ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 683

Americans Throw Twice As Much Trash In Landfills As Previously Thought

Environment





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The new finding also has profound implications for how much methane the landfills produce. Huguette Roe/Shutterstock

Americans are plugging up landfills with twice as much garbage as previously believed, a new study has found. Looking at actual measurements taken from all landfill sites, rather than the estimations calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it turns out that the average American chucks 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds) of trash into the landfill each day.

Drug Treats Protein That May Cause Alzheimer’s Disease

The Brain





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The tau protein, modelled here, is suspected of causing Alzheimer's disease. Now, we may finally have a drug that can stop its build up. Credit: molekuul.be/Shutterstock

The drug salsalate has been found to prevent and even reverse the development of tau protein tangles in mice with a condition similar to Alzheimer's disease. While so far the success is only in animals, salsalate has a head start on other potential treatments as it has already passed the safety trials required to be used to treat arthritis.

Metallic Glass Alloys Could Be Stronger Than Steel But As Malleable As Putty

Chemistry





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Shown are magnesium-based metallic glass castings. Dr. Kevin Laws/UNSW Australia.

Metallic glass alloys are ultra-strong materials that, when heated, become as malleable as putty. They have a huge range of uses, but finding out which are best has relied on trial and error methods. However, researchers now say they have developed an “instruction manual” to find the best ones.

Scientist Grow Kidneys In A Laboratory That Function When Transplanted Into An Animal

Health and Medicine





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The transplanted kidneys were able to pass urine, a major problem in earlier studies. hywards/Shutterstock

Growing functional organs in the lab is something of a medical holy grail. In some impressive new research, scientists have been able to transplant lab-grown kidneys into animals that could then pass urine. Though this research, published in PNAS, is encouraging, human trials are still likely to be years away.   

Question of the Week: September 23, 2015

The discovery of Homo naledi, a new species in our genus, has raised fascinating questions for scientists about our past and what truly makes us human. This week, we would like to ask you the same, what do you think makes us Homo sapiens unique, if anything?

Our favorite answer will win a copy of “An Appetite for Wonder” by Richard Dawkins.

Carbon dating could become a thing of the past due to global warming

BBC

By Science Dump

Carbon dating is a very useful technique that scientists use to determine the age of an object. It could be anything from bones to wood, as long as it’s organic material. Fields such as archaeology, geology and ecology use carbon dating on a regular basis, but a new study shows that by the year 2050 carbon dating might have become impossible.

Fossil fuel emissions are ageing the Earth prematurely

The paper “Impact of fossil fuel emissions on atmospheric radiocarbon and various applications of radiocarbon over this century” by climate-physics researcher for Imperial College London, Heather Graven, states that our planet is being aged prematurely by fossil fuel emissions, which is:

diluting the fraction of atmospheric carbon dioxide containing radiocarbon. This is making the atmosphere appear as though it has ‘aged,’ or lost radiocarbon by radioactive decay occurring over time.

As a result of the great amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, new organic materials will appear to be about a 1000 years old, and by the year 2100, fresh organic materials will seem to be 2000 years old! All due to the atmosphere’s radiocarbon age being older than it actually should be.

Read the full article by clicking the name of the source below.

These giant fans can suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, and then use it as fuel!

Carbon Engineering

By Science Dump

Besides being incredibly beautiful and useful in many ways, trees also use CO2 during photosynthesis. With all the CO2 emissions in the air today, it would be good thinking to plant more trees, right? Well, yes, but it would take about a thousand times more land to plant enough trees to combat the ever growing CO2 emissions! It’s time for a new game plan, and Carbon Engineering has created one.

Read the full article by reading the name of the source below.

How Does Radiocarbon Dating Work?

How do scientists determine the age of fossils that have been under the surface of the earth for thousands of years? Scientific American Editor Michael Moyer explains the process of radiocarbon dating.

Ben Carson says no Muslim should ever become US president

Fox News

By Martin Pengelly

The Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has said no Muslim should be president of the United States of America.

In an interview with NBC for broadcast on Sunday morning, the retired neurosurgeon said: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.”

Carson’s discussion with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd centered around controversy that arose this week when Donald Trump – the real-estate mogul keeping Carson in second place in the polls – failed to correct an audience member at a New Hampshire campaign rally who said President Obama was a Muslim.

The audience member also appeared to advocate the forcible removal of Muslims from the US.

Read the full story by clicking the name of the source below.

Snake Has Yet Another Virgin Birth

Plants and Animals





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Candice Davis/Missouri Department of Conservation's Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center

Before anyone says anything, let’s just get one thing straight: No, what I am about to describe to you does not prove a certain biblical story.