraduates into the Ecuadorean rain forest and collect plant samples.”

Each year, students collect organisms called endophytes found in rainforest plants and then take them back to New Haven to test them for biological activity. The whole program is student-generated so they decide what they want to study. Once back in the lab, students analyze the endophytes that show biological activity to see whether they might have any medical or other practical use.

In 2008 Pria Anand was part of the trip to Ecuador where she gathered plants and later extracted part of a fungus to test its affect on plastic. Her goal was to help reduce the piles that are swelling in landfills, also known as bioremediation. She graduated in 2010 before getting the results she wanted.

Jeffrey Huang in the same class was studying which endophytes were most effective at breaking down chemical bonds.

This year, Jonathan Russell tested one of Huang’s best endophytes on Anand’s bioremdiation task. From there Russell focused on locating the enzyme in the fungus that is most effective on breaking down plastic.

All three undergrads are listed as lead authors on the forthcoming paper Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Endophytic Fungi in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

This is not the first time a particular agent has broken down polyurethane. But this enzyme can operate in an oxygen-free zone, such as those found underground in landfills.

Since the discovery students in another class are looking at different endophytes to see which if any will be most effective at dissolving polystyrene or styrofoam, one substance that is designed to stick around indefinitely.

Two different Yale students in the 2009 Rainforest Expedition class have had other fungal breakthroughs which could lead to a new “myco-diesel” biofuel and another which could protect agricultural farms from pathogens.

Breaking Down the Degradation of Common Items in Landfills

Decomposition Timeline, from Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA, photo by: Hadley Maris

*Undergraduates at Yale are working to find enzymes in rainforest fungus to reduce the decomposition timeline

Gender stereotypes about math and science abound. Boys are known for performing better in math and science while girls tend to excel in history and language arts. Though the U.S. still leads the world in scientific discovery and vision, another stereotype is that the U.S. education system is failing students and allowing other countries to out compete citizens for global jobs.

The results of the six-month long Google Science Fair blew both of those stereotypes right out of the water. Three girls, all from the U.S. won the first annual science competition. They beat out 10,000 other students from 90 countries, demonstrating female and U.S. prominence in science.

But perhaps more notable than breaking stereotypes is the potential real science that these young women are doing. One has discovered a way to make ovarian cancer treatments more effective. Another wants to revise the Clean Air Act using her model, quantifying air pollution among asthmatics. And the third winning project could lead to a barbeque meat marinade that reduces carcinogens.

Shree Bose, Age 17

When not in the cancer lab, Bose enjoys a good cattle drive near her home of Fort Worth, Texas.

For her ground-breaking science project, she won $50,000 from Google as well as a trip to the Galapagos Islands on the National Geographic Discovery research ship. She will also have an opportunity to have a once in a lifetime internship experience at CERN, the nuclear physics lab in Switzerland.

Alice Bell, one of the judges for the Google Science Fair and a writer for the UK paper The Guardian says that the teens she met through the judging process are not the public. She says, “It is perhaps best to think of schoolchildren as holding a liminal position with respect to science and the rest of society. They are not quite inside the scientific community or squarely outside it either. They are both science and ‘the public’, and they are neither of these things, yet. Their lives could go in a range of directions.”

One thing is for sure, after winning this new scientific accolade, none of these girls lives will ever be the same.

Naomi Shaw, Age 16

In her project she quotes a common saying among environmentalists, “The genetic make-up is like loading a gun. The environmental pollutants represent the trigger!”

Shah noticed that doctors are quick to prescribe steroids and other inhalers, instead of addressing the quality of the air asthma sufferers are breathing. She learned that’s because nobody had figured out how much air pollution affects lung function. So she did.

Online environmental magazine Grist calls Shah awesome, not because she is a budding scientist but because she “let’s her green flag fly.” Shah describes herself as an environmentalist as well as an objective scientist in training.

She says, “Air quality doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves, and should be one of the top sustainability goals for the coming future.”

Shah took first place at the Intel Science Fair earlier this year. Since then she has sent President Obama and Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Lisa Jackson a letter asking for her mathematical model to be used to revise the Clean Air Act.

Lauren Hodge, Age 14

She found that lemon juice and brown sugar cut the level of carcinogens sharply, while soy sauce increased them.

Shah and Hodge each received $25000 scholarships and internships at Google and LEGO.

Girl power ruled the day at the first Google Science Fair.

Bose is proud of that fact. She told the New York Times, “Personally I think that’s amazing, because throughout my entire life, I’ve heard science is a field where men go into.” She added, “It just starts to show you that women are stepping up in science, and I’m excited that I was able to represent maybe just a little bit of that.”

Google science fair judge Vint Cerf was secretly pleased by the female sweep in all three age groups. Of the 15 finalists, there were 9 boys and 6 girls.

Though the competition was completely gender neutral, he says, “I was secretly very pleased to see that happen. This is just a reminder that women are fully capable of doing same or better quality work than men can.”

The record snow pack melt combined with cool, heavy spring rains forced reservoirs in northern states to release extra water into rivers, creating a big flood which is now surging south, from North Dakota to Nebraska where the Missouri River is over its banks and threatening two nuclear power plants.

The Ft. Calhoun plant near Omaha has been offline for maintenance since April, after getting a bad safety report card last year. One of the marks against the plant was lax flood protection, which is now being tested as the Missouri River laps at its front and back doors, leaving part of the facility swamped while the rest stands like a castle surrounded by a moat.

Downriver, the Cooper Nuclear Station has built a ten-foot wall and is still operating normally. That station looks to be adequately protected from the rising flood waters.The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is visiting the power plant personally to inspect the facility, himself.

A no-fly zone was imposed over the Ft. Calhoun plant a few days ago but regulators say that no radioactive material has escaped. It was likely imposed to prevent news helicopters from flying too close to the facility and into power lines as they do flood coverage.

In northern New Mexico, it is fire not flooding that has members of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Radiological Assistance Program heading for Los Alamos National Laboratory. The team will assess whether any danger exists for radioactive material to escape into the atmosphere from the encroaching 93 square mile wildfire.

As power plants face eminent threats from fire and flood, a year-long investigation by the Associated Press has found that the licensing process at the nation’s 104 nuclear power plants is not very strict.

Most of the nuclear power plants were built during the 1960s and early 1970s. At the time it was common knowledge that nuclear reactors were built to run for 40 years and then be replaced. That entire life-span was based on the assumption that major upgrades and improvements would be made along the way.

Now the Associated Press is saying that nuclear regulators and the nuclear power industry are rewriting history. The AP says industry and regulators are telling a different story — that reactor units were built with no expiration date.

This historical about face is making it easier for plant owners to automatically extend the lives of dozens of reactors in a licensing process that amounts to a nuclear rubber stamp.

The AP’s investigation uncovered documents showing that the process lacks independent safety reviews. It relies on paperwork, especially from NRC, which sometimes matches verbatim language used in the plant operator’s application. The AP also discovered the relicensing process required very little on-site verification or inspection.

The AP found that 66 of the 104 U.S. reactors have been granted license renewals — most for an extra 20 years of operation. The NRC has yet to reject a single application.

Regulators say that the 40-year lifespan was chosen for economic reasons and to satisfy antitrust laws not for safety reasons. The AP reports that regulators insist nuclear reactors have no technical limits on their use.

But engineers, including those who designed many of these plants, tell a different story.

In 1982, Clark Gibbs was the chair of an early nuclear industry group’s safety committee. The AP quotes him, saying, “Most nuclear power plants, including those operating, under construction or planned for the future, are designed for a duty cycle which corresponds to a 40-year life.”

International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy Yury Sokolov told a nuclear industry conference in Shanghai in February that plant life management (PLiM) is a an effective tool to safely and cost effectively manage aging effects in systems, structures, and components. He says, “Even though the design life of a nuclear power plant is typically for 30 or 40 years, it is quite feasible that many nuclear power plants will be able to operate in excess of their design lives.”

Last September Germany decided to extend the life of its aging nuclear power plants by as much as 12 years, even though a poll of Germans found that 6 in 10 want the plants phased out by 2020. Chancellor Angela Merkel says that renewable energy sources are not developed enough yet to get rid of nuclear power.

Then in March, everything changed. When Japan faced a significant nuclear crisis in the wake of the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that shook the island nation to its core, other nation’s rattled by what happened in Japan reconsidered their nuclear power position.

Since then, Germany closed seven plants and will phase out all nuclear power plants by 2022 Earthquake-prone Chile is considering doing the same and China put 50 power plant applications on hold. But the U.S. is still gung-ho for nuclear power.

In a report from Scientific American last week science investigative journalist Karl Grossman says President Obama embraced nuclear power — even picking a pro-nuclear Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu — after initially expressing concerns about its safety while he was running for office in 2007.

Two weeks after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant crisis in Japan, President Obama pledged that nuclear power should be revived in the U.S., as it provides “electricity without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.”

Congressman Edward Markey has asked for a moratorium on nuclear licenses until new safety standards can be put in place, incorporating the lessons learned in Japan.

Now floods from the north, fires in the southwest and a relaxed relicensing process — in addition to tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis — threaten the future of nuclear power in this country and our safety. Nuclear power currently provides about 20% of the nation’s electricity.

This video from May 2010 tells the tale of a gray whale lost, half a world away from home. Biologists immediately thought it was a hoax but after studying the 43-foot whale more closely they discovered that it must have gotten off it’s north-south Pacific Ocean migration track thanks to an ice-free Arctic a couple of summers ago.

Now, new research stemming from this historic sighting off the coast of Israel in the eastern Mediterranean has scientists suggesting that climate change is opening up the fabled Northwest Passage — not just to boaters and geo-political interest — but to animals and plants.

