Honeybees are dying off

Honeybees are dying off, and scientists aren't entirely sure why. Since we depend on the bees to pollinate our crops, their disappearance could be catastrophic, exacerbating a worsening food

crisis. Researchers at Canada's University of Manitoba are trying to help by creating super-bees that can survive conditions normal bees can't. Here, a brief guide:

Bees are dying off?
Big time. A baffling phenomenon known as "Colony Collapse Disorder" began decimating honeybee populations in 2006. Mites and viruses have contributed to the die-off, but scientists cite plenty of other culprits, including pesticides, climate change, and even cell phone use.

How many dead bees are we talking about?
Scientists have tallied the disappearance of 85 percent of all bees in the Middle East, up to 30 percent of those in Europe, and more than 30 percent of American bees.

So how exactly does one create a super-bee?
First, the researchers are collecting queen bees from hives that have proven exceptionally resistant to mites. The queens taken from these hives are then placed in new hives, exposing them to even more "disease pressure." The theory is that each generation of survivors will be hardier than the last.

 
Does this really work?
It is certainly an effective way to separate strong bees from the weak ones. The mite-resistant super-bees are also less susceptible to other threats, such as cold. Only 46 percent of normal European honeybees typically survive through winter, but the supercharged bees have a 75 percent survival rate.

Why is it this so important?
Of the 100 crops that provide nearly all of the world's food, bees pollinate 70. That amounts to $83 billion worth of fruits and vegetables a year. High fuel costs and other factors have already driven up food prices enough to provoke riots in 2008. The prospect of a drop in the food supply due to the bee die-off could make matters far, far worse.

So will super-bees save us from disastrous food shortages?
"Mite-resistant bees are probably not the panacea to our bee crisis," says Ariel Schwartz at Fast Company. But "at the very least," Schwartz says, "breeding better bees may give us time to figure out more of the reasons that the pollinators are disappearing — before it's too late."
The almond trees are blooming and the bees are dying, and nobody knows why. All up and down California's vast San Joaquin Valley, nearly 2,500 square kilometres of small nut trees arranged in laser-straight rows are shaking off the cobwebs of winter. They're gearing up once again to produce nearly half a billion kilograms of nuts, worth US$3 billion to the U.S. economy.
The trees cannot produce the bounty on their own, however. They need bees - a million hives worth - trucked in from nearly forty U.S. states to move pollen from one tree to another, fertilising the blooms in the largest managed pollination event on Earth.

But even as the beekeepers reap record fees for renting their hives, their livelihood is now threatened by the largest loss of honey bees in the history of the industry.
Since October 2006, 35 per cent or more of the United States' population of the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) - billions of individual bees - simply flew from their hive homes and disappeared.
When the almonds were being plucked from the trees late last year, Gene Brandi of Los Banos, California had 2,000 hives, but by late February he had just 1,200 - a loss of 40 per cent.
And Brandi is one of the more fortunate. Across the 24 U.S. states affected by the mysterious phenomenon, losses have ranged up to 90 per cent. "I've had a couple of yards where I've had 200 hives and they're down to 10 hives that are alive," says David Bradshaw of Visalia, about 180 kilometres southeast of Los Banos along California's Route 99.

What's causing the carnage, however, is a total mystery; all that scientists have come up with so far is a new name for the phenomenon - Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) - and a list of symptoms.
In hives hit by CCD, adult workers simply fly away and disappear, leaving a small cluster of workers and the hive's young to fend for themselves. Adding to the mystery, nearby predators, such as the wax moth, are refraining from moving in to pilfer honey and other hive contents from the abandoned hives; in CCD-affected hives the honey remains untouched.

The symptoms are baffling, but one of the emerging hypotheses is that the scourge is underpinned by a collapse of the bees' immune systems. Stressed out by cross-country truck journeys and drought, attacked by viruses and introduced parasites, or whacked out by harmful new pesticides, some researchers believe the bees' natural defences may have simply given way. This opens the door to a host of problems that the bees can normally suppress.
What's surprising is that mysterious declines are nothing new. As far back as 1896, CCD has popped up again and again, only under the monikers: 'fall dwindle' disease, 'May dwindle', 'spring dwindle', 'disappearing disease', and 'autumn collapse'.
Even the current outbreak has possibly been going on undetected for two years, according to the CCD Working Group - a crack group of U.S. researchers from institutes including the Pennsylvania State University and University of Montana, who are trying to unravel the mystery.
What has made the members of the Working Group - as well as conservationists, beekeepers, and farmers - really sit up and notice is the scale of this year's decimation; something in the environment has allowed CCD to reach an unprecedented scale that threatens the very survival of the pollination industry.
"We have never seen a die-off of this magnitude with this weird symptomology," says Maryann Frazier, a bee researcher at Pennsylvania State University. "We've seen bees disappear over time and dwindle away, but not die-off so quickly."

