| Mighty microbes might help clean up oil extraction and radioactive wastes There appears to be literally nothing microbes cannot do. From the invention of photosynthesis to lifecycles that require no sunlight --even surviving extreme radiation --the most extreme microbes thrive almost everywhere scientists look. And now microbiologists have added two more energy-related tricks to the microbial arsenal. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Eco-Dos: Green Beauty Salons and Hair Products Are a Growing Business Dear EarthTalk: As I understand it, hair salons are pretty toxic enterprises on many counts. Are there any efforts underway to green up that industry? --Paula Howe, San Francisco, CA [More] rss.sciam.com |
Over the Top: Data Shows "Green" Roofs Could Cool Urban Heat Islands and Boost Water Conservation NEW YORK--Through the rain-pocked window of his Prius heading east on the Queensboro Bridge, Stuart Gaffin sees a black, watery sea of missed opportunities. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Navy Commits to Alt Fuels On April 22nd, Earth Day, the U.S. Navy ran a test flight of an F/A-18 Green Hornet fighter on a 50-50 mixture of petroleum-based jet fuel and biofuel. The biofuel came from the camelina plant, a member of the mustard family. On hand to watch the flight was Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus: “The Navy has always been in the leadership when we’ve changed energy sources. In the 1850s we went from sail to coal. In the early part of the 20th century we went from coal to oil.” [More] rss.sciam.com |
In Science We Trust: Poll Results on How You Feel about Science Scientists have had a rough year. The leaked “Climategate” e-mails painted researchers as censorious. The mild H1N1 flu out­break led to charges that health officials exaggerated the danger to help Big Pharma sell more drugs. And Harvard University in­vestigators found shocking holes in a star professor’s data. As policy decisions on climate, energy, health and technology loom large, it’s important to ask: How badly have recent events shaken people’s faith in science? Does the public still trust scientists?To find out, Scientific American partnered with our sister publication, Nature , the international journal of science, to poll readers online. More than 21,000 people responded via the Web sites of Nature and of Scientific American and its international editions. As expected, it was a supportive and science-literate crowd--19 percent identified themselves as Ph.Ds. But attitudes differed widely depending on particular issues--climate, evolution, technology--and on whether respondents live in the U.S., Europe or Asia. [More] Harvard University - United States - Technology - Professor - Asia rss.sciam.com |