According to seabed core samples, plankton previously not spotted in the Atlantic for 800,000 first re-appeared in the Labrador Sea in 1999 and then in the Gulf of St. Lawrence two years later. Now it has taken root and spread as far south as New York.

Scientists see this one example of a wayward whale and the proliferation of ocean greenery as a clear sign that something is changing in the Arctic.

In a new report which is part of the larger CLAMER project about oceans and climate change, researchers say the lone gray whale’s presence in the Mediterranean “coincides with a shrinking of Arctic Sea ice due to climate change and suggests that climate change may allow gray whales to re-colonize the North Atlantic.”

During the 1800s the Atlantic population of gray whales was hunted to extinction. Only two populations of the endangered species exist, a small pod in the western Pacific and a larger group in the eastern Pacific, from which the whale in Israel was believed to be a member.

The Northwest Passage is a route through the freezing northern Canadian archipelago and has been sought after for explorers for over 500 years. Until recently it was considered the “fabled Northwest Passage” because it was locked in ice year-round. But in 1998 and again in 2007 the passage was ice-free for a brief time during the summer from end to end. That’s when marine biologists expect the whale went through.

Phillip Reid, a senior plankton research fellow at the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science in Plymouth, England told the Associated Press, “The implications are enormous. It’s a threshold that has been crossed.”

Since the North Pacific and the North Atlantic have been virtually shut off to one another, each has developed its own biosystem. Reid says the last time there was a major incursion from the Pacific to the Atlantic was about 2 million years ago. That had a huge impact on the Atlantic, driving some species to extinction as the new arrivals dominated and won in the competition for food.

Reid’s study on plankton and the gray whale are part of almost 300 papers written over the last 13 years that are being synthesized and published as a book and documentary this year by the CLAMER project.

Right now the migration of one gray whale and two species of plankton is not much of a concern to Reid. But he says, “It’s the potential for further ones to come through if the Arctic opens. That’s the key message.”

Plankton is at the bottom of the food chain and is a major source of nutrients for many fish species. Scientists have studied the relationship between plankton and fish stocks for many years and they note that changes in plankton often coincide with big swings in fish stocks.

In the North Sea, studies have blamed changes in plankton for threats to fish-eating birds and the collapse of some fish stocks.

Katja Philippart from the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research says changes in the ocean’s chemistry and temperature have grave impacts on fisheries, especially as species move northward searching for cooler waters.

Philippart heads the European Union-funded CLAMER project. She says, “We try to put the information on the table for people who have to make decisions.” She told the AP, “We don’t say whether it’s bad or good. We say there is a high potential for change.”

Even though since the mid-1990s intrepid adventurer sailors have tried to penetrate the treacherous trail through the Northwest Passage just a handful of people have successfully navigated their way from end to end when the sea ice retreats enough to allow safe passage. It stands to reason that if people are able to do this with some effort, then animals and plants are too.

After swimming off the coast of Israel for a few weeks, the gray whale who appeared malnourished and “not in good shape” according to researchers, was spotted near Spain 23 days later. But that’s the last report. No one has seen the whale 2010.

For decades fishermen have been saying there’s no future in fishing. Environmentalists have been warning about overfishing and pollution harming the ocean’s delicate ecosystem. But so far the ocean has been able to absorb everything humans have thrown at it.

The summary of a new international report(PDF) says that we may be quickly reaching the limit of what the ocean will tolerate. The International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) convened the first-ever interdisciplinary meeting of ocean scientists. Their report, which has not been released in full, paints a grave picture of the future of the ocean if something doesn’t change.

The report identified three key stressors to the ocean — overfishing, pollution and climate change. They cause ocean acidification, anoxic areas or oxygen-free marine dead zones and ocean warming which have been associated with mass extinctions in the past.

Many nations are trying to improve their fishing practices so as to not wipe out entire fish species. And pollution standards are changing so that the ocean doesn’t have to take in so much run off that creates dead zones where no fish can live.

It is the third area — climate change — where the scientists unanimously say something needs to be done before an entire oceanic mass extinction begins.

Scientists say we are potentially looking at a mass extinction of marine life, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the dinosaur extinction 65 million years ago.

Chris Reid, Professor as the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth and co-author of the report says, “We are seeing levels of pH inthe oceans now that probably haven’t been experienced for 55 million years.”

The speed at which the ocean is changing is what has scientists concerned. They say that ocean is at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history. And that those changes will be evident in 20-50 years, not hundreds of years in the future as previously thought.

IPSO Scientific Director Alex Rogers, who is also a Professor of Conservation Biology at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford is struck by the rapid changes the ocean is experiencing.

He says coral reef ecosystems will likely be lost by the end of the century. And to him that qualifies as a mass extinction. Marine biologists believe there are about 9 million species of animals and plants associated with coral reefs.

Already scientists are seeing fish move north and south of their regular habitats. The fish in the tropics and at the polar extremes of the ocean have no place to go. So Dr. Rogers predicts there will be a large loss of fish in low and high latitudes just because of temperature change.

“If the ocean goes down. It’s game over.” — Dr. Alex Rogers, Scientific Director of IPSO

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/22/ocean-under-siege/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/15/wildfires-tied-to-climate-change/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/15/wildfires-tied-to-climate-change/#comments Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:18:18 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4393

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Natural Resources committee held a hearing on wildfire management this week. Fires are burning in California, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida and Oregon. The record-breaking Wala fire in Arizona may have been sparked by a campfire but made worse by a prolonged drought, high temperatures, dry and windy conditions and climate change.

Scientists are careful to separate climate from individual weather events. But trends in the ultra dry desert southwest are pointing to a broader shift.

Rep. Jeff Bingaman, the chair of the House committee released a statement saying, “It’s been a dynamic year of severe weather: intense tornadoes and flooding throughout much of the United States, extreme drought and wildfire activity in the Southwest and much of the South. The overall trend of increasing drought and wildfire in the West and Southwest have been attributed by numerous scientific reports to climate change, including the recent report of our National Academy of Sciences, entitled America’s Climate Choices.”

U.S. Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell testified that he is witnessing longer fire seasons all around the country.

He says, “With this change in climate, we are seeing a much increased frequency in disturbance events such as drought. Not only are droughts more frequent, they are longer in length.”

As a result snow pack in the mountains is melting earlier each year and Forest Service scientists have found the average fire season in the west has been extended about 30 days.

When Tidwell flew over the Wallow fire in Arizona last week he says he was surprised. He’s seen many forest fires but when he saw the west front was a 30-mile stretch of active fire it “topped anything he’d seen before.”

Matt Rollins, who monitors wildfires for the U.S. Geological Survey says, “What we can’t do is definitively tie this to any specific driving factor like climate variability.”

Why not?

Well, fire is a highly complex system that is influenced by a number of variables. Short term weather patterns create dry conditions. Infrequent ground fires allow brush and other fuel to grow so when a fire does arise it’s hot and intense and hard to fight. Windy conditions, insect infestations that kill trees and changes in land use all contribute to making fire hard to pin down.

Some research into big fires has been done. A combined U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological survey effort studied fires that burned more than 1,000 acres. The study found that between 1984 and 1999 2.2 million acres burned nationally each year. But between 2000 and 2008 and acreage destroyed jumped to 6.4 million acres.

Stephen J. Pyne from Arizona State University things overgrazing, logging and fire prevention efforts (remember Smoky Bear?) have provided a lot more fuel for wildfires.

He says, “You don’t even have to involve global warming. It’s hot this time of year and all you need is a couple of weeks of really dry weather.”

According to the Associated Press, so far this year 31,350 wildfires have burned more than 4 million acres of land. That’s up from 27,077 fires at the same time last year which burned about one-third as much acreage.

According to research by Anthony Westerling, an engineer at the University of California, Merced the number of large fires began to grow in the mid 1980s. His paper appeared in Science magazine(PDF) in 2006. He says the big Yellowstone fire in 1988 began the era of big wildfires in the west.

The strong La Nina weather pattern this year that just ended contributed to the severity of an existing drought in the desert southwest, where rain has been infrequent and temperatures have been well above normal. With all the factors at play in making a wildfire, climate may play a subtler role, exacerbating conditions that merely fan the flames.

Congressman Bingaman is convinced there is a connection between fire and climate. He says, “Since climate change will continue into the future, we can expect the incidences of severe weather and the further drying-out of the already arid regions of the West to continue.”

Others are content to pin the blame on short term weather conditions, insect infestations and more people living and camping in the woods.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/15/wildfires-tied-to-climate-change/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/01/cell-phones-dial-up-fresh-radiation-concern/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/01/cell-phones-dial-up-fresh-radiation-concern/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:53:54 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4342

For years scientists have argued that cell phones could be harmful to our health. But it wasn’t until last year that the first long term study suggested a relationship between prolonged cell phone use and brain cancer. And even that preliminary finding didn’t get people to turn off their cell phones.

Earlier this year, a National Institutes of Health study showed that cell phones caused an increase in brain activity and glucose metabolism.

Now, a new study from International Agency for Research on Cancer involving 31 researchers(PDF) from 14 countries assembled by the World Health Organization says that cell phones are carcinogenic(PDF). Actually it says, “radiofrequency electromagnetic fields are possibly carcinogenic to humans based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with
wireless phone use.”

The organization puts them in the same category (2B) as gasoline fumes and pesticides. Serious but not that serious if you limit your exposure.

