Bendable Cement !

When we think of cement in our world… it has always been a very coarse, expensive, and has absolutely no flexibility which causes brittleness. In today’s day and age, technology has changed drastically and has introduced the cement of the future called ECC (engineered cement composites). This ECC is bendable cement which brings a whole new realm into the building and construction world… let alone natural disaster prevention and improving the economy by not spending government money to repair cement as much. I initially discovered this subject at a business seminar locally in Burlington which discussed the future of our world, and economy, in accordance with business. At the end of the presentation the speaker displayed numerous innovative inventions and prototypes that are brand new and out there shaking the bushes in our technology driven world. I started searching the web for bendable concrete and discovered that The University of Michigan developed idea; therefore I obtained an article on their webpage in order to learn more. My secondary source that I found from searching on CNN is called www.designnews.com; this website appears to be reliable because it was derived from CNN’s website which is a very commendable news station. This website discusses all recent designs that are revolutionary, which is why it is reliable and why it has my subject included in its information. This secondary source differs from my original one because it discusses how this ECC could protect from hurricanes and also slightly touches on the scientific aspect but not as in depth as the Universities webpage. New building codes and sky-high insurance expenses are causing builders to incorporate this new technology in with their buildings in order to make them more resistant to natural disasters. This is another way that ECC will help our world labor wise and financially.

The scientists of the University of Michigan are the ones responsible for this invigorating news in science. The formation and development of this bendable cement has been underdeveloped for the past ten years and has just recently been claimed ready for use as of May 2005. This material is said to be first tested and used in Michigan…which is given seeing that Michigan is the state of origin. ECC has also been used out of the country in such places as Japan, Korea, Switzerland, and Australia. Back in the testing stages there was a patch repair on Curtis Road Bridge over M-14 in Ann Arbor in October 2002 that has endured three winters with no cracking. Madison, Wisconsin is also planning on building a bike path using ECC along the Lake Monona shoreline with sensors inside which will monitor its durability and sustainability. This fiber reinforced concrete is referred to as ECC which stands for engineered cement composites. This material is 40% lighter than ordinary cement and is 500 times more resistant to cracking. We all are aware of the problems with standard concrete such as cracking, lifting, lack of durability, and high expense of repair. This new ECC concrete is designed for maximum flexibility and will cost less in the long run because it strays from the repair expense by how long it lasts. The key to this cement in order to differentiate itself from ordinary cement is explained by engineering professor, Victor Li, “ECC is engineered, Li said, which means that in addition to reinforcing the concrete with micro scale fibers that act as ligaments to bond the concrete more tightly, scientists design the ingredients in the concrete itself to make it more flexible.” Flexible cement would save our country mass amounts of money, inevitably improving our economy. Imagine how much money would be saved if the country had sidewalks, driveways, bridges, and foundations built from ECC, which is 500 times more resistant from cracking.

I found a video feed of three different examples of ECC being tested during its research and development at the University of Michigan. This link is from the Universities webpage, http://ace-mrl.engin.umich.edu/NewFiles/movie(bend).html . These videos display a far away view and up close view of the ECC being flexed along with a chart of the force being applied to the ECC during the testing. These videos are very interesting and informative because it proves to viewers that it really is real and very bendable.

Work Cited:

Michigan. “U-M researchers make bendable concrete.” 04 May, 2005. umich.edu. 20 November 2008. http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2005/May05/r050405

Michigan. “U-M researchers make bendable concrete.” 04 May, 2005. umich.edu. 20 November 2008. http://ace-mrl.engin.umich.edu/NewFiles/movie(bend).html

