Wednesday, November 11, 2009

“Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store - Science Centric” plus 4 more

“Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store - Science Centric” plus 4 more

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Antarctica glacier retreat creates new carbon dioxide store - Science Centric

Posted: 10 Nov 2009 07:03 AM PST

Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonisation is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years.

Reporting this week in the journal Global Change Biology, scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) estimate that this new natural 'sink' is taking an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of carbon from the ocean and atmosphere each year.

Lead author, Professor Lloyd Peck from BAS says, 'Although this is a small amount of carbon compared to global emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere it is nevertheless an important discovery. It shows nature's ability to thrive in the face of adversity. We need to factor this natural carbon-absorption into our calculations and models to predict future climate change. So far we don't know if we will see more events like this around the rest of Antarctica's coast but it's something we'll be keeping a close eye on.'

Professor Peck and his colleagues compared records of coastal glacial retreat with records of the amount of chlorophyll (green plant pigment essential for photosynthesis) in the ocean. They found that over the past 50 years, melting ice has opened up at least 24,000 sq. km of new open water (an area similar to the size of Wales) - and this has been colonised by carbon-absorbing phytoplankton. According to the authors this new bloom is the second largest factor acting against climate change so far discovered on Earth (the largest is new forest growth on land in the Arctic).

Professor Peck continues, 'Elsewhere in the world human activity is undermining the ability of oceans and marine ecosystems to capture and store carbon. At present, there is little change in ice shelves and coastal glaciers away from the Antarctic Peninsula, but if more Antarctic ice is lost as a result of climate change then these new blooms have the potential to be a significant biological sink for carbon.'

Source: British Antarctic Survey

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Biology, theory explained - Modesto Bee

Posted: 10 Nov 2009 07:21 PM PST

As a soon-to-be graduate of biology at California State University, Stanislaus, I feel I must rectify the misconceptions presented in "No family resemblance here" (Nov. 3, Letters): Point 1: humans did not evolve from apes; all of us in Family Hominidae evolved together, each in our own way, from a common ancestor long ago. Point 2: in the scientific community, the word "theory" is given to an idea that has been tested many times by many scientists over many years, with the results coming out the same. It is not used lightly with no substantial evidence to back it up. Evolution has been tested time and again by scientific methods, and each time it has been proven correct. Are people wrong, then, for believing in a higher being? Of course not! Religion and science can live harmoniously in this world if people will only truly listen and understand each other.

MADELINE BANTLY
Turlock

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Pacific Biosciences Selects Camstar to Enable Production of ... - Carolina Newswire

Posted: 11 Nov 2009 08:21 AM PST

Sponsor Display

'The Daughter of Dreams' Floats on Wave of Adoption Magic - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 11 Nov 2009 06:41 AM PST

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The book might have been called, "Why Adoption Freaks Us Out." And that's what one might expect from the author of "Infertility Sucks! Keeping it all together when sperm and egg stubbornly remain apart." Instead, Beverly Barna's second book, The Daughter of Dreams, is as light and bright as its title. If Infertility Sucks! goes straight for the belly laughs, The Daughter of Dreams goes straight for the heart.

Where Infertility Sucks! boasts a glowing frog that brings to the infertile Browns a tadpole that might - just might - turn into the baby they long for, The Daughter of Dreams is home to a bale of magic turtles, who indeed bring a baby to her waiting mother. In this case, there is no "might;" just right.

And that, says the author, is the point. "To me," says Barna, "adoption is magic. But it's hard to describe the experience in its scope and majesty to those who have not been touched by it in some direct way. It's like seeing a magician move Niagara Falls from North America to the Gobi desert, and trying to relate the experience to someone who was not there."

Barna set out to write an adoption book for her daughter, whom she and her husband adopted in China in 2001. But once the writing was underway, additional inspiration took hold. "I saw this as a medium through which to communicate universally that adoption and the children it brings to their families is not a consolation prize, which unfortunately, is often the way our culture sees things."

So why does adoption freak us out? We're conditioned to value biology over all else, the author says. She points to the story of Moses as illustrative of both perspectives. On one hand, the biblical stalwart touches on adoption. On the other, it sends a message about the primacy of biology.

As for The Daughter of Dreams? "There is a baby in a basket," Barna says. "And there are two mothers. I wouldn't say the sea parts, but it does get crossed in a monumental and momentous way." And therein, she says, lies the magic - of the book and of adoption itself.

The moral of the story?

"To tell my daughter what every mother wants her child to know: 'You are loved, more than you can ever imagine.' "

E-mail author and National Infertility Survival Day® founder Beverly Barna at infertilitysucks@aol.com.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Teaching a dog new tricks - DiamondbackOnline.com

Posted: 11 Nov 2009 08:28 AM PST

For junior biology major Mary Phillips, every day is a dog day.

Phillips participates as a Puppy Walker for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind — a nonprofit service that provides free dogs to blind people seeking enhanced independence and mobility. Puppy Walkers train the foundation's hand-selected dogs and teach them to interact with humans so they can later be used as guide dogs.

In order to train Ed, a 4-month-old half-Labrador retriever, half-golden retriever, Phillips takes him everywhere — even to class.

"A lot of professors don't even know he's there, in larger lectures especially," Phillips said. "He doesn't make a sound."

Her cell biology and physiology lecturer, Ibrahim Ades, said he has no problem allowing the dog into his classroom. Often, Ed rests his head atop his paws as Phillips sits in the middle of her roughly 270-student lecture taking notes, Ades said.

"The dog is always in her company and quite unobtrusive, sweet and well-behaved," Ades said.

For most students, training a guide dog is too much of a responsibility, Phillips said. In addition to bringing the dog with her to and from her classes, she and Ed also attend a weekly training group session.

"It's a big commitment, so you have to be ready to do it," Phillips said. "I definitely think it's worth it. A lot of people ask me about the program. It's never off. I haven't been alone in over a month."

She said Ed tends to attract a lot of attention — he's often the only dog around.

"Ed goes with me everywhere," Phillips said. "Ed goes to soccer games. He goes with me to restaurants. He's been to [Washington]  in the museums. He goes to class. He's been on the Metro. We do all sorts of things."

The foundation has set strict rules for trainers to socialize the dogs and minimize aggression between them and humans. For example, no one is allowed to touch Ed when he is wearing his yellow guide dog vest.

"He's working when it's on," Phillips said.

Melissa Harrington, who acts as the foundation's area coordinator, said the group is  very careful about who it allows to train dogs. Before the foundation gave Ed to Phillips, she was asked to care for a black Labrador retriever for a month in early September. After Phillips had proved herself, Harrington said, she felt the foundation could trust her to undertake a more long-term responsibility.

"Although other college students have expressed interest, we are very cautious about placing puppies in an environment where we know the person will be so busy," said Harrington. "But with Mary, we are confident that she can handle this responsibility."

After leaving their trainers, the dogs receive an additional three to eight months of conditioning with animal behavioral experts. Each dog then undergoes a testing period with its potential owner and a trainer. Eventually the dogs graduate the program and become full-fledged guide dogs.

Phillips said she is confident Ed will pass and looks forward to attending his graduation.
Phillips, a Georgia native, dates her interest in the program back to when she was 10 years old. After seeing a commercial advertising the foundation, she convinced her mother to train two dogs. Once she was on her own in college, she said, she wanted to train her own.

Depending on when the foundation decides Ed is ready to move on, Phillips said she may train another dog before she graduates.

But for now, Phillips said, she's just looking forward to their next adventure.
"I plan on taking him to the zoo," she said. "That should be interesting."

quijada at umdbk dot com

Be the first to comment on this article!

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)