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If there's one thing the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates seem to agree on, it's this: avoid the subject of climate change.
Mitt Romney would rather joke about President Obama's grandiose promise to heal the planet back in 2008. And Barack Obama would rather talk about jobs saved or created in Ohio, Florida and other swing states.
Never mind that this summer saw a record-breaking meltdown of Arctic sea ice, presaging rising sea levels and more extremely weird weather. Or that the U.S. is locked in a historic drought during what will most likely be the warmest year on record for this nation. Or that concentrations of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere continue to tick up inexorably. We are basically guaranteeing an even warmer future and much more acidic oceans.
We thank the two presidential candidates for presenting their views on climate change in response to Scientific American's survey this year. However, neither laid out any kind of policy plan for how to deal with global warming.
Let's break the code of silence. Maybe it's time for a moderator or audience member to directly ask a climate policy question during the October debates? Maybe?
-David Biello
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
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Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Asteroid Dust Could Fight Climate Change on Earth
To combat global warming, scientists in Scotland now suggest an out-of-this-world solution - a giant dust cloud in space, blasted off an asteroid, which would act like a sunshade for Earth.
The world is warming and the climate is changing. Although many want to prevent these shifts by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun, some controversially suggest deliberating manipulating the planet's climate with large-scale engineering projects, commonly called geoengineering.
Instead of altering the climate by targeting either the oceans or the atmosphere, some researchers have suggested geoengineering projects that would affect the entire planet from space. For instance, projects that reduced the amount of solar radiation Earth receives by 1.7 percent could offset the effects of a global increase in temperature of 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C). The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has noted climate models suggest average global temperatures will likely rise by 2 to 11.5 degrees F (1.1 to 6.4 degrees C) by the end of this century.
'A 1.7 percent reduction is very small and will hardly be noticeable on Earth,' said researcher Russell Bewick, a space scientist at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. 'People sometimes get the idea of giant screens blocking the entire sun. This is not the case ... as [the device] is constantly between the sun and the Earth, it acts merely as a very light shade or filter.'
Shading Earth
One proposal to shade the Earth from the sun would place giant mirrors in space. The main problem with this concept is the immense cost and effort needed either to build and launch such reflectors or to construct them in outer space - the current cost to launch an object into low Earth orbit runs into thousands of dollars per pound. Another would use blankets of dust to blot out the sun, just as clouds do for Earth. These offer the virtue of simplicity compared with mirrors, but run the risk of getting dispersed over time by solar radiation and the gravitational pull of the sun, moon and planets. [Top 10 Craziest Environmental Ideas]
Now instead of having a dust cloud floating by itself in space, researchers suggest an asteroid could essentially gravitationally anchor a dust cloud in space to block sunlight and cool the Earth.
'I would like to make it clear that I would never suggest geoengineering in place of reducing our carbon emissions,' Bewick told LiveScience. Instead, he said, 'We can buy time to find a lasting solution to combat Earth's climate change. The dust cloud is not a permanent cure, but it could offset the effects of climate change for a given time to allow slow-acting measures like carbon capture to take effect.'
The idea would be to place an asteroid at Lagrange point L1, a site where the gravitational pull of the sun and the Earth cancel out. This point is about four times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
The researchers suggest outfitting a near-Earth asteroid with a 'mass driver,' a device consisting of electromagnets that would hurl asteroid-derived matter away from the giant rock. The mass driver could serve both as a rocket to push the asteroid to the L1 point and as an engine to spew out sun-shielding dust. [5 Reasons to Care About Asteroids]
The researchers calculate that the largest near-Earth asteroid, 1036 Ganymed, could maintain a dust cloud large enough to block out 6.58 percent of the solar radiation that would normally reach Earth, more than enough to combat any current global warming trends. Such a cloud would be about 11 million-billion pounds (5 million-billion kilograms) in mass and about 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) wide.
Ganymed has a mass of about 286 million-billion lbs. (130 million-billion kg). An asteroid of this size might make one think of disaster movies, such as 'Armageddon'; however, 'rather than destroying the Earth, it could be used to help mankind,' Bewick said.
Asteroid dust challenges
The main challenge of this proposal would be pushing an asteroid the size of Ganymed to the sun-Earth L1 point.
'The company Planetary Resources recently announced their intention to mine asteroids,' Bewick said. 'The study that they base their plans on reckons that it will be possible to capture an asteroid with a mass of 500,000 kilograms (1.1 million lbs.) by 2025. Comparing this to the mass of Ganymed makes the task of capturing it seem unfeasible, at least in everything except the very far term. However, smaller asteroids could be moved and clustered at the first Lagrange point.'
Safety is another concern.
'A very large asteroid is a potential threat to Earth, and therefore great care and testing would be required in the implementation of this scenario,' Bewick said. 'Due to this, the political challenges would probably match the scale of the engineering challenge. Even for the capture of much smaller asteroids, there will likely be reservations from all areas of society, though the risks would be much less.'
Also, there's no way to fully test this dust cloud on a large scale to verify its effectiveness before implementing it, 'something that is common to all geoengineering schemes,' Bewick said. 'On the global scale, it is not possible to test because the test would essentially be the real thing, except probably in a diluted form. Climate modeling can be performed, but without some large-scale testing, the results from these models cannot be fully verified.'
Still, if geoengineers did use asteroids to generate clouds, they could drastically reduce how much dust the projects spew out 'should any catastrophic climate response be observed,' Bewick said, 'with the cloud dispersing naturally over time.'
The scientists will detail their findings in the Nov. 12 issue of the journal Advances in Space Research.
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The world is warming and the climate is changing. Although many want to prevent these shifts by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun, some controversially suggest deliberating manipulating the planet's climate with large-scale engineering projects, commonly called geoengineering.
Instead of altering the climate by targeting either the oceans or the atmosphere, some researchers have suggested geoengineering projects that would affect the entire planet from space. For instance, projects that reduced the amount of solar radiation Earth receives by 1.7 percent could offset the effects of a global increase in temperature of 3.6 degrees F (2 degrees C). The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has noted climate models suggest average global temperatures will likely rise by 2 to 11.5 degrees F (1.1 to 6.4 degrees C) by the end of this century.
'A 1.7 percent reduction is very small and will hardly be noticeable on Earth,' said researcher Russell Bewick, a space scientist at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. 'People sometimes get the idea of giant screens blocking the entire sun. This is not the case ... as [the device] is constantly between the sun and the Earth, it acts merely as a very light shade or filter.'
Shading Earth
One proposal to shade the Earth from the sun would place giant mirrors in space. The main problem with this concept is the immense cost and effort needed either to build and launch such reflectors or to construct them in outer space - the current cost to launch an object into low Earth orbit runs into thousands of dollars per pound. Another would use blankets of dust to blot out the sun, just as clouds do for Earth. These offer the virtue of simplicity compared with mirrors, but run the risk of getting dispersed over time by solar radiation and the gravitational pull of the sun, moon and planets. [Top 10 Craziest Environmental Ideas]
Now instead of having a dust cloud floating by itself in space, researchers suggest an asteroid could essentially gravitationally anchor a dust cloud in space to block sunlight and cool the Earth.
'I would like to make it clear that I would never suggest geoengineering in place of reducing our carbon emissions,' Bewick told LiveScience. Instead, he said, 'We can buy time to find a lasting solution to combat Earth's climate change. The dust cloud is not a permanent cure, but it could offset the effects of climate change for a given time to allow slow-acting measures like carbon capture to take effect.'
The idea would be to place an asteroid at Lagrange point L1, a site where the gravitational pull of the sun and the Earth cancel out. This point is about four times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
The researchers suggest outfitting a near-Earth asteroid with a 'mass driver,' a device consisting of electromagnets that would hurl asteroid-derived matter away from the giant rock. The mass driver could serve both as a rocket to push the asteroid to the L1 point and as an engine to spew out sun-shielding dust. [5 Reasons to Care About Asteroids]
The researchers calculate that the largest near-Earth asteroid, 1036 Ganymed, could maintain a dust cloud large enough to block out 6.58 percent of the solar radiation that would normally reach Earth, more than enough to combat any current global warming trends. Such a cloud would be about 11 million-billion pounds (5 million-billion kilograms) in mass and about 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) wide.
Ganymed has a mass of about 286 million-billion lbs. (130 million-billion kg). An asteroid of this size might make one think of disaster movies, such as 'Armageddon'; however, 'rather than destroying the Earth, it could be used to help mankind,' Bewick said.
Asteroid dust challenges
The main challenge of this proposal would be pushing an asteroid the size of Ganymed to the sun-Earth L1 point.
'The company Planetary Resources recently announced their intention to mine asteroids,' Bewick said. 'The study that they base their plans on reckons that it will be possible to capture an asteroid with a mass of 500,000 kilograms (1.1 million lbs.) by 2025. Comparing this to the mass of Ganymed makes the task of capturing it seem unfeasible, at least in everything except the very far term. However, smaller asteroids could be moved and clustered at the first Lagrange point.'
Safety is another concern.
'A very large asteroid is a potential threat to Earth, and therefore great care and testing would be required in the implementation of this scenario,' Bewick said. 'Due to this, the political challenges would probably match the scale of the engineering challenge. Even for the capture of much smaller asteroids, there will likely be reservations from all areas of society, though the risks would be much less.'
Also, there's no way to fully test this dust cloud on a large scale to verify its effectiveness before implementing it, 'something that is common to all geoengineering schemes,' Bewick said. 'On the global scale, it is not possible to test because the test would essentially be the real thing, except probably in a diluted form. Climate modeling can be performed, but without some large-scale testing, the results from these models cannot be fully verified.'
Still, if geoengineers did use asteroids to generate clouds, they could drastically reduce how much dust the projects spew out 'should any catastrophic climate response be observed,' Bewick said, 'with the cloud dispersing naturally over time.'
The scientists will detail their findings in the Nov. 12 issue of the journal Advances in Space Research.
- 50 Interesting Facts About The Earth
- That's Crazy! 5 Wild Weather Control Ideas
- The 7 Strangest Asteroids in Our Solar System
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Bad Piggies review: Rovio's back on its game
Rovio fans worried that their favorite mobile gaming company had jumped the shark with Amazing Alex can rest easy: The maker of Angry Birds can still design fun and exciting puzzle games. Before we get into Bad Piggies, though, let's recall the major reason why Amazing Alex failed: It was absolutely pointless. Unlike Angry Birds, whose goal is to help a flock of cantankerous-but-lovable birds recover their beloved stolen eggs from smarmy green pigs, Amazing Alex revolved around helping a bored kid come up with new ways to put a soccer ball into his laundry basket. Bad Piggies rectifies this right away by giving you an explicit, understandable motivation: The pigs are hungry, they want to eat a damn omelette, and it's your job to help them.
From there, the game gives you several different obstacle courses designed to help the pigs gather the supplies they need to capture the birds' eggs. But since pigs don't fly (pun intended!), you can't simply launch them out of a slingshot. Instead, you have to design wacky vehicles that propel them toward their goals involving fans, bellows, balloons, dynamite and several other contraptions that look like they came straight out of Wile E. Coyote's ACME Co. catalogue.
It's in the vehicle design and implementation that Rovio takes the best aspects of Amazing Alex - that is, the creation of zany contraptions that help the protagonists navigate their environments - and makes them feel fresh and engaging. It also helps that it's fun to play a game as a bad guy every now and then, since the wicked pigs are much easier to root for than some dweeby kid whom I wanted to shove into a locker after hanging out with for 15 minutes.
So the bottom line is this: If you were turned off by the direction Rovio took with its last game, give Bad Piggies a try. Because if you can't enjoy watching a pig drive a badly constructed car off a cliff and onto a pile of dynamite, you probably don't have a soul.
Related stories
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Bad Piggies, Rovio's new Angry Birds spin-off, now available for Android, iOS and OS X [updated]
Finnish game designer Rovio is going back to what it does best: Designing games with silly cartoon animals crashing into things. Rovio on Thursday officially released Bad Piggies, the latest spin-off in its mega-hit Angry Birds franchise, on both the Apple (AAPL) App Store and Google (GOOG) Play. Bad Piggies is a new action-puzzle game that lets users play as the villainous green pigs from the Angry Birds universe and involves building wacky vehicles to help the guide the pigs through a number of treacherous obstacle courses. BGR will have a mini-review of the game posted later on Thursday.