Dr. Keith Black, the head of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, who was not involved in the study says using a cellphone is about as safe as sticking your head in a microwave oven. He says that the radiation cell phones emit makes water in the brain vibrate. That vibration has the potential to heat up or cook the brain over time just like food in a microwave. And that causes cells to form improperly which leads to cancer.

Right now over 5 billion cell phones are in use around the world. But doctors believe that even if cell phones do pose the cancer risk that long term studies are now beginning to see, brain cancer is a very rare disease. And cell phone use doesn’t cause cancer it just may increase the risk.

One thing that the scientists do agree upon is that cell phone use by children should be limited to prevent radiation from seeping into their still forming brains. Since children’s skulls are thinner than adults they can allow in five times as much radiation as an adult brain.

All scientists agree that more research is needed. But since cell phones are so ubiquitous in our lives, it is unlikely that these studies will have a remarkable effect on our cell phone behavior.

For those who are concerned about radiation, limit the amount of time the phone is held to your head. Use a bluetooth or other handsfree device or use the speaker phone function.

University of Washington bioengineering professor Henry Lai told the L.A. Times “I think it’s a very fair conclusion,” Dr. Lai was the first to show cellphone radiation can damage DNA in brain cells. He and his fellow researchers also found memory loss and other learning problems in rats exposed to moderate levels of cellphone radiation.

“At this point, I think the best thing for people to do is limit their exposure to this radiation.” — Henry Lai, University of Washington

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/06/01/cell-phones-dial-up-fresh-radiation-concern/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/05/25/girl-scouts-lobby-kellogg-to-get-palm-oil-out-of-cookies/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/05/25/girl-scouts-lobby-kellogg-to-get-palm-oil-out-of-cookies/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 19:32:39 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4314

Two feisty 15 year olds are pushing Girl Scouts of the USA to remove palm oil from their popular cookies. Rhiannon Tomitshen and Madison Vorva learned that palm oil plantations are used to grow a key ingredient in all girl scout cookies and that ingredient requires farmers to destroy rainforests to make room for the palm plantations.

The two girls take the Girl Scout oath of protecting the environment and limiting resources seriously. Now they want the cookie maker Kellogg’s to follow the same rules and use a blend of different oils that don’t destroy the environment but still taste good and are healthy.

After being inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall work with chimpanzees the girls wanted to raise awareness about orangutans which are often displaced when rainforests are cut down to make room for palm oil plantations in Indonesia. Pygmy elephants and Sumatran tigers are also under threat by the expansion of palm oil plantations.

The rapid growth of the use of palm oil by food manufacturers is in large part due to the fact that the oil contains no trans fats. As more and more companies and food producers remove trans fats from their ingredient list palm oil is becoming a staple. But it does so at the cost of the environment.

After going public with their campaign to remove palm oil from Girl Scout cookies Kellogg’s pledged to buy green palm certificates to invest in the transition to sustainable palm farming. While Tomitshen sees this as a great step in the right direction she won’t be satisfied until the company removes palm oil from Girl Scout cookies and the rest of their products.

She says, “Kellogg’s has the moral authority to remove palm oil from the cookies and do the truly right thing.”

Palm oil is a common ingredient in cookies, candy and ice cream that we all eat every day. But as you take a bit of that Kit Kat bar these two girls would like you to take a moment to think about the orangutans and the rainforest.

“Girl Scouts shouldn’t have to think about rainforest destruction and orangutan extinction or having to struggle with not being able to go to camp because they can’t raise the funds.” — Madison Vorva, Girl Scout and environmental activist

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/05/25/girl-scouts-lobby-kellogg-to-get-palm-oil-out-of-cookies/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/05/04/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-mercury-in-fish/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/05/04/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-mercury-in-fish/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 17:33:44 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4226
 
Mary Ann Hitt, Beyond Coal Campaign Director with the Sierra Club with information on toxic mercury in fish. Emission from coal-fired power plants is the leading cause of mercury pollution and subsequent bio-accumulation in seafood. The heavy metals spew into the air and then settle in the ocean where they collect in the fatty tissues of our favorite fish.

The EPA warns pregnant women or women looking to become pregnant about the dangers of mercury on unborn children. The agency says stay away from big, predator fish like Swordfish, Orange Ruffie and even Ahi tuna. They tend to have the highest mercury concentrations because they feed on smaller fish that are also exposed to mercury.

But it’s not just women. In men, mercury can increase the risk of heart disease.

Trout, Salmon and other fish, including Tilapia contain far less mercury and won’t pose as much risk to seafood lovers.

The Sierra Club has more information about mercury pollution and finding safe fish to eat.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/05/04/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-mercury-in-fish/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/22/earth-day-celebrates-people/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/22/earth-day-celebrates-people/#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:28:25 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4193

For over 50 years, human audiences have been fascinated by natural history television shows and big screen movies. From Disney Nature to Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, we have explored every crack and crevice of the planet in search of weird, wonderful and unexpected creatures that share the planet with us.

In recent years, entire television networks devoted to life on Earth have dotted the cable TV landscape. Discovery Communications signature Discovery Channel, Planet Green, the Science Channel, National Geographic and even Animal Planet all share one thing in common. They all examine the curious world around us from the perspectives of plants, animals and other unknown Earthly inhabitants.

Now, the makers of the award-winning series Planet Earth and Life are turning the camera around and looking at the most intelligent and creative creature to ever roam the planet — us.

This Earth Day, we know that the ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, that sea levels are rising faster than they should naturally. We know that we need to recycle, consume less and reuse more. These typical Earth Day messages ring a little hollow since many of us are concerned with these problems all year long. We don’t need to set aside a special day to focus on the Earth. It’s front and center in our minds all the time.

So this Earth Day, let’s celebrate ourselves, our unimaginable achievements, our place in this world and our ability to solve our most complex social and natural problems.

Happy Earth Day!

WHAM TV’s Norma Holland talks to Dale Templar, producer of the Discovery Channel series The Human Planet.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/22/earth-day-celebrates-people/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/21/fish-ear-bones-hear-chemical-secrets-of-water/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/21/fish-ear-bones-hear-chemical-secrets-of-water/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:19:14 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4190

Fish ear bones are just like tree rings. The otolith bone inside a fish’s ear records the creature’s growth. Micro slices of sliver-sized ear bones can give scientists clues to the chemistry of the water in which fish swim. They can measure carbon dioxide levels and one year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers at University of South Florida are inspecting the tiny ear bones of different species of fish for signs of oil.

The answers they find may hold keys to restoring the Gulf of Mexico after the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Dr. Ernst Peeble’s research team is looking to see if the growth rates of fish changed after coming into contact with oil in the gulf. They can also measure which species of fish were most affected by the spill and which are relatively unharmed.

BP promised $500 million over the next 10 years for research to study the effects of the oil spill that sent 4.9 million barrels of oil spewing unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico from April 20-July 15, 2010. So far, the ear bone science team has only seen $10 million of the $50 million it was promised.

A BP spokesman says that because the research is new, there are some growing pains associated with the projects. The oil company says it will fulfill its promise to fund research but it’s not clear on the time line.

For now, the researchers are in limbo, waiting for more funding to complete their work.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/21/fish-ear-bones-hear-chemical-secrets-of-water/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/18/bp-oil-spill-the-gulf-of-mexico-one-year-later/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/18/bp-oil-spill-the-gulf-of-mexico-one-year-later/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:51:36 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4168

One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill scientists believe the health of the Gulf of Mexico is back to where it was before the massive environmental disaster.

In a recent survey, most scientists agreed that the health of the Gulf is about 68 out of 100. That is almost in line with the pre-spill number of 71.

One marine scientist who runs an association who has BP as a client says that relative to the size of the Gulf of Mexico the oil spill and well blow out affected a rather small area.

Quentin Dokken from the Gulf of Mexico Association says the Macondo blow out was not the environmental disaster many say that it was.

He accompanied Associated Press reporter Rich Mathews on a dive to examine the artificial reef system attached to the submerged portion of oil rigs near the spill site. A year later, corals and other marine life seemed to have rebounded.

But not everyone agrees.

Paul Sammarco is pleased that it appears that life is returning to the disaster area. But he notes that the absence of large fish could mean that they were wiped out by the oil spill and subsequent use of an oil dispersant. He believes the evidence of small fish and coral returning to the area is a bit misleading.

Dr. Sammarco says, “What we don’t know right now are the sub-lethal effects.” He says scientists don’t have a clear picture of the bio-accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons in sea life and don’t yet understand the complexity that will have on reproduction and other longer term consequences.

Several dozen scientists rated the health of the Gulf of Mexico to be a 68 on a scale of 1 to 100. Last summer the scientists placed the pre-spill health level at 71. Last fall they measured the health at 65.

While the overall health level is trending toward normal, scientists are still very worried about specific health indicators, including dolphins, oysters and the seafloor.

Throughout the first part of the year, reports of baby dolphins washing ashore dominated headlines about the continued environmental legacy of the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Since February over 400 baby dolphins have been found all along the northern Gulf Coast. While scientists are not clear about the cause of this unusual mortality event, some of the dolphins tested did have oil on their carcasses or in their tissue.

Stillborn and dolphins just days old began washing ashore this winter. But scientists can’t definitively say that it was as a result of the BP oil spill.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/18/bp-oil-spill-the-gulf-of-mexico-one-year-later/feed/ 1 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/14/can-dancing-robots-help-with-nuclear-clean-up/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/14/can-dancing-robots-help-with-nuclear-clean-up/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:03:32 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4133

Tokyo Electric Power is putting remote controlled machinery to use at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan. Helicopters mounted with cameras can safely survey the damaged reactors to give clean up crews a clear view of the mess without exposing them to dangerous radiation, following the 9.0 mega thrust earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

To prevent a worse nuclear disaster, power plant workers allowed several hydrogen explosions to release pressure building inside the disabled nuclear reactors. Now workers nearby are relying on remote-controlled bulldozers, dump trucks and other heavy equipment to drive the clean up process while radiation levels are still too high for humans to be in the area for any length of time.

