Ponderings of a Scientist

oh wait, I have only 5-10 minutes to write this before going for a walk downtown to watch the Red Sox.  Quickly:

Again G.W. proves himself a silly, silly man (if only he didn’t have such a serious position).  He placed sanctions on a handful of companies today, located in India, Cuba and Russia, because they have sold “sensitive” nuclear related products to Iran, while at the same time Congress is voting on G.W.’s legislation to give nuclear related products to India (didn’t they refuse to sign non-proliferation treaties?)!

Organism of the Week: Red Langur Javan Leaf Monkey

“This monkey hails from the tropical rain forests and tropical dry forests of Indonesia where as an herbivore it lives on a diet of leaves and fruits. This species comes in two color varieties, which are found in different locations on the island of Java in Indonesia. They are very dexterous, able to move through the branches with ease, plucking at favoured fruits and leaves. These animals typically weigh around 15 pounds. Active in the daytime, Javan langurs live in groups, moving through the trees, walking along branches on all four limbs, looking for fruiting trees and choice leaves to eat. They range through the trees from low down to the upper canopy and rarely spend time on the ground. Like most primates, they make a range of calls, although the most obvious is the cackling alarm call uttered when potential danger (often a person) is sighted. ” - http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/animalspotlight/popups/info_pages/MONKEYInfo.htmlClick Here for more recycle animals! 

Pet Peeve of the Week:

People that think the left hand highway lane is for cruising 2 miles above the speed limit. Those people then refuse to acknowledge another car behind them and continue driving in the left lane.  The left lane is for passing only!  Passing on the right is illegal and is pet peeve # 1 1/2 for this week.  The only time right hand passing is acceptable is when pet peeve #1 is in place.

Yet another reason Zipy needs a new job: “A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that poorly run meetings strain workers’ health… The study also found that while many people complain about meetings, a large number secretly enjoy the confabs and derive a sense of well-being from the interactions.” - As reported in National Geographic  

I have a subscription to Science News magazine.  The magazine is a weekly, summarizing important journal articles and other findings from a wide range of scientific disciplines.  These are some highlights:

1.  G.W.’s FY07 budget cuts ~3 million from EPA’s library budget, forcing multiple libraries to close and limiting EPA scientists’ and the public’s access to environmental documents.  The kicker - the library system brings in a profit of close to ~30 million a year.  Um, you do the math!

2. A group of ecologists and economists measured the energy effectiveness of producing biodiesels from soybeans and corn.  Accounting for the costs of production, including farming equipment, pesticide and soil treatment use; and the manufacturing costs to refine the product, then comparing those figures to the amount of energy yielded, corn ethanol provides 25% more energy then it consumes and soybeans provide 93% more energy than the process uses.  Additionally, soybeans per unit of energy gained require 1% of the nitrogen, 8.3% of the phosphorus and 13% of the pesticides required to grow corn.  Compared to burning traditional gasoline, corn ethanol reduces greenhouse emmisions by 12%, soybean diesel reduces emmisions by 41%.  So why do American car companies favor corn?  Could it be all the subsides we give the corn farmers (I mean the big businesses that own the corn fields - and some of the car companies - and some of the mainstream media).

Not mentioned in this article, but also interesting: sugarcane biodiesel is supposedly the best out there.  Countries in South America are producing more than they can use, so why don’t they import to the U.S.?  Oh yeah, we have a 100% tariff on sugarcane biodiesel!  Um, protecting the corn field owners again?

3.  Scientists have created a new atomic clock based around the ultraviolet electromagnetic wave oscillation of a mercury ion.  Compared to the gold standard cesium atomic clock, this new clock is 10 times more precise, erring only 1 second every 70 million years.  This new clock has all sorts of applications.

4.  Just incase you were worried, you will be happy to know that a group of chemists have developed a taste sensor that can distinquish among 18 commercial beers.

Three comments:

1. A recent study found that some Honda and Toyota vehicles produced in the U.S. have more U.S. made parts in them than traditional American Companies, Ford, GM, and Daimler-Chrysler (not really American any more, but included in the article).