UPDATE: Bad Piggies has already hit the top spot in the iTunes App Store less than three hours after its official release.
Bad Piggies, Rovio's new Angry Birds spin-off, now available for Android, iOS and OS X
Finnish game designer Rovio is going back to what it does best: Designing games with silly cartoon animals crashing into things. Rovio on Thursday officially released Bad Piggies, the latest spin-off in its mega-hit Angry Birds franchise, on both the Apple (AAPL) App Store and Google (GOOG) Play. Bad Piggies is a new action-puzzle game that lets users play as the villainous green pigs from the Angry Birds universe and involves building wacky vehicles to help the guide the pigs through a number of treacherous obstacle courses. BGR will have a mini-review of the game posted later on Thursday.
Related stories
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Russia postpones mobile data decision: paper
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has postponed indefinitely a decision on whether to allow mobile operators to recycle their old frequencies to offer faster Internet on-the-go, saying more tests were needed to show this wouldn't hurt service quality, a newspaper reported.
A delay would be a blow to Sweden's Tele2 AB - Russia's only foreign mobile operator and its fourth-largest in terms of subscribers - which had been seeking to retune its old spectrum to the new usage, known in the Russian debate as technology neutrality.
Tele2 shares were down 3 percent at 1024 GMT.
Tele2 recently lost a Russian tender for a fourth generation mobile licence, designed for data and seen as crucial for future growth as revenue from voice calls flattens out.
Russia's state Radio Frequency Commission was due to discuss technology neutrality next Tuesday, but participants at a meeting of the commission had rejected the proposal for now due to a lack of tests, business daily Vedomosti wrote.
Tele2 said it would be disappointed with a postponement of the decision, but believed technology neutrality would be implemented in due course.
The company said last month that if Russia did not agree to technology neutrality, the firm could buy space on another operator's network or extend current cooperation with its 2G roaming partners to include data services.
Russia expectedly awarded four LTE licences in July to state-controlled Russian operator Rostelecom and the big three dominant mobile phone groups - MTS, MegaFon and Vimpelcom.
Those companies are expected to begin building 4G services into their networks soon.
'Tele2, as the only major foreign-controlled mobile operator in Russia, is unlikely to be handed a first-mover advantage to develop mass-market 4G,' wrote analyst Ulrich Rathe at brokerage Jeffries in a note.
'However, we see little reason to give up hope altogether that Tele2 will eventually get technology neutrality, as some key authorities have come out in favour already and a potential delay could be down to giving competitors time to sort out their own roadmap to 4G first.'
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Additional reporting by Simon Johnson in Stockholm; Editing by David Holmes)
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A delay would be a blow to Sweden's Tele2 AB - Russia's only foreign mobile operator and its fourth-largest in terms of subscribers - which had been seeking to retune its old spectrum to the new usage, known in the Russian debate as technology neutrality.
Tele2 shares were down 3 percent at 1024 GMT.
Tele2 recently lost a Russian tender for a fourth generation mobile licence, designed for data and seen as crucial for future growth as revenue from voice calls flattens out.
Russia's state Radio Frequency Commission was due to discuss technology neutrality next Tuesday, but participants at a meeting of the commission had rejected the proposal for now due to a lack of tests, business daily Vedomosti wrote.
Tele2 said it would be disappointed with a postponement of the decision, but believed technology neutrality would be implemented in due course.
The company said last month that if Russia did not agree to technology neutrality, the firm could buy space on another operator's network or extend current cooperation with its 2G roaming partners to include data services.
Russia expectedly awarded four LTE licences in July to state-controlled Russian operator Rostelecom and the big three dominant mobile phone groups - MTS, MegaFon and Vimpelcom.
Those companies are expected to begin building 4G services into their networks soon.
'Tele2, as the only major foreign-controlled mobile operator in Russia, is unlikely to be handed a first-mover advantage to develop mass-market 4G,' wrote analyst Ulrich Rathe at brokerage Jeffries in a note.
'However, we see little reason to give up hope altogether that Tele2 will eventually get technology neutrality, as some key authorities have come out in favour already and a potential delay could be down to giving competitors time to sort out their own roadmap to 4G first.'
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Additional reporting by Simon Johnson in Stockholm; Editing by David Holmes)
This news article is brought to you by LINUXOS.PRO - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Race hots up for land speed record with rocket test
LONDON (Reuters) - This time next year, British fighter pilot Andy Green will strap himself into a rocket-powered car for test runs in a bid to accelerate to 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 kilometres per hour) and smash his own land speed record.
That's the plan. In the meantime, the team building the Bloodhound supersonic car faces a milestone on October 3 - they will test-fire the rocket they hope will push it through the sound barrier and well past the existing record of 763 mph set 15 years ago.
It will be the biggest rocket test in Britain for about 20 years and will bring together the components of the rocket, including a Cosworth Formula One engine that will be used just to pump fuel into the combustion chamber.
'This is the first time we have brought all the elements together,' said Mark Chapman, the project's chief engineer who has a background in aerospace design that included work on the Joint Strike Fighter.
Chapman said a flawless test run would be the best outcome next week but an explosion that provides lessons and drives design improvements would also be counted a success.
'The worst thing that could happen is for nothing to happen,' he told reporters.
The rocket will be tested in a bomb-proof military hangar at Newquay airport in southwest England with the team in a control room 250 metres away.
Dan Jubb, the project's 28-year-old self-taught rocket engineer who sports an impressive handlebar moustache, said the team will leave the doors on the test hangar slightly ajar in case there is an explosion.
'Evidence from the past, when bits of ordnance have gone off unexpectedly, suggests it does have a tendency to blow the doors off,' he said.
The rocket will be run at a third of its full capacity of 27,500 pounds of thrust, equivalent to 80,000 horsepower - or the combined output of 95 Formula One cars.
Subsequent tests running through spring next year will gradually ramp up the power.
Bloodhound will attack 1,000 mph on a dry lake bed called Hakskeen Pan in South Africa's Northern Cape region in 2014, using a jet engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon on loan from Britain's Ministry of Defence, coupled with the hybrid rocket that will use a mix of solid and liquid fuel.
THE RACE IS ON
The race for the land speed record is hotting up again after a 15-year lull following Andy Green's 1997 record in Thrust SSC, and rivals are nipping at Bloodhounds heels.
The North American Eagle project in the United States has a car its volunteer team believes will break the existing record and could do that before Bloodhound is driven at full speed.
The Aussie Invader project led by Rosco McGlashan is more ambitious, with a target of 1,000 mph in a rocket car that runs on liquid oxygen and bio-kerosene to produce about 200,000 horsepower. The Australians are also aiming for 2013/14.
From New Zealand, the Jet Black team also has its hat in the ring with a jet engine and hybrid rocket combination, like Bloodhound.
Three people in the Bloodhound bid cut their teeth on the Thrust SSC project; driver Green, Scottish entrepreneur Richard Noble, who himself held the land speed record from 1983 to 1997, and aerodynamics specialist Ron Ayers.
SECRET SAUCE
Dan Jubb, whose entry in the qualifications section of his profile on the Bloodhound website reads 'none', says the truly new part of his rocket design is in the way it burns the synthetic rubber solid fuel inside.
The liquid fuel, High Test Peroxide (HTP), burns hotter as it travels down the length of the tube, which means the solid fuel in most hybrid rockets burns more quickly towards the rear end.
Jubb has designed a solid fuel mix with a secret ingredient that produces a more even burn, increasing the efficiency of the rocket. He said commercial space flight companies have expressed interest in the technology, but declined to name them.
Pio Szyjanowicz, a spokesman for Cosworth, said Bloodhound is 'a mash-up of different technologies' that has provided some useful feedback into the company's aerospace division.
The pump, which is driven by Cosworth's Formula One engine to fire the liquid fuel into the rocket, is a modified version of one from a 1960s Blue Steel cruise missile.
'There have been some interesting bits of know-how in how to drive the pump,' Szyjanowicz told Reuters, adding that working out how to control the pump and the 'interesting torque demands' have informed the company's business that makes pumps for raising and lowering landing gear on planes.
PASSENGER OR DRIVER?
It's easy to imagine that Andy Green will simply be a passenger once Bloodhound's engines light up and send it hurtling down the 12-mile course.
But the team say the forces on the car mean driving it will require immense skill. It will take 15 seconds to reach 100 mph but then just 25 seconds to go from 100 mph to 1,000 mph.
'Bloodhound will slide all the way down the track and at 1,000 mph it will be more like a boat with the front wheels acting like rudders,' said Knight.
Those forces call for extreme attention to detail in the design. Even a variation in the thickness of the paintwork could cause an asymmetric shockwave which could make the car veer dangerously.
The lake-bed track requires the same level of attention. Its 19-km (12-mile) length is being cleared of about 6,000 tonnes of stones. It is also 500 metres (1,650 feet) wide since the car's metal wheels will cut ruts so each track can only be used once.
So why has the Thrust SSC record stood for so long? 'We moved the bar too high,' said Bloodhound spokesman Richard Knight. 'Every mile an hour beyond the supersonic record is uncharted territory. It's 'here be dragons''.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For video on the Bloodhound project click:
http://www.youtube.com/1050mph
For information on the other record attempts click:
http://www.aussieinvader.com/
http://www.landspeed.com/archive/index.htm
http://jetblacklsr.com/team
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
That's the plan. In the meantime, the team building the Bloodhound supersonic car faces a milestone on October 3 - they will test-fire the rocket they hope will push it through the sound barrier and well past the existing record of 763 mph set 15 years ago.
It will be the biggest rocket test in Britain for about 20 years and will bring together the components of the rocket, including a Cosworth Formula One engine that will be used just to pump fuel into the combustion chamber.
'This is the first time we have brought all the elements together,' said Mark Chapman, the project's chief engineer who has a background in aerospace design that included work on the Joint Strike Fighter.
Chapman said a flawless test run would be the best outcome next week but an explosion that provides lessons and drives design improvements would also be counted a success.
'The worst thing that could happen is for nothing to happen,' he told reporters.
The rocket will be tested in a bomb-proof military hangar at Newquay airport in southwest England with the team in a control room 250 metres away.
Dan Jubb, the project's 28-year-old self-taught rocket engineer who sports an impressive handlebar moustache, said the team will leave the doors on the test hangar slightly ajar in case there is an explosion.
'Evidence from the past, when bits of ordnance have gone off unexpectedly, suggests it does have a tendency to blow the doors off,' he said.
The rocket will be run at a third of its full capacity of 27,500 pounds of thrust, equivalent to 80,000 horsepower - or the combined output of 95 Formula One cars.
Subsequent tests running through spring next year will gradually ramp up the power.
Bloodhound will attack 1,000 mph on a dry lake bed called Hakskeen Pan in South Africa's Northern Cape region in 2014, using a jet engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon on loan from Britain's Ministry of Defence, coupled with the hybrid rocket that will use a mix of solid and liquid fuel.
THE RACE IS ON
The race for the land speed record is hotting up again after a 15-year lull following Andy Green's 1997 record in Thrust SSC, and rivals are nipping at Bloodhounds heels.
The North American Eagle project in the United States has a car its volunteer team believes will break the existing record and could do that before Bloodhound is driven at full speed.
The Aussie Invader project led by Rosco McGlashan is more ambitious, with a target of 1,000 mph in a rocket car that runs on liquid oxygen and bio-kerosene to produce about 200,000 horsepower. The Australians are also aiming for 2013/14.
From New Zealand, the Jet Black team also has its hat in the ring with a jet engine and hybrid rocket combination, like Bloodhound.
Three people in the Bloodhound bid cut their teeth on the Thrust SSC project; driver Green, Scottish entrepreneur Richard Noble, who himself held the land speed record from 1983 to 1997, and aerodynamics specialist Ron Ayers.
SECRET SAUCE
Dan Jubb, whose entry in the qualifications section of his profile on the Bloodhound website reads 'none', says the truly new part of his rocket design is in the way it burns the synthetic rubber solid fuel inside.
The liquid fuel, High Test Peroxide (HTP), burns hotter as it travels down the length of the tube, which means the solid fuel in most hybrid rockets burns more quickly towards the rear end.