 
Asian mites and latent viruses
A problem preventing clear identification of CCD is that honey bees are already under threat from manifold foes.
Even without CCD, the number of managed hives in the U.S. has dwindled by nearly 50 per cent since the industry's peak in the 1970s. The main culprit for the die-offs is a tiny Asian mite. Known as Varroa destructor to scientists and the 'vampire mite' to beekeepers, these tiny parasites - circular, crab-like arachnids about the size of a bee's eyeball - have been quietly parasitising the Asiatic honey bee (Apis cerana) in Southeast Asia for millennia.
Some time in the early 1980s, though, the mites hitched a ride to America and hopped on new hosts - spreading like wildfire throughout the defenceless Western honey bee population with the help of migratory beekeepers who obligingly trucked them around the country. The mites suck the vital juices out of both developing and adult bees, and left unchecked can kill a hive within 12 months.
In addition to the damage that the mites do themselves, they also spread viruses. Furthermore, the mites appear to assist the viruses by somehow sabotaging the bees' immune system.
"There's something about a mite feeding on a bee that just knocks its immune system out. [Then] the viruses can take over," says Eric Mussen, a bee researcher at the University of California, Davis.
But mites and their viruses have been infecting U.S. honey bees for nearly 30 years. What has experts worried is that CCD kills bees even more efficiently than mites - destroying a healthy colony in a matter of weeks.

China's longest river Nike, Adidas

Environmental campaigners Wednesday accused suppliers to major clothing brands including Adidas and Nike of poisoning China's major rivers with hazardous chemicals linked to hormonal problems.
Greenpeace said eight samples of waste-water discharge from two factories in the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas, identified as suppliers for the brands, contained "a cocktail of hazardous chemicals".
The Yangtze - China's longest river - and the Pearl River Delta serve as a source of drinking water for about 67 million people, including those in Hong Kong, according to Greenpeace.
"Our tests of the wastewater found toxic chemicals that have no place in our natural environment," Greenpeace campaigner Vivien Yau told a news conference in Hong Kong.
"We are calling on trendsetting brands that have major influence on their supply chains, such as Adidas, Nike and Li Ning to take the lead."
Li Ning is a popular Chinese sportswear brand.
"These brands have the ability and responsibility to work with their suppliers to provide products that do not irrevocably damage the environment and public health," added Yau.
Adidas offices in Hong Kong and Beijing could not be reached for comment by Agencies, while Nike disputed the environmental group's claims.


"To the best of our knowledge we are not contributing to pollution of the Yangtze Delta through our factory partners," Nike said in a statement to Agencies, denying the use of the chemicals claimed by Greenpeace.
The Greenpeace report said laboratory testing found the wastewater samples contained nonylphenols and perfluorinated chemicals, which are used to make materials stain and stick resistant, among other uses.
The chemicals, which are restricted in European countries, could move up the food chain through fish and other marine life which have consumed the contaminated water, Greenpeace said. It said the chemicals could disrupt the hormone balance in humans even at low levels.
"We are not focusing on just the two companies identified in the report. We are saying this is just the tip of the entire iceberg," Greenpeace campaign manager Gloria Chang told Agencies, urging Beijing to speed up regulatory reforms.

Rare earth materials

Every time someone goes out and buys a new TV, laptop, iPad, Android smartphone, or any such device they are using up some of our rare earth minerals which these gadgets require to work. They are called rare not because there is only a small amount on earth, but because the deposists are small and therefore require a lot of mining to recover very little.

Another problem exists in the fact China holds about 97% of the rare earth mineral market, and it decides how much exits the country. This pushes up prices and makes it more difficult for companies outside of China to not only manufacture enough devices, but also to keep the costs of those gadgets competitive.

It will come with great relief then, to hear that Japanese researchers have found very rich deposits of rare earth minerals as well as the metal yttrium. In total around 26 sites located in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean have been found to have high concentrations buried between 3,500 and 6,000 meters beneath the sea bed.
The deposits are so rich they are thought to increase our reserves by 1000x. Current reserves are estimated at 110 million tonnes, but this new discovery adds another 100 billion tons.

Not only does this take the pressure off in terms of finding alternatives in the near future, the locations of the deposits near Hawaii and Tahiti means the reliance on Chinese exports will be removed. Prices should fall and competition will not be influenced by a lack of supply.

