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POPS Climbing as easy as walking for some. Nature Abhors a vacuum. When the treetops offered a niche, Some of the smaller primates made it their home and no doubt evolved specifically to it. The fact that larger primates and other predators had difficulty getting to the tree tops, would have made it much easier for a squirrel monkey, or a lemur to get away, they would have had difficulty defending them selves against anything, and they can't run very fast. A lot of squirrel monkeys who got too close to the ground, wouldn't have had any descendants. If everything could climb trees, there probably wouldn't have been any squirrel monkeys now.
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POPSNuclear may lose it's green tag if costs rise The cost of reprocessing low grade Uranium ore. An industry spokesman said that there should be enough high quality ore for at least 85 years. 85 years when the waste lasts for an age? Sounds brilliant. Consider the amount of nuclear waste that will exist as a result of wasting energy.
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POPSDo you support nuclear energy? from 'The Nation': "This much seems clear: a handful of firms might soak up huge federal subsidies and build one or two overpriced plants. While a new administration might tighten regulations, public safety will continue to be menaced by problems at new as well as older plants. But there will be no massive nuclear renaissance. Talk of such a renaissance, however, helps keep people distracted, their minds off the real project of developing wind, solar, geothermal and tidal kinetics to build a green power grid."
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POPSUN climate panel 'downplayed' tech need The United Nations panel for climate chance, included into it's calculations the idea that energy efficiency would increase over time. It was not specific as to how this was going to happen. Some people see scientists as Magicians with magic wands, when they are blind men with sticks. Very often when a scientist discovers something, they are at least as surprised as anyone else. Assuming there will be technological advance, is like promising money before it has been earned.
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POPSBiofuel flight gets turbulent response
He says algae will be the most likely source for renewable energy in the future. Algae? The way energy use is skyrocketing, in time anything available will be used, corn, rice, wood, cotton. Over above any waste material any fossil fuels and nuclear energy. The problem is the escalation of energy use is beyond the capacity to produce it. Has it ever occurred to anyone that the biggest waste by product of energy use the way things are designed today, is HEAT. There should make more productive means of energy transformation developed. So much of the 'energy' that is produced as fuel burns to power an engine amongst other things, goes straight out the exhaust pipe, without performing any useful function. Like the way they use nuclear energy to boil water to make steam. after the medium is expanded through heating/combustion, it stays that way. Why? because we're too busy thinking about the next 5 minutes. The children, and grandchildren can worry about the future. If there is one.
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POPSSolar plant a 'small but important step' The Australian centre gets an incredible amount of sunlight. There's very little that can be done without the first step. Remember computers became a prospect (distant) when they invented the transistor. Every program is a series of small steps. Step left 0 step right 1-(or vice versa) at least until we work out how to go organic (it's not far off). Who knows, with the amount of sunlight Australia gets, in time energy is likely to become an export. We'll just have to look out for real estate agents. "Want to buy a block of land in the desert?- Get it while it's hot."
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POPSSouthern Ocean rise due to warming not ice. I'm sure whatever affects one ocean will affect all of them either directly or indirectly. With all of the talk of ice melts, where the rise may come from land based ice, that slides into the ocean when once it would have been frozen tight, one of the primary causes of sea level rise will be due to the fact that like all but a few things, water expands when it warms. While the temperature rises may seem small, the volumes involved mean the expansion can be significant. That's not to mention the increased amount of energy held in the water, which can contribute to stronger storms, and rougher seas. The ocean is a big place, and for the temperature to rise by one degree, means a vast amount of energy stored.
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POPS'Power Shirt' generates watts as you walk It's amazing the simple means of retrieving energy their finding now were threatened by our own excess. Many of these ideas have earlier been choked in the past before they put a dent in the oil market, but times are changing and news is spreading.
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POPSVibrating raindrops may power our homes At the moment the charges generated are only small, but some things only need a small charge to operate. It is literally harnessing gravity. There is energy everywhere, it's just a matter of learning to harness it. Of course there is the known problem of inefficient, and destructive means of generating energy, being perpetuated due to vested interests. Energy sources such as this have been known for years by those who profit and administrate, and their existence has been smothered. Now with the net things like this are impossible to hide from the public, and their base fear may eventuate. That people will be able to be self sufficient. If the planet lasts that long.
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POPSStormy Jupiter reveals more secrets. Jupiter has a metallic Hydrogen core that creates a Magnetosphere similar to the one created by Earth's Iron core. Scientists have known that Jupiter generates more energy than it receives from the Sun, but how it affectes the Atmosphere below the surface layer of clouds was unclear. They are still trying to work out the way the Atmosphere is affected by the combination of these energy sources, but they are learning to make a distinction between the two effects. This data shows effects that to be a result of Energy generated by Jupiter. They are thought to be below any possible influence of the sun. (Of course the scientists could always be surprised again. That seems to happen fairly often.)
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POPSWhy can't the U.S. be more like Varese? If this town in Italy can be 100% dependent on renewable power, why can't towns/cities in the U.S. do the same? It really makes me angry to live in a country that holds itself out as a world leader, yet we need to look at small towns in Italy to see examples of the Power Revolution. It frightens me that Big Oil stands in the way of the U.S. leading the Revolution.
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POPSIs Time disappearing from the universe? At an everyday level, the change would not be perceptible. However, it would be obvious from cosmic scale measurements tracking the course of the universe over billions of years. The change would be infinitesimally slow from a human perspective, but in terms of the vast perspective of cosmology, the study of ancient light from suns that shone billions of years ago, it could easily be measured Difficult to fathom.
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POPSDark energy a furphy says new paper Dark energy does seem like the 'unknown unknown' that exists purely to balance equations. Trying to make the universe fit our picture, rather than the other way around. If they want to call it anything but an illusion, they have to find a way to measure it independently, or fix their theories. The most significant feature of dark energy so far has been, that they're not sure if it's there or not.
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POPSEnergy drinks jolt blood pressure There are warnings on these drinks which tell consumers to limit the number of drinks per day, but these are more seen to be suggestions. Often they are consumed in large numbers even if only to maintain the 'buzz' Of course caffeine is a traditional means of achieving the same effects, but very often the negative effects of caffeine and taurine combined are not considered, because they do not seem to be relative to young and healthy people. The caffeine and taurine with their diuretic effect can make the drinker thirsty. While the effects were considered to be of more concern for people with already high blood pressure and heart problems, the volumes that are consumed, and the likely continued use warrants more study. There is the chance that benefits can be seen from the studies. For example they could be used in cases of low blood pressure.
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POPSCarbon Nanotubes to knit bullet proof armour The Nanotubes can transfer more energy back to the bullet after they absorb and spread the impact, because of their greater flexibility. Polymers like kevlar can spread the load, but can still result in internal damage.
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