Jubb has designed a solid fuel mix with a secret ingredient that produces a more even burn, increasing the efficiency of the rocket. He said commercial space flight companies have expressed interest in the technology, but declined to name them.
Pio Szyjanowicz, a spokesman for Cosworth, said Bloodhound is 'a mash-up of different technologies' that has provided some useful feedback into the company's aerospace division.
The pump, which is driven by Cosworth's Formula One engine to fire the liquid fuel into the rocket, is a modified version of one from a 1960s Blue Steel cruise missile.
'There have been some interesting bits of know-how in how to drive the pump,' Szyjanowicz told Reuters, adding that working out how to control the pump and the 'interesting torque demands' have informed the company's business that makes pumps for raising and lowering landing gear on planes.
PASSENGER OR DRIVER?
It's easy to imagine that Andy Green will simply be a passenger once Bloodhound's engines light up and send it hurtling down the 12-mile course.
But the team say the forces on the car mean driving it will require immense skill. It will take 15 seconds to reach 100 mph but then just 25 seconds to go from 100 mph to 1,000 mph.
'Bloodhound will slide all the way down the track and at 1,000 mph it will be more like a boat with the front wheels acting like rudders,' said Knight.
Those forces call for extreme attention to detail in the design. Even a variation in the thickness of the paintwork could cause an asymmetric shockwave which could make the car veer dangerously.
The lake-bed track requires the same level of attention. Its 19-km (12-mile) length is being cleared of about 6,000 tonnes of stones. It is also 500 metres (1,650 feet) wide since the car's metal wheels will cut ruts so each track can only be used once.
So why has the Thrust SSC record stood for so long? 'We moved the bar too high,' said Bloodhound spokesman Richard Knight. 'Every mile an hour beyond the supersonic record is uncharted territory. It's 'here be dragons''.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For video on the Bloodhound project click:
http://www.youtube.com/1050mph
For information on the other record attempts click:
http://www.aussieinvader.com/
http://www.landspeed.com/archive/index.htm
http://jetblacklsr.com/team
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Government Agency Announces Results of New Green Technologies
The U.S. General Services Administration announced reports on Wednesday regarding two energy efficient technologies that have been tested at through its Green Proving Ground program and can be installed in buildings throughout the country. Twelve new technologies were also welcomed into the program. Here are the details.
* The responsive lighting study evaluated the performance of new workstation-specific lighting systems, the GSA reported. These systems were studied at variety of federal buildings in California and Nevada.
* According to the GSA's report of Occupant Responsive Lighting, the Green Proving Ground program worked with the Department of Energy's Berkeley National Laboratory to select demonstration sites and to compare the performance of work-station specific systems to those that were in place at these buildings prior to retrofits.
* The study found that the advanced lighting controls achieved an annual savings by site in the range of 27 to 63 percent, with the greatest savings coming from spaces where the tenant required lighting for long workdays with variable levels of workstation occupancy.
* The payback of the retrofits was calculated to be seven years or more, though the GSA noted that the costs of workstation lighting are expected to decline with increased market penetration.
* The second study announced on Wednesday was the Plug Load Control study that took place at eight federal buildings in the Mid-Atlantic region, the GSA reported. The study focused on power strips that save energy by controlling plug-in devices on a scheduled timer or by load-sensing control.
* The study found that the scheduled timer was most effective, resulting in an average energy savings of 48 percent when compared to devices that were powered 24/7. The payback period for the technology was expected to be 7.8 years in workstations, and less than a year in kitchens.
* The new technologies that the GSA is planning to test and evaluate include wireless lighting controls, LED luminaires, glazing retrofit coatings, wireless pneumatic thermostats, solar thermal collectors and water saving landscape irrigation systems.
* The Green Proving Ground program was established in response to Executive Order 13514 , which places a focus on sustainability, energy efficiency and the environment in government buildings, the GSA explained in a 2010 report.
* The General Services Administration acts as the primary landlord and real estate broker for the federal government, acquiring and managing federal properties around the country. The GSA owns or leases 9,600 properties in 2,100 communities in all 50 states and the U.S. territories.
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* The responsive lighting study evaluated the performance of new workstation-specific lighting systems, the GSA reported. These systems were studied at variety of federal buildings in California and Nevada.
* According to the GSA's report of Occupant Responsive Lighting, the Green Proving Ground program worked with the Department of Energy's Berkeley National Laboratory to select demonstration sites and to compare the performance of work-station specific systems to those that were in place at these buildings prior to retrofits.
* The study found that the advanced lighting controls achieved an annual savings by site in the range of 27 to 63 percent, with the greatest savings coming from spaces where the tenant required lighting for long workdays with variable levels of workstation occupancy.
* The payback of the retrofits was calculated to be seven years or more, though the GSA noted that the costs of workstation lighting are expected to decline with increased market penetration.
* The second study announced on Wednesday was the Plug Load Control study that took place at eight federal buildings in the Mid-Atlantic region, the GSA reported. The study focused on power strips that save energy by controlling plug-in devices on a scheduled timer or by load-sensing control.
* The study found that the scheduled timer was most effective, resulting in an average energy savings of 48 percent when compared to devices that were powered 24/7. The payback period for the technology was expected to be 7.8 years in workstations, and less than a year in kitchens.
* The new technologies that the GSA is planning to test and evaluate include wireless lighting controls, LED luminaires, glazing retrofit coatings, wireless pneumatic thermostats, solar thermal collectors and water saving landscape irrigation systems.
* The Green Proving Ground program was established in response to Executive Order 13514 , which places a focus on sustainability, energy efficiency and the environment in government buildings, the GSA explained in a 2010 report.
* The General Services Administration acts as the primary landlord and real estate broker for the federal government, acquiring and managing federal properties around the country. The GSA owns or leases 9,600 properties in 2,100 communities in all 50 states and the U.S. territories.
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Google buys wind power for Oklahoma data center
(Reuters) - U.S. Internet company Google Inc on Wednesday agreed to buy 48 megawatts (MW) of wind energy for its Oklahoma data center from the Canadian Hills wind power project in Oklahoma, which is expected to enter service later this year.
In a release, Google said it has been working with its local utility, the Grand River Dam Authority, to procure additional renewable energy since plugging in the Oklahoma data center in 2011.
In conjunction with the electricity the Grand River Dam Authority already supplies Google to operate its data center, Google said it would pay a premium to purchase renewable energy generated by Canadian Hills.
The Google data center is located in Mayes County about 170 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
Google said the purchase brings the total amount of renewable energy it has contracted for to over 260 MW.
One megawatt can power about 1,000 homes.
Boston-based power generator Atlantic Power Corp owns 99 percent of the 298-MW Canadian Hills wind farm, which is located in El Reno about 30 miles west of Oklahoma City, according to Atlantic Power's website.
Atlantic Power said it sells all of the power from Canadian Hills to three power companies: Southwestern Electric Power Authority, the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority and Grand River Dam Authority.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Leslie Adler)
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
In a release, Google said it has been working with its local utility, the Grand River Dam Authority, to procure additional renewable energy since plugging in the Oklahoma data center in 2011.
In conjunction with the electricity the Grand River Dam Authority already supplies Google to operate its data center, Google said it would pay a premium to purchase renewable energy generated by Canadian Hills.
The Google data center is located in Mayes County about 170 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
Google said the purchase brings the total amount of renewable energy it has contracted for to over 260 MW.
One megawatt can power about 1,000 homes.
Boston-based power generator Atlantic Power Corp owns 99 percent of the 298-MW Canadian Hills wind farm, which is located in El Reno about 30 miles west of Oklahoma City, according to Atlantic Power's website.
Atlantic Power said it sells all of the power from Canadian Hills to three power companies: Southwestern Electric Power Authority, the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority and Grand River Dam Authority.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Leslie Adler)
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Chinese ministries test-drive China-made electric cars: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) - Eleven Chinese ministries and government agencies are test-driving China-made electric cars and more will follow suit, state news agency Xinhua said, in the latest show of state support for the country's fledging green vehicle industry.
Staff at the ministries will drive a fleet of 23 electric cars from Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co Ltd and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co, or JAC Motors, as their official vehicles in a one-year trial, Xinhua said on Wednesday.
Beijing has been providing heavy subsidies in a drive to develop the electric car market in China, the world's largest auto market and also the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
But sales remain dismal due to high battery costs and a lack of charging facilities. Experts also say electric cars lack mass market appeal because they are either too costly or not stylish enough for the rich.
Ministries testing the cars include China's powerful economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Culture.
More government units will join the trial, Xinhua said, without elaborating.
Beijing's latest show of support for Chinese car makers comes as Japanese automakers including Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co cut back production in China following anti-Japan protests.
(Reporting by Koh Gui Qing; editing by Jane Baird)
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Staff at the ministries will drive a fleet of 23 electric cars from Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co Ltd and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co, or JAC Motors, as their official vehicles in a one-year trial, Xinhua said on Wednesday.
Beijing has been providing heavy subsidies in a drive to develop the electric car market in China, the world's largest auto market and also the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
But sales remain dismal due to high battery costs and a lack of charging facilities. Experts also say electric cars lack mass market appeal because they are either too costly or not stylish enough for the rich.
Ministries testing the cars include China's powerful economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Culture.
More government units will join the trial, Xinhua said, without elaborating.
Beijing's latest show of support for Chinese car makers comes as Japanese automakers including Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co cut back production in China following anti-Japan protests.
(Reporting by Koh Gui Qing; editing by Jane Baird)
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China solar groups reject illegal subsidy complaint
BANGALORE/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Yingli Green Energy and Trina Solar, two of China's largest solar equipment makers, rejected on Wednesday allegations by a group of European solar panel companies that Chinese rivals are benefiting from illegal subsidies.
In a complaint to the European Commission on Tuesday, the EU ProSun group said Chinese solar companies benefited from very low interest rates thanks to government policy.
'We receive financing at the usual market rates and act according to international accounting standards and norms,' Yingli said.
The company added that the weighted average interest rates for its borrowings ranged from 6.3 percent to 7.1 percent between 2009 and 2011.
'As a publicly listed company, our funding and cost structures are fully transparent and we have been financing our activities at market rates from a range of sources, both Asian and Western, private and public,' Trina Solar's European head Ben Hill said.
The China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday that the China Development Bank Corp, a policy bank that lends at Beijing's behest, would prioritize loans to 12 top solar companies.
Beijing has already provided billions of dollars in credit lines and other support to its solar industry through state-run banks, prompting the U.S. government to impose import duties.
The United States in May imposed anti-dumping duties mostly of 31 percent on Chinese solar panel producers.
Some expect Europe to impose similar duties. The European Commission launched an investigation this month after the EU ProSun group accused Chinese rivals of 'dumping', or deliberately selling products at below cost.
Europe is the biggest market for solar products, accounting for 74 percent of global installations in 2011, according to industry association EPIA.
(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bangalore and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Catherine Evans)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
In a complaint to the European Commission on Tuesday, the EU ProSun group said Chinese solar companies benefited from very low interest rates thanks to government policy.
'We receive financing at the usual market rates and act according to international accounting standards and norms,' Yingli said.
The company added that the weighted average interest rates for its borrowings ranged from 6.3 percent to 7.1 percent between 2009 and 2011.
'As a publicly listed company, our funding and cost structures are fully transparent and we have been financing our activities at market rates from a range of sources, both Asian and Western, private and public,' Trina Solar's European head Ben Hill said.
The China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday that the China Development Bank Corp, a policy bank that lends at Beijing's behest, would prioritize loans to 12 top solar companies.
Beijing has already provided billions of dollars in credit lines and other support to its solar industry through state-run banks, prompting the U.S. government to impose import duties.
The United States in May imposed anti-dumping duties mostly of 31 percent on Chinese solar panel producers.
Some expect Europe to impose similar duties. The European Commission launched an investigation this month after the EU ProSun group accused Chinese rivals of 'dumping', or deliberately selling products at below cost.
Europe is the biggest market for solar products, accounting for 74 percent of global installations in 2011, according to industry association EPIA.
(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bangalore and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Catherine Evans)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Yingli Green rejects accusations of illegal subsidies
(Reuters) - Yingli Green Energy Holding Co, one of China's largest solar equipment makers, rejected allegations made by a group of 25 European solar panel companies that Chinese solar panel makers were benefiting from illegal subsidies.
