Science 2.0

Chocolate: When Money Did Grow On Trees
Advent calendars with hidden chocolatey treats, huge tins of Quality Street and steaming cups of hot chocolate festooned with whipped cream and marshmallows are all much-loved wintry staples at Christmastime. But how many of us stop to think about where chocolate actually comes from and how it made its way into our culinary culture?
The story of chocolate has a compelling, rich history that academics like me are learning more about every day.
‘Peer Community In’ May Accomplish What Open Access Could Not
In 2017, three researchers from the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), Denis Bourguet, Benoit Facon and Thomas Guillemaud, founded Peer Community In (PCI), a peer-review-based service for recommending preprints (referring to the version of an article that a scientist submits to a review committee).
The service greenlights articles and makes them and their reviews, data, codes and scripts available on an open-access basis. Out of this concept, PCI paved the way for researchers to regain control of their review and publishing system in an effort to increase transparency in the knowledge production chain.
Genetically Rescued Organisms: My Comment To USDA On Restoring The American Chestnut Tree
Christmas Trees Are The Definition Of Sustainable - Why Do Environmentalists Oppose Them?
Tomb Of Salome Found In Israel
Glioblastoma: Genetically Modified DeltEx Drug-Resistant Immunotherapy Gets Phase II Clinical Trial
200 Million Years Before Giant Whales, Ichthyosaurs Migrated To Give Birth In...Nevada
A new analysis of the fossil bed in the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park (BISP) in Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest suggests that nearly 200 million years before giant whales evolved, school bus-sized marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs may have been making similar migrations to breed and give birth together in relative safety.
Nevada is east of the very large state of California, and the study offers a possible explanation why at least 37 of these marine reptiles came to meet their ends in the same locale.
Breakthrough: First Direct Measurement Of The Donnan Potential
Could High Quality Masks Solve China's COVID Problems? Idea For A Randomized Control Trial Of Masks In Households To Find Out
How effective are masks at breaking transmission of COVID?
At present we have many studies but mainly observational - and we have a wide range of expert views on how effective or not the best masks really are
With the rapid spread of COVID in China - that's a country that has the motivation to find answers fast, and has a culture that is very accepting of masks.
Why Doesn't NASA Respond To Public Concerns On Its Samples From Mars Environmental Impact Statement? (short Version For Experts)
First for anyone who doesn't know, NASA’s perseverance rover is currently collecting small samples of rock and leaving them on the surface in tubes on Mars. NASA want to return them some time around 2033 and they plan to return its Mars samples of rock and some dust / soil to biosafety level 4 facilities (BSL-4). But the ESF in 2012 said we have to contain ultramicrobacteria from Mars and a BSL-4 can’t do that.
See longer version of this post with extra graphics and explanations for non experts.
As Carl Sagan said:
Why Doesn't NASA Respond To Public Concerns On Its Samples From Mars Environmental Impact Statement?
First for anyone who doesn't know, NASA’s perseverance rover is currently collecting small samples of rock and leaving them on the surface in tubes on Mars. NASA want to return them some time around 2033 and they plan to return its Mars samples of rock and some dust / soil to biosafety level 4 facilities (BSL-4). But the ESF in 2012 said we have to contain ultramicrobacteria from Mars and a BSL-4 can’t do that.
How To Recapture The Historical Spirit Of Christmas
If the media, popular entertainment, and retail habits are taken as indicators then the celebration of Christmas is no longer just the reserve of Christians. This has some consequences for the religious and non-religious alike.
In popular culture and the media, Christmas is portrayed as a time of happiness, togetherness, generosity, and peace. In the “made for Christmas” movies, such as those on the popular Hallmark Channel, a “feel good” message is the order of the day.
This Is Your Opportunity To Tell NASA You Want To Keep Earth Extra Safe During Their Samples From Mars Mission
This isn’t something to be scared of. Margaret Race’s analogy of a smoke alarm is a good way of thinking about it especially for this first mainly geological mission from Mars. But we do need smoke alarms in a modern house and this is our “house” for billions of people.
Do comment on the proposal with your thoughts, they are asking for feedback and do share this post if you want to do something about it.
NASA- Do Listen To Public Concerns About Life In Samples From Mars
- Your Plan Is Like Building Us A House Without Smoke Alarms
Please share widely and comment on their plans - comments close Dec. 20
Why Space Explorers Should Care About Any Life On Mars, And Its Capabilities, To Protect Themselves And Earth As They Explore
Open letter to Space Colonization Enthusiasts. This is to accompany my post about how I believe it is important for NASA to get its environmental impact statement for a Mars sample return right, and numerous issues I found with it.
Eager To Return Mars Samples, Why Is NASA Metaphorically Building A House Without Smoke Alarms? Do Ask The Public First!
NASA are planning to return its Mars samples to biosafety level 4 facilities. That was fine in 2009. But the problem is that it doesn’t contain the very small microbes we now know exist called ultramicrobacteria which can get through a very tiny 0.1 micron nanopore and still be viable.i
The chance of returning life on those mainly geological samples is low. The chance it is dangerous if returned is low. To give an idea of the order of risk I use Margaret Race's analogy of a smoke alarm. The risk of a fire in your house is so low most people don't panic about it. But you still install smoke alarms just in case.
Open Letter - NASA's Plans To Protect Earth For A Mars Sample Return Are Not Properly Thought Out - We Need To Get This Right
Are you aware of NASA's draft Environmental Impact Statement. They expect to complete the legal process by spring to summer next year using the new fast track NEPA process. They will do this by treating the returned samples as toxic compounds that we can handle like any human disease or toxic chemical in a Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facility. They aren't listening to the public comments asking them to take more care.
The way it's drafted, it's likely that none of the other agencies in the USA will show an interest, because they claim there is no significant risk of environmental effects, and no more risk to human health than any other toxic substance we know how to handle.
The Playstation 5 Is Bipartisan - That's Probably Why It Is The Top Most Searched For Gift In The US
Maybe candidates need to start embracing Playstation culture. An analysis of search results by coupon site Rakuten reveals that Florida, California, and Texas can't agree on much except a Playstation 5 at Christmas (Since we are a nonprofit, Amazon Smile gives us a nickel or something if you use the links from here.)
That's right, it is the top most searched for Christmas gift this year, from Pelosi-land to DeSantis-ville.
In 2014, A Voter Referendum Demanded New Water Storage - Government Has Done Nothing About It
Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion, And With It, One Of The Biggest Scientific Achievements In History
This week, scientists from the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California,
French Union Workers Exploit Cold Weather And Ukraine Situation To Get Paid - And That Means Using More Coal
The problem is it's a government union, and just like government unions in the US use taxpayer money to hire lobbyists to get themselves raises from other people in government paid by taxes on the poor, French government workers knew with Russia causing high competition and a cold snap during winter, it was the perfect time to strike. Literally and figuratively.