Monthly Archives: August 2005

Fake Meat no Longer for Vegetarians

NASA has been looking into making meat in a lab. A recently published academic paper proves thatchicken nuggets no longer need to be attached to those clucking chickens.cows In addition to the obvious life-saving benefits, manufactured meat would allow the manufacture to control how much nutrients are in each slice. For example omega 3, which is a good thing, can replace omega 6, which is not as good for you.

One reason some people are vegetarian is because of the environmental effects of raising livestock for human consumption; lab meat will make environmentally unfriendly farming obsolete.

Sure some vegetarians may have to reexamine if they should/can eat lab-made-meat, but the fact that sentient beings may no longer be killed for human consumption is good.

The Healing Power of Crocodiles

Australian scientists are collecting crocodile blood samples with the hopes of developing a new antimicrobial drug for humans. In recent studies they have found that the reptile’s have incredibly strong immune systems which essentially attach to bacteria, tear them apart and then cause them to explode. In the wild Crocs often fight savagely, sometimes even loosing limbs, so their strong healing potential enables them to recover from many of these injuries quickly without ever develping an infection.

The antibodies in crocodile blood have been found to kill such pennicillin resistant bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus. Other studies have shown that when introduced to HIV the reptiles antibodies have a greater effect than that of human antibodies and can effectively kill HIV!

The development of a drug for use by humans will of course take some time, but the scientists are hopeful that their new found discoveries will greatly benefit potential treatments for HIV and other diseases.

Curfew Ends in Khartoum

Aljazeera.net is reporting that the curfew on Sudan’s capital has ended. The country has been marred in violence for years, but 111 recent deaths in Khartoum provoked the authorities to place a curfew on the city. News of the death of a rebel leader sparked riots that ravaged the capital.

The situation within the city has calmed and order has been restored. Since the civil war ended in January the country has had to still deal with violence from both sides of the conflict. With order being restored the re-development of Sudan can continue.

Aljazeera.net has more info on the curfew and recent developments in Sudan.

Plastic Steel

Scientists from Australia have figured out a way to turn plastic by-products into steel. This will have a huge impact on how much waste is sent to landfills since many plastics can now be used to enforce steel.

Scrap steel and plastic waste is put into a furnace where they are heated to extreme temperatures. The plastic provides some carbon which then enforces the steel, which means less coal is needed too.

Peace in Aceh


Aceh is coloured light green.

For 29 years the Free Aceh Movement has been fighting the Indonesian government for independence and this struggle may come to an end soon. On Aug. 15 in Helsinki the two sides signed a peace agreement. The deal hinges on rapid disarmament of the rebels and removal of half of the Indonesian troops in the disputed territory.

The Dec. 2004 earthquake and tsunami actually helped to bring about a peace accord. Having to deal with the crisis helped the sides look beyond their differences. Another factor that helped lead to the peace was the election of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who wants to stop the conflict.