The EU ProSun group, in a complaint to the European Commission on Tuesday, said Chinese solar companies benefited from very low interest rates thanks to government policy.
'We receive financing at the usual market rates and act according to international accounting standards and norms,' Yingli said on Wednesday.
Yingli said the weighted average interest rates for its borrowings ranged from 6.3 percent to 7.1 percent between 2009 and 2011.
The China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday that the China Development Bank Corp, a policy bank that lends at Beijing's behest, would prioritize loans to 12 top solar companies.
Beijing has already provided billions of dollars in credit lines and other support to its solar industry through state-run banks, prompting the U.S. government to impose import duties.
There are concerns that Europe will also impose similar duties. The European Commission launched an investigation this month after the EU ProSun group accused Chinese rivals of 'dumping', or deliberately selling products for less abroad than at home.
(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
This article is brought to you by FREE PERSONALS.
The EU ProSun group, in a complaint to the European Commission on Tuesday, said Chinese solar companies benefited from very low interest rates thanks to government policy.
'We receive financing at the usual market rates and act according to international accounting standards and norms,' Yingli said on Wednesday.
Yingli said the weighted average interest rates for its borrowings ranged from 6.3 percent to 7.1 percent between 2009 and 2011.
The China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday that the China Development Bank Corp, a policy bank that lends at Beijing's behest, would prioritize loans to 12 top solar companies.
Beijing has already provided billions of dollars in credit lines and other support to its solar industry through state-run banks, prompting the U.S. government to impose import duties.
There are concerns that Europe will also impose similar duties. The European Commission launched an investigation this month after the EU ProSun group accused Chinese rivals of 'dumping', or deliberately selling products for less abroad than at home.
(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
This article is brought to you by FREE PERSONALS.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Gov. Brown gives green light to driverless cars in California
MOUNTAIN VIEW (Reuters) - California took the fast lane to the future on Tuesday when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that lets self-driving cars onto public roads.
Brown rode to the signing ceremony at Google Inc headquarters in the passenger seat of a vehicle that steered itself, a Prius modified by Google. Google co-founder Sergey Brin and State Sen. Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill, were along for the ride. An engineer for the technology company, Chris Urmson, sat in the driver's seat, but the car drove itself.
'We're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality,' Brown said just before signing the bill.
Google has been working on self-driving technology since 2010, including testing a fleet of self-driving cars along California roadways.
Google's driverless cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigation, according to the company.
The new law goes into effect next year and establishes safety and performance regulations for testing driverless cars, provided an operator is ready to take control if necessary.
However, it will likely take years before a fully self-driving autonomous vehicle hits the road, industry official say.
'I think the self driving car can really dramatically improve the quality of life,' said Brin, who pointed to uses ranging from aiding the blind, ferrying revelers who drank too much, to simply making better use of commuting time.
He added that by driving closer together more safely than human-driven cars, self-driven cars might cut congestion.
But Google has no plans to build its own driverless cars.
'We have had great conversations with a variety of automakers,' he said. 'Anything we do is going to be in partnership with the industry.'
The technology has been in the works since the 1950s, when General Motors showed off 'dream cars' with features such as autopilot. Recently, carmakers have started incorporating into today's models some elements based on the innovations in those early vehicles, including adaptive cruise control or traffic-jam technologies that can slow the car automatically.
Carmakers developing autonomous technologies include BMW AG, Ford Motor Co General Motors Co, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Hyundai Motor Co, Mercedes, Nissan Motor Co Ltd Toyota Motor Corp Volkswagen AG and Volvo AB, as well as suppliers, technology companies and universities.
Chip company Intel Corp created a $100 million fund in February to invest in future auto technology.
Nevada and Florida have already passed laws allowing self-driving cars.
(Editing by Peter Henderson and Andre Grenon)
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Brown rode to the signing ceremony at Google Inc headquarters in the passenger seat of a vehicle that steered itself, a Prius modified by Google. Google co-founder Sergey Brin and State Sen. Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill, were along for the ride. An engineer for the technology company, Chris Urmson, sat in the driver's seat, but the car drove itself.
'We're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality,' Brown said just before signing the bill.
Google has been working on self-driving technology since 2010, including testing a fleet of self-driving cars along California roadways.
Google's driverless cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigation, according to the company.
The new law goes into effect next year and establishes safety and performance regulations for testing driverless cars, provided an operator is ready to take control if necessary.
However, it will likely take years before a fully self-driving autonomous vehicle hits the road, industry official say.
'I think the self driving car can really dramatically improve the quality of life,' said Brin, who pointed to uses ranging from aiding the blind, ferrying revelers who drank too much, to simply making better use of commuting time.
He added that by driving closer together more safely than human-driven cars, self-driven cars might cut congestion.
But Google has no plans to build its own driverless cars.
'We have had great conversations with a variety of automakers,' he said. 'Anything we do is going to be in partnership with the industry.'
The technology has been in the works since the 1950s, when General Motors showed off 'dream cars' with features such as autopilot. Recently, carmakers have started incorporating into today's models some elements based on the innovations in those early vehicles, including adaptive cruise control or traffic-jam technologies that can slow the car automatically.
Carmakers developing autonomous technologies include BMW AG, Ford Motor Co General Motors Co, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Hyundai Motor Co, Mercedes, Nissan Motor Co Ltd Toyota Motor Corp Volkswagen AG and Volvo AB, as well as suppliers, technology companies and universities.
Chip company Intel Corp created a $100 million fund in February to invest in future auto technology.
Nevada and Florida have already passed laws allowing self-driving cars.
(Editing by Peter Henderson and Andre Grenon)
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
What to Do with Your Old Computer
Your old computer may not be in resale condition but you can still get some of your investment back through a trade-in or buy back program at your local electronics store. Many computer manufactures and electronics stores also take old computers for an electronics recycling program so you can make sure that hardware is disposed of in an environmentally way. If your computer still works but is now just an older model, you could sell it to someone looking for a used computer.
Here are three ideas on what to do with your old computer:
Trading in Your Old Computer
If you're in the market for another computer or other electronics, participate in a buyback program so you can get some money back for the computer's value. As long as the computer is still functional and in relatively good condition, you'll be able to trade it in for a small percentage of your purchase price. RadioShack's Trade-In Program makes it very simple to trade an old computer for store credit and you can use those funds to make your next computer purchase. Find out how much your computer is worth online, then take the item into a store or ship it to RadioShack for a gift card. Shipping is free, provided you use the prepaid shipping label from RadioShack. If you take your computer into a store, you can get an appraisal for the computer on the spot and decide whether you want to trade it in for store credit.
Selling Your Old Computer
If your old computer is in very good or "like new" condition, consider selling it yourself by running a classified ad, posting it on Craigslist, or selling it on auction sites like eBay. Just take note of any selling fees and transaction fees associated with the sale so you can post the item for an attractive price. Consider offering free shipping and other incentives to prospective buyers for a quick sale.
Recycling Your Old Computer
If you don't think your computer has much value or you just don't have the time to create an ad or trade it in, find out if there are any electronics recycling centers in your area. Several of these centers offer pick-up services and convenient drop-off locations around your town or city. You may also be able to recycle your computer at a local office supply or electronics store, or directly through the manufacturer.
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Fox News Climate Coverage 93% Wrong, Report Finds
Primetime coverage of global warming at Fox News is overwhelmingly misleading, according to a new report that finds the same is true of climate change information in the Wall Street Journal op-ed pages.
Both outlets are owned by Rupert Murdoch's media company News Corporation. The analysis by the science-policy nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that 93 percent of primetime program discussions of global warming on Fox News are inaccurate, as are 81 percent of Wall Street Journal editorials on the subject.
'It's like they were writing and talking about some sort of bizarre world where climate change isn't happening,' study author Aaron Huertas, a press secretary at UCS, told LiveScience.
'It's clear that we're not having a fact-based dialogue about climate change,' Huertas added.
The report, available online, focused on Fox News and the Journal because of both anecdotal and academic reports suggesting high levels of misleading climate chatter in each. UCS researchers combed through six months of Fox News primetime programs (from February 2012 to July 2012) and one year of Wall Street Journal op-eds (from August 2011 to July 2012), for discussions of global warming.
Fox's climate problems
The researchers found that Fox News and the Journal were consistently dismissive of the established scientific consensus that climate change is happening and that human activities are the main driver. For example, a statement aired on a primetime Fox News show on April 11 says, 'I thought we were getting warmer. But in the '70s, it was, look out, we're all going to freeze.'
The statement refers to some research in the 1970s that suggested a cooling trend, exacerbated by pollutants called aerosols (also known as smog). However, a greater number of papers, which represented consensus in the science community, in the 1970s predicted warming, according to Skeptical Science, a climate change communication website maintained by University of Queensland physicist John Cook. Temperature records have since improved, revealing the cooling trend was confined to northern landmasses. [10 Climate Myths Busted]
The most common climate mistakes on Fox News involved misleading statements on basic climate science, or simple undermining and disparaging of the field of climate science. For example, on March 23, one on-air personality referred to global warming as a 'hoax and fraud.'
Misleading opinions
The misrepresentations in Wall Street Journal op-eds similarly twisted the science and disparaged the field, UCS said, though there were also examples of disparaging individual scientists, including calling NASA climate scientist James Hansen a 'global-warming alarmist.'
One March 9 column by Robert Tracinski called global warming a 'bubble' and decried the 'failure of the global warming theory itself' and 'the credibility of its advocates.'
Fox News and the Wall Street Journal did not respond to LiveScience's requests for comment. The organizations have not responded to UCS either, Huertas said, though they were informed of the report before it was made public.
The goal of the report, according to the UCS, is not to shut down legitimate debate on the appropriateness of various climate policies.
'It is entirely appropriate to disagree with specific actions or policies aimed at addressing climate change while accepting the clearly established findings of climate science,' the authors wrote. 'And while it is appropriate to question new science as it emerges, it is misleading to reject or sow doubt about established science - in this case, the overwhelming body of evidence that human-caused climate change is occurring.'
The organization called on News Corp. to examine their climate-change reporting standards and to help their staff differentiate between opinions on global warming and scientific fact.
'This is happening no matter what, so we can have a sober adult conversation about it and figure out what to do, or we can turn it into another hot-button ideological issue,' Heurtas said. 'Frankly, we already have enough hot-button ideological issues. I don't think we need another one.'
Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
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Both outlets are owned by Rupert Murdoch's media company News Corporation. The analysis by the science-policy nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that 93 percent of primetime program discussions of global warming on Fox News are inaccurate, as are 81 percent of Wall Street Journal editorials on the subject.
'It's like they were writing and talking about some sort of bizarre world where climate change isn't happening,' study author Aaron Huertas, a press secretary at UCS, told LiveScience.
'It's clear that we're not having a fact-based dialogue about climate change,' Huertas added.
The report, available online, focused on Fox News and the Journal because of both anecdotal and academic reports suggesting high levels of misleading climate chatter in each. UCS researchers combed through six months of Fox News primetime programs (from February 2012 to July 2012) and one year of Wall Street Journal op-eds (from August 2011 to July 2012), for discussions of global warming.
Fox's climate problems
The researchers found that Fox News and the Journal were consistently dismissive of the established scientific consensus that climate change is happening and that human activities are the main driver. For example, a statement aired on a primetime Fox News show on April 11 says, 'I thought we were getting warmer. But in the '70s, it was, look out, we're all going to freeze.'
The statement refers to some research in the 1970s that suggested a cooling trend, exacerbated by pollutants called aerosols (also known as smog). However, a greater number of papers, which represented consensus in the science community, in the 1970s predicted warming, according to Skeptical Science, a climate change communication website maintained by University of Queensland physicist John Cook. Temperature records have since improved, revealing the cooling trend was confined to northern landmasses. [10 Climate Myths Busted]
The most common climate mistakes on Fox News involved misleading statements on basic climate science, or simple undermining and disparaging of the field of climate science. For example, on March 23, one on-air personality referred to global warming as a 'hoax and fraud.'
Misleading opinions
The misrepresentations in Wall Street Journal op-eds similarly twisted the science and disparaged the field, UCS said, though there were also examples of disparaging individual scientists, including calling NASA climate scientist James Hansen a 'global-warming alarmist.'
One March 9 column by Robert Tracinski called global warming a 'bubble' and decried the 'failure of the global warming theory itself' and 'the credibility of its advocates.'
