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Coastal sea change

UD oceanographer reports on human-caused changes to carbon cycling

Carbon dioxide pumped into the air since the Industrial Revolution appears to have changed the way the coastal ocean functions, according to a new analysis published this week in Nature.

A comprehensive review of research on carbon cycling in rivers, estuaries and continental shelves suggests that collectively this coastal zone now takes in more carbon dioxide than it releases. The shift could impact global models of carbon’s flow through the environment and future predictions related to climate change. (more…)

Stop-Motion-Film für den Walschutz

Nature

15-Jährige gewinnt Wettbewerb zum Schutz des Ostseeschweinswals

Wussten Sie, dass es in Deutschland Wale gibt? Viele Menschen sind verblüfft, wenn Sie hören, welche außergewöhnlichen Wildtiere direkt vor ihrer Haustür anzutreffen sind. Doch der Ostseeschweinswal ist vom Aussterben bedroht – lediglich 300 sind in der zentralen Ostsee noch zu Hause. Um auf die besorgniserregende Situation der Tiere aufmerksam zu machen, haben der NABU, das Schutzabkommen für Kleinwale in Nord- und Ostsee, Whale and Dolphin Conservation und OceanCare zu einem Kreativwettbewerb aufgerufen. Siegerin des Wettbewerbs wurde Laura Stattkus, die mit ihrem Stop-Motion-Film „Hallo kleiner Wal“ überzeugt: (more…)

IBM Scientists Demonstrate Quantum Phenomenon for the First Time Using a Plastic Film

Science, Technology

Originally predicted in the 1920s by Satyendranath Bose and Albert Einstein, applications could include energy-efficient lasers and optical switches, critical components for future computer systems processing Big Data

ZURICH – 10 Dec 2013: For the first time, scientists at IBM Research have demonstrated a complex quantum mechanical phenomenon known as Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), using a luminescent polymer (plastic) similar to the materials in light emitting displays used in many of today’s smartphones.

This discovery has potential applications in developing novel optoelectronic devices including energy-efficient lasers and ultra-fast optical switches — critical components for powering future computer systems to process massive Big Data workloads. The use of a polymer material and the observation of BEC at room temperature provides substantial advantages in terms of applicability and cost. (more…)

Energy drinks plus alcohol pose a public health threat

Health

ANN ARBOR — Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is riskier than just drinking alcohol alone, according to a new study that examines the impact of a growing trend among young adults.

Published in the current issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, the study was conducted by Megan Patrick of the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and Jennifer Maggs of Penn State University. (more…)

Keule, Brust und Braten

Environment, Nature

WWF vergleicht Haltungsbedingungen von Gans, Ente und Pute

Anlässlich der beginnenden Adventszeit hat der WWF die Haltungsbedingungen von Gans, Ente und Pute (Truthahn) unter die Lupe genommen. Die Naturschutzorganisation rät Verbrauchern, auf ökologische und tiergerechte Haltung zu achten. „Gänsekeule, Entenbrust und Truthahnbraten sind etwas Besonderes und kommen häufig als Festessen auf den Tisch. Gerade deshalb sollte auf hochwertiges Bio-Fleisch aus tiergerechter Haltung geachtet werden“, sagt Markus Wolter, WWF-Referent für Tierhaltung. Gänse, Puten und Enten aus Bio-Haltungen leben laut dem WWF-Vergleich mehr als doppelt so lang wie in der konventionellen Mast. Auch die ökologischen Auswirkungen seien geringer: durch den Verzicht auf Soja-Futter würden Regenwaldflächen geschont. (more…)

Arctic study shows key marine food web species at risk from increasing CO2

Environment

A research expedition to the Arctic, as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, has revealed that tiny crustaceans, known as copepods, that live just beneath the ocean surface are likely to battle for survival if ocean acidity continues to rise.

The study found that copepods that move large distances, migrating vertically across a wide range of pH conditions, have a better chance of surviving.

The increasing level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is changing ocean chemistry leading to seawater moving down the pH scale towards acidity. Some areas of the Arctic Ocean are already experiencing the fastest rates of acidification on the planet and, combined with sea-ice loss and warming temperatures, the impacts of climate change are likely to hit Arctic marine life first. (more…)

How living cells solved a needle in a haystack problem to generate electrical signals

Science

Scientists have figured out how calcium channels – the infinitesimal cell membrane pores that generate electrical signals by gating a charged-particle influx – have solved a “needle in a haystack” problem.

The solution to the longstanding riddle is reported in the Nov. 24 advanced online edition of Nature by UW and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. Dr. Ning Zheng, a noted X-ray crystallographer, and Dr. William Catterall, a pioneer in ion channel research, were the senior researchers, and Dr. Lin Tang and Dr. Tamer Gamal El-Din headed the project. (more…)

Panelists explore the NSA and the ‘knotty’ question of the public’s right to know

Politics

Without any sort of legal protections in place, journalists reporting on the National Security Agency’s (NSA) massive surveillance program are facing a huge challenge, said Spencer Ackerman, the Guardian’s U.S. national security editor, during a panel discussion at the Law School on Dec. 5.

Ackerman took part in a discussion titled “Investigative Reporting, Espionage and NSA Leaks” with James Bamford, who is widely regarded as the chief chronicler of the NSA, and Gabriel Schoenfeld, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. The discussion, sponsored by KLAMP and the Poynter Fellowship in Journalism, was moderated by David A. Schulz, the Floyd Abrams Clinical Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and partner at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz LLP in New York. (more…)