Why Not Robots?

Japan is known for being on the leading technological edge, with its earthquake early warning system and automatic seismic shutoff system at nuclear power plants. It’s also known for mechanizing the manufacturing process by employing robots do the work of humans, much more efficiently.

So it stands to reason that the now crippled nation would want to send robots to the hobbled Fukushima Daiichi power plant. But there are no robots to handle that kind of a job — yet.

The father of industrial robotics says that it is impossible to anticipate a disaster like this which would make programming a robot for this clean up task equally as impossible. But, Joseph Engelberger also says that now that Japan understands what job a robot could do under these conditions, it should be fairly easy to develop a series of commands to allow the robot to react in specific ways under specific circumstances.

The remote-controlled power plant clean up operation uses humans to control machines, also known as teleoperation. Robots act based on code that creates parameters under which they can operate while teleoperators rely on human-driven decision-making.

So until the robots can be made radiation resistant and get to the Japanese power plant we’ll just have to appreciate their aesthetic value as baby robots dance.

 

French company Aldebaran Robotics makes Nao human-like robots. Nao in Chinese means brain. These five sychronized robots recently performed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

The company just opened its first U.S. subsidiary office in Boston this month.

Now, we just need to get them to Japan to sift through radiation-contaminated debris.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/14/can-dancing-robots-help-with-nuclear-clean-up/feed/ 1 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/13/polar-bear-surprise/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/13/polar-bear-surprise/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:27:31 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4130

Imagine waking from a long nap — a little disoriented and still groggy — only to find the world you left when you went to sleep is totally different. A mother polar bear had that very Rip Van Winkle experience on a man-island off the coast of Alaska.

When she emerged from her den after hibernation, the new mother polar bear soon realized her bleary eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. she awoke in the middle of an oil field.

Once the bear and its newborn cub were spotted, the drilling station was evacuated until the bears left the den and started to head off the island and onto the sea ice.

Bruce Woods with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that the mother bear spotted and empty Spy Island before oil drilling equipment and the ice road were even built. She settled into her den for a long winter’s nap. When she emerged last month, the island was full of equipment, activity and an entire oil operation.

“Must have been a shock for her because when she went into the den it was an empty island, and when she came out there was quite a lot going on.” — Bruce Woods

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/13/polar-bear-surprise/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/11/japan-earthquake-one-month-later/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/11/japan-earthquake-one-month-later/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:52:23 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4110

One month after the deadly 9.0 Japanese earthquake, the rescue workers and government took a moment of silence to remember the disaster that leveled portions of northeastern Japan after the quake triggered a large tsunami.

But even after a month, the ground hasn’t stopped shaking. Last week a large 7.4 aftershock triggered another tsunami warning and exactly two hours and thirty minutes after Japan marked the one-month anniversary three strong aftershocks rattled fragile nerves. First, a 6.6 aftershock hit at 5:16 p.m. local time, followed a minute later by a 6.0 and nine minutes after that by a 5.6 aftershock.

Even though the quake was devastating enough, the size and location created a nuclear emergency that still isn’t over. On the one-month anniversary Japanese officials extended the boundary of the evacuation zone around the hobbled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Shortly after the quake and radiation leaks began, everyone within a 12-mile radius was evacuated.

The environmental group Greenpeace found high levels of radiation outside the evacuation area last week. Since then it has been pushing for the evacuation zone to be expanded. International pressure is prompting the Japanese government to increase the contamination area to prevent people from eating food that has absorbed radiation. This, the group says, will minimize long term health effects caused by radiation, including cancer years from now.

Greenpeace radiation expert Rianne Teule says it is the only way to safeguard the Japanese people.

While most of the world is rightfully focused on the ongoing nuclear disaster that resulted because of the great quake, some scientists are watching the ground beneath Japan and looking for clues as to why the ground is shaking.

The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami was a giant underwater mega-thrust quake that started almost 20 miles below the ocean’s surface (relatively shallow in seismic terms) when a large amount of pressure that had been building quickly released as the Pacific tectonic plate subducted beneath one of the Japanese plates — scientists are still arguing over which plate.

That seismic event, as geologists call it, created a 310-mile rupture which is very unusual given the nature of the fault line. Generally big quakes are associated with long straight faults but this fault line is not straight and scientists before this quake didn’t think it could generate a quake larger than an 8.5 on the Richter scale.

When the mammoth quake — now known to be one of the top five in recorded history — struck it released a surface energy nearly double that of the 2004 Indonesian earthquake which killed 230,000 people. Although over 25,000 people perished, Japan is the most earthquake-prepared nation. Its early warning system gave people a one-minute head start and surely saved thousands of lives.

Since the quake first struck a month ago, over 900 aftershocks have been felt, including over 60 registering above a 6.0 magnitude and three higher than a 7.0 magnitude.

The initial quake actually pushed Japan’s Honshu island about eight feet closer to North America. 250 miles of Japanese coastline dropped two feet, helping the tsunami that resulted travel further inland. As a result Japan will need to recalibrate its global positioning system to reflect the new topography. The earthquake also shifted the Earth’s axis by ten inches. And that change caused some minor planetary changes.

The sudden redistribution of the Earth’s mass sped up our rotation, which in turn shortened the day by 1.8 microseconds, an imperceptible amount. It also changed the Earth’s axis by a slight margin.

Many geologists are looking at the direct effects of the big quake and a few are a little concerned by what they are finding.

Just a week after the quake, Brian Atwater at the US Geological Survey said it looked like the big quake piled pressure onto adjacent sections of the fault line, adding new strain closer to Tokyo, Japan’s largest city, which houses 35 million people. Since then other seismologists and geologists have agreed that the faults near the part of the Japan Trench that ruptured now have added stress.

But that doesn’t mean that Tokyo is in line for a major quake because of it. While the added fault stress is interesting from a scientific standpoint it shouldn’t raise undue concern.

USGS researcher Susan Hough says, “Big earthquakes don’t cascade like dominoes, bang bang bang. At least not commonly. So I think the maps showing bright red bull’s eyes of increased stress may be more alarming than they should be.”

Ross Stein, another USGS scientist says, “The watchword in Tokyo should be long-term vigilance. Nobody should think this should go away in a few weeks or a few months.” He believes the aftershocks will likely continue for as much as ten years.

But Japan does sit in a seismic bullseye within the ring of fire, a 25,000-mile stretch of earthquake and volcano rich territory. This area which rings the Pacific Ocean is prone to big quakes as the giant Pacific tectonic plate pushes and grinds against smaller plates.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/11/japan-earthquake-one-month-later/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/08/radioactive-water-poses-no-seafood-risk-to-people/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/08/radioactive-water-poses-no-seafood-risk-to-people/#comments Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:40:48 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4107

Workers in Japan have started dumping more than three million gallons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. Tokyo Electric officials spent about two days dumping out all that water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in northeastern Japan, following the devastating March 11 earthquake. That water contains unsafe levels of radioactive iodine and cesium but it is a necessary move to make room to store more radioactive water used to cool superheated fuel rods after the quake.

The water will disperse in the ocean and become less radioactive as it decays. Since the most common form of radioactive iodine loses half of its potency in just eight days radioactive water heading toward Hawaii and the U.S. mainland will be so diluted by the time it reaches the shores it likely won’t pose any risk.

Some concerned residents in Hawaii have stopped eating seafood and stopped drinking bottled water. Scientists say that is unnecessary at this point because it will take weeks or months — depending on ocean currents — for any radioactive water to reach detectable levels near the islands.

A physicist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has already begun monitoring water off Waikiki Beach for any signs of radioactivity. So far, nothing has been observed. Henrieta Dulaiova expects some radioactive material to be detectable in Hawaiian waters in the coming weeks but she is not concerned about seafood or water contamination.

The three million gallons of water dumped from the Fukushima Daichi power plant is about enough to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools. The Pacific Ocean holds enough water to fill about three trillion of those same pools. In other words, the size of the ocean will make radioactive water less of a threat to fish and people.

The Food and Drug Administration is carefully watching all fish and food imported to the U.S. from Japan, looking for any signs of radioactivity.

In Japan, radioactive food is unfortunately inevitable, but very manageable.

James Acton says the first radioactive fish has been found with unsafe levels of radioactive iodine and cesium. But he says radioactive contamination is a manageable problem because strict monitoring will keep dangerous food off of people’s tables.

The Carnegie Endowment nuclear physicist says that radioactive material released into the water and atmosphere is becoming so diluted already that even twenty miles away from the nuclear power plant, radiation levels are undetectable.

For those of us part way around the world, the risk of radioactive contamination is very low. On the west coast of the U.S. iodine-131 has been detected in milk but experts and public health officials haven’t raised any warnings that those amounts present any risk whatsoever. Several experts have been equating the amount of radiation in the air and in food to being about the same dose any airline passenger receives when going on a trip.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/04/08/radioactive-water-poses-no-seafood-risk-to-people/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/29/tigers-creep-back-from-the-brink/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/29/tigers-creep-back-from-the-brink/#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:13:35 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4066

India’s latest tiger census shows an increase in the numbers of the endangered big cat, but threats to their roaming territory could reverse those gains, officials said on Monday.

