Recycled Denim Challenge Finalists From Ecouterre And Gap (PHOTOS)

Check out these desgins by some fashion-foward, eco-friendly people.

From The Huffington Post
November 1, 2010

Don't waste that Pumpkin! [INFOGRAPHIC]

Don’t throw away your pumpkins right after Halloween! How to effectively use all parts of your pumpkin.

From Pure Organic
October 28, 2010

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Save the Whales, Save the Poop

Gross, but interesting.

From Discovery News

Chances are, you've heard a multitude of arguments against the killing of whales.

It's cruel. It has decimated whale populations. Whale meat is full of pollutants. Continued whaling will prompt preventive measures by 23rd century time travelers.

To which, we may now add another.

The ocean needs whale poop.

It wasn't long ago that researchers first confirmed that whales contributed to ocean ecology even after death, their carcasses landing on the seabed and forming the basis for unique communities known as "whale falls". Now, two whale scientists have found that, as well as seeding the seabed, whales also stimulate biological production at the ocean's surface, thanks to their nutrient-rich feces.

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US apologizes for infecting Guatemalans with STDs in the 1940s

Another atrocity in the history of U.S. medical research has come to light.  In the late 1940s, the U.S. Public Health Service Sexually Transmitted Disease Inoculation Study purposely infected more than 1,600 Guatemalans with syphilis, gonorrhea and chancres.  The study, which came to light recently when a  Wellesley College researcher found unpublished notes from the project, has drawn an official apology from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

By the CNN Wire Staff

October 1, 2010

 

The United States apologized Friday for a 1946-1948 research study that purposely infected people in Guatemala with sexually transmitted diseases.
A statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the action "reprehensible."

"We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices," the joint statement said. "The conduct exhibited during the study does not represent the values of the United States, or our commitment to human dignity and great respect for the people of Guatemala."

Clinton called Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom on Thursday night to inform him, said Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela.

"They were obviously concerned about this information. They were saddened by it," Valenzuela said in a telephone news conference Friday.

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Corpse flower starting to bloom at D.C. Smith Greenhouse

The corpse flower, which is famous for the repulsive odor it emits when at its maturity,  is currently blooming on campus at the D.C. Smith Greenhouse.  This is the first time that the 9-year-old plant has bloomed.  The bloom will only last about a day so, if you're interested, try to make it to the greenhouse tomorrow to see and smell this flower in action!


By Johanna Oosterwyk
From CALS News

9/21/2010, 12 p.m.:
The flower's spathe is starting to open, revealing the dark purple on the surface of the plant's big "petal." It doesn't stink much yet, but the scent will grow stronger over the next 3-4 hours as the bloom matures.

9/21/2010, 9 a.m.:
It looks like the Titan Arum may bloom later today. There's already a faint aroma around the spathe. If it does, the D.C. Smith Greenhouse will stay open until 10 p.m. for viewing.

9/17/2010:
The flower, now 46 inches tall, shed its final sheath. All signs point to the flower blooming early next week, probably on Tuesday.

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Cacao genome 'may help produce tastier chocolate'

Some very important news from the science community  ;-)


By Katia Moskvitch
September 17, 2010

Scientists have released a draft sequence of the cacao genome, in a move bound to give farmers hopes of higher yields, and consumers - of tastier chocolate.  The study, funded mainly by the US chocolate producer Mars, is aimed at ensuring a sustainable cocoa supply.

IT firm IBM and the US Department of Agriculture also took part in the research. The results have been published on the Cacao Genome Database website.

According to the global head of plant science and research at the confectionery firm, Howard-Yana Shapiro, the sequence is of great importance. "This opens the door to improving the lives for 6.5 million small farmers directly, but over 40 million individuals who are involved in the cocoa industry, whether they are brokers, or traders, or manufacturers," he told BBC News.

The scientist explained that despite many people being directly or indirectly dependent on cocoa crops to survive, until now there has been little investment in research to improve the cacao tree.  "As plant breeders, we're always looking after the golden traits: pest and disease resistant, drought tolerance, the ability to adapt to climate change, tree architecture, yield quality, etc," said Dr Shapiro.

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Bats at risk of extinction

Bat populations across eastern North America are at risk of extinction  to the rapid spread of a devastating disease called white-nose syndrome. The fungus that causes this disease was discovered by scientists at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, WI.  Now NWHC scientists, in collaboration with local state wildlife health agencies in affected areas, are working to learn more about the white-nose syndrome and control its impact on bat species.

From The Scientist

August 5, 2010 

Bat populations across eastern North America are at risk of extinction -- possibly within just 16 years -- as a result of the spreading incidence of white-nose syndrome, according to a study published this week in Science.

"I think people who study and care about bats had a sense that something this dire was happening," said evolutionary physiologist Craig Willis of the University of Winnipeg, who did not participate in the study. But, he added, "the speed -- the 16 year timeline -- I think was a bit of a surprise."

"It's a sobering analysis," agreed microbiologist David Blehert of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, who was also not involved in the research.

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Scientists discover tiny solar panels that create themselves

Humans may not be the only ones that can construct solar panels.  MIT scientists have found evidence of the existence of self-replicating, self-arranging solar cells.

From DVice

September 7, 2010

File this one under "holy crap," but scientists at MIT have discovered molecules that spontaneously assemble themselves into a pattern that can turn light into electricity — essentially a self-creating solar panel. In a petri dish.

The researchers set out to create a synthetic process that imitates photosynthesis. Certain molecules respond to light by releasing electrons; the trick was discovering a substance that sticks them together in a consistent structure. Phospholipids do just that, and they also attach themselves to carbon nanotubes, which conduct electricity. With the nanotubes holding the phospholipids in a uniform alignment, the photoreactive molecules are all exposed to light at once, and the tube acts as a wire that then collects the resulting electrical current.

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Eggs recalled, a nation scrambles

From CNN
8/24/2010

As you've probably heard, there has recently been a massive egg recall due to a widespread salmonella outbreak.  So how eggs-actly (lame pun intended) did this happen? The video (and the accompanying article) provides a great summary about what is known about the outbreak so far.

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The Consent Conundrum

Read this article and consider the importance of patient consent in medical research.  Then finish writing your impromptu essay assignment.

By Jeremy Singer-Vine
Published Feb. 2, 2010 by Slate

In February1951, Henrietta Lacks lay unconscious, her feet in stirrups, at Johns Hopkins Hospital as doctors examined the particularly aggressive cervical cancer that would soon kill her. The 31-year-old had traveled 20 miles to Hopkins, the nearest major hospital that would treat black patients. She may have been a regular patient, but she was about to achieve an odd form of immortality in the medical world.

At the time, Hopkins' head of tissue culture research, George Gey, was refining the art of sustaining cells in stews of placental blood, chicken plasma, and other savory ingredients. After her surgery, Lacks' surgeon passed a thin disc of her cancerous cells to Gey's lab. Those cells became the first human tissue to replicate indefinitely in test tubes, launching a series of revolutions in medicine. The value of the so-called HeLa cell line that sprung from Lacks' tumor is incalculable: Its resilience and rapid growth made it ideal for testing Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, developing numerous cancer drugs, studying basic cellular processes, and honing experimental methods now standard in biology. Over the years, Lacks' cells have been sold for $10 to as much as $10,000 a vial—and her chronically impoverished family has received nothing.

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