Watson Goes to Work in the Hospital
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011 BY TOM SIMONITE
4.14.2011
Crustaceans to the rescue
Material removes radioactive materials from drinking water
Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that a combination of forest byproducts and crustacean shells may be the key to removing radioactive materials from drinking water.
“As we’re currently seeing in Japan, one of the major health risks posed by nuclear accidents is radioactive iodide that dissolves into drinking water. Because it is chemically identical to non-radioactive iodide, the human body cannot distinguish it — which is what allows it to accumulate in the thyroid and eventually lead to cancer,” said Dr. Joel Pawlak.
The material is a combination of hemicellulose, a byproduct of forest materials, and chitosan, crustacean shells that have been crushed into a powder. It absorbs water and can extract contaminates, such as radioactive iodide, from the water. The material binds the iodide in water and traps it so that it can then be disposed of without risk to humans or the environment.
4.11.2011
4.10.2011
4.08.2011
Prescription weed, awesome. Not so fast says Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic Clinical Practice Committee (MCCPC) establishes policy on medical marijuanaARZ
April 8, 2011 | This Week at Mayo Clinic | Volume 2, Number 18
The recent legalization of medical marijuana in Arizona required Mayo Clinic to assess how it will respond to medical marijuana use at Mayo Clinic Hospital and whether Mayo Clinic physicians will certify and attest for medical marijuana use by their patients.
Due to the specificity of the Arizona state law and requirements for ongoing care, few Mayo Clinic practices could meet the rigid statutory and regulatory requirements, thus exposing Mayo physicians to possible penalty from the local medical board. The law states that physicians may elect not to participate in certifying or attesting for medical marijuana; the Mayo Clinic Clinical Practice Committee (MCCPC) is exercising this option. Mayo Clinic physicians will not be permitted to certify or attest unless permission is granted by the Arizona Clinical Practice Committee (ACPC).
4.07.2011
The stem cell revolution of medicine continues...
Stem cells used to create retinal tissue
Embryonic stem cells are capable of innately forming tissue structures without genetic alterations.
Ref.: Mototsugu Eiraku et al., Self-organizing optic-cup morphogenesis in three-dimensional culture, Nature, April 6, 2011
Ref.: Mototsugu Eiraku et al., Self-organizing optic-cup morphogenesis in three-dimensional culture, Nature, April 6, 2011
Lexmark 2011 - Colorjet printer with the ability to construct a building
Buildings Made with a Printer
Thursday, April 7, 2011 By Kevin Bullis
4.06.2011
Mining the moon
For some entrepreneurs, Moon is money
April 6, 2011
Source: For Some Entrepreneurs, Moon Is Money — Apr 4, 2011
Dr. Barney Pell, founder of Powerset, with his two co-founders, Naveen Jain (Infospace) and Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards have started a new company called Moon Express to develop a space vehicle that will in turn allow the company to tap into mineral resources on the lunar surface.
Moon Express describes itself as a “lunar transportation and data services company created to establish new avenues for commercial space activities beyond Earth orbit” and “will be sending a series of robotic spacecraft to the Moon for ongoing exploration and commercial development. Our big play is to develop a robotic lander to transport things to (and from) the moon,” Pell said.
“There is eventually going to be a moon rush, because there are a lot of resources on the moon that we will need,” said Pell. Resources like platinum and other metals that are needed for fuel cells and the post-fossil fuel economy. “In the future we want to be able to land the payloads and machines and bring things back,” said Pell. ”We want to be the last mile to the moon.”
4.05.2011
A power-generator at (& in) your fingertips
First practical nanogenerator produces electricity with pinch of the fingers
After six years of intensive effort, scientists are reporting development of the first commercially viable nanogenerator, a flexible chip that can use body movements — a finger pinch now en route to a pulse beat in the future — to generate electricity. Speaking here today at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, they described boosting the device's power output by thousands times and its voltage by 150 times to finally move it out of the lab and toward everyday life.
Powering a home with a bottle of water, I'm sure the energy companies are excited about that...Not
Creating power from water
(PhysOrg.com) -- Creating power from water. I bet when I say that you picture a dam or a large turbine being pushed by hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, all rushing at tremendous speeds. It is a cool, and accurate, image of how most power comes from water. That is not to say that it is the only way that power can come from water.I'm so glad scientists take inspiration from Hollywood
Scientists plan to drill all the way down to the Earth's mantle
(PhysOrg.com) -- In what can only be described as a mammoth undertaking, scientists, led by British co-chiefs, Dr Damon Teagle of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, England and Dr Benoit Ildefonse from Montpellier University in France, have announced jointly in an article in Nature that they intend to drill a hole through the Earth’s crust and into the mantle; a feat never before accomplished, much less seriously attempted.
Cleaning water using the power of the sun
Portable solar device creates potable water
(PhysOrg.com) -- By harnessing the power of the sun, a Monash University graduate has designed a simple, sustainable and affordable water-purification device, which has the potential to help eradicate disease and save lives.
Using the yard to power your home, closer to reality than you might think
Scientists today claimed one of the milestones in the drive for sustainable energy — development of the first practical “artificial leaf.” Speaking at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, they described an advanced solar cell the size of a poker card that mimics photosynthesis.
Nanotechnology takes the fight to deadly bacteria
New Type of Drug Kills Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 By Katherine Bourzac
You had me at all-you-can-eat-&-drink
www.azcentral.com
4/7: Forks & Corks moves to Phoenix's Cityscape, Forks & Corks moves culinary event to downtown Phoenix's CityScape.
4.04.2011
Hold on, maybe Israel isn't such a bad-guy
Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes
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