Fox News and the Wall Street Journal did not respond to LiveScience's requests for comment. The organizations have not responded to UCS either, Huertas said, though they were informed of the report before it was made public.
The goal of the report, according to the UCS, is not to shut down legitimate debate on the appropriateness of various climate policies.
'It is entirely appropriate to disagree with specific actions or policies aimed at addressing climate change while accepting the clearly established findings of climate science,' the authors wrote. 'And while it is appropriate to question new science as it emerges, it is misleading to reject or sow doubt about established science - in this case, the overwhelming body of evidence that human-caused climate change is occurring.'
The organization called on News Corp. to examine their climate-change reporting standards and to help their staff differentiate between opinions on global warming and scientific fact.
'This is happening no matter what, so we can have a sober adult conversation about it and figure out what to do, or we can turn it into another hot-button ideological issue,' Heurtas said. 'Frankly, we already have enough hot-button ideological issues. I don't think we need another one.'
Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- Top 10 Ways to Destroy Earth
- 6 Politicians Who Got the Science Wrong
- 8 Ways Global Warming Is Already Changing the World
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Packer's Tweet Goes Mega-Viral After Insane NFL Ending
The Green Bay Packers just lost a Monday Night football game to the Seattle Seahawks on perhaps the most ridiculous last-second ending in NFL history, and here's how Packers guard T.J. Lang feels about it:
[More from Mashable: Oregon Duck and Marching Band Perform 'Gangnam Style' [VIDEO]]
The post instantly scored a social media touchdown (cue rimshot) of viral proportions, scoring (cue second rimshot) more than 55,000 retweets in less than 45 minutes. Lang followed that tweet up with another:
If you need some context, here's the rundown:
The Packers lost on a last-second hail-mary pass by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson - a pass that was actually intercepted and let stand as a touchdown after the NFL's replacement officials had what can only be described as a refereeing fiasco. Initially, one ref signalled touchdown and another touchback, meaning he thought it was an interception. After a review, the call (the one that was a touchdown) stood, and eventually the game ended. Then, Twitter and Facebook blew up.
Why were the refs replacements? The league and regular officials' union are currently embroiled in a labor dispute that has resulted in referees from lowest rungs of organized football overseeing the NFL preseason and first three weeks of the regular season.
Before the game, Lang was in a much more upbeat mood, as evident from this tweet from earlier Monday:
Thumbnail image courtesy @TJLang70
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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Fuck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.
[More from Mashable: Duke Is First College Basketball Team to Give Players iPads]
- TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 25, 2012
[More from Mashable: Oregon Duck and Marching Band Perform 'Gangnam Style' [VIDEO]]
The post instantly scored a social media touchdown (cue rimshot) of viral proportions, scoring (cue second rimshot) more than 55,000 retweets in less than 45 minutes. Lang followed that tweet up with another:
Any player/coach in Seattle that really thinks they won that game has zero integrity as a man and should be embarrassed.
- TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 25, 2012
If you need some context, here's the rundown:
The Packers lost on a last-second hail-mary pass by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson - a pass that was actually intercepted and let stand as a touchdown after the NFL's replacement officials had what can only be described as a refereeing fiasco. Initially, one ref signalled touchdown and another touchback, meaning he thought it was an interception. After a review, the call (the one that was a touchdown) stood, and eventually the game ended. Then, Twitter and Facebook blew up.
Why were the refs replacements? The league and regular officials' union are currently embroiled in a labor dispute that has resulted in referees from lowest rungs of organized football overseeing the NFL preseason and first three weeks of the regular season.
Before the game, Lang was in a much more upbeat mood, as evident from this tweet from earlier Monday:
Just landed in Seattle.. Focus all on the Seahawks!
- TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 23, 2012
Thumbnail image courtesy @TJLang70
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Winds High In Sky Affect Deep-Ocean Currents
Periodic changes in the strong winds that whip around the Arctic, 15 to 30 miles (24 to 48 kilometers) above the ground, influence currents deep within the ocean and affect the global climate, according to a new study published yesterday (Sept. 23) in the journal Nature Geoscience.
It was already known that processes in the stratosphere, which begins 6 miles (10 km) above Earth's surface, affect the troposphere, the atmospheric layer just above the surface where weather occurs (and in which we live in). Weather, in turn, influences ocean currents. But the new study is one of the first to show a strong link between the stratosphere and the deep ocean, according to a release from the University of Utah.
'Now we actually demonstrated an entire link between the stratosphere, the troposphere and the ocean,' Thomas Reichler, University of Utah researcher and study author, said in the statement.
Reichler's team used weather observations and 4,000 years' worth of supercomputer simulations of climate conditions to show that high-altitude Arctic winds affect the speed of the Gulf Stream, the ocean current that transports warm surface waters from lower latitudes into the North Atlantic, where they cool, sink and return south. This 'conveyor belt' affects the whole world's ocean circulation and climate.
But the conveyor belt has a weak spot in the North Atlantic, south of Greenland, where sinking or 'down-welling' occurs. This area 'is quite susceptible to cooling or warming from the troposphere,' Reichler said. If the water is close to becoming heavy enough to sink, then even small additional amounts of heating or cooling from the atmosphere can speed or slow this process, he said.
Changes in the high-altitude winds above the Arctic, called the polar vortex, have a strong effect in this small region. Because of that sensitivity, Reichler calls the ocean south of Greenland 'the Achilles heel of the North Atlantic.'
These winds whirl counterclockwise around the North Pole at up to 80 mph (130 kph). But about every two years, this circulation system is weakened by sudden warming, and sometimes even shifts direction to run clockwise. This lasts for up to 60 days, during which time the shifting winds propagate down through the atmosphere to the ocean, speeding or slowing the Gulf Stream. [Weirdo Weather: 7 Rare Weather Events]
The study adds another wrinkle to scientists' conception of global climate, revealing how the system is vulnerable to unexpected and regional changes.
'If we as humans modify the stratosphere, it may - through the chain of events we demonstrate in this study - also impact the ocean circulation,' Reichler said.
Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
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It was already known that processes in the stratosphere, which begins 6 miles (10 km) above Earth's surface, affect the troposphere, the atmospheric layer just above the surface where weather occurs (and in which we live in). Weather, in turn, influences ocean currents. But the new study is one of the first to show a strong link between the stratosphere and the deep ocean, according to a release from the University of Utah.
'Now we actually demonstrated an entire link between the stratosphere, the troposphere and the ocean,' Thomas Reichler, University of Utah researcher and study author, said in the statement.
Reichler's team used weather observations and 4,000 years' worth of supercomputer simulations of climate conditions to show that high-altitude Arctic winds affect the speed of the Gulf Stream, the ocean current that transports warm surface waters from lower latitudes into the North Atlantic, where they cool, sink and return south. This 'conveyor belt' affects the whole world's ocean circulation and climate.
But the conveyor belt has a weak spot in the North Atlantic, south of Greenland, where sinking or 'down-welling' occurs. This area 'is quite susceptible to cooling or warming from the troposphere,' Reichler said. If the water is close to becoming heavy enough to sink, then even small additional amounts of heating or cooling from the atmosphere can speed or slow this process, he said.
Changes in the high-altitude winds above the Arctic, called the polar vortex, have a strong effect in this small region. Because of that sensitivity, Reichler calls the ocean south of Greenland 'the Achilles heel of the North Atlantic.'
These winds whirl counterclockwise around the North Pole at up to 80 mph (130 kph). But about every two years, this circulation system is weakened by sudden warming, and sometimes even shifts direction to run clockwise. This lasts for up to 60 days, during which time the shifting winds propagate down through the atmosphere to the ocean, speeding or slowing the Gulf Stream. [Weirdo Weather: 7 Rare Weather Events]
The study adds another wrinkle to scientists' conception of global climate, revealing how the system is vulnerable to unexpected and regional changes.
'If we as humans modify the stratosphere, it may - through the chain of events we demonstrate in this study - also impact the ocean circulation,' Reichler said.
Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
- The World's Biggest Oceans and Seas
- Weather vs. Climate Change: Test Yourself
- 50 Interesting Facts About The Earth
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EPA Names Winners of Green Power Leadership Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its winners of the 12th annual Green Power Leadership Awards on Monday, stating that the 24 Green Power Partners and three suppliers were selected for their achievements in advancing the nation's renewable electricity market. Here are the details.
* The EPA works through its Green Power Partnership with partner organizations -- over half of which are small businesses and nonprofits -- to reduce the impacts of conventional electricity use by voluntarily using green power.
* Green Power Partnership members receive EPA advice, tools and resources, publicity and recognition from the EPA, the agency stated.
* Green power is defined by the EPA as electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas and low-impact hydro.
* The winners were selected from more than 1,300 partner organizations, according to the EPA.
* Intel Corporation, Kohl's Department Stores, Staples, and Whole Foods Market won the first-ever Sustained Excellence in Green Power award.
* The Green Power Partner of the Year award went to the city of Austin, Texas; Hilton Worldwide; Microsoft Corporation; and the University of Oaklahoma.
* Green Power Community of the Year honorees were Beaverton, Ore., and Oak Park, Ill. Oak Park also won the community challenge for achieving the highest green power percentage of total electricity use at 92 percent, the EPA reported.
* Awarded for their Green Power Purchasing were American University; Bloomberg L.P.; City of Philadelphia, Pa; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Kettle Foods; Lockheed Martin; McDonald's USA, LLC; MOM's Organic Market; NYSE Euronext; Quinnipiac University; TD Bank; and The North Face.
* On-Site Generation winners were Coca-Cola Refreshments and Zotos International, Inc.
* Green Power Suppliers of the Year were Renewable Choice Energy and Sterling Planet.
* The award for Innovative Green Power Program of the Year went to Wellesley Municipal Light Plant.
* Washington, D.C., won the second annual Green Power Community Challenge award for using the most green power annually. The city used more than one billion kilowatt-hours, the EPA stated.
* 35 EPA Green Power Communities participated in the Green Power Community Challenge, collectively using nearly 5 billion kWh of green power annually and resuding greenhouse gas emissions equal to the carbon dioxide emissions from annual electricity use of more than 426,000 homes.
* EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson stated that the Green Power Leadership Awards winners "have not only demonstrated commendable civic leadership in their efforts to use renewable energy sources, they've also helped to reduce our carbon footprint and cut back on pollution -- all while supporting America's renewable energy industry."
This news article is brought to you by GIRLS TEACH DATING - where latest news are our top priority.
* The EPA works through its Green Power Partnership with partner organizations -- over half of which are small businesses and nonprofits -- to reduce the impacts of conventional electricity use by voluntarily using green power.
* Green Power Partnership members receive EPA advice, tools and resources, publicity and recognition from the EPA, the agency stated.
* Green power is defined by the EPA as electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas and low-impact hydro.
* The winners were selected from more than 1,300 partner organizations, according to the EPA.
* Intel Corporation, Kohl's Department Stores, Staples, and Whole Foods Market won the first-ever Sustained Excellence in Green Power award.
* The Green Power Partner of the Year award went to the city of Austin, Texas; Hilton Worldwide; Microsoft Corporation; and the University of Oaklahoma.
* Green Power Community of the Year honorees were Beaverton, Ore., and Oak Park, Ill. Oak Park also won the community challenge for achieving the highest green power percentage of total electricity use at 92 percent, the EPA reported.
* Awarded for their Green Power Purchasing were American University; Bloomberg L.P.; City of Philadelphia, Pa; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Kettle Foods; Lockheed Martin; McDonald's USA, LLC; MOM's Organic Market; NYSE Euronext; Quinnipiac University; TD Bank; and The North Face.
* On-Site Generation winners were Coca-Cola Refreshments and Zotos International, Inc.
* Green Power Suppliers of the Year were Renewable Choice Energy and Sterling Planet.
* The award for Innovative Green Power Program of the Year went to Wellesley Municipal Light Plant.
* Washington, D.C., won the second annual Green Power Community Challenge award for using the most green power annually. The city used more than one billion kilowatt-hours, the EPA stated.
* 35 EPA Green Power Communities participated in the Green Power Community Challenge, collectively using nearly 5 billion kWh of green power annually and resuding greenhouse gas emissions equal to the carbon dioxide emissions from annual electricity use of more than 426,000 homes.
* EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson stated that the Green Power Leadership Awards winners "have not only demonstrated commendable civic leadership in their efforts to use renewable energy sources, they've also helped to reduce our carbon footprint and cut back on pollution -- all while supporting America's renewable energy industry."
This news article is brought to you by GIRLS TEACH DATING - where latest news are our top priority.
Saudi-led consortium wins Morocco solar energy bid
RABAT, Morocco (AP) - Morocco says it is awarding a $500 million contract to build a solar power plant to a Saudi-led consortium.
Mustafa Bakkouri of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency said Monday that the consortium, led by Saudi International Company for Water and Power together with the Spanish Aries IS and TSK EE, would build a 160 megawatt solar power plant in the southern Moroccan town of Ouarzazate.
In 2009, Morocco announced a $9 billion project to build five solar plants to harness the sun's rays and produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020 - 38 percent of its energy needs.
Four consortiums were competing for the bid. The Saudi consortium's proposed plant would produce one kilowatt of energy for $0.19, as opposed to $0.24 offered by two of the other competitors.
This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Mustafa Bakkouri of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency said Monday that the consortium, led by Saudi International Company for Water and Power together with the Spanish Aries IS and TSK EE, would build a 160 megawatt solar power plant in the southern Moroccan town of Ouarzazate.
In 2009, Morocco announced a $9 billion project to build five solar plants to harness the sun's rays and produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020 - 38 percent of its energy needs.
Four consortiums were competing for the bid. The Saudi consortium's proposed plant would produce one kilowatt of energy for $0.19, as opposed to $0.24 offered by two of the other competitors.
This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boom
PITTSBURGH (AP) - It sounds like a free-market success story: a natural gas boom created by drilling company innovation, delivering a vast new source of cheap energy without the government subsidies that solar and wind power demand.
'The free market has worked its magic,' the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, claimed over the summer.
The boom happened 'away from the greedy grasp of Washington,' the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, wrote in an essay this year.
If bureaucrats 'had known this was going on,' the essay went on, 'surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether.'
But those who helped pioneer the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, recall a different path. Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks.
Now, those industry pioneers say their own effort shows that the government should back research into future sources of energy - for decades, if need be - to promote breakthroughs. For all its success now, many people in the oil and gas industry itself once thought shale gas was a waste of time.
'There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid,' said Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981. Steward estimated that in the early years, 'probably 90 percent of the people' in the firm didn't believe shale gas would be profitable.
'Did I know it was going to work? Hell no,' Steward added.
Shale is a rock formation thousands of feet underground. Among its largest U.S. deposits are the Marcellus Shale, under parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, and the Barnett Shale is in north Texas. Geologists knew shale contained gas, but for more than 100 years the industry focused on shallower reserves. With fracking, large volumes of water, along with sand and hazardous chemicals, are injected underground to break rock apart and free the gas.
In 1975, the Department of Energy began funding research into fracking and horizontal drilling, where wells go down and then sideways for thousands of feet. But it took more than 20 years to perfect the process.
Alex Crawley, a former Department of Energy employee, recalled that some early tests were spectacular - in a bad way.
A test of fracking explosives in Morgantown, W.Va., 'blew the pipe out of the well about 600 feet high' in the 1970s, Crawley said. Luckily, no one was killed. He added that a 1975 test well in Wyoming 'produced a lot of water.'
Steward recalled that Mitchell Energy didn't even cover the cost of fracking on shale tests until the 36th well was drilled.
'There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long. Most companies would have given up,' he said, crediting founder George Mitchell as a visionary who also got support from the government at key points.
'The government has to be involved, to some degree, with new technologies,' Steward said.
The first federal energy subsidies began in 1916, and until the 1970s they 'focused almost exclusively on increasing the production of domestic oil and natural gas,' according to the Congressional Budget Office.
More recently, the natural gas and petroleum industries altogether accounted for about $2.8 billion in federal energy subsidies in the 2010 fiscal year and about $14.7 billion went to renewable energies, the Department of Energy found. The figures include both direct expenditures and tax credits.
Congress passed a huge tax break in 1980 specifically to encourage unconventional natural gas drilling, noted Alex Trembath, a researcher at the Breakthrough Institute, a California nonprofit that supports new ways of thinking about energy and the environment. Trembath said that the Department of Energy invested about $137 million in gas research over three decades, and that the federal tax credit for drillers amounted to $10 billion between 1980 and 2002.
The work wasn't all industry or all government, but both.
One step at a time, the problems of shale drilling were solved. Crawley said Energy Department researchers processed drilling data on supercomputers at a federal lab. Later, technology created to track sounds of Russian submarines during the Cold War was repurposed to help the industry use sound to get a 3-D picture of shale deposits and track exactly where a drill bit was, thousands of feet underground.
'It was a lot of pieces of technology that the industry thought would help them. Some worked out, some didn't,' Crawley said.
Renewable energy has had similar fits and starts, plagued by the costs and complexities of developing technology, and markets for it.
The idea that the government can help industry achieve advances that the private sector can't or won't has been a central contention of the presidential election. President Barack Obama's comment this summer that Republicans seized on - 'If you've got a business - you didn't build that' - was part of broader comments about infrastructure, education and other public spending that indirectly helps businesses.
Both Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tout the benefits of shale gas. But they differ over the government's role in subsidizing energy research. Obama has suggested continued funding for renewable energy but also eliminating billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas companies. Romney calls that an unhealthy obsession with green jobs - and has vowed to cut wind power subsidies, yet keep federal support for ethanol.
But the fracking pioneers point out that it's impossible to predict how and when research will pay off.
'It wouldn't be research if you already knew that it was going to be effective,' said Crawley.
Steward and others said today's energy challenge is similar to what they faced: a need to find future sources of energy.
'I was concerned about my kids and grandkids. I didn't want my kids sitting out there without energy,' Steward said.
Terry Engelder, a Penn State University geologist known for his enthusiastic support for gas drilling, said the story of how shale gas went from longshot to head of the pack - and how long that took - shows that serious support for renewable energy research makes sense, too.
'These renewables have a huge upside,' Engelder said. 'In my view, the subsidies are really very appropriate.'
Steward is proud of the shale boom, too, but warned that it won't last forever.
'Don't be fooled by this. We've got to have a replacement' for shale gas, he said.
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
'The free market has worked its magic,' the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, claimed over the summer.
The boom happened 'away from the greedy grasp of Washington,' the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, wrote in an essay this year.
If bureaucrats 'had known this was going on,' the essay went on, 'surely Washington would have done something to slow it down, tax it more, or stop it altogether.'
But those who helped pioneer the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, recall a different path. Over three decades, from the shale fields of Texas and Wyoming to the Marcellus in the Northeast, the federal government contributed more than $100 million in research to develop fracking, and billions more in tax breaks.
Now, those industry pioneers say their own effort shows that the government should back research into future sources of energy - for decades, if need be - to promote breakthroughs. For all its success now, many people in the oil and gas industry itself once thought shale gas was a waste of time.
'There's no point in mincing words. Some people thought it was stupid,' said Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981. Steward estimated that in the early years, 'probably 90 percent of the people' in the firm didn't believe shale gas would be profitable.
'Did I know it was going to work? Hell no,' Steward added.
Shale is a rock formation thousands of feet underground. Among its largest U.S. deposits are the Marcellus Shale, under parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, and the Barnett Shale is in north Texas. Geologists knew shale contained gas, but for more than 100 years the industry focused on shallower reserves. With fracking, large volumes of water, along with sand and hazardous chemicals, are injected underground to break rock apart and free the gas.
In 1975, the Department of Energy began funding research into fracking and horizontal drilling, where wells go down and then sideways for thousands of feet. But it took more than 20 years to perfect the process.
Alex Crawley, a former Department of Energy employee, recalled that some early tests were spectacular - in a bad way.
A test of fracking explosives in Morgantown, W.Va., 'blew the pipe out of the well about 600 feet high' in the 1970s, Crawley said. Luckily, no one was killed. He added that a 1975 test well in Wyoming 'produced a lot of water.'
Steward recalled that Mitchell Energy didn't even cover the cost of fracking on shale tests until the 36th well was drilled.
'There's not a lot of companies that would stay with something this long. Most companies would have given up,' he said, crediting founder George Mitchell as a visionary who also got support from the government at key points.
'The government has to be involved, to some degree, with new technologies,' Steward said.
The first federal energy subsidies began in 1916, and until the 1970s they 'focused almost exclusively on increasing the production of domestic oil and natural gas,' according to the Congressional Budget Office.
More recently, the natural gas and petroleum industries altogether accounted for about $2.8 billion in federal energy subsidies in the 2010 fiscal year and about $14.7 billion went to renewable energies, the Department of Energy found. The figures include both direct expenditures and tax credits.
Congress passed a huge tax break in 1980 specifically to encourage unconventional natural gas drilling, noted Alex Trembath, a researcher at the Breakthrough Institute, a California nonprofit that supports new ways of thinking about energy and the environment. Trembath said that the Department of Energy invested about $137 million in gas research over three decades, and that the federal tax credit for drillers amounted to $10 billion between 1980 and 2002.
The work wasn't all industry or all government, but both.
One step at a time, the problems of shale drilling were solved. Crawley said Energy Department researchers processed drilling data on supercomputers at a federal lab. Later, technology created to track sounds of Russian submarines during the Cold War was repurposed to help the industry use sound to get a 3-D picture of shale deposits and track exactly where a drill bit was, thousands of feet underground.
'It was a lot of pieces of technology that the industry thought would help them. Some worked out, some didn't,' Crawley said.
Renewable energy has had similar fits and starts, plagued by the costs and complexities of developing technology, and markets for it.
The idea that the government can help industry achieve advances that the private sector can't or won't has been a central contention of the presidential election. President Barack Obama's comment this summer that Republicans seized on - 'If you've got a business - you didn't build that' - was part of broader comments about infrastructure, education and other public spending that indirectly helps businesses.
Both Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tout the benefits of shale gas. But they differ over the government's role in subsidizing energy research. Obama has suggested continued funding for renewable energy but also eliminating billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas companies. Romney calls that an unhealthy obsession with green jobs - and has vowed to cut wind power subsidies, yet keep federal support for ethanol.
But the fracking pioneers point out that it's impossible to predict how and when research will pay off.
'It wouldn't be research if you already knew that it was going to be effective,' said Crawley.
Steward and others said today's energy challenge is similar to what they faced: a need to find future sources of energy.
'I was concerned about my kids and grandkids. I didn't want my kids sitting out there without energy,' Steward said.
Terry Engelder, a Penn State University geologist known for his enthusiastic support for gas drilling, said the story of how shale gas went from longshot to head of the pack - and how long that took - shows that serious support for renewable energy research makes sense, too.
'These renewables have a huge upside,' Engelder said. 'In my view, the subsidies are really very appropriate.'
Steward is proud of the shale boom, too, but warned that it won't last forever.
'Don't be fooled by this. We've got to have a replacement' for shale gas, he said.
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Boost for carbon capture from new non-toxic absorber
LONDON (Reuters) - Researchers have created a new material that could solve some of the problems holding back projects to combat global warming by capturing and burying carbon emitted from power stations.
The material, made from aluminum nitrate salt, cheap organic materials and water, is non-toxic and requires less energy to strip out the carbon when it becomes saturated, the scientists said.
Carbon capture has not yet been proven on a commercial scale and pilot projects have been hindered by concerns that the ammonia-based materials, or amines, used to absorb carbon can themselves produce toxic emissions.
They are also expensive and need large amounts of heat to boil out the carbon so it can be taken away and stored.
The researchers say their new absorber, dubbed NOTT-300, could overcome all these problems.
'I feel this can been viewed as a revolution to a certain degree,' Sihai Yang from Nottingham University, who worked on the project, told Reuters.
'It is non-toxic, and zero heating input is required for the regeneration. There is promising potential to overcome the traditional amine material on both environmental and economic grounds.'
Timmy Ramirez-Cuesta, who worked on the project at the ISIS research center at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, said the new material could simplify carbon capture by using interchangeable filters.
'When the material is saturated, the exhaust gases are diverted to the second container where the process continues,' he said.'The full container is disconnected from the system and the CO2 is removed using a vacuum and collected. The regenerated container can then be reconnected and used repeatedly.'
