A Shrew Spit Solution

Shrew spit may help in the screening of prostate, ovarian, and breast cancers. I don’t understand this one, so here it is from the CBC:

The northern short-tailed shrew, a mouse-like mammal with a long snout, is one of the world’s few venomous mammal species. With one bite, its saliva can paralyze prey.

Biochemist Jack Stewart of Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., set out to find out how.

Stewart spent several years luring the animals with pepperoni and trapping dozens of shrews in his rural backyard before he eventually identified the chemical in shrew saliva that causes paralysis. Researchers then purified and synthesized it.

At first, Stewart thought the chemical — called soricidin — might be a potential painkiller, because it blocked nerve transmission. When he tested it on a random cell culture that happened to be ovarian cancer cells, however, he found the cells died — which was initially a source of annoyance to him.

“Then a light bulb came on,” Stewart recalled. “Oh, they died,” he said with a laugh. “That’s a good thing in cancer.”

Read more at the CBC.

These Boots Are Made For Energy Generation

A small company has produced a boot that creates energy by walking. The boot has a battery that stores an electric charge from the energy spent by walking.

The ‘Power Wellies’, as Orange is calling them, convert heat from your feet into an electrical current. According to the blurb, twelve hours of stomping through the Glastonbury Festival will give you enough power to charge a mobile phone for one hour – the hotter your feet get, the more energy you produce.

In case you’re wandering what the science behind them is… Inside the power generating sole there are thermoelectric modules constructed of pairs of p-type and n-type semiconductor materials forming a thermocouple. These thermocouples are connected electrically forming an array of multiple thermocouples (thermopile). They are then sandwiched between two thin ceramic wafers. When the heat from the foot is applied on the top side of the ceramic wafer and cold is applied on the opposite side, from the cold of the ground, electricity is generated. Simples.

Read More

The 2010 People’s Summit

The G8 and the G20 are coming to Toronto this month and they are effectively shutting down the city (yes, that’s bad news). For a good spin on things, The People’s Summit will be happening as a “counter summit” to the G20’s and bring people from many walks of life together to make the world a better place.

The 2010 People’s Summit is civil society’s alternative “counter Summit” to the G8 and G20 Summits happening in Huntsville and Toronto this June 25th – 27th. Together we will create a space where diverse local and international movements can democratically organize to advocate and educate for global justice.

Community organizers, activists, non-governmental organizations, independent media, workers, impacted communities, artists – the people – converge this June to work together to educate, empower and ignite the positive change we would like to see in our world.

Vegetarians are Smart

Today’s good news is about me being smart because I’m vegetarian, OK, that’s a stretch, but the higher your IQ the greater the chances are that your vegetarian. Smart people eat well and being vegetarian is a healthy diet for you and the planet.

British researchers have found that children’s IQ predicts their likelihood of becoming vegetarians as young adults — lowering their risk for cardiovascular disease in the process. The finding could explain the link between smarts and better health, the investigators say.

“Brighter people tend to have healthier dietary habits,” concluded lead author Catharine Gale, a senior research fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre of the University of Southampton and Southampton General Hospital.

Recent studies suggest that vegetarianism may be associated with lower cholesterol, reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This might explain why children with high IQs tend to have a lower risk of heart disease in later life.

Read more at Now Public.

How Electricians Can Promote Green Retrofits

Houston writes in to let us know about an article he wrote about five green retrofits that electricians should be advocating for. It’s a good way to get new business and help the planet.

Daylight Harvesting
Daylight harvesting is the practice of reducing artificial light in a room when sunlight is available. According to a study performed by the NRC Institute for Research in Construction, it can reduce lighting energy costs by 20 to 60%. Call it “upselling” if you will, but electricians should pitch this retrofit to customers that are already relamping their homes and buildings.

A daylight harvesting system uses photosensors to detect light levels in a room. As sunlight becomes available, the artificial lighting will be reduced. When it’s cloudy or becomes dark outside, the level of artificial lighting will increase.

Three other lighting controls worth mentioning here are dimmers, motion sensors and timers. These energy savers have been around for years, but they are just as relevant today as when they first came out. Homeowners looking for simple ways to reduce energy can install any of the above. For more information, check out the US Department of Energy’s lighting guide.

Keep reading to Software Advice.