At a three-day tiger conference in New Delhi(PDF) Indian officials released the latest tiger census. The news appeared to be good. The tiger population in the 17 Indian states where they roam is on the rise, up 300 from the 2007 census. But the report was tempered with a warning — that the habitat where tigers are allowed to roam is shrinking thanks to development, roads and mining.

This conference is a follow-up to the Global Tiger Recovery Program Meeting(PDF) held last year in Russia to try to save the endangered big cats from extinction. While the numbers of Indian tigers rose to just over 1,700 since the last census that is still remarkably lower than the 3,600 tigers estimated from the 2002 census.

This meeting is all part of a global effort by 13 Asian countries where tigers live to double the global population by 2022. Poaching, hunting and habitat loss decimated the tiger population in the 20th Century. Only about seven percent of that population remains.

The Indian tiger census used hidden cameras and DNA testing to determine the number of cats in the wild and officials believe it is the most accurate count to date. The foundation of the tiger recovery program is scientific monitoring of tigers, prey and habitat.

during the 20th century the Javan, Bali, and Caspian tigers became extinct. A fourth, the South China tiger, has not been seen in the wild for more than 25 years and is assumed to have gone extinct during the 1990s.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/29/tigers-creep-back-from-the-brink/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/25/virtusphere-rolls-into-the-future/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/25/virtusphere-rolls-into-the-future/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:32:59 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4055

It looks like a giant hamster ball but it’s doing far more than exercising its occupants. The Virtusphere, which first rolled onto the scene during the reality television show Shark Tank in 2009, takes virtual reality to a whole new level.

For science, it gives the opportunity to walk through the bloodstream or to soar through the cosmos and understand spaces in a whole new way. Data that scientists have collected can finally be put to use in a meaningful way that gives depth and dimension to some hard to imagine worlds.

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is only one of four institutions that has one of these giant balls of science. The Virtusphere was also a part of the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. last fall.

It has applications from training military personnel in a virtual environment and it can even be used to enhance video games. But get inside this ball and scientists can finally walk into the worlds they study, which will allow us all to better understand what’s going on all around us.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/25/virtusphere-rolls-into-the-future/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/16/radioactive-threat-real-in-japan-what-to-know/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/16/radioactive-threat-real-in-japan-what-to-know/#comments Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:03:28 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4015

The radiation levels at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant continue to fluctuate. Overnight, the spike in radiation levels forced the remaining workers out of the plant for a short time. Police are planning to use water cannons normally reserved for crowd control to keep nuclear fuel rods submerged in water.

When those rods burn off the water which turns to steam and escapes the compromised reactor container that’s when radioactive material gets into the atmosphere.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant is not just one nuclear reactor. The whole site is made of six reactors and they all appear to have been damaged after the March 11 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. While the Japanese power plants were built to handle an 8.5 quake and large tsunami this mega quake just dwarfed what the plant can handle.

Timeline of Events
Shortly after the earthquake Japan declared a nuclear emergency when some of the automatic cooling procedures failed. Within hours, power plant workers released low level radioactive steam in an effort to cool the overheating unit 1 reactor.

On March 12, four workers were injured when the built up heat and pressure inside the unit 1 reactor containment building exploded. This hydrogen explosion destroyed part of the outer building but left the nuclear core intact, though compromised and heating up.

Then two days later unit 3 exploded. The outer building was destroyed but the reactor was not breached. Japanese officials reported this explosion as another hydrogen explosion caused by a build up of heat and pressure from the overheating reactor.

In the evening of March 14, officials reported that the unit 2 reactor was intact but that fuel rods had been exposed to air still within the intact containment vessel and therefore not exposed to the outer atmosphere.

Fuel rods are submerged in freshwater to keep them cool. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the company that operates the nuclear power plant says that an airflow gauge was accidentally turned off. When that happens, water can’t flow into the reactor. As the water boils off from the heat of the fuel rods the rods are left high and dry, which puts them at risk to begin melting.

Then on March 15 a third explosion rocked the Fukushima 1 power station. This time the roof blew off of unit 4, which was believed to have been damaged when unit 3 exploded.

At the same time, radiation spiked from unit 2 where Japanese officials thought the rods had begun melting after the pressure-suppression system was likely damaged.

Later that morning, unit 4 caught fire. Again radiation levels spiked, indicating that nuclear material was escaping into the atmosphere. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the fire was at a spent fuel pond and it took about three hours to extinguish, during which time all remaining nuclear power plant workers were evacuated.

Since then, radiation levels have spiked and dropped. Unit 4 caught fire again. Then unit 3 began emitting what officials believe is radioactive steam from the damaged reactor. Workers planned to spray boric acid from a helicopter on the fuel rods to prevent the spent nuclear fuel rods from reaching criticality again and starting a nuclear chain reaction. But that plan was put on hold because radiation levels near the plant were too high.

Radiation Release
Plutonium, tritium, radioactive iodine, strontium and cesium are all the elements that are being discussed in association with the nuclear crisis at Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in northeastern Japan.

When the quake struck, reactors 1, 2, and 3 were in service. Units 4, 5, and 6 were undergoing routine maintenance and were already offline. Unit 4 was fully de-fueled, meaning it didn’t contain a radioactive core. But all six reactors have spent fuel ponds, which became unstable after proper cooling procedures failed after the mammoth quake and resulting tsunami.

First, power plant workers released small amounts of steam containing tritium and cesium to relieve some pressure at unit 1. They did another small release for the same reason at unit 3.

Tritium is an istotope of hydrogen which easily bonds to air and water. It is what is called a low beta emitter, meaning it dangerous externally. Radiation risk only exists if inhaled or ingested in food or water or through absorption through the skin. Tritiated water breaks down in the human body in 7-12 days so therefore poses little risk of short term exposure if ingested and it won’t accumulate in the body over time.

Cesium is a heavy metal that has 39 different isotopes, ranging from 112 t0 151. Those numbers represent the atomic mass of the element. The most common radioactive isotope is cesium 137. It has a half-life of 30 years, meaning it will take that long to decay into the element barium.

Strontium 90 is another radioactive isotope associated with spent nuclear fuel rods. It is considered a “bone seeker” because it exhibits similar biochemical behavior to calcium, the main ingredient in bones. Strontium is generally taken in through contaminated food or water. About 70-80 percent of the strontium is expelled from the body with the rest being absorbed in bone and bone marrow That’s where concerns about heightened risk of leukemia or bone cancer originate. It’s half-life is also about 30 years.

With the growing concern about radioactivity leaking into the environment, concerned Japanese citizens and even people on the west coast of the U.S. have flocked to pharmacies to purchase potassium idodide pills to counteract any potential exposure to radioactive idodine. This isotope is 131. It has a half-life of 8 days.

Taking idodine tablets saturates the thyroid gland with iodine just before exposure to prevent radioactive idodine from getting into the gland and causing thyroid cancer. Taking the pills as a precaution is unnecessary if there is no immediate threat of radiation exposure. The pills will only protect people from absorbing idodine 131 for 24 hours.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/16/radioactive-threat-real-in-japan-what-to-know/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/15/japanese-nuclear-crisis-deepens/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/15/japanese-nuclear-crisis-deepens/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:20:56 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4009

After several days of uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Japanese nuclear power plants it appears that the worst is not yet over. Today, the International Atomic Energy Association declared the nuclear crisis in Japan to be a 6on a scale that goes to 7.

To compare, the Three Mile Island partial meltdown in 1979 rated a 3 while the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl was a 7. And the Japanese crisis isn’t over yet.

Most experts don’t think that the leaking radiation from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant poses any health risk to people living in the United States. But near the hot zone evacuations are complete and people up to 20 miles away are being asked to stay in their homes.

Japanese officials also have potassium iodine tablets to hand out to people if an eminent radioactive threat poses a risk to public health. Journalists covering the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 are watching the Japanese government closely to get a sense of if or when radioactivity becomes a bigger health concern.

People near the weakened power plant will only be given iodine if they are about to be exposed to radioactive particles. The tablets will protect the thyroid gland from absorbing the radioactive material which can lead to thyroid cancer if untreated.

Late in the day, Japanese officials announced that the six nuclear reactors that make up the Fukushima complex were all suffering from different problems after the earthquake and tsunami. That, nuclear experts say, is unprecedented.

Some have also been critical of the private operator of the power plants for not being more forthcoming about previous safety problems and not keeping the Japanese government informed of all the changes as this crisis has developed.

This evening Japanese officials say that they have ordered the evacuation of many of the remaining workers at the power plant because radiation levels are too high to remain. These workers have been battling periodic fires, monitoring containment shields that house spent nuclear fuel and active fuel rods.

After the earthquake and tsunami the power plant automatically shut itself down but some of the procedures to cool the nuclear power rods failed. As a last-ditch effort workers started dumping seawater into the reactors in an effort to keep the rods from over heating.

With several explosions in the last couple of days to release heat and pressure that has been building, it appears that some of the nuclear material has been exposed to the air, allowing radioactive cesium gas to escape and enter the outside environment.

Depending on wind and precipitation — which near the plant is falling as snow — the radiation will travel away from the Japanese coast. If it heads east, toward the west coast of the U.S. it will dissipate in the atmosphere and likely pose little or no health risk. With prevailing winds, the fallout will reach the U.S. within 10 days. If the winds shift onshore then the radioactive material will settle on Japanese soil.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/15/japanese-nuclear-crisis-deepens/feed/ 1 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/14/nuclear-threat-remains-after-japan-quake/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/14/nuclear-threat-remains-after-japan-quake/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:05:32 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=4006

There’s been more trouble at Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant. With cooling systems down, fuel rods have been exposed at the facility’s Unit 2 reactor, and there was an explosion at Unit 3.