The team, which also included scientists from the University of Oxford and Peking University in China, say the new material captured close to 100 percent of the carbon dioxide in experiments using a cocktail of gases.
Although the rate could be lower in the 'dynamic conditions' of a real power station, it should still be over 90 percent, which is a key test for the viability of an absorber.
The material can pick up harmful gases, including sulphur dioxide, in a mixture, allowing others like hydrogen, methane, nitrogen and oxygen to pass through.
It does, however, absorb water vapor and the researchers are doing further work to overcome the problem, which could reduce its performance with CO2.
Martin Schroeder at Nottingham, who led the research, said NOTT-300 could also be put to use in gas purification. Natural gas often contains 10 percent of carbon dioxide impurity which needs to be removed before it can be used.
The scientists said they are working with companies in the carbon capture business on commercializing the new material.
The research was published in the journal Nature Chemistry.
(Editing by David Cowell)
This news article is brought to you by LINUXOS.PRO - where latest news are our top priority.
The material, made from aluminum nitrate salt, cheap organic materials and water, is non-toxic and requires less energy to strip out the carbon when it becomes saturated, the scientists said.
Carbon capture has not yet been proven on a commercial scale and pilot projects have been hindered by concerns that the ammonia-based materials, or amines, used to absorb carbon can themselves produce toxic emissions.
They are also expensive and need large amounts of heat to boil out the carbon so it can be taken away and stored.
The researchers say their new absorber, dubbed NOTT-300, could overcome all these problems.
'I feel this can been viewed as a revolution to a certain degree,' Sihai Yang from Nottingham University, who worked on the project, told Reuters.
'It is non-toxic, and zero heating input is required for the regeneration. There is promising potential to overcome the traditional amine material on both environmental and economic grounds.'
Timmy Ramirez-Cuesta, who worked on the project at the ISIS research center at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, said the new material could simplify carbon capture by using interchangeable filters.
'When the material is saturated, the exhaust gases are diverted to the second container where the process continues,' he said.'The full container is disconnected from the system and the CO2 is removed using a vacuum and collected. The regenerated container can then be reconnected and used repeatedly.'
The team, which also included scientists from the University of Oxford and Peking University in China, say the new material captured close to 100 percent of the carbon dioxide in experiments using a cocktail of gases.
Although the rate could be lower in the 'dynamic conditions' of a real power station, it should still be over 90 percent, which is a key test for the viability of an absorber.
The material can pick up harmful gases, including sulphur dioxide, in a mixture, allowing others like hydrogen, methane, nitrogen and oxygen to pass through.
It does, however, absorb water vapor and the researchers are doing further work to overcome the problem, which could reduce its performance with CO2.
Martin Schroeder at Nottingham, who led the research, said NOTT-300 could also be put to use in gas purification. Natural gas often contains 10 percent of carbon dioxide impurity which needs to be removed before it can be used.
The scientists said they are working with companies in the carbon capture business on commercializing the new material.
The research was published in the journal Nature Chemistry.
(Editing by David Cowell)
This news article is brought to you by LINUXOS.PRO - where latest news are our top priority.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Gas drilling protests held in US, other countries
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Demonstrators in the United States and other countries protested Saturday against the natural gas drilling process known as fracking that they say threatens public health and the environment.
Participants in the 'Global Frackdown' campaign posted photos on social media websites showing mostly small groups.
But organizer Mark Schlosberg said Saturday afternoon he thought the protests were going well and he pointed to photos showing larger demonstrations in South Africa and France as well as higher turnouts in cities in California, Colorado and New York.
'I think it's really the communities all over the world coming together to say, 'We want to protect our water, we want to protect our air, and we want to safeguard our climate future by getting off dirty fossil fuels and saying no to fracking. We need to invest in a renewable energy future,'' said Schlosberg, who is national organizing director for Food & Water Watch, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that developed the GlobalFrackdown website and campaign.
The immense volumes of natural gas found by fracturing underground shale rock around the country has spurred a boom in natural gas production that has been credited with creating jobs and lowering prices for industry and consumers.
But scientists disagree on the risks of hydraulic fracking, a process that injects large volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to break rock apart and free the gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many state regulators say fracking can be done safely, and the American Lung Association says it can help reduce air pollution.
Opponents say the process can pollute water and sicken residents.
At a park in Pittsburgh, protesters signed a petition calling for a moratorium on shale gas drilling. In Buffalo, N.Y., demonstrators called upon Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban hydraulic fracturing.
Jennifer Krill, executive director of Earthworks, said about 50 San Francisco demonstrators marched along the waterfront to the Golden Gate bridge, carrying signs and banners. She posted a picture of a 30-foot-long white banner stretched out on the grass that listed chemicals used in fracking.
'I thought it was a very eye-catching way to display one of the key problems with fracking, which is that the public does not know - unless the company chooses to disclose it - what chemicals are involved in hydraulic fracturing,' she said.
Kathy Hanratty of Frack-Free Geauga said about 30 to 40 people turned out at a demonstration in the northeast Ohio county, which she said was not bad considering 'it's a small county and a rainy morning.'
'It is an affected area,' Hanratty said. 'We just had the seismic test trucks go past my house on Monday.'
In Ohio, an injection well used to hold wastewater from the fracking process has been tied to a series of earthquakes in the Youngstown area.
This news article is brought to you by GIRLS TEACH DATING - where latest news are our top priority.
Participants in the 'Global Frackdown' campaign posted photos on social media websites showing mostly small groups.
But organizer Mark Schlosberg said Saturday afternoon he thought the protests were going well and he pointed to photos showing larger demonstrations in South Africa and France as well as higher turnouts in cities in California, Colorado and New York.
'I think it's really the communities all over the world coming together to say, 'We want to protect our water, we want to protect our air, and we want to safeguard our climate future by getting off dirty fossil fuels and saying no to fracking. We need to invest in a renewable energy future,'' said Schlosberg, who is national organizing director for Food & Water Watch, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that developed the GlobalFrackdown website and campaign.
The immense volumes of natural gas found by fracturing underground shale rock around the country has spurred a boom in natural gas production that has been credited with creating jobs and lowering prices for industry and consumers.
But scientists disagree on the risks of hydraulic fracking, a process that injects large volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to break rock apart and free the gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many state regulators say fracking can be done safely, and the American Lung Association says it can help reduce air pollution.
Opponents say the process can pollute water and sicken residents.
At a park in Pittsburgh, protesters signed a petition calling for a moratorium on shale gas drilling. In Buffalo, N.Y., demonstrators called upon Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ban hydraulic fracturing.
Jennifer Krill, executive director of Earthworks, said about 50 San Francisco demonstrators marched along the waterfront to the Golden Gate bridge, carrying signs and banners. She posted a picture of a 30-foot-long white banner stretched out on the grass that listed chemicals used in fracking.
'I thought it was a very eye-catching way to display one of the key problems with fracking, which is that the public does not know - unless the company chooses to disclose it - what chemicals are involved in hydraulic fracturing,' she said.
Kathy Hanratty of Frack-Free Geauga said about 30 to 40 people turned out at a demonstration in the northeast Ohio county, which she said was not bad considering 'it's a small county and a rainy morning.'
'It is an affected area,' Hanratty said. 'We just had the seismic test trucks go past my house on Monday.'
In Ohio, an injection well used to hold wastewater from the fracking process has been tied to a series of earthquakes in the Youngstown area.
This news article is brought to you by GIRLS TEACH DATING - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Avian malaria spreads north into interior Alaska: study
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Malaria is infecting birds as far north as Alaska's interior, and a rapidly warming climate may be the reason the mosquito-borne disease appears to be advancing northward, a new study shows.
It is the first time scientists have detected the transmission of avian malaria in local birds at such far-north latitudes anywhere in North America, said the study, published on Wednesday in the scientific journal PLOS One.
'We now have shown that malaria is being transmitted in Alaska,' said Ravinder Sehgal, a San Francisco State University biologist and a lead researcher on the project.
While tropical birds that migrate to Alaska in the summer are known to carry the disease, there had never been any documented cases of it spreading to non-migratory Alaska birds or birds newly hatched in Alaska that had not yet flown south, Sehgal said.
Longer periods of warm weather in the summer may be allowing the malaria parasite to thrive in Alaska and be transmitted by mosquitoes, Sehgal said.
'The question was, how far north is it getting, and is it going to get to birds that have never expressed it?' he said.
The study notes that temperatures have been increasing in the Arctic at almost twice the average global rate, and that the warming climate has changed vegetation in the far north.
The study evaluated blood samples taken last year from birds in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Coldfoot, a community north of the Arctic Circle. The researchers found avian malaria in resident and hatch-year birds in Anchorage and Fairbanks, though not as far north as Coldfoot.
Of 676 birds tested, 7.2 percent were found to be infected. Some of the hardest-hit birds were black-capped chickadees, Sehgal said. Of the black-capped chickadees tested in Anchorage, about 30 percent were infected.
Further studies are underway to try to determine what type of mosquito might be spreading the disease, Sehgal said.
It is unclear what effect avian malaria might have on the Alaska birds. For some species elsewhere, malaria transmissions are devastating, Sehgal said.
Penguins, which have no natural defenses against malaria, die when they are infected in zoos, he said. Malaria also has seriously damaged bird populations in Hawaii, where non-native mosquitoes have been introduced to the habitat.
But Alaskans need not fear for their health, Sehgal said. The study detected only avian malaria, which is different from the type of malaria that afflicts mammals.
'Certainly, it is not going to spread to humans,' he said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Xavier Briand)
This article is sponsored by build website.
It is the first time scientists have detected the transmission of avian malaria in local birds at such far-north latitudes anywhere in North America, said the study, published on Wednesday in the scientific journal PLOS One.
'We now have shown that malaria is being transmitted in Alaska,' said Ravinder Sehgal, a San Francisco State University biologist and a lead researcher on the project.
While tropical birds that migrate to Alaska in the summer are known to carry the disease, there had never been any documented cases of it spreading to non-migratory Alaska birds or birds newly hatched in Alaska that had not yet flown south, Sehgal said.
Longer periods of warm weather in the summer may be allowing the malaria parasite to thrive in Alaska and be transmitted by mosquitoes, Sehgal said.
'The question was, how far north is it getting, and is it going to get to birds that have never expressed it?' he said.
The study notes that temperatures have been increasing in the Arctic at almost twice the average global rate, and that the warming climate has changed vegetation in the far north.
The study evaluated blood samples taken last year from birds in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Coldfoot, a community north of the Arctic Circle. The researchers found avian malaria in resident and hatch-year birds in Anchorage and Fairbanks, though not as far north as Coldfoot.
Of 676 birds tested, 7.2 percent were found to be infected. Some of the hardest-hit birds were black-capped chickadees, Sehgal said. Of the black-capped chickadees tested in Anchorage, about 30 percent were infected.
Further studies are underway to try to determine what type of mosquito might be spreading the disease, Sehgal said.
It is unclear what effect avian malaria might have on the Alaska birds. For some species elsewhere, malaria transmissions are devastating, Sehgal said.
Penguins, which have no natural defenses against malaria, die when they are infected in zoos, he said. Malaria also has seriously damaged bird populations in Hawaii, where non-native mosquitoes have been introduced to the habitat.
But Alaskans need not fear for their health, Sehgal said. The study detected only avian malaria, which is different from the type of malaria that afflicts mammals.
'Certainly, it is not going to spread to humans,' he said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Xavier Briand)
This article is sponsored by build website.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Microsoft wins German ban on Motorola devices
In another unwelcome development for Android OEMs, a German court has slapped the Google (GOOG)-owned Motorola with a sales ban for allegedly infringing upon patents held by Microsoft (MSFT). AllThingsD reports that the court banned a number of Motorola smartphones and tablets for infringing a patent that details "a method and system for receiving user input data into a computer system having a graphical windowing environment." To make things worse, Microsoft is alleging that the patent in question covers a feature that is a core part of Android and can't be easily designed around. Google has not yet appealed the verdict, AllThingsD says, but it likely will.
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This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Honeybee homicide case against Syngenta pesticide unproven
LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have shot down a study on declining honeybee populations that triggered a French ban on a pesticide made by Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta.
France's farm minister Stephane Le Foll withdrew Syngenta's marketing permit for the pesticide Cruiser OSR in June, citing evidence of a threat to the country's bees.
