Turning carbon dioxide into fuel
We can convert CO2 into a useable fuel and go some way to solving energy storage problems for renewable energy – and reduce greenhouse gas at the same time. Very cool
I just listened to a fascinating presentation about technology that can convert CO2 into fuel (methane). Professor Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci from the Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells spoke to a crowd from the Bio21 Institute on a range of nanotechnologies used to make plastic solar cells and printable batteries. The coolest part though was the research behind a spin-out company that uses the principles of photosynthesis to turn CO2 into methane.
Prof Serdar showed figures that indicated a large of excess power often produced by Germany’s wind turbines, so much power in fact that the companies have them shut down for 20% of the time otherwise the power grid goes into a form of meltdown. It is this excess power that is hoped will drive the process to reduce CO2 to methane. It is early days, but they have a small-scale pilot plant running.
And the next coolest thing is that it helps solve two problems at once. First it goes a long way to solving the energy storage problem for renewable energy. That is, any excess energy is turned into a storable fuel in the form of methane, although they are working on tweaking the technology to make a more useable form of fuel. Second there is the removal of at least some of the CO2 from the atmosphere.
More information can be found here, but it’s all in German unfortunately
Jason
Stem cell scientists share concerns
Some stem cell scientists are worried they might not be able to live up to some of the promises that have been made about their work, new research has found.
ABC Online: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/12/01/2758415.htm
Based on interviews with stem cell researchers, was presented at a recent Asia-Pacific Science, Technology and Society Network Conference conference in Brisbane. It also found many others are concerned about commercialisation biasing research and about some in the field rushing to clinical research, risking patient safety and the reputation of the science as a whole.
Boost to next generation of solar cells
A Monash University-led international research team has produced solar cells three times more efficient than the equivalent type of cells.
Monash University: http://www.monash.edu.au/news/newsline/story/1547
Are published research findings mostly false?
Recent talk, old paper: Concerns raised that suggest research findings are false in at least half the peer-reviewed and published scientific papers.
At last week’s Victorian Science Teacher Conference, (STAVCON held in Melbourne, Australia), I heard Professor David Vaux present a disconcerting keynote address that suggests research findings are false in at least half the peer-reviewed and published scientific papers. Many of these papers are in some of the more prestigious journals such as Nature, Science and PNAS.
There are many reasons for this and only a small percentage (about 2-3 percent) can be attributed to misconduct. Reasons given for this include the obvious financial interests and accompanying pressure to publish, and the problems of bias. What surprised me and shook my faith in the peer-review process was that a good chunk of the dodgy results happen because scientists are using the wrong or inappropriate statistical methods, or the statistical results are missing information that is vital to making any sort of valid conclusion. And David had no shortage of examples to show us, many that came to him for review, and many more that made it through the peer-review process and are still available in many of the prestigious journals. According to David they shouldn’t be there, but apparently getting a paper retracted is difficult.
I am the first to admit that my use of statistics ended with my honours research nearly 20 years ago and then I only learnt what I had to. So my knowledge of stats is poor, at best. But then I am not a scientist trying to get a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal. What shook my faith, if I understood Prof Vaux correctly, was the inadequate understanding scientists have of statistical methods, which suggests the dodgy papers are largely not that way deliberately
Nobody denies there is uncertainty in science and that a certain percentage of results will turn out to be false. It is the nature of the scientific method. And 50 percent and my context-lacking post make it sound a bigger deal that it possibly is, but I wonder, however, if it is naïve of me to think we should be concerned if even 10 percent of published papers were statistically dodgy.
To get the context and wider perspective on this, PLOS Medicine published a paper and accompanying editorial and commentary in 2005
The fact it is a 2005 paper means I am finding out about all this late, but from the questions David got after the talk, I reckon I am not the only ignorant one.
Prof David Vaux runs a lab (Mechanisms of Cell Death, Aging and Homeostasis) in La Trobe University’s Dept of Biochemistry.
Jason
DNA from the beginning – cool blog for teachers
If you are a primary or secondary teacher, this is a blog worth checking out if you are teaching anything to do with DNA and genetics
This is a great blog from the Dolan Learning Centre and will be of interest to primary and secondary teachers. I say primary because in my experience primary students can easily grasp the concepts of cells and DNA and the Dolan Learning Centre certainly teaches primary-aged students this stuff.
The blog posts chats about and explores the issues that arise in the Dolan Learning Centres educational programs. For example, the recent posts look at how to explain inheritance to younger students without getting into meiosis and suggestions on how to handle the tricky questions that might follow; how does every cell have exactly the same DNA, yet such diverse functions; why do we study non-human animals such as the fruit fly, yeast or even plants to learn about human disease…and so on.
The posts appear to be by people teaching students that come into the Dolan Learning Centre and there are comments from teachers themselves. Definitely a blog worth sticking into your feed reader.
Jason
Scientists ‘grow’ meat in laboratory
The move towards artificially engineered foods has taken a step forward after scientists grew a form of meat in a laboratory for the first time.
The Telegraph – UK:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/6684854/Scientists-grow-meat-in-laboratory.html
Netherlands: Scientists have created what was described as soggy pork and are now investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it.
Stem cells heal lungs of newborn animals
In a significant step toward treating premature babies with lung disease, scientists have revealed that stem cells injected into lungs of newborn rats pump out a healing liquid that helps repair the lungs.
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research:
http://www.ahfmr.ab.ca/news/2009-11-26.php
Research is being published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine