Showing posts with label scientists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scientists. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sweet Potato Is Being Improved

The sweet potato is a hotel counter-lunch filling. It is something you have when there is no other vegetable left. Most people eat it because it is on the plate. It's flavour can be described as sugary. The only vegetable anything like it is fresh baby peas that can be quite sweet. The sweet potato, however, is far too "sickly" for most palates. This humble vegetable is being revamped.

Researchers in Queensland are trying to find varieties that can be grown more economically and which are more suitable for consumers - diametrically opposed goals one would assume. They are looking for more brilliantly coloured kinds, a silly aspiration considering people don't eat colour. It is the taste that is the problem. Seeing pretty red, purple, orange and white skin while you are peeling them is hardly, well, "appealing". Scientists are saying the colours are exciting. Wow! They are also saying that there are interesting flavours. This claim is not soundly based because no formal taste tests have been done.

A fatter kind is being worked on. A quick perusal of the local greengrocer would indicate that size is not really an issue. There are some monsters out there already. Like giant pumpkins such monstrosities are usually only fit for the rubbish bin.

Those doing the study admit that the sweet potato being produced is of very high quality. If that is the case why bother working on improvements? Surely, research on more main-stream vegetables like the standard potato is more logical than trying to improve a vegetable that is at best only a fill-in on the dinner plate.
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Science

Sweet Potato Is Being Improved

The sweet potato is a hotel counter-lunch filling. It is something you have when there is no other vegetable left. Most people eat it because it is on the plate. It's flavour can be described as sugary. The only vegetable anything like it is fresh baby peas that can be quite sweet. The sweet potato, however, is far too "sickly" for most palates. This humble vegetable is being revamped.

Researchers in Queensland are trying to find varieties that can be grown more economically and which are more suitable for consumers - diametrically opposed goals one would assume. They are looking for more brilliantly coloured kinds, a silly aspiration considering people don't eat colour. It is the taste that is the problem. Seeing pretty red, purple, orange and white skin while you are peeling them is hardly, well, "appealing". Scientists are saying the colours are exciting. Wow! They are also saying that there are interesting flavours. This claim is not soundly based because no formal taste tests have been done.

A fatter kind is being worked on. A quick perusal of the local greengrocer would indicate that size is not really an issue. There are some monsters out there already. Like giant pumpkins such monstrosities are usually only fit for the rubbish bin.

Those doing the study admit that the sweet potato being produced is of very high quality. If that is the case why bother working on improvements? Surely, research on more main-stream vegetables like the standard potato is more logical than trying to improve a vegetable that is at best only a fill-in on the dinner plate.
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Science

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Dinosaurs Did Not Hold Their Heads Aloft

It seems Dinosaurs had vouracious appetities and went around "hoovering up" all the greenery they could find with their heads close to the ground. Discussed in a television documentary by Phil Manning this is now accepted as fact. The Sauropod did not hold its head up like a giraffe. The head was held horizontally to the ground. There is no way blood could have been pumped up high. The heart would have been impractically huge for that to occur.

University of Adelaide's Roger Seymor has held the horizontal tack for a long time. A British documentary confirmed this. David Wilkinson in England says the neck of the Brachiosaurus, which was 30 feet long, was far too heavy to hold aloft.

The dinosaurs had long necks to conserve energy. The necks could be moved around in the search for food without moving the body. They were as long as was beneficial to save energy grazing. It was not really grazing like a cow, for example. Their neck were long tubes similar to a vacuum cleaner. They didn't do any chewing.
~~~~~Science~~~~~
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Dinosaurs Did Not Hold Their Heads Aloft

It seems Dinosaurs had vouracious appetities and went around "hoovering up" all the greenery they could find with their heads close to the ground. Discussed in a television documentary by Phil Manning this is now accepted as fact. The Sauropod did not hold its head up like a giraffe. The head was held horizontally to the ground. There is no way blood could have been pumped up high. The heart would have been impractically huge for that to occur.

University of Adelaide's Roger Seymor has held the horizontal tack for a long time. A British documentary confirmed this. David Wilkinson in England says the neck of the Brachiosaurus, which was 30 feet long, was far too heavy to hold aloft.

The dinosaurs had long necks to conserve energy. The necks could be moved around in the search for food without moving the body. They were as long as was beneficial to save energy grazing. It was not really grazing like a cow, for example. Their neck were long tubes similar to a vacuum cleaner. They didn't do any chewing.
~~~~~Science~~~~~
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

New Jellyfish in Coffs Harbour

It seems humans know just about everything. This is a myth really. A new species of jellyfish has be seen in Coffs Harbour, NSW. It seems the marine creature has been there for a long time.

