Concern about toxic chemicals in the environment has erupted into the mainstream media again, with new reports tying pesticides to disruption of male hormones, birth defects and cancer. Andres Carrasco, head of the molecular Embryology Lab at the University of Buenos Aires and chief scientist at the National Council for Science and Technology, linked glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular herbicide Roundup, to escalating rates of animal birth defects — including cyclopia, where a single eye is present in the center of the forehead), infertility, stillbirths, miscarriages and ... Read More
Think Biomass, Not Natural Gas
February 17, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment
The framework of energy supply and use by any country is confoundingly complex. Now try to speculate what it might be 40 years from now, assuming a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Not so easy, eh? But there are people doing it: going to work each day, considering myriad energy sources, conjuring up possible configurations for the future. It’s an undertaking many might find intriguing, but … understanding all the technologies, constantly crunching the numbers, seeing a big picture that is as complex and immutable as a monotone jigsaw puzzle, butting up against obstacles ... Read More
Empower Your Appliances with the Smart Grid
January 21, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment
Despite strong financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy and increasing utility interest, smart grid remains a blurry concept among electricity consumers. That it could transform how we use energy and usher in an era where the term “peak load” — its nemesis — is relegated to similar obscurity. The smart grid overlays advanced information technologies on the electrical grid, allowing consumers to use energy in ways or at times that avoids drawing power at peak-load times and decreases use overall. One example is a yearlong demonstration project by the Pacific Northwest ... Read More
Viewing Poisons at Our National Parks
September 6, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
America's national parks are heralded as pristine pockets of natural beauty, but that news hasn't stopped airborne pollutants from accumulating at alarmingly high rates in parks in the West. Eight years ago, spurred by reports of contaminants found in alpine and polar ecosystems far from where the pollutants originated, National Park Service leaders assembled an interdisciplinary team of researchers drawn from experts at several universities, government agencies and research groups. Their effort was dubbed the Western Airborne Contaminant Assessment Project. The team collected data on ... Read More