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APEC - Don't blow it: good planets are hard to find |
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Written by Ian T. Dunlop
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Saturday, 08 September 2007 |
 As APEC meets, the good ship “humanity” is steaming into the teeth of a
hurricane with our leaders asleep at the wheel, as the great global
issues of climate change and the peaking of oil supply converge. The reminder in Time Magazine's recent headline (above) becomes more urgent every day.
The need to address human-induced climate change is finally reaching
the top of the political agenda, driven primarily by scientific and
community concern rather than by any proactive political leadership.
Even now, the political rhetoric confirms that our leaders do not
understand or accept the seriousness of our position, and the limited
time to take action in reducing carbon emissions before we encounter
dangerous climate change.
Recent science suggests that the danger level for atmospheric carbon
concentrations, to keep warming below 2oC, is 450 parts per million
carbon dioxide equivalent, possibly lower. Current atmospheric carbon
concentrations are 430ppm CO2e, increasing at 3ppm per annum and
accelerating fast, both here and overseas. In theory that leaves 7
years before we reach the danger point of 450ppm. In reality, given
accelerating emissions and the non-linear climatic response which is
occurring, we probably have no more than 4-5 years to turn down
emissions growth. As there is considerable lag before any reduction in
emissions takes effect, substantive action is required now, not in 2011
as the government proposes; by then we may already be in the danger
zone.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 09 September 2007 )
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Ten-minute test for oral cancer |
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Written by Charles Brass
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Monday, 27 August 2007 |
Researchers at the University of Texas are developing a microfluidics
device that detects oral-cancer cells in ten minutes and is simple and
cheap enough for use in the dentist's office. According to a report from the US, the device could be
adapted to test for other cancers, including cervical cancer. It works
well on cancer cells grown in the lab and is currently being tested on
biopsies from oral-cancer patients.
Many oral cancers are painless or, in their early stages, resemble
dental disease, so patients and doctors may overlook them, says Carter
Van Waes, chief of head and neck surgery at the National Institute on
Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The National Cancer
Institute estimates that, this year, 22,560 people will be diagnosed
with oral cancer, and more than 5,000 will die of the disease. "Even
though oral cancer is not common, it's usually advanced when it's
diagnosed," says Spencer Redding, chair of dental-diagnostic science at
the University of Texas Health Science Center, in San Antonio. Redding
is helping test the new device, which was developed by John McDevitt,
professor of chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Beyond batteries: storing power in a sheet of paper |
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Written by Jan Lee Martin
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Sunday, 19 August 2007 |
US researchers have developed a new energy storage device that looks like a sheet of black paper, and can be printed like paper. Lightweight, ultra-thin and completely flexible, it can operate as both battery and supercapacitator, use human blood, sweat or urine as a source of electrolytes and can function at temperatures from 100 degrees Fahrenheit below zero to 300 degrees.
According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (August 15), the nanoengineered battery is geared toward meeting the trickiest design and energy requirements of tomorrow's gadgets, implantable medical equipment, and transportation vehicles.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 20 August 2007 )
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