A collection of articles.

The debate about using ethanol as an alternative fuel, as E10 and E85 mixtures is heating up. The debate centers around whether the energy required to produce the ethanol is compensated by the energy is saves. The question is that growing the corn, extracting and fermenting the sugars to make the alcohol, all require energy. Currently, the energy comes from fossil fuels.

Further, to grow corn in such large amounts requires heavy use of fertilizers, potentially having a terrible effect on the environment.

So where do things stand? Here is a sampling of some great articles to get you thinking about the issue. I won't give an opinion, but I'll point you to articles covering all sides of the debate.

• First off, a detailed article explaining how ethanol is a bad idea. Read it and read the comments too.
• The NY Times has a nice reality check article about ethanol.
• An article from the Washington Post.
• The Washington Post's reality check article on ethanol.
• On how Brazil will soon reach energy equilibrium.
• A possible solution: using cow manure to produce ethanol.

Finally, a research paper on the full life cycles of soybean biodiesel and corn grain ethanol shows that biodiesel has much less of an impact on the environment and a much higher net energy benefit than corn ethanol. The researchers tracked all the energy used for growing corn and soybeans and converting the crops into biofuels. They also looked at how much fertilizer and pesticide corn and soybeans required and how much greenhouse gases and nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide pollutants each released into the environment.

One interesting outcome of the analysis is that ethanol and biodiesel are valuable as additives. That's because they oxygenate fossil fuels, which allows them to burn cleaner. Biodiesel also protects engine parts when blended with diesel.

That should be enough bed time reading for you!

Technorati Tags: alternative fuels, oil, ethanol, E85, biodiesel

Birds teach technologists a thing or two.

An interesting article on National Geographic about how to make airplanes quieter. With the worldwide air traffic growth set to continue to grow (for example, see the EADS annual report for last year and the British Department for Transport aviation report), quieter airplanes are virtually a necessity.

A friend of mine lives under the landing path of Heathrow Airport in London. I'm sure he'll appreciate a quieter sleep on the weekends!

Technorati Tags: noise, air travel, airplanes, technology

New daily brain exercises on blogSci.com

I'm very happy and proud to announce the newest feature on the Blog of Science: the Daily Mental Calisthenics. The Calisthenics are a set of mental exercises to help you keep your brain working. Use them to wake up, have a quick break, and most of all, have fun!

The Calisthenics are made of up of three parts:

• Three words of the day, kindly supplied by The Free Dictionary.
• A Stroop Effect brain teaser.
• An easy game of Sudoku.

The Stroop Effect is seen when the brain is given two conflicting stimuli. The examples the Calisthenics use are words and their colors. If you show someone a word which is a color, such as 'brown' or 'white', then the brain quickly tries to say the word 'brown' or 'white'. Now, suppose you write the word in a different color, say the word 'brown' in red ink. If you now ask someone to say the color the word is written in, the brain gets "confused" and tries to say 'brown' instead of 'red'. Wikipedia has more about the Stroop Effect.

The Calisthenics are truly a daily read: I custom-built them to automatically update for the next 1000 days, with each one being a unique set of games! Bookmark the page, make it your home page, whatever, but rest assured, it'll be there every day for your pleasure!

Again, the link is: Daily Mental Calisthenics. Please post feedback below!

Technorati Tags: mind, brain, exercises, stroop effect, blogsci.com

Just the sugar.

A debate is about to flare up about the usefulness of protein in sports drinks. The latest paper kicks off its abstract with this:

Recent studies have reported that adding approximately 2% protein to a carbohydrate sports drink increased cycle endurance capacity compared with carbohydrate alone. Howver, the practical implications of these studies work are hampered by the following limitations: (a) the rate of carbohydrate ingestion was less than what is considered optimal for endurance performance, and (b) the performance test (exercise time to fatigue) did not mimic the way in which athletes typically compete (i.e., a race in which a fixed distance or set amount of work is performed as quickly as possible).

OK... so what are their results?

Ingesting 6% carbohydrate at a rate of 1 L/h improved an 80-km TT performance in trained male cyclists. However, adding 2% protein to a 6% carbohydrate drink provided no additional performance benefit during a task that closely simulated the manner in which athletes typically compete.

The research was conducted on 10 trained cyclists who performed a simulated 80 km bicycle race on three occasions. During exercise, the subjects were given a sports drink, a sports drink supplemented with protein, or a placebo drink that provided no energy. The drinks were similarly flavored and neither the subjects nor the researchers knew what drink was consumed during a given test. The study found that the sports drink improved performance compared to the placebo drink, confirming prior research, but there was no additional benefit of protein supplementation.

Watch this space, because the competition in the sports drink market is hotting up. Companies think they need to sell more than just flavored sugar water, which we have confirmed several times that it works. Hopefully, it will spur more research into effective supplements and avoid a prolonged squabble.

Technorati Tags: sports, drinks, exercise, science

More hygiene, less bleeding, no bad breath.

Researchers from Procter & Gamble, New York University, and Brazil report on the importance of flossing and brushing your teeth.

Fifty-one sets of twins between the ages of 12 and 21 years of age were examined for gingival bleeding and halitosis. Each set of twins was then divided into two groups. One group of twins manually brushed their teeth and tongue twice a day for two weeks. The second group of twins was given the same instructions in addition to using dental floss twice a day. After two weeks, the twins were examined again for gingival bleeding and halitosis.

They found that tongue and tooth brushing in combination with dental flossing significantly decreased gingival bleeding by 38% after a two-week oral hygiene program. Halitosis, or bad breath, was also reduced. In the group that did not floss as part of their daily routine, gingival bleeding sites increased by almost 4%.

Technorati Tags: hygiene, bad breath, halitosis, gingival bleeding