Researchers Learn What Sparks Plant Growth

Researchers Learn What Sparks Plant Growth:

“How do organisms decide when to grow and when to stop growing? These questions are especially important in plants because they are rooted in the ground and must alter their shape and size in response to their local environment. Thus, it’s a question of survival,” added Chory. “It took us 10 years to develop the tools to ask the question. It is very satisfying for me to see the results.”
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“It’s been a matter of some debate for a very long time if one of these tissue layers controls plant growth or if all three layers have to work together,” Chory said. “Our paper shows very clearly that the epidermis is in control—in both driving and restricting growth. In addition, our studies show that the cells in the epidermis “talk” to the cells in the inner layers, communicating that they too should expand.”

In January we had a long stretch of warm weather. Shoots for early blooming flowers sprouted in my front yard. Then we had about 6 weeks of winter weather. I was wondering how the flowers would do (they do fine with a few days of freezing weather after sprouting – since they have evolved to bloom early). They did fine, photo above (by John Hunter, March 11th).

Â£25 Gadget Saves Energy

Â£25 fridge gadget that could slash greenhouse emissions by David Adam:

Invented by British engineers, the Â£25 gadget significantly reduces the amount of energy used by fridges and freezers, which are estimated to consume about a fifth of all domestic electricity in the UK. If one was fitted to each of the 87 million refrigeration units in Britain, carbon dioxide emissions would fall by more than 2 million tonnes a year.
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Because air heats up much more quickly than yoghurt, milk or whatever else is stored inside, this makes the fridge work harder than necessary. With the cube fitted, the fridge responds only to the temperature of the food, which means it clicks on and off less often as the door is open and closed. Trials are under way with supermarkets, breweries and hotels. One of the largest, the Riverbank Park Plaza hotel in London, fitted the device to each of the hotel’s 140 major fridges and freezers. David Bell, chief engineer, says energy use decreased by about 30% on average – enough to slash the hotel’s annual electricity bill by Â£17,000. The Park Plaza group plans to fit them throughout its UK hotels, and to recommend them overseas.
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Mr Freedman said the devices would have the biggest impact in the large freezers and open chill cabinets used in the catering and supermarket industries. They do reduce the energy consumption of domestic fridges, but the saving is not so great because the door is not opened very often.

Magnetic Switching Data Storage

New Magnetic Switching Method Could Dramatically Speed Up Data Storage

Scientists of the Research Centre JÃ¼lich, Germany, have found a fundamentally new magnetic switching method which achieves the fastest speed ever reported by applying an external magnetic field. The results that are presented in a current article in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters could introduce new possibilities for future data storage applications with ultimate speeds.
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Besides its extremely high speed, a remarkable aspect of this finding is that it unfolds automatically: The applied field only perturbs the magnetization, which then under-goes these complicated changes as it recovers equilibrium. “These findings represent a promising leap towards smaller length scales and shorter time scales in magnetic data storage applications”, affirms Prof. Claus M. Schneider, director at the IFF

Immense Amount of Ice Found on Mars

Dense Ice Revealed at Mars’ South Pole

Radar scans of Mars have unveiled a vast reservoir of nearly pure frozen water around the planet’s south pole, a deposit so rich that if it were spread evenly on the surface it would be 36 feet deep.
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For now, it’s one of the many question marks that dot Mars research initiatives. Scientists still can’t explain what happened to all the water that must have been needed to carve Mars’ surface features.

Bornean Clouded Leopard

Borneo’s clouded leopard identified as new cat species:

Scientists have discovered that the clouded leopard found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra is an entirely new species of cat. The secretive rainforest animal was originally thought to be the same species as the one found in mainland South-east Asia. The news comes just a few weeks after a WWF report showed that scientists had identified at least 52 new species of animals and plants over the past year on Borneo.

Photo: WWF-Canon / Alain Compost

Magnificent Flying Machine

A magnificent flying machine

The next time you attempt to swat a fly, remember that you are trying to destroy a flying machine that engenders awe and bafflement in scientists, engineers and professors of aerodynamics. Thanks to remarkable flying skills that make the housefly the Ferrari of the insect world, it is unlikely you will achieve a direct hit. While fleeing a rolled-up newspaper, the insect can change course in as little as 30 thousandths of a second.

This and other flying insects have plagued the worlds of science and engineering ever since the first calculation of bumble-bee flight was attempted at GÃ¶ttingen University in the 1930s. Conventional aerodynamics suggested the insect should not generate enough lift to fly. The sums caused consternation.

In the past few years, however, remarkable advances have been made. The so-called “bumble-bee paradox” was solved by Dr Charles Ellington and colleagues from Cambridge University when, with the help of a robot insect, they highlighted the bee’s secret: extra lift is generated during a downstroke by a spiral vortex that travels along the leading edge of each wing, from base to tip.

Open Access Journal Wars

Open Access Launches Journal Wars

The $10 billion science publishing industry hasn’t heard the last of a bill that would make publicly funded studies available for free. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has pledged this year to resurrect the Federal Research Public Access Act (S.2695), which would require federally funded research to become publicly available online within six months of being published.

“When it’s the taxpayers that are underwriting projects in the federal government, they deserve to access the very things they’re paying for,” said Cornyn spokesman Brian Walsh. “This research is funded by American taxpayers and conducted by researchers funded by public institutions. But it’s not widely available.”

Great. The idea that people will actually buy some crazy excuse like: “It’s inappropriate for the government (to interfere).” as a reason that publicly funded research should be kept from the public is frustrating. And even more so because some people actually might buy it. But for those that can think, I believe it confirms that they have no good arguments against proposal. If the best argument for opposition to open access requirements is trying to confuse people into thinking something that makes no logical sense they must not have any good reasons.

Is there any part of “you must make the research openly available” that is interfering with the science involved? Interfering with an outdated business model maybe, but that is all. And really not even that because you can retain that business model if you want. I can’t see how anyone can sensibly argue that it is in the interest of science to keep information inaccessible.

NCAA Basketball Tournament Challenge 2007

Once again I have created a group on the ESPN NCAA Basketball Tournament Challenge for curiouscat basketball fans. To participate, go to the curiouscat ESPN group and make your picks.

Go Badgers and Go Davidson,

Surfing a Wave for 12 km

via: Pororoca: Surfing the Amazon

Twice a year, between the months of February and March, the Atlantic Ocean waters roll up the Amazon river, in Brazil, generating the longest wave on the Earth. The phenomenon, known as the Pororoca, is caused by the tides of the Atlantic Ocean which meet the mouth of the river. This tidal bore generates waves up to 12 feet high which can last for over half an hour.

A Career in Computer Programming

Why a Career in Computer Programming Doesn’t Suck (A Response)

Programmers need to be lifelong learners. I’m not sure what else to tell you. Lots of people change their professions. It’s not too late for you. Alternatively, you could find a job using a stable technology that you enjoy. Maybe you should find somewhere that will let you use C or C++, both of which are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

To the readers, pick a field that’s compatible with your own nature. You’ll be much happier. If you find that you’ve chosen the wrong field, change it. It’s just a job. Find something you actually enjoy, even if it means a massive career change. It’s better to be poorly-paid and happy than highly-paid and miserable.