MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'energy,environment'. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:44:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757807&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fbiofuels-vs-fossil-fuels.html Biofuels are not much better than fossil fuels in terms of the impact on atmospheric pollution levels and effects on climate change, according to Mark Jacobson professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. This is especially true when making claims about the sustainability of biofuels in comparison with hydrogen fuel cells and battery-driven electric vehicles charged up using solar, wind, tidal or other truly renewable energy sources. To quote from his web page, the main goal of Jacobson’s research is to… …understand physical, chemical, and dynamical processes in the atmosphere better in order to address atmospheric problems, such as climate change and urban air pollution, with improved scientific insight and more accurate predictive tools. He also eval... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757807 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:00:19 +0100 2757807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405304&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fbacteria_with_multiple_antibiotic_resistance_in_waste_treatment_plants.php © DefMoResearchers have discovered increasing populations of bacteria with multiple resistance to antibiotics in waste water treatment plants. They found the so-called superbugs-bacteria resistant to ... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405304 Sun, 10 May 2009 06:20:17 +0100 2405304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348316&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fvarnish_alternative_derived_from_glycerin.php © Elsie esq.German researchers have developed a varnish alternative in which the majority of petrochemical components have been substituted by vegetable oils and sugars. It has identical properties to... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348316 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:18:53 +0100 2348316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2312626&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fbanana_briquettes.php © choyaw99Researchers have developed a method of converting banana crop waste into briquettes as a source of fuel. First, the banana skins and leaves are mashed to a pulp in a hand-operated domestic ... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2312626 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:39:48 +0100 2312626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2312628&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fmicrobes_convert_carbon_dioxide_and_electricity_to_methane.php Researchers have developed microbial electrolysis cells using Archaea species that could use the current to convert carbon dioxide and water to methane without any organic material, bacteria or hydrog... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2312628 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:21:39 +0100 2312628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2312615&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fearth-hour.html Is Earth Hour a great way to raise global awareness of how much energy we are wasting and the possible consequences or our actions? Or, is it simply a cop out so that we can all feel we did "our bit" for the environment without expending any real effort? With just hours to go for us Brits before we have to switch off the lights, I conducted an ad hoc strawpoll on twitter, here are a few of the early responses. 4KM (Re: more than turning off lights). We’re turning down heat, 100-mile diet today, not driving, planting radishes in organic     wburris Earth Hour is so everyone can pretend they are doing something to save the planet     VeronicaMcG Yes Earth Hour could be/do more, but this step to coordinate Int’l grassroots action, awareness &... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2312615 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:26:56 +0100 2312615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266279&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fbioremediation_of_chromiumcontaminated_waste_with_acetic_acid.php Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Image# 3765679Scientists have discovered that the addition of dilute acetic acid or vinegar can help jumpstart bioremediation of chromium-contaminated industrial... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266279 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:23:11 +0100 2266279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1992279&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.creative-weblogging%2Faudio%2F%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fpatagonia_fungus_produces_mycodiesel.php Researchers have identified a fungus found in the Patagonia forest that produces a new type of diesel fuel. Tests indicated that the fungus Gliocladium roseum, which grows on the branches of a tree called Eucryphia cordifolia, produces compounds normally associated with diesel fuel, which is obtained from crude oil. Will the fungi be able to produce enough to be a viable alternative source of fuel? Perhpas indirectly, according to the researchers. "The main value of this discovery may not be the organism itself, but may be the genes responsible for the production of these gases," Gary Strobel said."There are certain enzymes that are responsible for the conversion of substrates such as cellulose to myco-diesel." Scott Strobel said his team is already screening the fungus' genome. Besid... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1992279 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:08:05 +0100 1992279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969864&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.creative-weblogging%2Faudio%2F%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fbiofuel_from_olive_stones.php Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Image# 6892306Researchers are exploring the potential of olive stones, otherwise a waste product of the olive processing industry, as a substrate for bioethanol production. The stones are rich in polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose) that can be broken down into sugar and then fermented to produce ethanol. In a pilot study, the olive stones were pre-treated using high-pressure hot water before the addition of enzymes which degrade plant matter and generate sugars. The hydrolysate obtained from this process was then fermented with yeasts to yield about 5.7 kg of ethanol per 100kg of olive stones. See full article. Related Entries: Converting Agricultural Waste Into Biofuel - 30 July 2006 Compound May Boost Biofuel Production from Plant Fiber - 0... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969864 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:42:02 +0100 1969864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1902600&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.creative-weblogging%2Faudio%2F%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Forange_peel_removes_acidic_dyes_from_industrial_effluents.php Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Image# 6203040Algerian researchers explored the use of orange peel in the removal of acidic dyes from industrial effluent from manufacturers of dyes, paper printers, textile dyers, color photography and petroleum products. The research demonstrates that absorption time depends on the initial concentration of the dyes as well as the chemical structures of the particular dyes being tested, but absorption can occur at just 25 Celsius rather than elevated temperatures. However, strong dyes including Nylosane Blue, Erionyl Yellow, Nylomine Red, and Erionyl Red were absorbed at between 40 and 70 milligrams per gram of orange peel from the samples. "In laboratory-scale studies, the data show that orange peel has a considerable potential for the removal of dyes from... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1902600 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:44:55 +0100 1902600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1750670&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fsweet_potato_as_biofuel_source.php Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Alasdair ThomsonIn small scale trials, sweet potatoes grown in Maryland and Alabama has been shown to yield two to three times as much carbohydrate for fuel ethanol production as field corn grown in the same areas. in fact, the sweet potato carbohydrate yields approached the lower limits of those produced by sugarcane, the highest-yielding ethanol crop. It is however unclear whether sweet potatoes may be a viable alternative as biofuel source. Although they require less pesticides and fertilizer than corn, planting and harvesting incurs higher labor costs. Source See full article. Related Entries: Biofuel Facts - 22 August 2006 Compound May Boost Biofuel Production from Plant Fiber - 09 November 2006 Russia's Biohim Company Plans to Expand its Biofuel... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1750670 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:41:23 +0100 1750670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1705148&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F364175758%2F Opponents of immigration are now trying to hitch their wagon to worries about high oil prices and global warming. An ad on page A12 of today’s Washington Post asks, “If foreign oil has us over a barrel now, what happens when our population increases by another 100 million?” The text of the ad tries to provide the answer: “With America’s population at a record 300 million today, [oil] supplies are again tight in spite of record high prices. And the U.S. Census Bureau projects that another 110 million people will be added to our population between 2000 and 2040.” So, if we want lower oil prices, we need to reduce America’s population growth and that means reducing immigration. Get it? The ad is sponsored by five anti-immigration, anti-population-growth groups, including the Fed... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1705148 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:55:37 +0100 1705148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1692524&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F359390760%2F Here’s how. Get your favorite politician. Democrat, Republican, or whatever; it doesn’t matter. Connect mouth to valve. Ask, “What’s your energy policy.” Hot air will inflate tire. “What about the environment?” More inflation. “Should wind be subsidized?” And so forth, until tire blows. Flat tire! Now you aren’t going anywhere. And — voila! — gas consumption now zero. You’ve saved 100 percent of your gas. … Only problem – you’ll need a new tire, which is mainly petroleum. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692524 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:26:16 +0100 1692524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683701&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F355657684%2F After you’ve watched federal policymaking for a number of years, you realize that the actual effectiveness of federal programs has absolutely no bearing on their survival or level of funding. That’s because the purpose of federal programs is not to solve problems, but to provide a menu of levers that politicians can pull to appeal to certain types of voters.   