Environmental Policy

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Group: polluters use offsets to avoid carbon cuts

According to nonprofit group Sandbag, reports the AP, major European polluters are buying their way out of making big cuts to greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon offsets that pay for environmental programs in developing nations.

New federal climate change agency forming

The weather system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is set to intensify. The new Climate Service was announced this week, and it combines the various units of the Weather Service and Ocean Service that have been studying climate change. Pending congressional committee approval, the office will appear at the end of 2010.

Himalayan glaciers warning not backed up, says UN

A U.N. warning that Himalayan glaciers were melting faster than any other place in the world and may be gone by 2035 was not backed up by science, U.N. climate experts said Wednesday—an admission that could energize climate change critics.

From paper strips to monkey hair

From paper strips to monkey hair

How pure is our drinking water? The answer to that question varies by region, country, etc. But what has begun to scare me is the threat of toxins polluting drinking water everywhere.

Paper strips can detect toxin in drinking water

A strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes can quickly and inexpensively detect a toxin produced by algae in drinking water. Engineers at the Univ. of Michigan led the development of the new biosensor.  

Study: US biofuels policies flawed

The United States needs to fundamentally rethink its policy of promoting ethanol to diversify its energy sources and increase energy security, according to a new policy paper by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Solar showdown in Calif. tortoises' desert home

Solar showdown in Calif. tortoises' desert home

Loggers and real estate developers aren’t the only ones to have crossed Mother Nature’s most challenged wildlife. Now BrightSource Energy, which plans to build a solar-energy complex in the Mojave Desert, has been foiled by environmental groups looking to save rare tortoises. It’s a case of good project, bad location.

New report underlines multiple benefits but also new challenges to biodiversity-rich sites

Even as countries like the U.S. and China spar in Copenhagen, some agreements have already been struck, including one to fund reduced emissions from deforestation. But as researchers have recently pointed out, unless safeguards are in place the funding could merely transfer carbon emissions to another source rather than eliminate them.

Report: Science not faked, but not pretty

Climate research e-mails stolen from a Univ. of East Anglia server amounted to 1 million in total, and a review by the Associated Press showed that apart from a clear effort to shape the message to be drawn from their studies, the most significant finding was that an effort may have been made to avoid sharing scientific data with critics skeptical of global warming.

Climate draft has gaping holes at UN talks

The main elements of a global pact on climate change is in place, but in the areas of financing and greenhouse gas emissions cuts there remain open holes that world leads hope to fill in next week. The six-page document was distilled from 180 pages.

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Blogs

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Much ado about next to nothing

Much ado about next to nothing

The recent review of the past 10 years of the National Nanotechnology Initiative--as presented by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology--suggested the rise of nanomanufacturing as the near future of nanotechnology. But the actual proposed funding reflects a cautious approach, even about nanotech in general.

Lunar tires, space MRSA, and resonating microfluidics

Lunar tires, space MRSA, and resonating microfluidics

I typically attend the annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy each year in pursuit of specific coverage. This year, I sought out candidates for coverage in a vacuum technology article, and pulled together some instruments for a spectroscopy guide. But as busy as that kept me, it wasn’t all mass spectrometers and vacuum pumps on the show floor.  

Multimedia

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NuGard Coating Ashburn Hill

NuGard Coating Ashburn Hill

NuGard First Response Protective Clothing are lightweight coveralls, jackets, and pants that provide protection from heat and flame while keeping the wearers body temperature constant.

Multi-Touch Music Maker

Multi-Touch Music Maker

Professor David Wessel shows his multi-touch interface that uses computer technologies that allow him to experiment with fine controls to "caress" the instrument.

New To Market

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Submersible FlowCAM catches particle images and data in-situ and real-time
Submersible FlowCAM catches particle images and data in-situ and real-time

Fluid Imaging Technologies recently introduced its Submersible FlowCAM particle and cell imaging and analysis system at Ocean Sciences 2010 in Portland, Ore. The remote sensing platform can be used for continuous, unattended monitoring tethered to research vessels or autonomous submersibles.

Daytime running light has just two LEDs

The new OSTAR Compact LED from OSRAM has been developed specifically for use in vehicle headlights. Despite drawing just 5 W, the device provides 300 lumens of power and meets ECE/SAE color binning requirements for use on motor vehicles.

Tools & Technology

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Benchtop NMR analyzer
Benchtop NMR analyzer

Oxford Instruments America, Inc.’s Magnetic Resonance Group released the second generation of its MQC analyzers.

Software solution for microarray image analysis

BioDiscovery Inc. released ImaGene 9.0 for microarray image analysis. The new features include improved memory performance for the latest high density arrays, streamlined processing pipeline focused on image quantification and intensity extraction, and new modular design with options to add modules for analysis of gene/miRNA expression or CGH data.

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