ACED Magazine Science and Technology - Page 4

Faster than a growing wheat grain, more powerful than a third generation synchrotron, and able to leap diet deficiency in a single bound ... it's Healthy Flour! Pioneering research combining plant breeding and high-intensity x-rays is being used by scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to explore the possibility of developing wheat which could be used to make potentially life-saving mineral enriched flour. The research is highlighted in the latest issue...

Building microscopic materials known as superlattices on the surface of gold may lead to a treasure for researchers interested in faster, smaller, and more energy efficient computing devices, say researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). Dr. Jay A. Switzer and his colleagues at Missouri S&T report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society that they have constructed a type of superlattice that shows "unique low-to-high and high-to-low resistance switching that may...

Dear EarthTalk: It has been said that global warming will bring a new ice age. Is this true or only fiction? -- Nitisha Jain, Delhi, India While no one can be sure what and how severe the effects of global warming will be, it is entirely possible that one outcome of our profligate use of fossil fuels could be an ice age. The theory goes that a warming-induced influx of cold, fresh water into the...

Dear EarthTalk: Can you enlighten on the environmental impact of the fashion industry? As I understand it, the industry overall is no friend to the environment. -- Tan Cheng Li, Malaysia According to the non-profit Earth Pledge, today some 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used throughout the world to turn raw materials into textiles. Domestically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that one-quarter of all pesticides used nationwide go toward growing cotton, primarily for the...

ICS Mobile has this nifty new iPhone app out called M-Train. Yes, it's another fitness app. However, this one is awesome because: a) you get to make your own playlist for your workout, as opposed to listening to whatever elevator techno musaak the developers picked for you, and b) you get your own personal trainer for $1.99, as opposed to having to figure out what in the world a squat thrust is on your...

Scientists at the University of Adelaide have made a breakthrough that could change the world's thinking about what light is capable of. The researchers in the University's new Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing (IPAS) have discovered that light within optical fibers can be squeezed into much tighter spaces than was previously believed possible.

Dear EarthTalk: I'm a travel agent and our firm has several clients wanting to go with green vendors, including for travel (airline or rental car) and lodging.  Our company is supportive so would like to know which airlines, hotels and car rental agencies are going affordably green? -- Carol Biggar, via e-mail Just like every other industry, going green has become a mantra among airlines, car rental companies and even hotel chains. The fuel crunch of...

Dear EarthTalk: I don't understand why many people oppose wind power just because they have to look at the turbines. If you ask me, wind turbines are much nicer-looking than coal-fired, waste-to-energy or nuclear power plants. -- Michael Hart, via e-mail Whether it's a wind farm, a coal-fired power plant, a nuclear reactor or even just a big box store, there are always going to be locals opposed to it, declaring "not in my back yard!"...

The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been discovered by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical and infrared telescopes. The cluster is located about 10.2 billion light years away, and is observed as it was when the Universe was only about a quarter of its present age. The galaxy cluster, known as JKCS041, beats the previous record holder by about a billion light years. Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects in...

Dear EarthTalk: Has anyone ever studied the environmental impact of discarded cigarettes? I'm constantly appalled at the number of drivers I see pitching their butts out their car windows. -- Ned Jordan, via email It's true that littered cigarette butts are a public nuisance, and not just for aesthetic reasons. The filters on cigarettes -- four fifths of all cigarettes have them -- are made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that is very...