Links for 5/1/09

Solar Tech: Not Just For the Roof Anymore (NY Times)

Photovoltaic cells are already a familiar sight on rooftops. But one day, miniature cells may also be found in more unconventional places: power-generating windows, car sunroofs or even awnings.

Illusions in Motion: The Power of Symmetry (Scientific American)

The aesthetic appeal of symmetry is obvious whether you are a child playing with a kaleidoscope or a Great Mogul emperor building the Taj Mahal as a monument to eternal love. That preference, as it turns out, greatly shapes how we see the world when items are in motion. More on that shortly.

You Are What You Eat (Chemical Heritage Foundation)

Common knowledge is often based on good science. It is thus reassuring that most of our fellow citizens accept the well-researched idea that diet influences health. Discussions of exactly what diet produces what health effect can get cantankerous, though, so two recent publications are welcome additions to the debate.

How Do You Make Non-Alcoholic Beer?

What a horrible thought to contemplate. Of course, if you’re under 21, this is the only type of beer you can legally consume (and it actually has some alcohol – typically about 0.5% by volume). Making it is fairly simple. Just heat up a batch of fermented beer to about 150 – 180 &deg F for a while and the alcohol will evaporate, just like when you cook with wine. Of course, this probably degrades some of the flavor and aroma from the hops and malt. But if you’re used to drinking American mega beers, you probably won’t notice much of a difference in flavor. So there you go.

Links for 4/29/09

Folks, if you post a reply, be sure to reply for all the links (not just one). If you don’t post a reply, bring your replies/questions to class.

Chart of the Day 4.28.09 (Mother Jones)

Did American education go completely to hell in the 70s and 80s? It sure doesn’t look like it. Both reading and math scores stayed almost rock steady during the entire “Nation at Risk” period. Did things improve with the passage of NCLB and the advent of massive high-stakes testing? Scores for 9-year-olds have gone up a bit, but past evidence suggests that gains among young children usually wash out by the time they’re 17.

Most Distant Object in the Universe Spotted(New Scientist)

Astronomers have spotted the most distant object yet confirmed in the universe – a self-destructing star that exploded 13.1 billion light years from Earth. It detonated just 640 million years after the big bang, around the end of the cosmic “dark ages”, when the first stars and galaxies were lighting up space.

How to Become More Energy Efficient Once You’ve Picked the Low-Hanging Fruit (Scientific American)

As we continue to wait for our solar paperwork to go through to receive the subsidies and loans, I’ve kept looking for ways to save energy, and I’ve come to a sad realization. It looks like we’ve already done most of the no-brainers. We’ve weatherstripped doors, sealed air leaks, blown in insulation, tweaked our steam heat system, screwed in compact fluorescents and LEDs, and turned our five-year-old daughter into a zealot for turning off lights. Gone are the days when I came home from work only to find every single light in the house turned on.

Apple Pie

After reading Doubt is Their Product, by David Michaels, we are well aware of the insufficient regulation of harmful substances, especially here in the US. The common trend has been to wait for an epidemic to occur, and then action is taken to regulate the substance, opposed to discovering possible harms of the substance before it is widely used or regulating the substance as soon as any harms can be associated with it. With this knowledge, I was very elated to hear the words of Desiree Plata:

Now we’re trying to be a little smarter about the process and ask ourselves environmentally relevant questions early: Are these materials toxic? How best should we use them? And how can we prevent them from becoming a problem and still take advantage of their exceptional market applications?

Yes, these are wonderful words to hear indeed. The sad thing is that it has taken so long for humans to learn from their mistakes in this field, but it appears we can now have hope that we are progressing to more environmentally and health conscious industrial and economic practices.

