Image from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.8, News of the Week - Science Windfall from Legislators by Rochelle Bohaty.According to this story, the House has passed a $819,000,000,000 stimulus bill (HR 1) last week that contains more than $13,000,000,000 for research & development. And, the Senate is working on an $888,000,000,000 stimulus bill(S 1) that contains more than $12,000,000,000 for research & development.
Again, the only thing happening here is the subsidization of those who cannot productively enter society after graduation. If they are to pile up increasing institutional debt, then let them continue on their postdoctoral path in a more useful fashion. Say, design of modular concrete structures that would suit modern urban conditions... or some such.
Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.10, News of the Week - FDA Clears Stem Cell Clinical Trial by Britt E. Erickson, C&EN Washington.
"THE FOOD & DRUG Administration has given Geron, a small California-based biotech company, the green light to inject living cells manufactured from human embryonic stem cells into a handful of patients with spinal cord injuries.
The trials, set to begin this summer, will be the first in the world to test the safety of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells in people.
A lot of hope is riding on the outcome of the trials. If the product, called GRNOPC1, proves safe, it could open the door for other embryonic-stem-cell-based therapies to treat conditions such as juvenile diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and stroke, experts say."
I still don't know where I live on this issue... just thought you ought to know.
Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.10, News of the Week - Making a Toxin by Sarah Everts.
"A quirky lipid that is associated with seafood toxicity has been constructed in a lab for the first time. The work opens the possibility of developing tools to detect and study the molecule."
It would be nice to know if you are about to get food poisoning from your platter of oysters. Of course, this could just be another bit of good science gone bad when we get "gassed" with the stuff. Again, just thought you ought to know.
Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.11, News of the Week - Irreversible Effects by Cheryl Hogue.
"Debates over whether and how to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases should take into account that some effects of climate change are irreversible, according to a new scientific study.
The study, led by Susan Solomon, senior scientist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), finds that even if emissions of carbon dioxide from human activity stopped, some effects will be largely unalterable for more than 1,000 years (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI:10.1073/pnas.0812721106). These effects include sea-level rise and drying of some already arid regions of the world."
Truly, the just can not help themselves. There is such an abundance of research out there that will let you tell any story that you want. Right now, it is "trendy science" and quite lucrative to be on the "Global Climate Change" bandwagon.
Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.11, News of the Week - Mapping Earth's Carbon Dioxide by Elizabeth Wilson.
"After months of delays, a satellite designed to help generate the first detailed, time-resolved global maps of carbon dioxide sources and sinks is slated for launch on Feb. 23.
The daily detailed measurements from NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) will give vastly more information than the sparse CO2-monitoring stations that now dot Earth. By knowing where and when CO2 is being emitted and taken up, scientists may be able to understand how the gas influences climate change and, in particular, global warming."
I can hardly wait to see how this thing is misused.
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