As reported in the New York Times, a New Zealand company, Lanza Tech, has developed a fermentation process to convert CO to EtOH via bacteria. The intriguing piece? CO is a large waste product from steel manufacturers and other industries. Per ton of steel, a half ton of CO is generated. There is a potential for 50 billion gallons of ethanol production using this methodology. Emphasis on potential.
The funding for Lanza Tech is coming from Vinod Kholsa, co-found of Sun Microsystems. A conversation with Mr. Kholsa can be read here. Interesting article discussing the potential pitfalls of ethanol.
Oocyte cryopreservation. This is the fancy term for egg freezing. An oocyte is an immature ovum.
In the April 20th issue of Science, the increased usage of oocyte cryopreservation is discussed. Frozen oocytes is the future. Why? Unlike frozen embryos, there isn’t the ethical dilemna. It’s an unfertilized egg, no one considers that life yet. Frozen embryos have successfully been thawed and implanted via IVF. There have been about 300,000 frozen embryo births. However, frozen egg births are only account for about 300.
Back to the freeze. So why can’t we just freeze it and thaw it for later use? Sounds simple. Alton Brown will take it from here.
Last week’s inaugural event was a tremendous success. About 35 people learned about the Hayward fault, it’s destructive capability and the techniques being used to find out more.
For those of you who missed out: videos, pics, and Jack’s presentation have been posted on the Past Cafes page. You can download the video or watch it online.
Monday, November 17th, 2008 7-9 PMWhere:Atlas Cafe What: Physics for Future Presidents: The Nuclear Reaction Who: Richard Muller, UC Berkeley and LBL The Deets:As we head into a new presidency, much of the debate has been centered on one word: Nuclear. Nuclear terrorism, nuclear power, nuclear proliferation, the mispronunciation of the word nuclear...all have been fervently discussed. But When it comes to the nuclear discussion, isn't the science a key component?
We'll discuss the difference between a Uranium bomb, a Plutonium bomb, and a Hydrogen bomb, the real dangers of nuclear waste, and the danger of radiation. Consider it a crash course on nuclear physics that the next president would appreciate.
Here are some nuggets to chew on:
• Of those killed in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks, less than 2% died of cancer induced by the radiation.
• 1 square mile of sunlight with current solar cells would provide as much peak power as a nuclear power plant.
• Plutonium is a thousand times less poisonous than botulism toxin, the active ingredient in botox.
• Purified uranium is hard to get, but easy to design into a bomb. Plutonium is relatively easy to get, but hard to make into a bomb. So different kinds of nuclear bombs are difficult to make, but for different reasons. Terrorists are unlikely to be able to make one; the bigger danger is that they could buy one.
Richard A. Muller is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley (and my former physics teacher!). He is a past winner of the MacArthur Fellowship. He is the author of Physics for Future Presidents, based on his renowned course for non-science students.
Science in Action Events Science in Action is a series of tours, trips, and hikes intended to put you in the middle of active science in the Bay Area.
If you're interested in attending, send me an email.
November 1st & 2nd What:
Wonderfest - The Bay Area Festival of Science Cost: FREE Details:
WonderFest is the the Bay Area festival of Science. On November 1st & 2nd, there will be free science discussions, art, comedy, and trivia events at both UC Berkeley and Stanfurd. The lineup is jam packed with some of the best talent both university have to offer. You can’t beat the price or the quality.
Here are my picks:
• Saturday 11/1 8:00 pm Does Civilization Have a Promising Energy Future?
• Sunday 11/2 1:30 pm Science Laughs (science comedy)
• Sunday 11/2 2:30 pm Are Dreams Psychologically Significant?
• Sunday 11/2 4:00 pm What Science Must Our Leaders Understand?