But, if this class has taught me one thing it is to be skeptical — are the practices of harmful substance regulation really improving? One can only hope so. How are we to know if industries, like the tobacco industry, are still wheeling and dealing behind the backs of the consumers? It is really kind of like cheating, as the acts of creating uncertainty when the harms are most certainly known are, in fact, acts of deception (to deceive is in a definition of “cheat”). And as Eric Weiner, and the author David Callahan he mentions, suggest, cheating is part of our american culture (npr). When something is deeply rooted in culture is it impossible to reverse? If not impossible, it is stupendously difficult to do, as is obvious from the slow progression of regulating harmful substances to the benefit of environmental health (including human health).

This relates to the steroid section of the “Chemistry of Baseball” podcast. Gregg Valentino, the man who holds the record for the world’s largest biceps, also known as “the man whose arms exploded,” a steroid abuser, said that “steroids are as American as apple pie,” in an ESPN interview. Eric Weiner mentions the use of steroids (a form of cheating in) in the article I linked above, saying it is nothing new to tilt the level playing field. Apparently it has been happening since the days of the Ancient Greeks, and it is still occurring today. Furthermore, regardless of the usage of steroids in sports, attendance at sporting events is increasing, according to Weiner. Maybe if these steroids give the American people the entertainment they want to see, they don’t care too much. Just as the profitable production of harmful substances may provide useful products or be an economical booster, and thus be allowed to persist.

So, I do not know for certain that the situation is improving, like Desiree Plata stated, but we can be certain that anything deeply embedded in the American culture has a hard time squeezing its way out. Lets hope we can conquer this American way and make her words come true, going against the norm in order to obtain a healthier environment in which to live in.

Basically…Obama Rocks

It is nice having a president who knows what is important. Even if he is not able to implement all of his ideas into the American government, he still has the right ideas, which is a start. In an era when the importance of science cannot logically be denied, his efforts to increase funding toward scientific research and innovation are exactly what we need.

In fact, I think Obama nailed it right on the head when he told the NAS members at the annual meeting:

[T]hink about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, like science festivals, robotics competitions, and fairs that encourage young people to create, build, and invent — to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.

Obama wants more people to have an interest in and to be educated in science so there will be more innovative minds out there. I can’t help but compare this quote to a famous quote from President John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” Instead of just relying on the country to provide people with things, Obama wants people to do some inventing for the country. I think this will allow the US to be more prosperous than it already is, and hopefully we can pass the prosperity on to the rest of the world.

But is the investment in scientific research and innovation as important as other needs of the American people? I believe that this investment may be the most important one to be made. After all, science is at the base of so many issues in this modern era. If you say it is most important to focus on the health of the nation, it is important to remember that innovations in the science of healthcare can improve this situation. Investment in science has benefited our country’s defense, and there are many more examples of its use. Basically, science is about solving problems that we are confronted with, and an increase in the financial backing to make science more readily usable will increase our likelihood and capability of solving these problems. Way to go Obama.

Swine Flu

There has been a lot of concern generated over the possibility of a swine flu pandemic since an outbreak of a dangerous strain was discovered in Mexico. The concern is indeed genuine as the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 killed more people than World War I but I am infinitely more curious about the social impact of an epidemic. The uncertainty and concern generated by a possible pandemic would be an excellent breeding ground for quack remedies, radical or unconventional ideologies, possible terror threats, social segregation, and a variety of other problems. Since the media is beginning to induce a panic, skepticism will likely per usual give way to self-preservation instincts and a return to the more base characteristics of humanity. It will be an interesting development to keep an eye on, especially so because people are probably wary of hearing about the threat of a H5N1 bird flu pandemic and may not take this one as seriously.

Links for 4/27/09

President Obama Addresses the National Academy of Sciences (includes links to video and audio of the President’s speech)

In a speech today to members of the National Academy of Sciences, President Barack Obama announced new initiatives and investments in scientific research, innovation, and education, declaring once again to restore science to its rightful place. “The days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over,” he said.

