Scientific American - Technology

Google Droid is here: Can it go toe-to-toe with Apple's iPhone?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:18:00 EST

The flood of Google Droid mobile phone reviews in the past week suggests that if the two devices stepped into the ring together, it would end like the first Rocky movie . Like Apollo Creed, the iPhone would still be the champ by a split decision by virtue of its status as the smooth-stepping veteran in the marketplace (not to mention its friendship with iTunes), but the Droids that debuted Friday on Motorola and HTC devices have come out swinging and win a few key rounds. [More]

iPhone - Apple - Motorola - Google - Mobile phone

First Look at Carbon Capture and Storage in a West Virginia Coal-Fired Power Plant [Slide Show]

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:01:00 EST

NEW HAVEN, W.Va.--A 100-story smokestack belches a roiling, white cloud of water vapor, carbon dioxide and other leftover gases after burning daily as much as 12,000 tons of coal at the Mountaineer Power Plant --a total of 3.5 million tons a year. The facility just outside the town of New Haven boasts a single 65-meter-high boiler capable of generating enough steam to pump out 1,300 megawatts of electricity--enough to power nearly one million average American homes a month--continuously. And now roughly 1.5 percent of the CO 2 billowing from its stack is being captured in an industrial unit rising from the concrete in its shadow and then pumped underground for storage. In case you were wondering, this last phase is called "clean coal". [More]

West Virginia - Fossil fuel power plant - Carbon capture and storage - United States - NEW HAVEN

Hot Spot Hot Rod: The Internet Invades the Automobile

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

With U.S. commuters spending an estimated 500 million hours per week in their vehicles , carmakers, software companies and content providers are trying to figure out how to take advantage of new high-speed wireless network technologies to help drivers have better Internet access during this often idle time. [More]

Internet access - Wireless network - Hotspot - Wireless - Access Providers

MIND Reviews: Brainy Gifts

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Catch Some Slow Waves Zeo sleep monitor ($399) [More]

Health - Sleep Disorders - Conditions and Diseases - Organizations - United States

Can Closing the Ozone Hole Also Help Combat Climate Change?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:31:00 EST

Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse culprit in human-generated global warming , most scientists agree, but CO 2 itself, and a handful of other substances, are now being promoted as good alternatives to commonly used refrigerants that threaten Earth's atmosphere and climate. [More]

Climate change - Global warming - Earth - Carbon dioxide - Environment

Government Incentives Can Help Finance Energy-Efficient Home Improvements

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Dear EarthTalk: Since Obama took office, have any new incentives been put in place for homeowners looking to increase energy efficiency and reduce the overall environmental footprints of their homes? --Rob Felton, Little Rock, AK [More]

Efficient energy use - Energy - Technology - Conservation - Government

The Future of Cars (preview)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

For a glimpse into what automobiles will be like 20 years from now, contributing editor Stuart F. Brown conducted a group interview with executives at General Motors, Tesla Motors and Toyota and also spoke separately with a program manager at the Electric Power Research Institute. The interviewees, whose comments have been edited for length, foresee increased communication among cars and a combination of vehicle types. Some, like Tesla’s current sports cars, will draw their energy from a battery pack. Others, in common with today’s Toyota’s Prius and the 2010 Chevy Volt, will be hybrid designs, relying on both electric motors and small internal-combustion engines. Many forthcoming hybrids will charge batteries by plugging into the electric grid, and hydrogen fuel cells might be a reality. But that is not all that the participants see. Read on. --The Editors

[More]

Toyota - Internal combustion engine - Chevrolet Volt - Toyota Prius - Automobile

Stellar deal: NASA awards $2 million to X PRIZE winners for helping develop a lunar lander

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:13:00 EST

Less than one month after NASA crashed its Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) into the moon's surface in order to analyze the resulting plume of debris for signs of water , the U.S. space agency is handing out nearly $2 million on Thursday to engineers developing technology for a much softer landing on the lunar surface as part of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge . [More]