2. I hate car companies that try to appeal to both environmentally minded consumers and those wanting big, powerful, prestigous SUVs and trucks. This is one reason I chose a Honda hybrid over a Toyota hybrid; Honda makes more small cars and while they do have big cars those cars are more fuel efficient and less in number than the big Toyotas.

Recently I saw a commercial for Chevy vehicles that I found really funny, because Chevy can’t even dedicate a whole commercial to it’s environmentally conscious campaign. The first 20 seconds are spent trying to convince you that Chevy’s big cars get better fuel efficiency than you would expect and that many use 4 cylinder engines to do so. Then they say this, ” Four cylinders for fuel efficiency or eight cylinders for power….” What, were they afraid they would lose their big powerful truck desiring consumers if they didn’t remind us all that they make overpowered gas guzzlers? Come on! If they want to make large cars (which they say they only make because the market demands it and if the market wanted small cars they would make them) just do it, don’t try to pretend to be environmentally friendly too.

3. Speaking of environmentally friendly cars I’m intrigued by the Fit and Yaris. My only question is why does my Civic Hybrid get better gas mileage? You would think the hybrid technology could be place in any car at this point and why make a tiny car and try to sell it as fuel efficient and good for the environment while not makeing if available with an alternative technology option (hybrid, biodiesel, flex-fuel)?

Three environmentally related stories involving the
President have recently come to my attention.
The way I see it his plus/minus is zero.
A neutral plus/minus is just about the best we can expect from the Texas
oil barren cowboy (how depressing is that).

+1. Enacting the
Antiquities Act of 1906 (I think) to designate the North
West Islands of Hawaii
a National Monument. This area,approximately
140,000 square miles, is the largest marine sanctuary in the world and this designation will protect one of the
last truly natural (read: not affected by humans) marine ecosystems in the world. While I very much appreciate this designation
I can’t help but be cynical. What is
G.W. up to? Did he secretly sign a bill
to open all of Alaska to oil drilling while the environmentalist of the country
were awestruck by the Hawaii announcement?
Perhaps nothing this cynical is at play, but still he has an alterior
motive I’m sure. The area he designated
was already part of a 5 year pilot marine sanctuary program and would have
likely been authorized as such by Congress in the next few years, he just took
the thunder and glory for himself!

Neutral. Some high up
in the administration announced this week after years (perhaps decades) of
debate that the federal government’s official stand on national parks will be
such: “Conservation before Utilization”. For some reason this wasn’t an obvious
decision. I rank this as neutral however
because there is no law involved; we now must wait an see what happens when
some big business interest wants access to a park for some profit. Hopefully, we will have a more environmentally
minded administration by that point.

-1. Thank you Supreme
Court Justice Kennedy for casting the deciding vote on the save our wetlands debate. Apparently the EPA’s Clean Water Act is too bothersome for home builders eager to turn low-lying land into
multi-million dollar house with estuary, pond or ocean views. Lobbyists tried to convince the Supreme Court
that the rules protecting all water in the country were too strict and water that
doesn’t directly drain into a river or ocean shouldn’t be included in the rules. All of the Bush appointees agreed with the
builders (4 total), fourothers sided with the original ruling, and then Justice
Kennedy came in with a rather vague ruling that essential sends the whole issue
back to a lower court, but does save our wetlands for now. If I weren’t about to run out the door I
would leave you with a spiel on the importance of wetlands, instead I direct you to the court documents.

KP sent me this and I think others will find it useful so I’m upgrading
it from potental obscurity in the comment section and give it its very
own post.

Watch this if you hate paying high gas prices

A bit of lunch time food for thought:

1) The companies Timberland, Bank of America and Google now
give their employees cash incentives to purchase hybrids. If you work for Bank of America, within 90
miles of Boston ,you get $3000
extra in your paycheck when you buy a hybrid.