Can Eating Parsley Freshen Your Breath? (NY Times)

People have long tried to freshen their breath with parsley. Its fresh, strong flavor would seem to make it a natural deodorizer. And its deep green color is a sign of ample chlorophyll, which is thought to have some antibacterial properties. (The sulfur compounds that give rise to bad breath are produced by various strains of bacteria that feast on food deposits and other debris in the back of the mouth.)

Capturing a Killer (Scientific American)

On September 7, 1918, at the height of World War I, a soldier at an army training camp outside Boston came to sick call with a high fever. Doctors diagnosed him with meningitis but changed their minds the next day when a dozen more soldiers were hospitalized with respiratory symptoms. Thirty-six new cases of this unknown illness appeared on the 16th. Incredibly, by September 23rd, 12,604 cases had been reported in the camp of 45,000 soldiers. By the end of the outbreak, one third of the camp’s population would come down with this severe disease, and nearly 800 of them would die. The soldiers who perished often developed a bluish skin color and struggled horribly before succumbing to death by suffocation. Many died less than 48 hours after their symptoms appeared, and at autopsy their lungs were filled with fluid or blood.

A Guide to Swine Flu (Scientific American)

As swine influenza reaches the U.S., a guide to what you need to know and what happens next. Plus, a look at pandemics past

Links for 4/24/09

The Chemistry of Baseball (Chemical Heritage Foundation podcast)

After several long, cold, months, baseball season has finally begun! From Philadelphia, the home of 2008 World Series Champions, we bring you a show straight from the ballpark. We’ll take a look at the preservatives that make a classic hot dog last and last, and we’ll explore the chemistry behind performance-enhancing drugs. Producer Ari Daniel Shapiro wraps up the show with a piece on how baseball bats are making use of nanotechnology.

13 Things That Do Not Make Sense (New Scientist)

From the temperature of the Placebo Effect to Cold Fusion.

Industry Ignored it’s Scientists on Climate (NY Times)

“The scientific basis for the Greenhouse Effect and the potential impact of human emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 on climate is well established and cannot be denied,” the experts wrote in an internal report compiled for the coalition in 1995.

Quantum Religion?

There is a nice review of Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos and The Search for Cosmic Consciousness by Victor Stenger posted today at the New Scientist.

QUANTUM mechanics is remarkably weird: even though it is well understood mathematically and can produce accurate, ultra-precise predictions, nobody really knows what it means. This leaves lots of room for people in search of the spiritual – and who are not burdened by any knowledge of mathematics – to impose on it whatever quasi-religious beliefs or interpretations they like.

Theistic Evolution

So, I went ahead and listened to the Scientific American podcast link that Dr. Gilbert posted on April 10th. I found it quite interesting, and had the intent on responding to the ideas I heard Tania Lombrozo talk about: the psychological analysis of why people may believe in either evolution or creationism. However, she mentioned that we don’t need to think in polar extremes, in fact most people have beliefs that are somewhere in the middle of two polar extremes. She mentioned theistic evolution, so I looked it up.

I decided this is a topic that Wikipedia would be appropriate for. Basically, theistic evolution, or the very similar evolutionary creationism, contains the idea that God in fact created the universe, and that processes like evolution are natural processes within His creation. Though I am very new to the ideas of theistic evolution, what I like about it is that it represents religion and science as being compatible.

Of course, as with any new idea, there is criticism. As Wikipedia has it, non-theistic evolutionists apply Occam’s razor, saying that evolution by natural selection is already sufficient enough of an explanation and is more simple, as theistic evolution is the same thing but with the addition of a divine creator. Theologists also criticize theistic evolution, saying that it undermines religious teachings by treating the creation of Earth as being a myth. All this being said, theistic evolution has had what seems to be significant acceptance by different churches throughout the planet, the Roman Catholic church being one.

Of course, the idea of theistic evolution may not be any more testable than creationism, but it is obvious that people on both sides of the spectrum appreciate the ideas it possesses for their bringing together of science and religion. Do some of your own research to learn more about theistic evolution. This may be a good starting point: Perspectives on Theistic Evolution.