While not ideal these explosions keep the threat of a total nuclear meltdown to a minimum. And that’s the best Japanese officials can do after last Friday’s monster earthquake and tsunami.

Japan has about 50 nuclear power plants scattered throughout Honshu island. The 8.9 earthquake that struck on March 11 was centered offshore from the north portion of the island. Sendai city was one of the hardest hit areas. That town is near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, where a loss of power and access to freshwater has crippled operations there.

All power plants automatically shutdown when there is an earthquake in Japan. It’s a precaution to prevent a nuclear disaster. But several plants failed to cool down properly after the big earthquake and tsunami. An explosion forced a 12-mile evacuation and scared residents around the world on Saturday. Then another blast at a different unit at the same power plant on Monday raised concern again.

Japanese officials explained that they are being forced to push seawater into the reactor to cool the nuclear fuel rods. The corrosive saltwater destroys the power plant, costing about $1 billion. But if successful it prevents a much greater threat–a total nuclear meltdown.

The two blasts occurred when hydrogen inside the reactor core built up enough heat and pressure which needed to be released. Venting that heat along with a small amount of radioactive cesium particles caused the cement structure housing the containment units to explode. But the containment units, inside which sit the nuclear reactor cores, appear to be intact. This greatly reduces the threat of radiation escaping the facility and causing more damage.

160 people are being treated for low level exposure to radiation while some media over the weekend reported that iodine tablets were being distributed as a precaution.

When situations like this arise, scientists begin looking at all possible scenarios. One such outcome is a meltdown of the nuclear core, which causes a critical nuclear event, including emission of radioactive material. If that were to happen the release could threaten a lot more people.

Nuclear experts and atmospheric scientists in the U.S. started speculating as soon as explosions at nuclear power plants were broadcast over the weekend.

Dan Jaffe, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Washington says it is very unlikely that the amount of radiation released in Japan would make it to the west coast of the United States.

A few scientists in Seattle have documented pollution crossing the Pacific Ocean and reaching the west coast. In 1998, Dr. Jaffee noted that atmospheric ozone from China was able to travel to the U.S. under the right conditions in about a week. That surge of pollution was enough to push ozone levels in the Northwest past limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Dr. Jaffe says, “If the nuclear incidents turn into a major meltdown and release radiation, and depending on wind patterns, it could be transported in about seven days.”

But that’s a big if.

Japan is perhaps the nation best equipped to handle a triple-whammy threat of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. Even though this is being described as the most devastating event since World War II and the most threatening earthquake and tsunami in 1,200 years, Japanese officials are trying to prevent the worst case scenario by sacrificing nuclear power plants in order to spare the rods in the reactors and prevent a bigger disaster.

Dr. Jaffe says that he and his team have established an atmospheric observatory on Mt. Bachelor in the mountains of Oregon. While the sensors are designed to monitor pollution traveling from Asia, he says in the event of a major radiation release he would try to get some detectors added to the observatory to track the path of the radiation.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/14/nuclear-threat-remains-after-japan-quake/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/07/electronic-recycling-key-to-green-jobs/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/07/electronic-recycling-key-to-green-jobs/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:40:24 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3981

Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island recycles around 400,000 pounds of electronic waste per year as part of a partnership with Dell Computers to divert computer and electronics from landfills.

the Reconnect Partnership gives about half the nation easy access to free recycling for computers, monitors, mice, keyboards, printers and even television sets. Many other states have other programs that allow the same service.

In Washington state, the E-Cycle Washington program recycles just about 40 million pounds of computers other electronics every year. Many other states have similar programs which allow consumers to get rid of non-working electronics for free.

And these programs are creating “green jobs” for displaced workers in the manufacturing sector. The workers take old machines apart and separate out the components for re use or disposal. Very little of the original product ends up in landfills and people will limited skill sets or education are able to keep working while helping the environment.

Last fall a Friends of the Earth Europe report found that if Europe could recycle 70 percent of its waste, it would create 500,000 new jobs.

A similar report finds that if the U.S. increases its recycling rate from 33 percent to something more sustainable we can create over 1.1 million new jobs and turn recycling into a $236 billion industry.

It’s a win-win for everyone.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/07/electronic-recycling-key-to-green-jobs/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/04/no-glory-at-nasa-today/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/04/no-glory-at-nasa-today/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:28:54 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3976

An Orbital Sciences Taurus rocket loaded with an Earth-monitoring satellite crashed into the southern Pacific Ocean just six minutes after launching from Vandenberg AFB this morning.

The mission was equipped with two science instruments, one trained on observations of aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere and the other to track the sun’s irradiance. By improving scientific understanding of the impact of solar radiation and role of tiny particles in the atmosphere the Glory mission would have helped to improve our understanding of climate.

The mishap occurred when a covering protecting the satellite payload during launch didn’t separate properly. The rocket then lost velocity and failed to reach orbit.

Two years ago, a similar project — to launch an orbiting carbon observatory to measure where carbon dioxide is being emitted and where it is being captured — met with a similar post-launch fate after the rocket’s fairing failed to separate. That satellite crashed just off the coast of Antarctica after failing to reach orbit.

With this latest climate satellite crash, NASA is down two critical observation tools that would rapidly improve near-Earth observation. In addition to losing over half a billion dollars in research equipment tied up in the two satellites, we are all losing another opportunity to better understand how Earth’s climate is changing.

Shortly after the accident, NASA announced the formation of the Glory Satellite Mishap Investigation Board to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent this from happening in the future.

After the Orbiting Carbon Observatory failed to reach orbit two years ago a similar technical glitch forced Orbital Science, the rocket-maker, to redesign the rocket’s fairing — the protective shell on top of the rocket. Now it appears the same problem has returned, though the company tested the rocket several times successfully and NASA’s Flight Planning Board signed off on the corrective actions in October 2010, well ahead of today’s planned launch.

the Glory launch was originally scheduled for February 23 but was delayed until today due to technical issues with ground support equipment for the Taurus XL launch vehicle, completely unrelated to the rocket’s fairing.

Here’s the press conference that followed the failure of the Glory mission.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/03/04/no-glory-at-nasa-today/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/28/science-tourists-explore-new-ways-to-travel/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/28/science-tourists-explore-new-ways-to-travel/#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:21:15 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3763

If Jonas Salk and Carl Sagan are your celebrities, we have a trip for you. From researching global warming in Antarctica to monitoring space flight, Bloomberg Businessweek explores the growing tourism niche of science travel.

It’s a marriage of ecotravel and scientific research.

Here are some leading Science Travel companies.

Abercrombie & Kent
American Museum of Natural History — Explorers Program
Habitat Adventures
Wildland Adventures
Explorers Club
National Park Service
Earthwatch Institute

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/28/science-tourists-explore-new-ways-to-travel/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/27/goodnight-light-bulbs/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/27/goodnight-light-bulbs/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:00:06 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3863

If you haven’t switched over from incandescent light bulbs. Soon you won’t have a choice. The federal government passed new energy efficiency standards and they include compact fluorescent light bulbs. Starting this year the old, familiar incandescent bulbs will be phased out.

By 2014 none of the old bulbs will be produced.

Illuminating light bulb facts:

Incandescent light bulbs have been around since Thomas Edison invented them in 1879.

They are comprised of an electric lamp in which a filament is heated to incandescence by an electric current.

Today the filament is made of tungsten instead of carbon (the original filament).

If it weren’t for the light bulb there would be no GE (General Electric Company).

According to the Energy Star Change a Light Pledge, if every U.S. household trades on incandescent bulb for a CFC bulb we can reduce energy use by up to 616 million kilowatt hours of electricity in one year. That’s the equivalent of providing electricity to every household in Sacramento for 690 days.

For more CFC facts go the Energy Star website.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/27/goodnight-light-bulbs/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/26/science-underpins-innovation-in-state-of-the-union/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/26/science-underpins-innovation-in-state-of-the-union/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 01:20:26 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3844

The 2011 State of the Union address, delivered by President Barack Obama, painted a solid picture of the future. Not surprisingly the President finds a secure and prosperous future filled with scientific and technological innovation. To create more jobs, he stresses better education including concentration on math and science. He emphasizes energy innovation and more investments in basic research. But overall he pressed all citizens to be creative and use their imaginations to conceive a better and brighter future where responsible government is open and accessible to the citizenry and where all people are given the same freedoms and choices.

Here’s a science, technology, engineering and math snapshot of our state of the union. Excerpts from President Obama’s January 25, 2011 speech before Congress and the American people.

Race to be #1 in Science
The U.S. is not going to be able to hold its lead over other nations as long as we lag behind in education and investment in research and technology. During his speech, the President said…

“Meanwhile, nations like China and India realized that with some changes of their own, they could compete in this new world. And so they started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science. They’re investing in research and new technologies. Just recently, China became the home to the world’s largest private solar research facility, and the world’s fastest computer.” (13:32-14:00)

Applied Materials Solar Technology Center is the biggest solar research facility in the world. And it’s located in Xi’an, China. Although, Applied Materials is a California-based company, it operates in 21 different countries.

Last fall American parts helped China speed past the U.S. in the computer race. It’s not quite as exciting as the space race 50 years ago but it’s still a mark of status to have the world’s fastest computer. And now that honor lies with Tianhe-1A which has a 2.507 petaflop system. That is currently 30 percent faster than any U.S. machine.