NASA - Moon - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - Lunar Precursor Robotic Program - Space

Wireless tech taking a toll on Earth science and astronomy

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:35:00 EST

Nearly lost amidst the breathless anticipation of all things wireless--whether it's the latest smart phone, free Internet hot spot or GPS navigation system--is the potential impact these gadgets may have on scientific instruments that likewise need access to the electromagnetic spectrum. Yet the proliferation of wireless technologies, licensed and otherwise, grabbing increasingly more spectrum bandwidth is interfering significantly with scientists' ability to monitor radio emissions from the Earth and space that "yield vital information" about our planet and its place in the universe, according to a report released Monday by the National Research Council's Scientific Use of the Radio Spectrum committee . [More]

GPS navigation device - National Research Council - Radio - Smartphone - Astronomy

Could we be on the verge of a new drug to treat lupus?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Systemic lupus is the most common form of the autoimmune disease, lupus , which afflicts about five million people worldwide and causes a slew of symptoms including fever, pain and swelling. Now, sufferers of systemic lupus may be closer to a new drug to treat their symptoms, according to the results of a study announced yesterday. If approved for the market, the drug, which was developed by Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline, would be the first new treatment for lupus in nearly half a century. [More]

GlaxoSmithKline - Human Genome Sciences - Health - Systemic lupus erythematosus - Conditions and Diseases

How Noise Can Help Quantum Entanglement

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Wouldn’t it be nice to be an electron? Then you, too, could take advantage of the marvels of quantum mechanics, such as being in two places at once--very handy for juggling the competing demands of modern life. Alas, physicists have long spoiled the fantasy by saying that quantum mechanics applies only to microscopic things.

Yet that is a myth. In the modern view that has gained traction in the past decade, you don’t see quantum effects in everyday life not because you are big, per se, but because those effects are camouflaged by their own sheer complexity. They are there if you know how to look, and physicists have been realizing that they show up in the macroscopic world more than they thought. “The standard arguments may be too pessimistic as to the survival of quantum effects,” says Nobel laureate physicist Anthony Leggett of the University of Illinois.

[More]

Quantum mechanics - Physics - Quantum entanglement - Physicist - Electron

Calling all solar enthusiasts: Tell me about your system!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:16:00 EST

Editor's Note: Scientific American 's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels in Solar at Home (formerly 60-Second Solar). Read his introduction here and see all posts here .

Have you installed a grid-connected solar array on your home? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience! I'm planning to pull together a series of blog posts that surveys the variety of projects out there to see what common themes emerge. Please contact me offline at solarathome@sciam.com and summarize what you've done: the size of the system, its performance, your location, the subsidies (if any) you've taken advantage of, any problems you encountered, whatever. If you're blogging about it, include the URL and I'll link to it.

[More]

George Musser - Photovoltaic array - Energy - Solar - Renewable

Joining the Energy Underground: Residential Geothermal Power Systems

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Dear EarthTalk: I'd like to know the relative electricity cost of utility-scale solar and wind plants versus rooftop residential solar. In other words, how can I know whether to subsidize my utility's alternative-energy plant or renovate my own home? -- Randy Wilson, Flagstaff, AZ

[More]

Sponsored Topics: Wind power - Solar power - Geothermal power - Alternative energy - Electricity

A Clunker of a Climate Policy

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

The Cash for Clunkers program offers a cautionarytale for the future of climate change control. The federal program paid individuals up to $4,500 to replace their “clunker” automobiles with new, higher-mileage vehicles. Part of the purpose was to give a lift to the ailing auto industry. Another part, at least it was claimed, was to mitigate climate change by getting old high-carbon-emissions vehicles off the road. But billions of dollars were spent quickly without clear answers on what we were getting for our money.

The broad principle of climate change mitigation is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the combustion of fossil fuels, to target levels at the minimum net cost to society. There are many ways to reduce emissions: drive more efficient or electrically powered vehicles; produce electricity with renewable energy sources; capture CO 2 from power plants and store it geologically; restart the nuclear power sector; weatherproof homes to reduce energy for heating and cooling.... The list is long, with different time horizons, costs and uncertainties.