But a study by Britain's Food and Environment Agency with the University of Exeter says the results of the original research were flawed.
The study, published in the journal Science, does not deny that pesticides could be harmful to individual bees but argues there is no evidence they cause the collapse of whole colonies.
'We do not yet have definitive evidence of the impact of these insecticides on honeybees and we should not be making any decisions on changes to policy on their use,' said James Cresswell, the ecotoxicologist who led the latest study.
The previous research, led by French scientist Mikaël Henry and published in Science in April, showed the death rate of bees increased when they drank nectar laced with the neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, the active ingredient in Cruiser OSR.
Henry's work calculated this would cause a bee colony to collapse completely but Cresswell said the French study seems to have used an inappropriately low birth rate, underestimating the rate at which colonies can recover from the loss of bees.
'They modelled a colony that isn't increasing in size and what we know is that in springtime when oilseed rape is blossoming they increase rapidly,' Cresswell told Reuters.
The French study has been cited by scientists, environmentalists and policy-makers as evidence of the impact of these pesticides on bees, which are declining around the world.
'We know that neonicotinoids affect honeybees, but there is no evidence that they could cause colony collapse,' said Cresswell. 'When we repeated the previous calculation with a realistic birth rate, the risk of colony collapse under pesticide exposure disappeared.'
Cresswell said Henry's research also used a dosage of pesticide equivalent to a whole day's intake by the bees, akin to testing the effect of coffee on people by making them drink eight cups in one go, rather than spread out over the day.
Henry was not immediately available for comment.
Neonicotinoids are among the most widely-used agricultural insecticides.
'I am definitely not saying that pesticides are harmless to honeybees, but I think everyone wants to make decisions based on sound evidence, and our research shows that the effects of thiamethoxam are not as severe as first thought,' the British scientist said.
(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
This article is brought to you by PERSONALS.
France's farm minister Stephane Le Foll withdrew Syngenta's marketing permit for the pesticide Cruiser OSR in June, citing evidence of a threat to the country's bees.
But a study by Britain's Food and Environment Agency with the University of Exeter says the results of the original research were flawed.
The study, published in the journal Science, does not deny that pesticides could be harmful to individual bees but argues there is no evidence they cause the collapse of whole colonies.
'We do not yet have definitive evidence of the impact of these insecticides on honeybees and we should not be making any decisions on changes to policy on their use,' said James Cresswell, the ecotoxicologist who led the latest study.
The previous research, led by French scientist Mikaël Henry and published in Science in April, showed the death rate of bees increased when they drank nectar laced with the neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam, the active ingredient in Cruiser OSR.
Henry's work calculated this would cause a bee colony to collapse completely but Cresswell said the French study seems to have used an inappropriately low birth rate, underestimating the rate at which colonies can recover from the loss of bees.
'They modelled a colony that isn't increasing in size and what we know is that in springtime when oilseed rape is blossoming they increase rapidly,' Cresswell told Reuters.
The French study has been cited by scientists, environmentalists and policy-makers as evidence of the impact of these pesticides on bees, which are declining around the world.
'We know that neonicotinoids affect honeybees, but there is no evidence that they could cause colony collapse,' said Cresswell. 'When we repeated the previous calculation with a realistic birth rate, the risk of colony collapse under pesticide exposure disappeared.'
Cresswell said Henry's research also used a dosage of pesticide equivalent to a whole day's intake by the bees, akin to testing the effect of coffee on people by making them drink eight cups in one go, rather than spread out over the day.
Henry was not immediately available for comment.
Neonicotinoids are among the most widely-used agricultural insecticides.
'I am definitely not saying that pesticides are harmless to honeybees, but I think everyone wants to make decisions based on sound evidence, and our research shows that the effects of thiamethoxam are not as severe as first thought,' the British scientist said.
(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
This article is brought to you by PERSONALS.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Final testing under way for Wyoming supercomputer
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Final testing is being done on a National Center for Atmospheric Research supercomputer on the outskirts of Cheyenne that will be used for climate modeling and other Earth sciences.
Research is expected to begin this fall on the new computer, called Yellowstone, which has enough power to rank among the top dozen or so fastest supercomputers in the world.
So how fast is it, exactly?
The computer will run at a speed of up to 1.5 petaflops, or 1.5 quadrillion operations per second. Put another way: If you counted one number per second, it would take a lot longer than your entire lifetime or anybody else's to get all the way up to 1.5 quadrillion. Try more than 47 million years.
The roughly $30 million IBM machine fills much of a 153,000-square-foot, custom-built facility.
The Boulder, Colo.-based National Center for Atmospheric Research already has lined up 11 initial research projects that will get time on its machine starting this fall, center spokesman David Hosansky said.
One of the upcoming projects will model air movement inside hurricanes and tornadoes. Another will examine how weather and air quality could change in North America in the years ahead.
First, the machine needs to pass its final tests. The process is more complicated than trying out a new laptop.
'These complex systems need extensive testing and analysis before we could formally accept it,' Hosansky said Wednesday.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research hopes to wrap up testing and accept the supercomputer in October. A ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Gov. Matt Mead and National Science Foundation Director Subra Suresh is scheduled for Oct. 15.
The supercomputer is 30 times more powerful than the machine currently in use at the center's Mesa Laboratory in Boulder.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research has a long history of using supercomputers. One of the world's first, the Cray 1-A, crunched numbers at the center from 1977 to 1989. The Yellowstone supercomputer will be 9.7 million times faster with 3.4 million times the disk capacity and 19 million times the central memory size of the Cray 1-A, according to NCAR.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The Wyoming Legislature committed $21 million for the supercomputer project in 2007.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Research is expected to begin this fall on the new computer, called Yellowstone, which has enough power to rank among the top dozen or so fastest supercomputers in the world.
So how fast is it, exactly?
The computer will run at a speed of up to 1.5 petaflops, or 1.5 quadrillion operations per second. Put another way: If you counted one number per second, it would take a lot longer than your entire lifetime or anybody else's to get all the way up to 1.5 quadrillion. Try more than 47 million years.
The roughly $30 million IBM machine fills much of a 153,000-square-foot, custom-built facility.
The Boulder, Colo.-based National Center for Atmospheric Research already has lined up 11 initial research projects that will get time on its machine starting this fall, center spokesman David Hosansky said.
One of the upcoming projects will model air movement inside hurricanes and tornadoes. Another will examine how weather and air quality could change in North America in the years ahead.
First, the machine needs to pass its final tests. The process is more complicated than trying out a new laptop.
'These complex systems need extensive testing and analysis before we could formally accept it,' Hosansky said Wednesday.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research hopes to wrap up testing and accept the supercomputer in October. A ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Gov. Matt Mead and National Science Foundation Director Subra Suresh is scheduled for Oct. 15.
The supercomputer is 30 times more powerful than the machine currently in use at the center's Mesa Laboratory in Boulder.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research has a long history of using supercomputers. One of the world's first, the Cray 1-A, crunched numbers at the center from 1977 to 1989. The Yellowstone supercomputer will be 9.7 million times faster with 3.4 million times the disk capacity and 19 million times the central memory size of the Cray 1-A, according to NCAR.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The Wyoming Legislature committed $21 million for the supercomputer project in 2007.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Arctic ice shrinks to all-time low; half 1980 size
WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists say the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank to an all-time low this year, smashing old records for the critical climate indicator.
The ice cap at the North Pole measured 1.32 million square miles on Sunday. The previous low was 1.61 million square miles in 2007. Records go back to 1979 based on satellite tracking.
Ice in the Arctic melts in summer and grows in winter, and it started growing again on Monday. National Snow and Ice Data Center scientist Walt Meier (MY'ur) says man-made global warming has melted more sea ice and made it thinner.
Meier says in the 1980s, summer ice would cover an area slightly smaller than the Lower 48 states. Now it is about half that size.
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The ice cap at the North Pole measured 1.32 million square miles on Sunday. The previous low was 1.61 million square miles in 2007. Records go back to 1979 based on satellite tracking.
Ice in the Arctic melts in summer and grows in winter, and it started growing again on Monday. National Snow and Ice Data Center scientist Walt Meier (MY'ur) says man-made global warming has melted more sea ice and made it thinner.
Meier says in the 1980s, summer ice would cover an area slightly smaller than the Lower 48 states. Now it is about half that size.
This article is brought to you by DATE.
China cuts rare earths mining permits
BEIJING (AP) - China has cut the number of permits for rare earths mining in a new move to tighten controls over the exotic minerals needed to manufacture mobile phones, electric cars and other high-tech goods.
The Ministry of Land and Resources decided to cut the number of mining permits by 40 percent from 113 to 67, China Central Television said Wednesday. The brief report gave no indication how that was expected to affect the amount of rare earths produced.
The announcement comes amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over control of a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Beijing temporarily suspended rare earths shipments to Japanese buyers the last time tensions over the islands flared in 2010 but there was no indication whether Japan might be affected by the latest change.
Beijing has alarmed global manufacturers by restricting production and exports while it tries to build up its own processing industry to capture profits that flow to U.S., Japanese and European companies that use rare earths to make lightweight magnets, batteries and other products.
China has about 30 percent of world supplies of rare earths but accounts for more than 90 percent of production. Its trading partners say quotas and taxes push up rare earths prices abroad, giving buyers in China an unfair advantage.
The United States, the European Union and Japan challenged Chinese controls in a World Trade Organization complaint in March. Chinese officials say the controls are in line with WTO rules and necessary to conserve dwindling reserves and reduce environmental damage from mining.
Rare earths are 17 minerals used to make goods including hybrid cars, weapons, flat-screen TVs, mobile phones, mercury-vapor lights and camera lenses.
The restrictions are especially sensitive at a time when governments are trying to boost exports to reduce unemployment. The United States and Europe want to increase sales of high-tech goods that include products made with rare earths.
The United States, Canada, Australia and other countries also have rare earths but most mining stopped in the 1990s as lower-cost Chinese ores came on the market.
Chinese officials have expressed hope foreign companies that use rare earths will shift production to China and share technology with local partners.
Last month, Beijing tightened controls on rare earths mining and smelting, announcing minimum production levels for companies. State media said that might result in 20 percent of the country's production capacity being shut down.
The government also has limited the number of companies permitted to export rare earths.
Beijing's restrictions have prompted producers to announce plans to reopen or develop mines in California, Canada, India, Russia, Malaysia and elsewhere.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
The Ministry of Land and Resources decided to cut the number of mining permits by 40 percent from 113 to 67, China Central Television said Wednesday. The brief report gave no indication how that was expected to affect the amount of rare earths produced.
The announcement comes amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over control of a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Beijing temporarily suspended rare earths shipments to Japanese buyers the last time tensions over the islands flared in 2010 but there was no indication whether Japan might be affected by the latest change.
Beijing has alarmed global manufacturers by restricting production and exports while it tries to build up its own processing industry to capture profits that flow to U.S., Japanese and European companies that use rare earths to make lightweight magnets, batteries and other products.
China has about 30 percent of world supplies of rare earths but accounts for more than 90 percent of production. Its trading partners say quotas and taxes push up rare earths prices abroad, giving buyers in China an unfair advantage.
The United States, the European Union and Japan challenged Chinese controls in a World Trade Organization complaint in March. Chinese officials say the controls are in line with WTO rules and necessary to conserve dwindling reserves and reduce environmental damage from mining.
Rare earths are 17 minerals used to make goods including hybrid cars, weapons, flat-screen TVs, mobile phones, mercury-vapor lights and camera lenses.
The restrictions are especially sensitive at a time when governments are trying to boost exports to reduce unemployment. The United States and Europe want to increase sales of high-tech goods that include products made with rare earths.
The United States, Canada, Australia and other countries also have rare earths but most mining stopped in the 1990s as lower-cost Chinese ores came on the market.
Chinese officials have expressed hope foreign companies that use rare earths will shift production to China and share technology with local partners.
Last month, Beijing tightened controls on rare earths mining and smelting, announcing minimum production levels for companies. State media said that might result in 20 percent of the country's production capacity being shut down.
The government also has limited the number of companies permitted to export rare earths.
Beijing's restrictions have prompted producers to announce plans to reopen or develop mines in California, Canada, India, Russia, Malaysia and elsewhere.
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
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