Though the U.S. had a hand in helping China reach these milestones, President Obama called for the U.S. to start innovating. He said…

“We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.” (15:59-16:02)

“Our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. But because it’s not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout our history, our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. That’s what planted the seeds for the Internet. That’s what helped make possible things like computer chips and GPS.” (17:39-18:01)

New Moon Shot
During his speech the President called upon all Americans to dig deep and be creative to help build a stronger economy. He said…

“Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. The science wasn’t even there yet. NASA didn’t exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.”
“This is our generation’s Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space Race. And in a few weeks, I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal. We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology.” (18:10-19:08)

Ready for the Challenge
The President told the American people that it’s up to the scientists, engineers, teachers and entrepreneurs, not the government to solve the big problems we face. He said…

“We’re not just handing out money. We’re issuing a challenge. We’re telling America’s scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields, and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we’ll fund the Apollo projects of our time.” (20:12-20:25)

He added…

“At the California Institute of Technology, they’re developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars.” (20:27-20:34)

Sossina Haile at Cal Tech is taking a chemical ordinarily used in self-cleaning ovens — called cerium oxide — and is using it to concentrate solar energy in order to turn carbon dioxide and water into fuel. He said…

“At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, they’re using supercomputers to get a lot more power out of our nuclear facilities.” (20:36-20:40)

The Jaguar supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory may have slipped to #2 in the world of speed but it’s still number 1 for many scientists, including those using it to build a virtual nuclear reactor to simulate ways for future reactors to last longer and burn at a higher energy efficiently rate and with less waste.

Revive Alt Energy
The President reached across the political aisle while talking about energy. The energy future requires all types of alternative energy, from solar and wind to clean coal and natural gas. He said…

“With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” (20:41-20:52)

With the $4 billion President Obama says will be cut from annual oil subsidies, he will direct that money into electric car development. That includes:

$7,000 instant rebate when purchasing an electric car
30 percent increase in R&D for vehicle technology, including an energy innovation hub for batteries and storage
30 communities will get $10 million grants once they demonstrate a concrete plan to streamline regulations, develop infrastructure, make fleet conversions or offer electrical vehicle incentives, such as commuter lane access

He said…

“So tonight, I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: By 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources. Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all — and I urge Democrats and Republicans to work together to make it happen.” (21:42-22:15)

STEM the Education System
All of the innovation the President envisions won’t be possible without future generations of competent workers. And that all starts in schools, which are not keeping students competitive, globally. President Obama said…

“The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree.” (22:58-23:08)

Before the State of the Union, the 2009 report card on the nation’s schools was released. Secretary Arne Duncan was disappointed with the results, especially in math and science.

He says, “When only 1 or 2 percent of children score at the advanced levels on NAEP, the next generation will not be ready to be world-class inventors, doctors, and engineers.”

In one of the few standing ovations of the evening during his State of the Union address, President Obama said to celebrate science not celebrity. He said…

“We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.”(23:39-23:46)

Get to Work
As test scores show that the U.S. is slipping behind other countries and losing its leading educational edge, the President told people to go to work and become teachers or get retrained and work in biotechnology. He said…

“And over the next 10 years, with so many baby boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science and technology and engineering and math.” (27:21-27:33)

“One mother of two, a woman named Kathy Proctor, had worked in the furniture industry since she was 18 years old. And she told me she’s earning her degree in biotechnology now, at 55 years old, not just because the furniture jobs are gone, but because she wants to inspire her children to pursue their dreams, too. As Kathy said, “I hope it tells them to never give up.” (29:18-29:44)

We are a nation of immigrants. And those who come here are looking for a better life and for opportunity. Our schools still provide that service for foreign students. President Obama said…

“Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense.” (30:55-31:06)

“But tonight, let’s agree to make that effort. And let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.” (31:42-31:55)

Infrastructurovation
Building new roads, transportation and technology infrastructure have been endeavors that the U.S. has always done first and best. But our aging systems are causing us to lose ground to other nations. The President said…

“Our infrastructure used to be the best, but our lead has slipped. South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do. Countries in Europe and Russia invest more in their roads and railways than we do. China is building faster trains and newer airports. Meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation’s infrastructure, they gave us a “D.” (32:34-32:49)

South Korea offers its citizens the Internet everywhere and as a result 95.9% of Koreans enjoy that connectivity. In the U.S. the number of people with Internet access is growing but only at 63.5% of the population has an Internet connection.

China is investing 9 percent of its gross domestic product in roads and railways while Europe is investing 5 percent. The U.S. is only spending two percent of GDP on transportation infrastructure. But with the largest GDP in the world — at $15.2 trillion — our two percent is equal to $304 billion a year. China and Europe are still investing more at $576 billion and $805 billion respectively.

The Future Will be Open
With all the technology that has been created and built in the last 30 years now able to connect people more with the government, President Obama pledges to let the people see where the money is being spent. He said….

“Because you deserve to know exactly how and where your tax dollars are being spent, you’ll be able to go to a website and get that information for the very first time in history.” (49:57-50:07)

“The 21st century government that’s open and competent. A government that lives within its means. An economy that’s driven by new skills and new ideas. Our success in this new and changing world will require reform, responsibility, and innovation.” (50:50-51:17)

The American Dream
Every year a quintessential American story highlights the President’s address. This year a Pennsylvania drill operator held the dream. After hearing that the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground last August wouldn’t be freed until Christmas he knew his company had the technology to drill a hole through the hard, volcanic rock much faster. President Obama highlighted the tale of the American who helped save the Chilean miners last year. He said…

“And that dream is the story of a small business owner named Brandon Fisher. Brandon started a company in Berlin, Pennsylvania, that specializes in a new kind of drilling technology. And one day last summer, he saw the news that halfway across the world, 33 men were trapped in a Chilean mine, and no one knew how to save them.

But Brandon thought his company could help. And so he designed a rescue that would come to be known as Plan B. His employees worked around the clock to manufacture the necessary drilling equipment. And Brandon left for Chile.

Along with others, he began drilling a 2,000-foot hole into the ground, working three- or four-hour — three or four days at a time without any sleep. Thirty-seven days later, Plan B succeeded, and the miners were rescued. (Applause.) But because he didn’t want all of the attention, Brandon wasn’t there when the miners emerged. He’d already gone back home, back to work on his next project.
And later, one of his employees said of the rescue, “We proved that Center Rock is a little company, but we do big things.”(64:33-66:07)

And, science helps us do big things.

Here are a few future leaders, who had the privilege of sitting in the First Lady’s box during the State of the Union.

Amy Chyao
Richardson, TX

Amy, a sixteen-year-old high school junior from Richardson, Texas, has developed a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT), an emerging cancer treatment that uses light energy to activate a drug that kills cancer cells. With her work, Amy won the first place Gordon E. Moore Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public, in May 2010. Amy met the President at the October 2010 White House Science Fair.

Brandon Ford
Philadelphia, PA

Brandon, a junior at West Philadelphia High School, is a leader of the West Philly Hybrid X Team, which includes students from an afterschool program at the West Philadelphia High School Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering. Brandon and the Hybrid X team recently entered two cars in the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition, a global challenge that sought to deliver production-ready, highly fuel efficient vehicles. They successfully went head-to-head with corporations, universities and other well-funded organizations, even advancing to an elimination round with their Ford Focus that got an official 65.1 MPGe.

Mikayla Nelson
Billings, MT

Mikayla Nelson is currently a freshman at Central Catholic High School in Billings, Montana. As a middle schooler at Will James Middle School, she led her Science Bowl team to a 1st place finish at the National Science Bowl for the design document of their solar car. They also won 5th place in the U.S. Dept of Energy’s Junior Solar Sprint. Mikayla met the President at the October 2010 White House Science Fair where she represented her Science Bowl team and exhibited their solar car.

Kathy Proctor
Winston-Salem, NC

Kathy Proctor grew up in Trinity, North Carolina where, after graduating, she went to work in the furniture industry like many others in the area. When she was laid off in 2009, Kathy began taking classes in biotechnology at Forsyth Technical Community College. Kathy will graduate in July 2011, with an Associate Degree in Science, and hopes to attain a job working as a bio-fuels analyst. Kathy met the President when he visited Forsyth Tech in early December 2010.

Diego Vasquez
Phoenix, AZ

Diego Vasquez, currently a freshman at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, was a member of the team from Cesar Chavez High School in Laveen, Arizona that won a grant through the Lemelson-MIT Program’s InvenTeams initiative for their design of a fully adjustable motorized chair for persons who could primarily use it for physical therapy. Diego met the President at the October 2010 White House Science Fair where he represented his team and demonstrated their chair.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/26/science-underpins-innovation-in-state-of-the-union/feed/ 2 http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/20/copycat-dolphins/ http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/20/copycat-dolphins/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:09:56 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3820

A study done at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys says although imitation is rare in the animal kingdom, dolphins can imitate one another while blindfolded by using sound.

Like bats, dolphins use a form of sonar called echolocation to see sound patterns. It’s their keenest sense.

The purpose of this research is conservation. biologists believe that the more intelligent dolphins appear, the more people will care about them. That will prompt conservation efforts.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2011/01/20/copycat-dolphins/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/31/2010-science-roundup/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/31/2010-science-roundup/#comments Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:11:56 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3715 On the last day of 2010, the final day of the last year in the first decade of the 21st Century, we bid farewell to another year. Let’s take a look back over the last 12 months through the eyes of science.

First, physicist Dr. Michio Kaku looks back over the natural disasters that rocked the world and does some future disaster forecasting as well.

2010 started with a major earthquake that killed 200,000 and 3 million homeless in Haiti. Then later in the year a gigantic quake in Chile knocked the Earth off its axis and shortened our 24-hour day by one micro-second. Dr. Kaku insists that the planet is not trying to seek revenge on the human species, which has also been very busy this year.

