Bees Use Sign Language to Give Hornets the Finger. How sea water could corrode nuclear fuel. Japan used seawater to cool nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in March 2011 — and that was probably the best action to take at the time, says Professor Alexandra Navrotsky of the University of California, Davis.
But Navrotsky and others have since discovered a new way in which seawater can corrode nuclear fuel, forming uranium compounds that could potentially travel long distances, either in solution or as very small particles. The research team published its work Jan. 23 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This is a phenomenon that has not been considered before,” said Alexandra Navrotsky, distinguished professor of ceramic, earth and environmental materials chemistry.
“We don’t know how much this will increase the rate of corrosion, but it is something that will have to be considered in future.” The Essential Herbal - Looking back, looking ahead. As we roll over into a new year, it's hard not to look back just a little bit further.
In the last third of my life, changes have occurred that have been so immense that it is difficult to comprehend sometimes. A huge portion of the population never knew a world that didn't include the internet, cell phones, cable tv, texts, email, or any of the other instant forms of communication. These things have changed our world in a way that makes it almost impossible to remember "before". I used to marvel that my grandmother lived in a world that progressed from horses and carriages to rocket ships. I wondered how a person could be flexible enough to embrace that much change.Scurrying around yesterday trying to tie up loose year-end tasks for The Essential Herbal magazine, I started thinking about how much the act of running a business has changed over the years.My mother started a business when I was little.
10 Most Poisonous Animals in the World. It is really hard to tell which animal is the most poisonous in the world.
The one that has the most toxic chemicals? The one that kills the biggest amount of people a year? Or maybe the one with the biggest amount of poison? First of all, I have to admit that the title is a bit incorrect, because there is a difference between poisonous and venomous animals. A poisonous animal carries harmful chemicals called toxins primarily used for self defense. Nevertheless, theory aside, they are all really dangerous. 1. Forests Blog » Undying flame: Replacing fuelwood with bamboo may help to combat Africa’s deforestation crisis. Photo courtesy of INBAR.
DURBAN, South Africa (21 December 2011)_Bamboo charcoal is a viable, clean and sustainable alternative to fuelwood and may be the key to combating soil degradation and massive deforestation in Africa while still meeting domestic energy needs, say experts. “Bamboo charcoal could provide an excellent alternative to hardwood charcoal production as bamboo biomass production is much greater and considerably more sustainable,” said Terry Sunderland, scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
It takes 7 to 10 tonnes of raw wood to produce one tonne of wood charcoal, making fuelwood collection an important driver of deforestation in Africa, a continent of nearly one billion people who have few alternative fuel sources. Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet and produces large amounts of biomass, making it an ideal energy source. China is a global leader in the production and use of bamboo charcoal. Earth Blog: EARTH MEANDERS: 9/11/01 The Day America Died. The 9/11 attacks were inhumane barbarity that brutally destroyed thousands.
Yet America squandered the opportunity to unite the world against terrorism, instead going it alone to wage perma-war for a decade (permanent war, still on-going), causing tremendous lasting damage to life in America, our ideals, and world standing. In policies that can best be described as grotesque acts of revenge, hundreds of times the original victims of 9/11 were murdered by U.S. troops given illegal orders. Many if not most of the 300,000 to 1,000,000 killed were innocents – just as in the twin tower attacks. This is not the America where I was born and raised. If these militarist, fascist, morally and financially bankrupt policies and resultant collapse of ecology continue; the simpler, more honorable America has died, perhaps forever. By Dr. Introduction On the tenth anniversary of 9/11 attacks upon America, I too mourn 3,000 victims of a monstrous criminal evil.
Perma-War, War Crimes and Fascism. Wild About Nature Blog » Of Mystery Mushrooms and Rare Plants. On a casual romp through the woods the other day, we came upon a humongous mushroom.
A bit more searching and we discovered others of the same species growing nearby (though not of this massive size). Kenton was almost positive that we had found a Boletus edulis — a Porcini — even though we didn’t think they grew in Wisconsin. Some research at home confused the issue — it turns out that genus boletus is being restructured all the time, and that ‘true’ Boletus edulis may not even grow in North America.
Our enthusiasm wasn’t affected, however, so we continued to work on identifying the mushroom. No bruising . . . good. Now, as anyone who knows anything about mushrooms knows, this is not a good idea.