www.designnews.com

What's New(s) In Science - Stem Cell Research

For my What's New(s) in Science presentation I chose the topic of stem cell research. I used two different articles for two different aspects of my presentation. One article talked about stem cell research in general and the basic information about it. It discussed the 5 most important topics related to stem cell research. The article discussed where stem cells come from and the importance of them. Stem cells come from embryos that come from labs. These embryos are used as research in labs, but if they cannot be used for some they are simply thrown away. Instead of throwing them away, scientists could use them to turn them into one of any of the 200 cells in our body, therefore being able to use that specific cell to cure a number of diseases.
The second article was related to President Obama and his plans for stem cell research. Currently, it is illegal to use embryos for stem cell research because of the laws President Bush put into effect. He felt it went against the church to use these embryos for research. It is however legal to just throw these embryos away. Obama said, “We owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells”.
I felt this topic was important because it relates to everyone, everywhere in the world. Whether you are someone who is currently diagnosed with a deadly disease that could possibly be cured using stem cell research or if you are someone who knows someone that could possibly be cured either way stem cell research is going to benefit you. It also relates to what we have been discussing in class, the difference between science and religion and their constant battle. It is important to not let religion get in the way of such scientific advances but it is impossible to prove who is right and who is wrong.

The first article I found was from Science Daily and the second source was from USA Today


Hall, Mimi. "Opponents Brace for End of Stem Cell Ban." 17 Nov. 2008. USA Today. 18 Nov. 2008
.

University of Michigan Health System. "Five Basic Things To Know About Stem Cell Research." ScienceDaily 14
October 2008. 18 November 2008 .

What's New(s) in Science : Google Flu Tracking

With Flu season approaching and flu concerns on the rise, I felt it fitting to follow the story of Google's new Flu Tracking Program. The program works by analyzing search queries based on region. By monitoring how often words like Influenza, Flu, and similar terms appear in each Region's search queries, Google makes a rough estimate on where flu activity is on the rise. This new detection system, when compared to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's old detection system, was surprisingly accurate, and could actually predict flu patterns much faster. Jeremy Ginsburg, the lead engineer behind Google's new program, stated that "Researchers found a tight correlation between the relative popularity of flu-related search terms and CDC's surveillance data"(Landau), confirming that the program was a success.

"Traditionally, influenza surveillance has involved physicians' reports of patients with flu-like symptoms, lab reports of influenza from nasal and throat swabs, and death certificates"(Landau). However, with this new program, everyone who uses the internet to learn more about illnesses online helps create a sort of collective Intelligence. Referring to this collective flu-intelligence will help many people and doctors take the necessary precautions when flu is on the rise in their areas. Dr. Randall Stafford, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University's Prevention Research Center, stated that "I would be very hesitant to diagnose influenza at this point in the year, but if the tool tells me influenza in California is really increasing dramatically, I might be more likely or willing to diagnose,"(Landau).

Here's a news reel covering Google's Flu Detection program.


In addition, here's a direct link to the new program.

Because we live on a college campus in a bustling college town, illnesses when introduced here, tend to spread like wildfire. This was much of the reason why I opted to follow this story. An observation I made on the day of my presentation, was that Vermont was one of several states listed as having "Moderate" flu activity. Luckily, as I noticed while constructing this post, our state's flu activity has dropped to "Low", and I appreciate the fact that this program allows me to see that.

The two resources I used as my main means of research were an article from CNN and an article from The New York Times.

Works Cited

Landau, Elizabeth. "Google tool uses search terms to detect flu outbreaks." CNN Health. 13 Nov. 2008. CNN. .

What's New(s) in Science?

For my presentation, I chose an article from The New York Times about extrasolar planets that had been discovered only a few days ago. Astronomers had been speculating whether it was planets or just failed stars, but after further discovery with new tools, they were able to record multiple planets orbiting distant stars. With the use of The Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers were able to block out the light from the stars and use infrared to detect the heat from the forming planet. From this, they discovered three planets, which were orbiting the star HR 8799 along with another planet orbiting the star Formalhaut.

The star Formaulhaut is visible in our sky and was looked at as an extremely bright star, but after new observation, it may be the light source for a solar system similar to ours. Using infrared, astronomers were able to detect a body moving in circular motion around the star. From these recent discoveries, astronomers may be able to see what the earth looked like when it was 60 million years old and how it was formed.

Reading about the stars and newly discovered solar systems, made me think more into what we had been learning in class. This story was so intriguing to me because in class we are learning about a time period where peoples' thoughts of the world around them were constantly changing. People looked to the sky as the heavens and had a hard time grasping something that disproved a religious answer. It made me wonder in this day and age how the public will respond to a discovery such as this. Will it bring more turmoil between religion and science? Religion verses science will be ongoing, but the more insight into how the planet was formed could ignite issues among religious extremists. Will people lose hope or belief because each day there are more scientific answers?

