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Fukushima: Die Katastrophe setzt sich fort

By Guest PostAugust 26, 2013Environmentakw, akw mitarbeiters, atomexperte bei greenpeace, die katastrophe, fukushima, fukushima daiichi, heinz smital, japans, kernkraftwerk fukushima, kernschmelze, nukleare ereignisse, pazifik, radioaktiven wasser, tepco, tschernobyl, umwelt

Ein neues Leck am Kernkraftwerk Fukushima verseucht die Umwelt deutlich schlimmer als bisher angenommen. Mit 300 Tonnen ausgelaufenem radioaktiven Wasser ist es der bisher größte Störfall seit der Katastrophe vom März 2011.

Einer von hunderten Tanks auf dem AKW-Gelände, die zur Aufbewahrung des Kühlwassers dienen, ist leck geschlagen. Hatte Tepco, der Betreiber des Atomkraftwerks, anfangs noch 120 Liter ausgelaufenes Wasser gemeldet, musste er am Mittwoch seine Aussage berichtigen: Die 2.500-fache Menge radioaktiv verseuchtes Wasser war aus dem Leck getreten. “Wie viel Inkompetenz und Vertuschung von Tepco toleriert die japanische Regierung noch?”, kommentiert Heinz Smital, Atomexperte bei Greenpeace, die Fehlinformation. (more…)

How sleep helps brain learn motor task

By Guest PostAugust 26, 2013Healthbrain, brain region, brainwave frequency, delta brainwave oscillation, magnetoencephalography, masako tamaki, massachusetts general hospital, meg, meg oscillations, motor task, playing piano, polysomnography, sigma, sleep, sma, supplementary motor area, tsung ren huang, yuka sasaki

Sleep helps the brain consolidate what we’ve learned, but scientists have struggled to determine what goes on in the brain to make that happen for different kinds of learned tasks. In a new study, researchers pinpoint the brainwave frequencies and brain region associated with sleep-enhanced learning of a sequential finger tapping task akin to typing, or playing piano.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — You take your piano lesson, you go to sleep and when you wake up your fingers are better able to play that beautiful sequence of notes. How does sleep make that difference? A new study helps to explain what happens in your brain during those fateful, restful hours when motor learning takes hold. (more…)

Competition Changes How People View Strangers Online

By Guest PostAugust 26, 2013TechnologyAmazon, anonymous stranger, cait poynor lamberton, david norton, ebay, ebay auctions, energy drink, five hour, gamecock auctions, harry potter merchandise, ohio state university, professor of marketing, south carolina, strangers online, university, website, yelp

On Sites Like eBay, Strangers No Longer Seen as ‘Just Like You’

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An anonymous stranger you encounter on websites like Yelp or Amazon may seem to be just like you, and a potential friend. But a stranger on a site like eBay is a whole different story.

A new study finds that on websites where people compete against each other, assumptions about strangers change.

Previous research has shown that people have a bias toward thinking that strangers they encounter online are probably just like them. (more…)

University study uncovers the secret lives of UK garden snail

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Environment, Natureangiostrongylus vasorum, dave hodgson, fatal lungworm parasite, fatal parasite, five vet practices, led lights, long grass, lungworm parasite, royal horticultural society, secret live, slugs, snails, time lapse photography, uk garden snail, university of exeter

Researchers track nocturnal snail activity for the first time, using LED lights and time-lapse photography. Snails were tracked over 72 hours, with researchers measuring their speed, distance travelled and exploration habits. Snail numbers have risen in recent years due to favourable breeding conditions. Slugs and snails can carry the lungworm parasite, Angiostrongylus vasorum, which is potentially fatal to dogs.

