Greenhouse

At the International Climate Conference in Oxford, UK, scientists have revealed a shocking new study which studies the possible effects of a 4 degrees increase in the world.  The 130 climate researchers from the UK Met Office presented a world in which temperatures were elevated by 4 degrees Celsius.  This threat is a real concern due to the increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions.  An exorbitant amount of these emissions have caused the Greenhouse Effect.  This Greenhouse Effect is causing the gradual heating of the Earth’s temperatures.

The Greenhouse Effect is defined as the effect of greenhouse gases (such as CO2) in the atmosphere that heat the surface of a planet of a moon.  These greenhouse gases absorb and emit infrared radiation, and slowly contribute to the overall heating of the Earth’s surface.  What makes the matter worse, however, is that scientists have begun to discuss the possibility of dangerous feedback loops.  For example, the increasing temperatures may cause acceleration in decay and increased acidity in the oceans, both of which would increase the greenhouse gas emissions in the world.  The increase in these emissions is predicted to raise climate temperature by 4 degrees Celsius by 2055.  Action, then, is the only possible answer to this problem.  Experts agreed that a 3 per cent per year reduction would reduce the rising temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius.

At the conference, climate researchers described what our world would look like if it experienced a 4 degree increase in climate temperature.  Disasters around the world would be more common; the North Pole will experience up to a 15 degree increase in climate temperature.  A few more possibilities mentioned at this conference are listed below:

- The Amazon will be gone as we know it.

If temperatures increase, the change in climate, along with forest fires, is predicted to destroy the vast majority of the Amazon rain forest by 2100.  The prediction may in fact be too generous in expected luck.  If the increased CO2 in the climate does not fertilize the forest, we may be in for a bigger case of deforestation.

- The change in climate may cause crop failure and increasing sea levels.

It is a possibility that 200 million people could lose their homes to the rising water levels.  The water could force out those living near water and ice, as melting can cause severe flooding and other dangerous issues.  The researchers also pointed to a possibly major problem in immigration.  As places become more and more unlivable, people will continue to migrate to safer areas.

- Australia may be out of luck.

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions is putting a death wish on the continent of Australia.  Even if Australia somehow avoids an extreme increase in temperature, the increase in forest fire frequency may, in essence, set the continent on fire.

- People in India and China may lose monsoon waters.

Monsoon waters are used in India and China to water crops and to drink.  The climate change may cause more extreme weather events, leading to both wetter and drier monsoons.  Aerosols released by greenhouse emissions may prevent the occurrence of monsoons in their entirety.

Carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon whose nanostructure is cylindrical in shape.  These nanotubes have many applications, especially in the fields of nanotechnology, electronics, and architecture.  Often used as thermal conductors, these nanotubes also host unique electrical properties and are surprisingly strong.

Now these carbon nanotubes may serve as an efficient fertilizer as well. A plant biologist named Mariya Khodakovskaya worked with nanotechnologist Alexandru Biris at the University of Arkansas in this discovery.  In their experiment, they planted tomato seeds in a soil that contained carbon nanotubes.  The resulting measurements found that the carbon nanotube medium facilitated faster germination and growth than those without nanotubes.  The nanotubes were found to penetrate the out layer of seeds, providing water with greater entry into the seeds, accelerating germination.

The experiment studied 270 tomato seeds and a control group of 90 seeds.  The 270 sterile seeds were placed in a growth medium containing carbon nanotubes while the control group seeds were placed in a medium sans nanotubes.  Their findings showed that 30% of the nanotube-exposed seeds had germinated within 3 days, an extremely significant find as none of the control group seeds had begun to sprout.  Within 4 weeks, tomato seedlings exposed to the nanotubes had grown to twice the height of that of the control group.  This finding is still unproven, however, and both Khodakovskaya and Biris have additional plans to continue the research.

Fertilization is but one of the many possible applications of these carbon nanotubes.  The rest of this article focuses on the other uses of carbon nanotubes:

1.  Structural applications

The structural applications of carbon nanotubes are numerous due to their extraordinary strength.  Such applications include waterproof and tear-resistent textiles, increased concrete strength, fire protection, increased strength in sports equipment, and synthetic muscles.  The structural applications of nanotubes is a list that will continue to grow as companies innovate around the flexible molecules.

2.  Electromagnetic applications

Carbon nanotubes have unique electrical properties that allow them to be used in artificial muscles, conductive films, magnets, solar cells, transistors, displays, and many more.

3.  Chemical applications

Carbon nanotubes are used in many chemical applications, including filters of air pollution, the storage of hydrogen, and water filters.  In water filters, the microscopic tubes allow water molecules to pass through them while restricting larger particles.

The continuing research on the applications of carbon nanotubes will likely produce countless other uses in the near future, especially in the fields of nanotechnology and electronics.  The technology is not without controversy, however.  The possible toxicity of these nanotubes has been cause for concern.  Scientists are continuing to study the toxicity of these nanotubes, but the general consensus is that an overexposure may be a serious risk to human health.  For example, a study from the University of Cambridge found that carbon nanotubes can cause cell death.  Despite these worries, scientists continue to innovate, as the potential applications of these nanotubes are too vast to consider stopping their research.

Nobel Prize

The 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded to 3 researchers, Elizabeth Blackburn from the University of California, Carol Greider from Johns Hopkins University, and Jack Szostak of the Massachusetts General Hospital.  The 3 researchers were responsible for discovering the reason that chromosome tips preserve even through cell division.

The study found that chromosome tips are protected by telomere caps built by an enzyme named telomerase.  The findings may help scientists better understand the growth of cancer cells and the death of normal cells.  The potential applications for the treatment of cancer and aging theory are vast and still filled with untapped potential.

This also marked the first time that two woman have won the Nobel Prize for medicine.  This discovery may prove to one of great impact, as the possible implications for the theory of immortality are extremely intruiging.  It has been considered common knowledge that every living organism gets old and dies due to the deterioration of ordinary cells.  Now, with the new insights brought upon by this study, scientists may be able to finally understand why cells die with age.

The study revealed the reason that chromosome DNA remains intact through cell division.  Intuitively, the replacation of chromosome DNA should get progressively shorter with each division.  In finding out that the repeating sequences at the tips of chromosomes were responsible for protecting the DNA during cell division, Jack Szostak had effectively solved the mystery of chromosome preservation in cell division.  Cancer cells were found to be able to increase their level of telomeres, allowing infinite duplication without degeneration.  This was important in cancer research, as the Geron Corporation of Menlo Park, California has been working to develop cancer treatments that slow the growth of cancer through the attack of these chromosome telemeres.

Winning the Nobel Prize is the ultimate goal of many researches.  Blackburn, Greider, and Szostak, with this research joins a prestigious list of scientists and researchers who have gotten the ultimate recognition in their field, the Nobel Prize.  Nobel Prize winners are among the most distinguished in their field.  The rest of this article notes the recent past winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine.

- In 2008, Harald zur Hausen, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, and Luc Montagnier won the Nobel Prize for their research on the human piplloma viruses that cause cervial cancer, along with the discovery of the human immunodificiency virus.

- In 2007, Americans Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies along with the UK’s Martin J. Evans won the Prize for their studies on a new technique of mouse gene manipulation.

- In 2006, Americans Anrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello won the Prize for their studies regarding the control of the flow of genetic information.

- In 2005, Austrailians Barry J. Marshall and Robin Warren won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of how Helicobactor pylori affects gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.

As you can see, the Nobel Prize is awarded only to those who make significant breakthroughs in the medical field.  The chromosome research done by the 2009 winners has opened the door for the continuing research of chromosome research, cancer research, and aging.