[More]

Sponsored Topics: Climate change - Fossil fuel - Greenhouse gas - Renewable energy - Energy development

EPA tests porous pavement to combat contaminated rain runoff

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST

In an effort to prevent polluted parking lot rain runoff from contaminating surrounding soil and underground water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said it has launched decadelong test of permeable materials to find one that can filter out impurities in rainwater before it flows to its final destination. [More]

Sponsored Topics: United States Environmental Protection Agency - Pollution - United States - Water - Surface runoff

Prospects for solar: "It's like watching the Internet mature in 1995"

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:50:00 EST

I may be one of the few people in my town to have solar power right now, but if the news I’m hearing from the Solar Power International trade show this week is right, a wave of installations is about to sweep the country. I wasn’t able to attend the show -- this blog is just a sideline for me and I couldn’t justify a whole trip -- but I had a chance to talk with two conference attendees, Mike Caliel, CEO of IES , a big national energy contractor that has gotten heavily involved in renewables, and Harry Fleming, CEO of Acro Energy Technologies , one of the biggest solar installers in California.

[More]

Sponsored Topics: Energy - California - Solar power - Renewable energy - United States

U.S. Lags Behind World with Its Patchwork Approach to Curbing E-Waste

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST

Lurking behind the introduction of each new touch-screen computer, high-definition television and digital music player is the stark reality that some once-prized electronic gadgets from a previous techno-generation will get kicked to the curb, ending up in a toxic trash heap thousands of miles from its former owner. The reasons for this digital dumping are many, including ignorance of recycling options and indifference to the environmental impact. The remedy is straightforward--stricter governmental oversight, by the U.S. federal government in particular, of what goes into making these devices and how and where they are discarded, a team of University of California researchers posit in a study to be published Friday in Science . [More]

Sponsored Topics: University of California - Recycling - Television - High-definition television - Business

Countdown to Copenhagen: Despite doubts about a treaty, 2009 shapes up as pivotal year for renewable energy

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:09:00 EST

Beginning with the Obama administration's $70-billion commitment to ramping up the U.S.'s reliance of wind, water and solar power (not to mention hybrid vehicles) in February through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and ending with December's international climate conference in Copenhagen , this year promises to be pivotal in the worldwide development and adoption of renewable energy sources. Pivotal in the sense that 2009 could go down as the moment the green revolution gained substantial footing thanks to a swelling of political and financial support or as a colossal missed opportunity due to power grabbing and misguided policy. [More]

Sponsored Topics: United States - Renewable energy - Energy development - Solar power - Copenhagen

NASA's Ares 1-X test rocket lifts off successfully

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:19:00 EST

A prototype NASA rocket for a planned crew launcher lifted off into the Florida sky Wednesday morning, providing an unmanned flight demonstration of the new technology. The 100-meter-tall Ares 1-X, powered by a solid rocket booster, flew from Kennedy Space Center to an altitude of 45 kilometers before splashing down six minutes later in the Atlantic Ocean as planned. [More]

Sponsored Topics: NASA - Kennedy Space Center - Atlantic Ocean - Florida - Ares I

Could too many home workers during a pandemic cripple the Internet?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:46:00 EST

Telecommuting has long been touted as an effective way to alleviate rush-hour traffic congestion (and pollution), help companies save money by using less office space and resources, and provide workers with a great deal of flexibility in their schedules. But in a case of perhaps too much of a good thing becoming a very bad thing, a federal government report released earlier this month (pdf) warns that a major emergency that keeps people confined to their homes--namely, a worsened H1N1 pandemic --could threaten to overwhelm the Internet, rendering it useless as a way for communicating and conducting transactions vital to public safety and the economy. [More]

Sponsored Topics: Federal government of the United States - Telecommuting - Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 - Traffic congestion - Public safety