The mystery "object" is a box jellyfish that appears to be totally harmless. It is unlike the Irujandji and is smaller than the dangerous Chironex flecker box jellyfish. Fishermen have been seeing the new jellyfish for sometime but authorities took no notice. A game crew took photos of the animal last week.

Finally "professionals" acted and arrangements are being made to catch some specimens. Fish of all kinds are moving south as the temperature of the ocean increases due to climate change. It is believed the visiting jellyfish come from more northern climes. Usually jellyfish do not move south because they can be harmed by rougher seas. They prefer the warm, calmer tropics.
~~~~~Science~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Jellyfish in Coffs Harbour

It seems humans know just about everything. This is a myth really. A new species of jellyfish has be seen in Coffs Harbour, NSW. It seems the marine creature has been there for a long time.

The mystery "object" is a box jellyfish that appears to be totally harmless. It is unlike the Irujandji and is smaller than the dangerous Chironex flecker box jellyfish. Fishermen have been seeing the new jellyfish for sometime but authorities took no notice. A game crew took photos of the animal last week.

Finally "professionals" acted and arrangements are being made to catch some specimens. Fish of all kinds are moving south as the temperature of the ocean increases due to climate change. It is believed the visiting jellyfish come from more northern climes. Usually jellyfish do not move south because they can be harmed by rougher seas. They prefer the warm, calmer tropics.
~~~~~Science~~~~~
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Monday, November 22, 2010

People With Moles Are Healthier

Scientists are looking to moles to enable Mankind to live longer. No, these are not the animal kind of moles. They are the moles one has on one's body - beauty moles. Rather than saying "Yuk, cover that up", we should be saying "You lucky thing."

It seems people with moles have benefits that others do not have. The bones in these lucky ones are, apparently, stronger than usual. It is also claimed that they have less wrinkles making them look up to a decade younger than "non-molers". The Heart, eyes and muscles are stronger as well.

The downside is the increased risk of skin cancer. Just live like Count Dracula, stay out of the light, and you should be laughing. Researchers are working on a way to turn moles off so they become less visible. This is good if you have the genes for moles, but what about the rest of us? There is no way we can get the benefits from moles which make the telomeres of white blood cells longer, thus slowing bone deterioration and preventing osteoporosis.

Off course the search for a cream to be applied to reduce noticeability of moles will not help the population at large. Having the gene is pure luck and no one is suggesting a human breeding program to increase the percentage of people with moles. Having more than 100 moles may be "healthy", but in the eyes of most they are definitely not beautiful.

More importantly, the research showed that drinking high levels of alcohol shortened white blood cell telomeres which made it more likely for people to develop chronic disease. This should have been discussed in more detail in the research paper
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

People With Moles Are Healthier

Scientists are looking to moles to enable Mankind to live longer. No, these are not the animal kind of moles. They are the moles one has on one's body - beauty moles. Rather than saying "Yuk, cover that up", we should be saying "You lucky thing."

It seems people with moles have benefits that others do not have. The bones in these lucky ones are, apparently, stronger than usual. It is also claimed that they have less wrinkles making them look up to a decade younger than "non-molers". The Heart, eyes and muscles are stronger as well.

The downside is the increased risk of skin cancer. Just live like Count Dracula, stay out of the light, and you should be laughing. Researchers are working on a way to turn moles off so they become less visible. This is good if you have the genes for moles, but what about the rest of us? There is no way we can get the benefits from moles which make the telomeres of white blood cells longer, thus slowing bone deterioration and preventing osteoporosis.

Off course the search for a cream to be applied to reduce noticeability of moles will not help the population at large. Having the gene is pure luck and no one is suggesting a human breeding program to increase the percentage of people with moles. Having more than 100 moles may be "healthy", but in the eyes of most they are definitely not beautiful.