We see this at play in the 2008 election with “clean coal,” which has attracted the attention of both candidates. Obama wants to “significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies.” Meanwhile, McCain has pledged to spend $2 billion a year on clean coal technology if elected. Since these pledges make for good bullet points i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683701 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:20:40 +0100 1683701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652798&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F345215023%2F “Excessive Heat Can Run up Hospitals’ Bad Debt Expense for Treating the Uninsured: Report,” trumpeted a trade publication called Inside ARM (Inside Accounts Receivable Management). The first paragraph informed us that, “ A report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality suggests hospitals may find they are treating more uninsured patients suffering from heat exposure and exhaustion, resulting in more medical bad debt.” Turns out that about 6,200 people were hospitalized in 2005 due to excessive heat and weather conditions, at an average cost of $6,200. But in the penultimate paragraph of the report, we find out that 6,500 were hospitalized due to extreme cold weather conditions at an average cost of $12,500 per stay because the hospitals stays tended to be longer. Final ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652798 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:28:12 +0100 1652798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1583122&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F328150233%2F In “Pointless to rush a carbon emissions plan,” the Toronto Globe and Mail’s Neal Reynolds compares Yale Professor William Nordhaus’s “optimal” approach to controlling greenhouse gases and finds it superior to approaches that would impose deeper controls more rapidly, such as those favored by Stern, various EU leaders, and many in the US. Under the Nordhaus approach, which is also discussed by Keith Johnson at the Wall Street Journal, costs of control would start at 0.3 per cent of global GDP in 2010 (currently around $60,000 billion), increase to 0.5 per cent in 2015, 0.6 per cent in 2020 and peak at 0.9 per cent in 2065. He estimates the net present value (NPV) of climate change damages absent any controls at $22 trillion. Under this so-called “optimal” approach, the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1583122 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:15:33 +0100 1583122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1544373&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F318935720%2F One of the oft-encountered talking points offered by the Left is the extent to which the Bush administration has alternatively ignored, intimidated, and done violence to the scientific community. The picture being painted is that of a know-nothing Christian fundamentalist in the thrall of corporate America waging unremitting war against the Enlightenment. While there is enough truth to this charge to give it legs, the “science” lobby is scarcely blameless. For all the moral and ethical posturing surrounding the sanctity of “the scientific process” and the need to keep the same safe from assaults by power-hungry politicians and ignorant political mob action, climatologist James Hansen’s recent call to literally criminalize disagreement with him about climate ch... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1544373 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:31:43 +0100 1544373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1538538&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F318074629%2F In a recent op-ed Robert Kagan laments that (Western) Europe is sliding into irrelevance. But that might be the best thing for the rest of the world. Don’t get me wrong, the world owes plenty to Europe. It’s given the world great art, architecture, literature, and music. It’s also given the world the ideas of universal education, the scientific method, research institutions, property rights, rule of law, democracy, religious freedom, and freedom of thought and expression, among other things. These ideas and institutions coalesced to power the engine of progress that drives the economic and technological development that have improved human well-being — not only in Europe but elsewhere — to levels far beyond what our ancestors could have imagined. Consequently, today we live longe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1538538 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:32:19 +0100 1538538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1527349&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F314779008%2F One of my pricier trade newsletters, Greenwire, reports today that Honda is manufacturing a “zero emission” vehicle. Their source? A story in today’s New York Times which spills a great deal of ink on the environmental promise of these sorts of vehicles. Well, nonsense. The hydrogen has to come from somewhere, and the emissions associated with producing that hydrogen are far from zero. In fact, hydrogen-powered vehicles are, on balance, even dirtier than conventional internal combustion engines. Next time you see Jamie Lee Curtis tooling around in one of these things, tell her to buy some carbon credits. A lot of them. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1527349 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:25:33 +0100 1527349 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1522694&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F313178385%2F If you’re free Friday morning, you might want to hop on over to the Russell Senate Office Building to learn about the amazing, inexplicable, short-sighted market bias against straw-bale buildings and the need for the feds to do something about it. The Environmental & Energy Study Institute, the sponsor of this event, Invites you to learn how the ‘new but old’ method of straw-bale construction can help address some of our most serious national policy challenges, such as record energy prices and unemployment, inadequate supply of affordable housing, the threat of climate change, and pressing needs in transportation and infrastructure funding. The modern building industry places heavy demands on the energy and transportation sectors. Straw is a locally-sourced, widely av... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1522694 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:24:23 +0100 1522694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1512492&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F310392666%2F In Part 1 of this series we saw that even if one gives credence to the oft-repeated but flawed estimates from the World Health Organization of the present-day contribution of climate change to global mortality, other factors contribute many times more to the global death toll. For example, hunger’s contribution is over twenty times larger, unsafe water’s is ten times greater, and malaria’s is six times larger. With respect to ecological factors, habitat conversion continues to be the single largest demonstrated threat to species and biodiversity. Thus climate change is not the most important problem facing today’s population.  In Part 2 we saw that even if we assume that the world follows the IPCC’s warmest (A1FI) scenario that the UK’s Hadley Center projects will increase ave... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512492 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:46:57 +0100 1512492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1509635&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F308983881%2F Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal editorial “The Stagflation Show” (June 9) has a graph showing the price of oil generally rising while the fed funds rate was falling (if you don’t look too closely at flat or falling oil prices from November through February). The conclusion is that if the Fed had not cut interest rates since last September the oil price would not have go up. Perhaps so, but the most obvious reason for any link between Fed easing and oil prices is not mentioned at all. And the stated reason (a “dollar rout and commodity boom”) is at odds with the facts. The timing is way off. The most obvious connection between oil prices and Fed policy is cyclical. There have been nine big spikes in oil prices since the 1950s and every one of them was followed by a U.S./wor... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1509635 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:29:38 +0100 1509635 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1489346&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fbioenergy_alternative_energy_from_microorganisms.php The ASM Press has released Bioenergy, a new book focusing on microorganisms as a sustainable and cost-effective source of alternative energy. In 31 detailed chapters, Bioenergy provides thorough explanations of the current knowledge and future areas for research on microbial energy conversions. The volume begins with 10 chapters on ethanol production from cellulosic feedstocks, which is more sustainable than ethanol production from corn. These chapters are followed by explanations of the status of energy sources that are in various stages of development, including methane, methanol, hydrogen, electricity, and butanol. Also examined are possible areas for new research that may contribute to future breakthroughs via alternative fuels. Chapters are written by experts currently engaged in the ... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1489346 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:39:11 +0100 1489346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1489193&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F302951203%2F A 2005 review article in Nature on the health impacts of climate change provided an estimate of 166,000 deaths as the annual global death toll “attributable” to climate change. This estimate, based on global vital statistics for the year 2000, was derived from a study sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) that even the study’s authors acknowledge may not “accord with the canons of empirical science” (see here). Let’s, nevertheless, accept this flawed estimate as gospel, for the sake of argument. Where would this rank climate change in the list of global threats to mortality? In the year 2000, there were a total of 55.8 million deaths worldwide. Thus, climate change may be responsible for less than 0.3% of all deaths globally (based on data for the year 2000). In fact... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1489193 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:35:22 +0100 1489193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1455143&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F294234362%2F Keith Bradsher and Andrew Martin outline in Sunday’s New York Times the extent to which the world’s aid agencies starved the budgets of international agricultural research institutions that worked on increasing agricultural productivity in the developing world: Donors increasingly directed the money toward worthwhile but ancillary projects like environmental research. Spending fell on the laborious plant-breeding programs needed to improve crop productivity…. As these trends played out, the stage was being set for a food emergency… From 1970 to 1990, the peak Green Revolution years, the food supply grew faster than the world population. But after 1990, food’s growth rate fell below population growth, according to a report by Ronald Trostle, a researcher at the Agriculture Departm... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1455143 Tue, 20 May 2008 12:27:20 +0100 1455143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1437268&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F288651455%2F Sunday’s NY Times acknowledges that: It is time to end an outdated tax break for corn ethanol and to call a timeout in the fivefold increase in ethanol production mandated in the 2007 energy bill. But then it goes on to state: This does not mean that Congress should give up on biofuels as an important part of the effort to reduce the country’s dependency on imported oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What it does mean is that some biofuels are (or are likely to be) better than others, and that Congress should realign its tax and subsidy programs to encourage the good ones. Unlike corn ethanol, those biofuels will not compete for the world’s food supply and will deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gases… Congress’s guiding principle should be to tie federal help to... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1437268 Mon, 12 May 2008 12:25:19 +0100 1437268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1434695&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fwakame_and_halomonas_bacteria_may_help_remediate_polluted_seawater.php Scientists from Japan and China are exploring the use of the brown seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, known as wakame as a means to extract organic and inorganic pollutants in seawater. After culturing wakame in polluted seawater, it may then be used as a fertilizer,; thus, the composting process could be an effective means of degrading wakame into a useful form and so recycling organic substances containing C, N and P from seawater. To accelerate the composting process, a novel marine bacterium, identified as a Halomonas species may help, researchers say. Partial DNA analysis helped identify the active species isolated from the seaweeds in Awaji Island, Japan, and that the bacteria grows well even at high salt (sodium chloride) concentrations and can reduce the total organic components, inclu... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1434695 Sun, 11 May 2008 01:52:00 +0100 1434695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1427210&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Ft_reesei_genome_analysis_reveals_potential_in_biofuel_production.php In a study published in Nature Biotechnology, scientists discover that based on the genome analysis of Tricoderma reesei, the fungus has the genes required to break down plant cell walls, to simple sugars, indicating its possible utility in biofuel production. The researchers believe that T. reesei's genome includes "clusters" of enzyme-producing genes, a strategy that may account for the organism's efficiency at breaking down cellulose. On an industrial scale, T. reesei could be employed to secrete enzymes that can be purified and added into an aqueous mixture of cellulose pulp and other materials to produce sugar. The sugar can then be fermented by yeast to produce ethanol. Photo: Microscope image of T. reesei hyphae with vesicle membranes stained red and cell wall chitin in bl... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1427210 Wed, 07 May 2008 11:54:29 +0100 1427210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1413764&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F281428857%2F Supporters of ethanol, stung by the backlash over its unintended but foreseeable consequences (see, e.g., here and here), namely, increasing hunger due to a run-up in global food prices and increased threats to biodiversity, now tell us that cellulosic ethanol will come to the rescue. The theory is that cellulosic ethanol, which is still in the research and development phase, would be produced from non-edible plant material, e.g., switchgrasses, crop residue and other biomass that is not currently grown or used as edible crops. Thus, it is implied, it would have no effect on food prices. But this is wishful thinking. If cellulosic ethanol is indeed proven to be viable (with or without subsidies), what do people think farmers will do? Farmers will do what they’ve always done: they’ll pr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1413764 Thu, 01 May 2008 12:39:39 +0100 1413764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1410136&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F280761133%2F In a piece by Jad Mouawad, Tuesday’s NY Times reports that Oil Price Rise Fails to Open Tap. He identifies a number of reasons for the lack of responsiveness on the supply side: OPEC countries’ “explicit goal is to regulate the supply of oil to keep prices up”. Iran and Iraq’s productive capacity has been crippled by war and civil unrest. In non-OPEC countries, problems are due to “sharply higher drilling costs and a rise of nationalistic policies that restrict foreign investment.” Some regions are simply running out of reserves, e.g., Norway, Britain, Prudhoe Bay. “In many other places, the problems are not below ground, as energy executives like to put it, but above ground. Higher petroleum taxes and more costly licensing agreements, a scarcity of workers and swelling co... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1410136 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:30:31 +0100 1410136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1404325&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F279343857%2F What do they have in common? Apparently, buying and selling indulgences. A piece in Slate, How To Spot a Persian Prostitute: Streetwalkers in chadors, by Juliet Lapidos, informs us: The penalties for prostitution [in Iran] are severe—ranging from whipping to execution. But there’s a loophole in Islamic law called sigheh, or temporary marriage. According to Shiite interpretation, a man and a woman may enter an impermanent partnership with a preset expiration date. There’s no legally required minimum duration (a day, a week, anything goes) and no need for official witnesses—unless the woman is a virgin, in which case she needs the consent of her legal guardian. An Iranian who’s wary of arrest can simply escort a prostitute to a registry, obtain a temporary contract from... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1404325 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:55:45 +0100 1404325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1396639&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fengineered_cyanobacteria_new_source_for_biofuels.php Scientists have engineered a cyanobacteria to produce sugars which may be used as raw material for ethanol and designer fuels production. Nobles made the new cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) by giving them a set of cellulose-making genes from a non-photosynthetic "vinegar" bacterium, Acetobacter xylinum, well known as a prolific cellulose producer. The new cyanobacteria produce a relatively pure, gel-like form of cellulose that can be broken down easily into glucose. Considering that the bacteria can be grown in production facilities on non-agricultural lands using salty water unsuitable for human consumption or crops, and that the sugars produced are more readily convertible to ethanol, the authors suggest that the bacteria may be a feasible alternative to using plant crops... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1396639 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:13:22 +0100 1396639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1367155&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fnew_genetically_modified_corn_variety_for_fuel_production.php To facilitate the conversion of cellulose from corn into ethanol, scientists have created a new genetically modified variety of corn, called Spartan Corn III, which bears a gene from a microbe naturally occurring in the gut of a cow. This gene produces an enzyme that transforms plant fibers into simple sugars. Turning plant fibers into sugar requires three enzymes. The new variety of corn created for biofuel production, called Spartan Corn III, builds on Sticklen's earlier corn versions by containing all three necessary enzymes. The first version, released in 2007, cuts the cellulose into large pieces with an enzyme that came from a microbe that lives in hot spring water. Spartan Corn II, with a gene from a naturally occurring fungus, takes the large cellulose pieces created by the ... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1367155 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:42:37 +0100 1367155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1268858&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fusing_dehalococcoides_to_reduce_tricholorethene_contamination_in_groundwater.php Researchers have demonstrated that a water treatment system using microorganisms called membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) is effective in eliminating the common contaminant chlorinated solvent trichloroethene (TCE) from groundwater. They took an existing MBfR that was handling perchlorate removal and then introduced TCE into the system. Rittmann's MBfR works by delivering hydrogen gas to the bacteria through tiny hollow tubes submerged in water. In the right environment, the tubes become coated with a biofilm containing microorganisms. The system provides the microorganisms with hydrogen gas, which must be present for the microorganisms to change the chemical composition of a contaminant and render it harmless. In the process, the researchers were able to enrich the population of a ne... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1268858 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:07:11 +0100 1268858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1191728&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F226613811%2F Over at National Review Online today, Clifford May asks: What if lawmakers could guarantee that the price you pay to fill your car’s tank will go down, not up, in the years ahead? What if they could launch a new industry that creates more jobs for more Americans? What if this would produce environmental benefits, too? Would that not send a message to the markets? And would that not represent the kind of change so many politicians have been promising? All of this would come true, Mr. May believes, if the federal government would force auto makers to ensure that every new car sold in the United States could run on gasoline OR high blends of ethanol OR methanol OR fill-in-the-blank. After all, it would only cost about $100 up-front during the manufacturing process to make such “flex-f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1191728 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:48:30 +0100 1191728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1075324&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F196283502%2F Yesterday, 215 scientists released a petition in Bali - site of a global confab to talk about whether and how we should talk about a future treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - that “begs” the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050. I was quoted in an AP story on the matter to the effect that scientists are in no position to intelligently dictate such a policy. And as expected, some in the blogosphere howled. I do not believe in leaving public policy to “guys in white coats” - in any discipline. And that’s not necessarily a proposition that vitiates against environmentally-friendly public policy. Climate scientists do not have the training to tell us whether the costs associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions are less than, equal ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1075324 Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:39:11 +0100 1075324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1060303&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Flight_activated_biomasspowered_fuel_cell.php In the latest issue of the International Journal of Global Energy Issues, researchers report of an experimental device that use sunlight to convert glucose into hydrogen to power the cell, which produces several hundred millivolts. The researchers have built the device with a transparent conductive glass electrode coated with a highly colored molecule that can mimic the natural process of photosynthesis. This molecule is incorporated into light-absorbing titania. The coating can absorb energy from sunlight and release it into another chemical layer on the electrode. This is connected to a platinum electrode and the pair is immersed in a glucose solution to complete the circuit. When light shines on the light-active electrode enzymes in the chemical layer are triggered to react with glucos... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1060303 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:23:20 +0100 1060303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=992200&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F177281966%2F In a post yesterday, I scored U.S. News & World Report’s Marianne Lavelle for (among other things) passing on an estimate from an advocacy group called “CalCars” that “with today’s electricity prices, drivers would be paying the equivalent of 75 cents per gallon.” In fact, it would cost you almost $3.50 to get the same amount of BTUs from electricity that you get from gasoline in this country (assuming, of course, you are paying the national average price for electricity). This morning, The Daily Kos takes me to task for not going further and taking into consideration the greater efficiency with which electric motors convert BTUs to energy vis a vis internal combustion engines powered by gasoline. Fair enough. Concentrating simply on BTU costs doesn&#82... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=992200 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:15:20 +0100 992200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=988609&cid=t_195059_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F176855338%2F In an article posted the other day at U.S. News & World Report, Marianne Lavelle reports on the state of affairs in the renewable energy industry. While the story she tells is a good one, she makes two stunning errors that lead me to question every other figure reported in the article. Error #1 - Historically, ethanol has been more expensive than gasoline, but crude oil prices are now so high that ethanol would be cheaper even without its 51-cent-per-gallon subsidy. Indeed, one reason pump prices have not skyrocketed along with the price of crude oil is that so much fuel is blended with 10 percent ethanol. Really? Ethanol (E100) prices on U.S. spot markets last week averaged $1.87 a gallon. That is indeed cheaper than the price of conventional gasoline in those same markets ($2.25 per ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=988609 Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:33:04 +0100 988609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966556&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Ftropical_maize_better_than_conventional_corn_for_biofuel_production.php University of Illinois researchers have found out that tropical maize, when grown in the US midwest, may be a far superior crop for biofuel production in comparison to corn. Early research results show that tropical maize, when grown in the Midwest, requires few crop inputs such as nitrogen fertilizer, chiefly because it does not produce any ears. It also is easier for farmers to integrate into their current operations than some other dedicated energy crops because it can be easily rotated with corn or soybeans, and can be planted, cultivated and harvested with the same equipment U.S. farmers already have. Finally, tropical maize stalks are believed to require less processing than corn grain, corn stover, switchgrass, Miscanthus giganteus and the scores of other plants now being studied... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966556 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 03:41:52 +0100 966556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966586&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Funh_to_use_landfill_gas_as_energy_source.php The University of New Hampshire has launched EcoLine, a first of a kind landfill gas project that will pipe enriched and purified gas from Waste Management's landfill in Rochester to the Durham campus. By replacing the commercial natural gas as the primary fuel in UNH's cogeneration plant, the UNH will receive 80 to 85 percent of its energy from a renewable source. onstruction began in August on a landfill gas processing plant in Rochester which will purify the gas, and on a 12.7-mile underground pipeline which will transport the gas from the plant to the university's Durham campus. UNH is expected to fuel its cogeneration plant with landfill gas by the fall of 2008. Estimated cost of the project, including the construction of a second generator at UNH, is $45 million. Aside fr... The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966586 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:06:46 +0100 966586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2744098&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fwatermelons_as_source_of_biofuel.php © La Grande Farmers' MarketWatermelons that do not make it to the market may be a valuable source of alternative energy. A study has shown that the juice of reject watermelons can be fermented eff... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2744098 Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100 2744098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719741&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fgeneratying_electricity_from_cow_manure.php © pamzpixAccording to US research paper "Cow Power: The Energy and Emissions Benefits of Converting Manure to Biogas" published in the Institute of Physics' Environmental Research Letter... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719741 Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100 2719741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719739&cid=t_195059_107_f&fid=36584&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biotech-weblog.com%2F50226711%2Fimproved_butanol_production_from_mutant_bacteria.php © futureatlas.comResearchers have doubled the production of butanol, a possible alternative to gasoline, by developing a mutant strain of the bacterium Clostridium beijerinckii in a bioreactor contain... (Source: The Biotech Weblog) The Biotech Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719739 Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100 2719739