A series of solar energy power stations in the Negev could supply all of Israel’s power needs – or, if you wanted to be really ambitious, you could supply all of the world’s electricity needs with the aid of slightly under 10 per cent of the Sahara. So says Professor David Faiman of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, man with a plan and current proprietor of the largest solar energy dish in the world. The Negev Desert dish is operated by Ben-Gurion’s National Solar Energy Center in the Negev, and speaking at the DLD (Digital Life, Design) conference in Munich earlier this week, Center director Faiman tallied off the economics of solar power generation. Conventional solar panels are expensive, because photovoltaic cells, which combine the capability to collect energy and to convert it to electricity, are themselves expensive. One route to cutting the cost is being pursued by Nanosolar (http://www.nanosolar.com/7areasofinnovation.htm) (Nanosolar director of products Roby Stancel was speaking at the same session as Faiman), which is printing the cells onto thin sheets. Taking a different approach, the Negev plant uses large curved glass mirrors to focus sunlight onto a 10cm x 10cm area of cells. Both routes have their advantages […]
Scientists yesterday announced that they have successfully created an entire synthetic genome in the lab by stitching together the DNA of the smallest known free-living bacterium, Mycoplasma genitalium. Experts are hailing the research as an important breakthrough in genetic manipulation that will one day lead to the ‘routine’ creation of synthetic genomes-possibly including those of mammals. This is ‘a striking technical accomplishment,’ biochemist Leroy Hood, who was not involved in the study, wrote in an email. ‘It represents the initial stages of an important new step in studying how genes function together in systems to create complex phenotypes [traits],’ added Hood, co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Washington. Step Toward Artificial Life The new work is an important second step in a three-step process to the creation of synthetic life, said research leader Hamilton Smith, a biologist and Nobel laureate at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland. The first step, reported last year by the same team at Venter’s institute, was the successful transplantation of a genome from one species of bacteria into another, effectively switching the bug’s identity. ‘The third step, which we’re working on now, is […]
Concerns about the safety of eating sushi were raised this week after reports surfaced over the high levels of mercury in tuna and swordfish. Lab tests commissioned by the New York Times found so much mercury in tuna in 20 Manhattan restaurants and stores that eating six pieces a week would exceed acceptable levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the newspaper reported. On Friday, the group that conducted the tests, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, in Piscataway, N.J. told TODAY that the findings would likely be similar in other cities around the country. The report generated a strong response from the seafood industry. TODAY’s Matt Lauer quoted a statement from the National Fisheries Institute, saying ‘The public deserves to have all the facts about the benefits of eating fish, and that is why scaring consumers with misinformation is so irresponsible.’ The government recommends that Americans eat fish at least two to three times a week as a good source of low-fat protein. But is it OK to eat sushi? Read on if you’re confused about whether you should keep eating fish and what types are safest. Q. Lab tests found high levels of […]
Lower cholesterol doesn’t have to come from a pill. Although cholesterol drugs are in the news lately, what is getting lost in the discussion is the fact that it’s possible to lower your cholesterol without drugs. It’s just not as easy. In fact, many doctors think dietary changes are too difficult for most of their patients. While they typically encourage better eating and a diet low in saturated fat, they also prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins as a faster way to lower bad cholesterol. But many people can’t tolerate statins and their side effects. Others simply don’t want to take a pill every day or shoulder the cost of a prescription. For those patients, dietary changes may be a better option. In 2006, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on a study of 55 patients with high cholesterol who, over the course of a year, started eating a diet rich in soy proteins, fiber and almonds. All those foods may have cholesterol-lowering properties. Twenty-one patients managed to lower their cholesterol by 20 percent or more by the end of the year. The researchers noted that whether the patient was motivated and actually stuck with the […]
One of the hottest food marketing trends these days involves adding live bacteria to dairy products as a way to boost health. A lawsuit challenges the health claims of Activia,a probiotic yogurt.Dannon claims Activia can help regulate your digestive system. Now lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit against yogurt maker Dannon, one of the biggest sellers of ‘probiotic’ yogurts, saying the claims of a health benefit dupe consumers. The company’s Activia and DanActive line of yogurt products contain live bacteria and claim to help regulate digestion and boost the immune system. The suit, filed in United States District Court in California, seeks redress for consumers who purchased the yogurt products based on what it says are ‘bogus claims.” ‘Deceptive advertising has enabled Dannon to sell hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ordinary yogurt at inflated prices to responsible, health- conscious consumers,’ said Los Angeles attorney Timothy G. Blood, of the firm Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins. In response, Dannon issued a statement saying it ‘stands by the claims of its products and the clinical studies which support them.” ‘All of Dannon’s claims for Activia and DanActive are completely supported by peer-reviewed science and […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
