Homely Scientist

The industry group for coal mining wants the U.S. federal government to fund a project to locate and map all the coal left that can be mined–maybe even the stuff that can’t be.
In short, says the Council’s statement, “federal policymakers need accurate estimates of the amount, location and quality of mineable coal…mitigating dangers from explosions and fires should also be a research priority, as should improving mine ventilation…” There is a real question about the oft-quoted saw that the U.S. has enough coal for 250 years. Truthiness perhaps, but perhaps not the truth, says the Council. Source: Let’s find all the …read more

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You say to yourself, “and…so…”, okay read, please:
Raydiance has purportedly developed a laser that “looks like an ordinary slide projector,” yet can emit “burst of photons so intense that it can vaporize matter without creating heat.” Its uses could span every area from removing tattoos (yes, even Zune ones) without burning the skin, killing cancer cells without affecting healthy ones, or handling any undercover task that the military may require. Source: Raydiance laser can vaporize matter sans heat – Engadget
Yes, this is huge.  Okay the weapon thing is creepy, but think of being able to get rid of stuff, mostly …read more

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I saw this profiled on the Discovery Channel this week.  The boat looks, um, odd, but saved tons of fuel.
The boat, conspicuously named Sun21, is the first of its eco-friendly kind to attempt the journey. The 46-foot catamaran made the trip — from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas — in just under a month, and according to MW-Line, the operating costs are 20 to 45 times lower than traditional motorboats. Source: Solar-powered Swiss boat crosses the Atlantic – Engadget
So if we think about a ship with solar power plus a biddies-powered engine, you could make a huge dent in …read more

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While biodiesel is cool (and according to the article below you can drink it…eeewww) manufacturing is still not 100% there.  So here comes the handy home biodiesel test:
Biodiesel is sort of like buying cheese. Some of it is fantastic, and some isn’t so hot.
Enter the pHLip, a testing system from CytoCulture, which specializes in oil spill technology. Place a few drops of the biodiesel you are thinking of buying into the vial, shake it up, and then let it stand. If the fluid on the bottom stays cherry red, you have yourself good biodiesel, says Randall von Wedel, principal researcher …read more

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SciTalks is a new site that has videos of lectures on a ton of science topics.
“Science and scientists are going to be more fun and accessible because of SciTalks. Students will be able to hear the voices and passion of the actual discoverers of the subject they’re studying in class. Teachers can assign selections to their students… no matter how limited your school’s resources, if you have access to the internet, you can now get a great science education. It’s like crack for science geeks.” says founder Lee Vodra. Source: SciTalks.com launches video site for science lectures | 901am
You know …read more

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 Nope, not kidding.  Cataclysm of Biblical proportions here.  Here’s the info from CNET:
We have 10 years, folks. And then it’s man the lifeboats, or head for the hills. That’s the conclusion of James Hansen and five other scientists. They’ve just published a paper with the Royal Society in England. It says melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctic could soon reach a point of no return. The team even says the recent reports from the United Nations’ global warming conferences are too conservative in their projections of what could happen. Source: Possible cataclysm due to melting ice | Tech news blog …read more

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 Chemistry sets are getting a tad passe, if not whimpy.  Well, try this book on for size:
Controversy over potentially hazardous chemistry experiments is nothing new. This amazing book only lasted two editions because it was considered too dangerous for children. Now, only 126 copies exist in libraries. Fortunately, a beautiful PDF version is available online. Modern texts still shy away from child-damaging pyrotechnic experiments but contain hundreds of very important projects. Geekkids can learn about gases and solids, acids and bases, atomic structure, osmosis, chemical bonding, solvents, crystallization… everything. Source: Geekdad – Wired Blogs
I downloaded the book and started to …read more

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 Sad news this week…
Mr. Wizard Passes Away at 89 Source: Geekdad – Wired Blogs
I always liked Mr. Wizard over Bill Nye and others.  Another icon of science education passes on.
Technorati Tags: Mr. Wizard, science education

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 Today is not one of my better post title days…regardless…
Jean-Baptiste Denys, personal physician to France’s Louis XIV, is generally credited with performing the first human blood transfusion, although some sources award that distinction to Englishman William Lower. What is not in dispute is the year — 1667 — and the patient — a 15-year-old boy who had been bled so much by his doctor that he required an infusion of blood.
The source is also not under dispute: Whoever the physician was, he used a sheep’s blood. And, somehow, the kid recovered. Source: June 15, 1667: First Human Blood Transfusion Is Performed …read more

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Google Earth is one of those fantastic tools that just keeps getting better.  While, yes, it does take up a bit of drive space, it also gives you the ability to learn a lot about our world.  Take storms for example…
The Hurricane season has officially begun. And the second named storm – Tropical Depression Barry – is currently providing much needed wetness to a dry southeastern US. One of Google Earth’s most powerful features is the ability to pull in real-time information from other sites and overlay the information for visualization. Weather data is one of my favorite applications of this …read more

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