Top Bio Stories

According to Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News 2010 was a big year for biology. Last year third-generation gene sequencers came to market which opened the door to generate DNA sequences as well as epigenetic information with single-molecule sensitivity in real time. This was also the year that synthetic biology became mainstream. J. Craig Venter created a bacteria from scratch, making Synthia the first fully synthetic, self-replicating cell.

2010 Also saw the gene patent wars heat up. In the Spring a New York court declared the patent on the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and 2 invalid. This case will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before it’s finished but the Justice Department now supports the lower court’s ruling, saying that naturally occurring phenomena such as genes should not be subject to intellectual property laws.

Stem cells, aging and cancer rounded out a full year for biotech. After President Obama repealed former President Bush’s ban on research involving embryonic stem cells this year a federal court judge placed the future of embryonic stem cell research in limbo again.

After all the excitement about the anti-aging benefits of sirtuins, the chemical found in red wine, is still not well understood. A couple of drug candidates involving the activator and inhibitor are in clinical trials but haven’t made the medical strides they promised last year.

A cancer vaccine called Provenge made it to market this year to help treat prostate cancer. Several other treatments are in late stage clinical trials and could be ready next year.

Top Physics and Space stories

One of the most inspiring space endeavors to finish a rocky trip in 2010 was the Japanese Hayabusa mission. It rendezvoused with asteroid Itokawa in 2005 after being pummeled by a large solar flare in 2003. The goal was to gather dust from the asteroid and bring it back to Earth.

After all the technical mishaps Japanese researchers didn’t hold much faith that the probe would return with any dust. But after a triumphant return to Earth in June, a few specks of the asteroid were identified. Now scientists have another tool to understand the beginnings of our solar system.

But 2010 was all about space water. Remember water on Mars? That was so last year. This year confirmed water on the moon and on one of Saturn’s moons.

Saturn's Moon Enceladus, as viewed from NASA's Cassini Spacecraft

The ever-impressive NASA Cassini Equinox mission continues to blow us away with amazing imagery from the Saturnian system, including what appears to be liquid water shooting from the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The spacecraft has been orbiting the ringed gas giant since 2004, buzzing past its many moons and delivering some of the most detailed observations of this iconic planet we have ever seen.

But closer to home, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter found that the moon not only has water ice stored in the shadows of its deepest and darkest craters, but there appears to be a lot of water just below the surface.

Discovery News asks how much water is there.

Writer Ian O’Neill says, “Bucketloads. 600 million gallons stashed away in 40 craters as measured by a NASA instrument that flew on board the Indian Chandrayaan-1 mission. But how much water is 600 million gallons? That’s enough water to fulfill Seattle’s water needs for a whole year… or enough water to manufacture 588 billion bags of Cool Ranch Doritos (according to one commenter who obviously has way too much time on his hands).”

(Artist rendering of moon landing...not a real picture)

2010 was the year that President Obama canceled the Constellation manned space program and scrapped plans to go to the moon. But it was also the year that commercial space flight became a reality. Leading the way into space is Virgin Galactic. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are helping to privatize the space industry and will be fulfilling space services for NASA once the shuttle program is retired in early 2011.

But the biggest space story of the year was happening right here on Earth. Or rather under the Earth at the European nuclear science lab CERN. There particle physicists in search of the elusive Higgs Boson or God particle have successfully trapped antimatter for the first time.

Physicists capture antihydrogen for the first time in 2010

Capturing antihydrogen will allow physicists to study the beginning of the universe and try to figure out why if both matter and antimatter were created in equal amounts during the Big Bang that matter is all that mattered for its formation.

Top Stories by Accident

Science makes some its greatest discoveries through accidental encounters and without looking. A few stories found their way to us that way this year, mostly from the animal kingdom.

The most distressing story resulted from pictures of oil covered seabirds struggling in the slimy Gulf of Mexico after the BP Horizon Deepwater oil rig explosion and disaster. Months later, clean up efforts are still underway and scientists are looking at long term consequences of the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

But across the world, a two-foot long isopod — that looks like something Hollywood cooked up for a sci-fi movie — hitched a ride to the surface aboard a deep sea submarine, giving the world a glimpse of this rare giant creature.

Deep Ocean Submarine Finds Giant Hitchiking Isopod

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/31/2010-science-roundup/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/30/adventurous-careers-await-brave-science-minds/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/30/adventurous-careers-await-brave-science-minds/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:40:53 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3712

The top and bottom of the world are frozen solid but they are also a popular place for adventure-loving young scientists to travel in search of the world’s biggest questions.

In Antarctica researchers are trying to understand dark matter and dark energy which comprises 96% of the universe. And in Greenland, a team of scientists just finished drilling the largest ice core in an effort to understand natural climate cycles and to measure the impact people are having on the planet.

Even as these exciting projects are enticing intrepid souls to far corners of the world, the U.S. is losing out to other nations when it comes to science education. The U.S. ranks 48th in the world in K-12 science education and American math scores rank below at least 30 other countries.

Astrophysicist and science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson is a worried about the future of science in America.

“Science is not just ‘we’re here and science is there.’ We’re embedded in a scientific world at every turn we take.” — Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/30/adventurous-careers-await-brave-science-minds/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/27/oil-sands-slips-up-with-inadequate-monitoring/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/27/oil-sands-slips-up-with-inadequate-monitoring/#comments Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:00:13 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3699

In a new report (PDF), a high-level scientific panel has sharply criticized the water quality monitoring system in Alberta’s oil sands development near Fort McMurray, Alberta. The panel says, “there is no system” despite supposedly 13 years of rigorous scientific data.

The panel says “We are back at square one” even though most Canadians believed that the water monitoring system was world class.

High levels of toxins associated with the costly extraction of oil from sand deposits have been found in rivers downstream from the massive project. And fish with significant deformities are also becoming more common in the area.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/27/oil-sands-slips-up-with-inadequate-monitoring/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/20/citizen-science-for-the-birds/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/20/citizen-science-for-the-birds/#comments Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:26:37 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3674

The National Audubon Society has sponsored an annual winter bird count for over 100 years. This year’s Christmas Bird Count will include 60,000 volunteers from all over the country who will look for and record birds for two weeks.

This is perhaps one of the oldest forms of citizen science. It allows people who care about birds and nature to pitch in and help scientists gather immense amounts of data that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to collect.

Jim Shallow at Audubon Vermont says, “The great thing about citizen science is that you add a lot more data points to your data and you have a lot more eyes out on the landscape.”

This information has helped scientists study the effects of climate change.

Shallow says that in New England, in particular, things have warmed up over the last 40 years. And that shows up as birds adapt by moving their ranges northward.

Noting that and other avian trends would not be possible without citizen scientists who are helping the Audubon Society count birds. You can participate in this time-honored Holiday tradition by visiting the society Christmas Bird Count get involved page.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/20/citizen-science-for-the-birds/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/09/cancun-climate-talks-wind-down-without-much-movement/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/09/cancun-climate-talks-wind-down-without-much-movement/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:15:45 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3620

World leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference try to hammer out a new deal on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to replace the Kyoto Protocol, the CBC’s Margo McDiarmid reports.

Talks end tomorrow with little expectation that a new binding agreement will be signed to replace the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. If nothing substantial happens then the next climate negotiations move to Durban, South Africa next Decmeber.

The U.S. reached Cancun this year rather toothless after failing to pass a comprehensive climate bill in Congress, despite confidence it would at last year’s Copenhagen climate conference.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged governments to agree to a new international treaty, saying nations are still not “rising to the challenge” of climate change.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/12/09/cancun-climate-talks-wind-down-without-much-movement/feed/ 0 http://www.realscience.us/2010/11/29/one-scientist-works-to-recreate-ice-age-conditions-to-slow-global-warming/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/11/29/one-scientist-works-to-recreate-ice-age-conditions-to-slow-global-warming/#comments Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:50:01 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3583

A Russian scientist is working to recreate Ice Age conditions by rewilding — reintroducing native beasts to Siberia. He hopes the move will help slow global warming. He wants to start with native musk oxen and then add other species like reindeer, foxes and even Siberian tigers. By returning this vast frozen wasteland to fertile farm country where animals roam free in tall grasses, melting permafrost may be halted. At least that’s Sergey Zimov’s theory.

He believes that the reintroduction of animals like musk oxen, Yakutian horses, reindeer and others who break and eat bushes will help fertilize the soil and allow grass to grow for the first time in 10,000 years. Then most trees will disappear, returning the land to large meadows filled with vegetation.

Animals would tamp down the snow preventing it from insulating the ground in the winter. This would slow the melting of permafrost, a key contributor to global warming.

Though Zimoff is an expert in quantum physics, his research on permafrost, greenhouse gas emissions and mammoth archaeology has made the series of cabins which he calls his lab in Siberia a destination for top scientists from all over the world.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/11/29/one-scientist-works-to-recreate-ice-age-conditions-to-slow-global-warming/feed/ 1 http://www.realscience.us/2010/11/24/electric-car-completes-epic-journey/ http://www.realscience.us/2010/11/24/electric-car-completes-epic-journey/#comments Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:55:32 +0000 Michael Bradbury http://www.realscience.us/?p=3573

The car drove through 14 countries, along the entire length of the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. The four-month journey helped prove that an all electric car can drive that distance despite the lack of electric charging stations along the way.

The two-year project was driven by six Imperial College London engineering students who wanted their Radical SRZero sportscar to be the world’s most focused, fun-to-drive alternative propulsion vehicle. The team also wants to help encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers by showing them how far they can go in math and science.

]]> http://www.realscience.us/2010/11/24/electric-car-completes-epic-journey/feed/ 0
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