A ground-breaking study of UK snail behaviour using LED and UV light tracking has found that the nocturnal creatures can explore the length of an average British garden in just one night, reaching a top speed of one metre per hour. (more…)

Schwarzer Fluch lastet auf Virunga

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Environmentaegyptischen pyramiden, demokratischen republik kongo, dr kongo, nationalpark afrikas, oeko tourismus, oel konzern soco, petersdom in rom, ruanda, schwarzer fluch, soco international plc, uganda, virunga, virunga nationalparks, wwf afrika referent

WWF-Studie zeigt wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Afrikas ältestem Nationalparks und Risiken geplanter illegaler Ölerschließung

Der älteste Nationalpark Afrikas ist bis zu 1,1 Milliarden US-Dollar jährlich wert, wenn er nachhaltig bewirtschaftet würde – so das Ergebnis einer neuen WWF-Studie zum wirtschaftlichen Potenzial des Virunga Nationalparks. Stattdessen ist die Zukunft des UNESCO Weltnaturerbes durch Pläne zur Erkundung und Förderung von Ölvorkommen massiv bedroht. Der britische Öl-Konzern Soco müsse seine gefährlichen Planspiele daher unverzüglich beenden, so die WWF-Forderung.

Bis zu 45.000 sichere Arbeitsplätze in den Bereichen Wasserkraft, Fischerei, Öko-Tourismus, Medizin sowie Forschung und Bildung könnten in Virunga entwickelt werden, so die Studie. Virunga gilt als der Nationalpark mit der größten Artenvielfalt Afrikas und ist Heimat für 200 vom Aussterben bedrohten Berggorillas. Derzeit jedoch wird die ökonomische Gesamtwertschöpfung lediglich auf 48,9 Millionen US-Dollar jährlich veranschlagt. Grund dafür ist die Instabilität der Region durch andauernde Armee- und Rebellengefechte. (more…)

Toxic Nanoparticles Might be Entering Human Food Supply, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Environment, Healthazlin mustapha, bongkosh vardhanabhuti, cosmetics, digestion, human food supply, mengshi lin, mu study, nanomaterials, pesticides, toxic nanoparticles, toxicity, university of missouri, water treatment, zhong zang

Scientists develop new way to detect threatening nanoparticles in food

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Over the last few years, the use of nanomaterials for water treatment, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and other industries has increased. For example, farmers have used silver nanoparticles as a pesticide because of their capability to suppress the growth of harmful organisms. However, a growing concern is that these particles could pose a potential health risk to humans and the environment. In a new study, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a reliable method for detecting silver nanoparticles in fresh produce and other food products.

“More than 1,000 products on the market are nanotechnology-based products,” said Mengshi Lin, associate professor of food science in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “This is a concern because we do not know the toxicity of the nanoparticles. Our goal is to detect, identify and quantify these nanoparticles in food and food products and study their toxicity as soon as possible.” (more…)

New intervention reduces risky sex among bisexual African-American men

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Health, Sexafrican american legacy, african american men, african americans, biphobia, bisexual men, disenfranchisement, ethnic, ethnicity, financial hardship, historical discrimination, hiv infection, hiv prevention program, hiv stigma, homophobia, john k williams, journal aids, maales, men, nina harawa, race, racial group, sexual decision making, ucla

A culturally tailored HIV prevention program developed and tested by investigators at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has been shown to significantly reduce unprotected sex among bisexual black men.

The innovative approach, called Men of African American Legacy Empowering Self, or MAALES, is described in an article in the peer-reviewed journal AIDS. (more…)

Google, Intel Founders Support Undersea Research by UMass Amherst Microbiologist

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2013Environmentaxial volcano, begum topcuoglu, black smoker, coast of oregon, Environment, environmental conservation, Eric Schmidt, founders, Google, hydrothermal fluids, hydrothermal vents, hyperthermophilic, intel, james holden, lucy stewart, methane producing, methanogenic, microbes, NASA, nsf, oceanographic research, pathogens, quantitative hydrogen requirements, research vessel falkor, schmidt ocean institute, simple organic wastes, soi, super heat loving, umass amherst microbiologist, undersea research, undersea volcanoes, university of massachusetts, university of washington, uw

AMHERST, Mass. – When microbiologist James Holden of the University of Massachusetts Amherst launches new studies next month of the microbes living deep in the cracks and thermal vents around an undersea volcano, for the first time in his 25-year career his deep-sea research will not be funded by a government source.

Instead, Holden will be funded by philanthropists committed to supporting oceanographic research: The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation started by the co-founder of Intel and his wife, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), started by Eric Schmidt of Google and his wife, Wendy. The Moores’ foundation is dedicated to advancing environmental conservation and scientific research, while the SOI supports oceanographic research projects that “help expand the understanding of the world’s oceans through technological advancements, intelligent observation and analysis, and open sharing of information.” (more…)

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