Day: May 6, 2011

Rock Slime Harbors Endocrine Disrupters

Read the full story in Chemical & Engineering News.

Pollutants that act like hormones flush into lakes and streams worldwide from farm runoff and treated sewage. Scientists worry about these compounds’ presence in aquatic food webs because studies have connected them to feminized fish. Now, researchers report that endocrine-disrupting chemicals could accumulate in the brownish-green slimes called biofilms that coat stream and lake bottoms (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es2000134). Their buildup there could make them a convenient meal for aquatic wildlife.

Principles for Regulation and Oversight of Emerging Technologies

Read the memorandum.

Innovation with respect to emerging technologies –such as nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering, among others –requires not only coordinated research and development but also appropriate and balanced oversight. The White House Emerging Technologies Interagency Policy Coordination Committee (ETIPC) has developed the following broad principles, consistent with Executive Order 13563, to guide the development and implementation of policies for oversight of emerging technologies at the agency level.

Methods for Producing Biochar and Advanced Biofuels in Washington State Part 1: Literature Review of Pyrolysis Reactors

Download the publication.

This review was conducted under Interagency Agreement C100172 with the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University.

Funding for this study is provided by the Washington State Department of Ecology with the intention to address the growing demand for information on the design of advanced pyrolysis units.

This is the first of a series of reports exploring the use of biomass thermochemical conversion technologies to sequester carbon and to produce fuels and chemicals.

Laundry Costs Calculator Shows How Much You Spend Washing Clothes

Read the full post at Lifehacker.

The Laundry Cost Calculator uses a dozen drop-down menus as variables to come up with the final number. It displays the final estimated cost per load, cost per month, and cost per year, based on water/power/gas usage needed to both wash and dry your clothes. It’s not exactly pretty, but it’s thorough, and it allows you to calculate two different scenarios at once for comparison.