More importantly, the research showed that drinking high levels of alcohol shortened white blood cell telomeres which made it more likely for people to develop chronic disease. This should have been discussed in more detail in the research paper
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Power Generation Via Hydrogen Is Not Taking Off

It is amazing how many will see something new, then run with it to the extreme saying this will change the world. This is true for virtually all non-fossil energy producing systems, but all of them have drawbacks and none have revolutionized the power sector. The two major problems have been high cost and inconstant energy production during the 24 hour period.

Scientists have worked on hydrogen systems for decades and success seems very distant. It is not being accepted for widespread use. Actually, hydrogen is a "byproduct" of energy production. When electricity is generated by any method the excess not used at a point in time is passed through water. It splits in oxygen and hydrogen via electrolysis with the fuel being stored to be used in the future. When hydrogen is recombined with oxygen, electricity is generate. Heat from the process can also be used directly for heating purposes.

As with other environmentally friendly electricity producing methods time will tell if hydrogen is accepted for general use. Perhaps hydrogen can be made in significant quantities from solar and wind generation. It could potentially make for a hybrid system producing electricity 24 hours a day. Until now, governments have been the main source of funding for hydrogen experiments. Apparently, the private sector sees little future in it. For non-fossil energy systems to flourish it is necessary for the community to work together. Unfortunately, individualism is the norm. Perhaps this is why there is very little progress.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Power Generation Via Hydrogen Is Not Taking Off

It is amazing how many will see something new, then run with it to the extreme saying this will change the world. This is true for virtually all non-fossil energy producing systems, but all of them have drawbacks and none have revolutionized the power sector. The two major problems have been high cost and inconstant energy production during the 24 hour period.

Scientists have worked on hydrogen systems for decades and success seems very distant. It is not being accepted for widespread use. Actually, hydrogen is a "byproduct" of energy production. When electricity is generated by any method the excess not used at a point in time is passed through water. It splits in oxygen and hydrogen via electrolysis with the fuel being stored to be used in the future. When hydrogen is recombined with oxygen, electricity is generate. Heat from the process can also be used directly for heating purposes.

As with other environmentally friendly electricity producing methods time will tell if hydrogen is accepted for general use. Perhaps hydrogen can be made in significant quantities from solar and wind generation. It could potentially make for a hybrid system producing electricity 24 hours a day. Until now, governments have been the main source of funding for hydrogen experiments. Apparently, the private sector sees little future in it. For non-fossil energy systems to flourish it is necessary for the community to work together. Unfortunately, individualism is the norm. Perhaps this is why there is very little progress.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thursday, September 2, 2010

New Finds of Early Humans Do Not Change the Basic Theory

Darwin got it right. Well actually he may not have. Fossils of early humans do not alter basic scientific thought in relation to evolution, Finds do not show a linear development toward advanced Man. Evolution though does tend to predict what new discoveries show. Claims that a particular fossil find is a breakthrough are just not true.

New dinosaur fossils, however, tend to be groundbreaking with regular identification of new type of dinosaurs. Indeed, they seem to have roamed on every continent. The book on dinosaur evolution has not yet been written. Time will tell how clear an understanding of it we can get.

New research teams need to be formed to go to all parts of the world and seek answers to evolution of mammals and reptiles, if indeed dinosaurs were reptiles. Some specialists today even question this view.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Finds of Early Humans Do Not Change the Basic Theory

Darwin got it right. Well actually he may not have. Fossils of early humans do not alter basic scientific thought in relation to evolution, Finds do not show a linear development toward advanced Man. Evolution though does tend to predict what new discoveries show. Claims that a particular fossil find is a breakthrough are just not true.

New dinosaur fossils, however, tend to be groundbreaking with regular identification of new type of dinosaurs. Indeed, they seem to have roamed on every continent. The book on dinosaur evolution has not yet been written. Time will tell how clear an understanding of it we can get.

New research teams need to be formed to go to all parts of the world and seek answers to evolution of mammals and reptiles, if indeed dinosaurs were reptiles. Some specialists today even question this view.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .