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Manuel said: "This is great news! I hope all cities pass this into law.The practice of using plastic bags just to quickly dispose of them has been going on far t..." [read]

Jay Knecht said: "What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]

gazelle said: "@ Dallas: The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]

Barry said: "Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda. He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]

JJ said: "Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]

Derek said: ""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]

New Ocean Carbon Sink Blooms as Antarctic Ice Retreats Rapidly

by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 11. 9.09
science

phytoplankton photo
photo: Wikipedia.

There aren't too many good un-anticipated consequences when it comes to climate change, but here's one: Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey have discovered that in areas of open water left exposed by rapid ice melting around the Antarctic Peninsula, large new blooms of phytoplankton are occurring. As the blooms die off they sink to the bottom, storing away carbon they've absorbed from the atmosphere:

Article continues: New Ocean Carbon Sink Blooms as Antarctic Ice Retreats Rapidly

The 5 Best High Flying Wind Power Projects

by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 11. 9.09
Science & Technology

jet stream wind power photo
Image via IO9

The Kites, Blimps, and Copters that Could Power the World
Tapping into the jet stream--the fast-flowing air currents in the atmosphere--to harness high speed wind power is one of the most compelling ideas in the renewable energy world. How compelling, you ask? Some researchers figure that by successfully tapping into just 1% of the jet stream, we could power all of civilization. At about 6 miles up, the jet stream creates some 200 trillion watts--world energy demand is estimated to be between 2 and 2.5 trillion--the problem, of course, is bringing that stuff down to earth.

Here are the 5 most promising high altitude wind power projects designed to do exactly that.

Article continues: The 5 Best High Flying Wind Power Projects

Five Hundred Oil-Industry Geologists Vote on Peak Oil

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 11. 9.09
Science & Technology

geologists have a rocky career cap photo
Photo: Zazzle

Guess What the Results Were
The theory of peak oil itself is fairly non-controversial. But saying that we're close to this absolutely peak in oil and gas production is still debated by very knowledgeable people on both sides. A few years ago, it seemed like the balance was tipped in the direction of the "peak oil is not a problem for the near future" side, but lately, it seems like things might be going the other way. At the Petroleum Geology Conference in London, 500 geologists took a vote on wether "Peak oil is no longer a concern" (something that was argued by some of the speakers). The results were interesting.

Article continues: Five Hundred Oil-Industry Geologists Vote on Peak Oil

Smog Could Cause 2.5°C+ Warming, Even With Strong Global Climate Deal

by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 11. 9.09
science

los angeles smog photo
Smog in Los Angeles, photo: Al Pavangkanan via flickr.

We've written about the increasingly acknowledged impact of black carbon, soot and smog in global warming, but here's a sobering thought on all that: Dr Veerabhadra Ramanathan of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography says that even with a strong climate change agreement next month at COP15 we still could see global temperatures rise above 2°C -- all because of smog:

Article continues: Smog Could Cause 2.5°C+ Warming, Even With Strong Global Climate Deal

Harnessing Bacteria to Grow Custom Packaging

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 9.09
Science & Technology

Bacs bacterial packaging photo

Some things have no business being packed up and shipped at all, like software serial numbers. But until we learn to teleport fragile objects, we're going to have to protect them for the journey. This ambitious concept called Bacs harnesses the bacterium acetobacter xylinum to self-assemble around an object, encasing it in a biodegradable paper-like shell. For this innovative notion, designer Mareike Frensemeier took third place in Cargo Packs 2020, a design challenge staged by Bayer MaterialScience.
By slathering an object with the special culture and then offering it a sugary meal, the bacteria metabolize the glucose into a "fibrous nano-scaled cellulose network."

Article continues: Harnessing Bacteria to Grow Custom Packaging

Another Benefit of Smart Grids: Fewer Utility Trucks Spewing CO2

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 11. 9.09
Cars & Transportation

power-utility-trucks-photo01.jpg
Photo: Flickr, CC

The Difference Between Snail Mail and Email
One of the benefits of smart grids that we too often overlook is the fact that they'll greatly reduce the need for power utilities to send trucks (and often big ones) out in the field to gather data and fix problems. The most obvious example of this is the remote reading of meters instead of having to send people to read meters, but it will also help with maintenance and repairs since the grid will tell trucks exactly where to go to solve problems, reducing the number of miles driven.

Article continues: Another Benefit of Smart Grids: Fewer Utility Trucks Spewing CO2

Beautiful Wood iPhone Skin Helps with Reforestation

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 11. 9.09
electronics

wooden iphone case image
Image via Vers

It's no secret we like gadgets covered in wood - something about the feeling of permanence. Plus, wood makes for a solid protective cover for something like an iPhone. While not all wood cases are sustainable - like the un-TreeHugger zebra wood case we saw awhile back - Vers is a company that is working to make this wood iPhone case one of the most sustainable on the market. They've joined up with The Arbor Day Foundation to create an offer tough for any iPhone-toting greenie to refuse.

Article continues: Beautiful Wood iPhone Skin Helps with Reforestation

Bio-Plastics Could Replace Up to 90% of Plastics, But Not in Short Term

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 11. 9.09
materials

bioplatics logo image

270 Million Tons of Plastics in 2007
Bioplastics are certainly not a panacea - they have their problems - but if we are to someday move to a world free of fossil fuels (by choice or by necessity), we'll need something to make plastics. Researchers from Utrecht University conducted a study that was commissioned by the associations European Bioplastics and the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE), and their findings were pretty interesting.

Article continues: Bio-Plastics Could Replace Up to 90% of Plastics, But Not in Short Term
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