Overbye, Dennis. "Now in Sight: Far-Off Planets." The New York Times. 14 Nov. 2008.

Bryner, Jeanna. "First-Ever Images Taken of Extrasolar Planets." MSNBC. 13 Nov. 2008. 17
Nov. 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27702538/

New Artificial Heart Unveiled

For my What's New(s) in Science I decided to talk about the new artificial heart that was unveiled late October. I first came across about this new innovation through CNN. I found it interesting because it is designed by engineers from Airbus aircraft. So basically, this new heart has components of a plane and satellites in it. The heart was developed by Alain Carpentier, France's leading cardiac surgeon. The part of the this new heart that made it interesting was the fact that it is the only heart thus far that acts like a real heart. If a cardiologist was to look at charts of this heart they would assume that it was a typical human heart, when it is actually an artificial heart. Also, its the first heart to come close to beating like a regular, when someone is running it will increase the blood flow causing the heart beats to increase. Then when the person slows down it will gradually decrease. This new artificial heart is a new way of saving lives. Especially when keeping in mind that heart disease is one of the worlds top killers. Even though this heart lasts for about five years it is the best so far, people will not have to sit and wait and see if their body will accept their new heart or not.

Here is a short clip of the heart.



Here is some more outside reading.

What's New(s) in Science

For my what new(s) in science presentation I decided to talk about the new finding that scotch tape can be used to find x-rays. I first saw this on the New York Times website and I found it interesting that something that is an everyday household idem could have a completely new use so different from what it is used for. Although the idea has been around for a long time like in 1939 they found that pulling scotch tape in the dark makes light and in 1953 the idea of electrons being produced by the tape was though up by Russian scientist. But no one believed this idea until now when this study was done by the department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California.

The way that this works is the scotch tape must be placed into a vacuum. After it is inside the vacuum the tape is peeled at a certain speed it releases a current that is generated for a billionth of a second and has 300,00 X-ray photons. With the currents and the photons it crates enough energy to take a x-ray.

At this point in time they are only able to do this on a same scale such as a finger. But it is hoped that in the future they will be able to use it on a larger scale. If this happens we will be able to use it in areas that don’t have electricity because this would be able to be powered by a human by just cranking a handle.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/10/22/scotch.tape.xray/index.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/science/28xray.html?ref=science

Of Mice And Mammoths: Cloning after Death

Extinct is such a final word. It implies that, what ever the subject is, it's never going to come back. We will never see it again in it's natural habitat outside of Natural History museums, and we've come to accept that. While this may have been true a few years back, in today's society we don't like to think in terms of endings. We like to think in beginnings. 

In the lab of Teruhiko Wakayama, a Japanese geneticist, a mouse was frozen for 16 years, devoid of any cryo-protection, at -20 degrees Celsius. That's -4 degrees Fahrenheit, about the temperature of permafrost located on the upper boundary of the Arctic Shelf, which ranges from 0 to -2 degrees.

At this temperature it seemed impossible to harvest usable nuclei for cloning purposes. They assumed that all of the cells were dead, but with a newly developed cloning process, Wakayama's team was able to extract usable nuclei from the mice's neurons. These were then inserted into the embryos of healthy, living mice. The stem cells produced were then used to make healthy mice pups. Prior to this the record for frozen cells to still be eligible to cloning was only 350 days.

If it was possible to clone a 16 year old frozen mouse, couldn't the same process be used to clone a mammoth frozen in the Siberian Tundra? No tests have been done yet, but the idea if being tossed around to use this method on already extinct species. 

As with prior cloning experiments, the question of ethics comes up, but these are a little different. Technically, after being frozen that long the animal is long dead. By harvesting it's cells, not only are you playing God, but you're playing Frankenstein. It's still reanimating a dead animal, since the one created is genetically identical to the previously frozen mouse. We have to ask our selves if it's morally right to bring back what's dead, and will this be implemented on humans of social significance? The possibilities are endless, but so are the consequences. 

Mice Cloned After 16-Year Freeze; Mammoth's next?

Production of Healthy cloned mice from bodies frozen at -20 degrees Celcius for 16 years

Measuring the Temperature of Permafrost