TOP 100 CAMPING SITES
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| Beyond Fossil Fuels: Bob Gates on Wind Power Editor's note: This Q&A is a part of a survey conducted by Scientific American of executives at companies engaged in developing and implementing non–fossil fuel energy technologies.What technical obstacles currently most curtail the growth of wind power? What are the prospects for overcoming them in the near future and the longer-term? [More] rss.sciam.com |
Updates: Whatever Happened to Hubble's Last Fix? How Mercury Gets into SeafoodScientists have known how mercury from industrial pollution affects local freshwater ecosystems and poses a human health threat [see “Mapping Mercury”; SciAm, September 2005]. New data reveal just how the mercury cycle functions in the ocean. Based on samples from 16 sites from Hawaii to Alaska and on computer simulations, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey and other institutions conclude that bacterial decomposition of algae that have sunk from the surface to mid-depth plays a crucial role. In the presence of mercury, which in this study came from Asia via ocean currents, the decomposition process creates methylmercury, which works its way up the food chain and into predators such as tuna. The study, in the May 1 Global Biogeochemical Cycles, also finds that the North Pacific has seen a 30 percent rise in mercury contamination since the mid-1990s. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Should Thursday Be the New Friday? The Environmental and Economic Pluses of the 4-Day Workweek As government agencies and corporations scramble to cut expenses, one idea gaining widespread attention involves cutting something most employees wouldn't mind losing: work on Fridays. Regular three-day weekends, without a decrease in the actual hours worked per week, could not only save money, but also ease pressures on the environment and public health, advocates say. In fact, several states, cities and companies across the country are considering, or have already implemented on a trial basis, the condensed schedule for their employees. [More] rss.sciam.com |
The U.S. Must Prioritize Its Carbon Strategy [Extended version] The House of Representatives passed the American Climate and Energy Security Act in June and sent it to the Senate. The House bill, running to 1,428 pages, aspires in one breathtaking stroke to take on renewable energy, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), nuclear power, electric vehicles, carbon cap-and-trade, power transmission, energy efficiency and climate adaptation. It ranges from grand vision to minuscule details such as technical specifications on lighting fixtures.What’s missing in this sprawling draft is prioritization. The bill rightly recognizes that America and the rest of the world require a fundamental overhaul in energy technology and use. The insecurity of global oil supply lines, the growing global scarcity of conventional fossil fuels and the urgency to reduce carbon emissions all point to the need for a fundamental energy overhaul. Yet to accomplish such a worldwide, fundamental energy overhaul, we will need to keep our eye on the big picture--the technology systems that will make a large and lasting difference--and not get mired in excruciating details. [More] rss.sciam.com |
No Kidding: Getting Goats to Graze on Tinder Puts a Damper on Fires Dear EarthTalk: I heard that goats are being used to prevent some of those catastrophic fires that seem to happen increasingly. What’s the story with that? --Ali B., New Canaan, CT [More] rss.sciam.com |