While I think this is GREAT, I do want to point out that the
term “hybrid” has morphed from “environmentally sound vehicle utilizing batteries
to minimize gasoline use, reduce emissions and increase mileage” to “anything
with an electronic engine component, possibly used for the above purpose, but
more likely used to 1) make SUVS more powerful while only slightly improving mileage
(say from 15 to 19 mpg) and 2) satisfy the desires of the public to be trendy
(read: have a hybrid) while still maintaining the yuppie, soccer mom appeal.

The short of it is: tax breaks, cash incentives, use of special
traffic lanes, all benefits given to hybrids, should instead be given based on
fuel efficiency/emissions not on hardware. It makes no sense for a Ford SUV hybrid to get
these benefits, while a standard Honda Civic or Accord or any other small,
ultra low emissions vehicle or a biodiesel vehicle is excluded.

2) I was listening to the radio show “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: Quandry
Phase” yesterday and I found this funny and TRUE (think cell phones with cameras/tvs/video
recorders/email devices/mp3 players):

“… Ford
uses these overly complex yet useless electronic devices, because of the joy he
fills when he actual gets it to work. He’s
so happy he neglects to realize the uselessness of the product. Essential the superficial defects of the
product mask the major defects…” (or something like that)

Green Roofs, who knew? Similar to the idea of planting trees in urban arees as waste water control (see my post “Give a Hoot; Don’t Pollute”), trees are now moving to commercial roofs. Turns out you can plant certain greenary on roofs, especially flat, gravel-based, commercial roofs. Why you might ask?

1. The vegetation absorbs water, reducing run-off and pollution transferred in run-off, and decreases the pressure on storm water systems

2. The vegetation asks as insulation, lowering heating and cooling costs in the building.

3. The vegetation protects the roofing system, reducing the need for maintenance and replacement.

As the gentlemen from Boston’s Environmental Services Office just stated on NPR; anything we can do to lessen our footprint on the Earth and the impact of our infrastructure, the better!

What a novel idea! Baltimore County Maryland, in hopes of
curbing the amount of stormwater runoff into the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, has
initiated an education and coupon campaign to convince homeowners in urbanized
areas to buy and plant trees. Tree help
runoff by 1) slowing rain’s progress to the ground and 2) absorbing lots of
the water (and pollution) in the soil. In
addition trees improve air quality and act as natural air conditioners when
appropriately placed in a yard.

The normal method of decreasing runoff is costly updates to
stormwater infrastructure (at least $150,000 per detention pond), Instead
Baltimore County is going to spend $50,000 in the form of $5 off coupons to
purchase trees (only Native species) in addition to creating educational
brochures aimed at increasing the success of planted trees. For their part neighboring nurseries
contributed another $5, to make the total coupon value $10, that leaves about
$15 per tree in cost to the homeowner.

What a brilliant, innovative approach. Instead of better handling the polluted water
(at a high financial cost), Baltimore County is spending $5 for every $20 contributed
by the private sector to actually remediate water pollution, and improve air
quality, energy usage and esthetics all at the same time.

Check out the program’s website for more information.

I’m seriously speechless if you can believe that. The gall of the Energy companies!!!! You have to watch the ad (you’ll need quicktime to view). Carbon Dioxide a life quality improver not a poison!!

One day an ominpotent voice came through my iPod nano and said, “Heidi,
you humans have upset me with your lack of conscience and caring and for that I bring you global warming.
With global warming comes the evaporation of the oceans into the
atmosphere, causing wild all powerful storms to occur on Earth in rapid
succession. There will be massive snow and rain storms, violent
lightning, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes and droughts. You must find a
way to save the good people and the animals. I wouldn’t suggests
an Arc, you need something bigger and better. Use lots of fossil
fuels, no one will need them when I’m through.”

Okay so maybe that didn’t happen, but my apartment is just barely dry. Check out the photos.
The vertical metal bar in some of the photos demarks the normal
water/land line (where our deck meets the river). Most of the
first floor residence have been evacuated to the Holiday Inn.