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| How to sustain a private forest [Earth & Sky Podcast] Posted: 13 Oct 2008 04:10 AM CDT Jo Pierce owns a private forest in rural Maine. When you're working with trees, he says, you have to think on the timescale of a tree. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Private forests mean income, and much more [Earth & Sky Podcast] Posted: 13 Oct 2008 04:10 AM CDT Hear Jo Pierce talk about his family’s 2,000-acre forest in Maine, and the importance of respecting the land and preserving wildlife habitat. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Galaxy's spiral arms might reveal black hole mass [Earth & Sky Podcast] Posted: 12 Oct 2008 04:10 AM CDT Astronomer Marc Seigar studies the gargantuan black holes at the core of galaxies – including our Milky Way. He talks about what might be determining the size of these super massive black holes in different galaxies around the universe. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Melamine Contaminated Milk [Sciencebase Science Blog] Posted: 29 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT
Dairy farmers have been feeling the squeeze for years, particularly in parts of the world where technological advancement has been slow in coming and so their profit margins on their milk output have not been lifted by improved efficiency. In order to boost profits milk has been diluted. However, this brings with it the problem of falling quality - dilute with water and measurable concentrations of milk proteins, fats, and sugars fall. Dilution by up to 30% has not been uncommon, which is where melamine (as I’ve mentioned) comes in. Melamine is a small organic molecule with a high nitrogen content that can easily fool the quality control equipment into thinking that nitrogen (from protein) is present at normal levels and so the milk is passed as good. Unfortunately, it is possible that melamine accumulates Hsieh Teh-sheng, director of the Taiwan Urological Association and chief of Cathay General Hospital's Department of Urology told the Taipei Times, that while there is no direct toxicity information on melamine’s health effects on people, the level of melamine found in the milk products is “not particularly high”. He says that kidney stones or other effects blamed on the melamine “could just as easily be caused by other harmful chemicals,” which is a point I discussed in the original post. However, cyanuric acid is often present in melamine samples and the two can react together to form crystals, which can form stones. The current scandal could, whatever the final outcome, provide researchers with useful data on the effects of chronic exposure to melamine and its toxicity to the kidneys and bladder. Sources in China have now said that Sanlu, which is at the heart of the controversy, was aware that its products were contaminated with melamine as long ago as December 2007. Fonterra, the New Zealand dairy company and 43% stakeholder in Sanlu claims to have approached the Chinese authorities as soon as it heard about the problem but was held back from going public because of the imminent Beijing Olympic Games. One can imagine there were additional pressures that prevented Fonterra from pushing for a solution. But, it cannot blame Chinese regulations for it failing to warn consumers as soon as it knew about the contamination. Products across the globe containing milk imported from China seem to have been affected and authorities from Australasia and Asia to Europe and the US are withdrawing formula milk, coffee and tea drinks, candies, soup, cheese powder, biscuits, ready-made desserts, and chocolate. however, there are calls from some commentators that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be more forthright on its recommendations for consumers concerned with the melamine in milk scandal. For those thinking of testing the products in their store cupboard, there’s a Craigslist item for sale here. It’s described as a “Rapid Melamine test kit—AgraQuant Melamine ELISA test kit”. But, before you grab your credit card, think carefully whether you’d like to make ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) your friend. It’s a tricky test and probably not one you could rattle off in an afternoon with at least some biomedical background. Also, there’d be no point in testing your Ikea furniture for melamine, the “Melamine” they use is a polymer resin (a plastic, in other words) made from the small organic molecule melamine and formaldehyde, and no there’s no need to worry about using melamine cooking utensils or eating off a melamine-coated kitchen table.
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| Skeptics Guide #166 - September 24th, 2008 [The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe] Posted: 27 Sep 2008 07:25 AM CDT Interview with Sharon Begley; News Items: LHC Problems, Worthless Acupuncture Studies, Japan Space Elevator, Belief and Credulity; Your Questions and E-mails: Real versus Scientific; Science or Fiction This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Why do all three taikonauts of Shenzhou 7 are 42 years old? [yan.me/me] Posted: 26 Sep 2008 02:39 AM CDT |
| Posted: 24 Sep 2008 07:52 PM CDT 1. No I haven't abandoned the blog. 2. Yes I am going to finish the FMEA stuff. 3. Ubuntu is quite nice. Oh Snap |
| Posted: 23 Sep 2008 10:52 AM CDT This week, Skepticality rounds out its Dragon*Con coverage withÂthe Skeptrack panel inspired byÂJunior Skeptic EditorÂDaniel Loxton'sÂop-ed essay, "Where Do We Go From Here?"Â Daniel also joins Swoopy to share his thoughts upon hearing the panel discussion, and about skeptical trends. Panelists for this conversation about the future of skeptical activism include theÂJREF's James Randi and Jeff Wagg, Skeptical musician George Hrab, The Secular Coalition for America's Lori Lipman Brown , Center forÂInquiry's D.J. Grothe and Benjamin Radford, Australian skeptic Dr. KarenÂStollznow â and by popular demand, new JREF president Dr. Phil Plait. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Skeptics Guide #165 - September 17th, 2008 [The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe] Posted: 20 Sep 2008 07:25 AM CDT Interview with Ben Goldacre; News Items: Goldacre LIbel Victory, Stellar Mystery, Creationism in the UK; Your Questions and E-mails: Pharma Conspiracy; Name That Logical Fallacy; Randi Speaks: The Media; Science or Fiction This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Skeptics Guide #164 - September 10th, 2008 [The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe] Posted: 13 Sep 2008 07:25 AM CDT Interview with Ben Radford; News Items: LHC Turned On, Elephant Math; Your Questions and E-mails: Bird Correction, Irradiated Food, Pseudoscience; Science or Fiction This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 09 Sep 2008 05:38 PM CDT The hosts of Skepticality are recovering from their spectacularlyÂsuccessful "Skeptrack" events at Dragon*Con 2008: four days of livelyÂdiscussion featuring guests from some of the most prominent skepticalÂorganizations around the world. Included were James Randi and Dr. Phil PlaitÂfrom the JREF, Dr. Michael Shermer of the Skeptics Society, BenjaminÂRadford and D.J. Grothe from the Center for Inquiry, and Richard Saunders andÂcrew from the Australian Skepticsâto name only a few. For those who participated in this groundbreaking weekend, we look forwardÂto hearing your stories. For those who could not attend,ÂSkepticalityÂbrings you the first of several recordings from last week's panelÂdiscussions, beginning with James Randi and D.J. Grothe discussing "Why MagicÂis Important to Skepticism." This in-depth discussion of the entwined histories of magic andÂskepticism reveals how creating illusions can illuminate the truth. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Skeptics Guide #163 - September 3rd, 2008 [The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe] Posted: 06 Sep 2008 07:25 AM CDT SGU Live from DragonCon 2008 with special guests James Randi, Pamela Gay, and Derek Colanduno; News Items: The Milky Ways Supermassive Blackhole; Live Questions; Science or Fiction This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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