Most importantly for geeks out there, this assures future supplies meaning companies like Apple, Samsung, Sony, and HTC can continue to supply us with the latest gadgets on a regular basis.

skin care advice / healthy skin care

 
 The skin was supposed to to clean itself, but lacking suitable treatment, it’s possible for toxins in the environment to build up and stop up pores, leading to an array of unattractive and embarrassing skin difficulties.  Many people mistakenly believe that if they use excessive amounts of conventional beauty products they will be rewarded with perfect skin.  There are a number of reasons why it’s a good idea to go natural with virgin skin care.


1. Skin can breathe more easily with virgin skin care.With a layer of chemicals on the face, skin pores can easily become clogged, this can often lead to pimples
2. By choosing natural skin care products, free of artificial colorings and additives, one can avoid many adverse skin reactions, including eczema.
3. It’s easier to moisturize the skin thoroughly with natural products. Using coconut oil as moisturizer is an effective way to achieve beautiful skin naturally.
4. Because most people can absorb up to 60% of any product that is put on the skin, using natural skin care products like tamanu oil will help prevent your skin from taking harmful toxins
5. Natural skin care products look and smell more pleasant than synthetic materials. Nature has already given us such wonderful smelling products such as vanilla skin care, so there is no need to try and replicate this in a lab for great smelling skin.
 
6. Natural skin care products are not tested on animals, and are cruelty-free in most cases. Always check with the producers to be sure.
7. If you are concerned about your environmental impact, then it makes sense to use products that are free from anything that could clog the environment. Natural products are usually packaged in recyclable materials.
  8. Natural products contain many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that skin needs, and can even potentially defend against cancer with the addition of antioxidants.
9. Because virgin skin care and natural aging skin care products help to fight against cancer-causing free radicals, they also manage to put the brakes on the aging process much more efficiently than competing synthetic products might do. As part of your natural aging skin care routine these products may smooth wrinkles and aid in nourishing the skin from the inside out
10. When looking at beauty and skin care products, the choice with fewer ingredients is usually the healthier product. Unlike synthetic products, natural skin care will have less filler and more quality for your money.

Lasers and Electro-Optics / laser spark plug

Lasers could soon replace spark plugs in cars to make engines greener, according to researchers.
Experts from from Romania and Japan will reveal their findings - that inexpensive lasers could ignite the fuel-air mixture in combustion engines - at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics in Baltimore next month.
The team, who are believed to be in talks with a spark plug manufacturer, will speak about their studies on May 1 and it could revolutionise the efficiency of vehicle engines.
The revolutionary approach would - in theory - reduce their pollution, by igniting more of the mixture.
Spark plugs are used to ignite the fuel mixture near the spark gap, reducing the combustion efficiency.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the spark plug is that and the metal that they are manufactured with slowly erodes as they age.
Many other people have tried to replace the spark plug - an object which has not really changed since it was invented a century and a half ago - with lasers.
Unfortunately inventors found that the lasers needed to do the job of the spark plug would be cumbersome, inefficient and unstable.

However, the team believe that they have now developed a system that can focus two or even three laser beams into an engine's cylinders at variable depths.
This development increases the completeness of combustion while also avoiding the issue of erosion.
On the minus side it does, however, require lasers of high pulse energies - so, as with spark plugs, a considerable amount of energy is needed in order to ignite fuel.

Takunori Taira of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Okazaki, Japan, told the BBC: 'In the past, lasers that could meet those requirements were limited to basic research because they were big, inefficient, and unstable.
'Nor could they be located away from the engine, because their powerful beams would destroy any optical fibres that delivered light to the cylinders.'
In addition the team has been trying to make the lasers out of ceramic powders that are pressed into cylinders which are a similar size to spark plugs.
The ceramic devices are lasers in their own right and gather energy from compact, lower-power lasers.

The scientists have found that unlike the delicate crystals which are usually used in high-power lasers, the ceramics are stronger and can withstand the heat better within combustion engines.
They are currently in talks about commercialising the technology with Denso, a leading automobile component manufacturer.

Myth & Legend about Flowers:

Aster



Aster belongs to family plants of asters. It has received the name from the Greek word"aster" — "star" for the star-shaped form of an inflorescence-basket. A sort very numerous, some honeycombs of kinds. The most part of kinds grows in the North America, smaller — in the outh America, Africa, Europe and Asia; at us total 26 kinds. In gardens and parks cultivate many kinds of asters. They represent a great interest for professionals-greeners and fans - gardeners the variety on size and coloring of colors, height and the bush form, on flowering terms.
Aster or Hungarians Aster associates withautumn, therefore in Hungary Aster names "Autumn Rose". During ancient times people believed that if to throw some leaves of Aster in fire, the smoke from this fire is capable to expel snakes. The aster's flower is a symbol of the women born under astrological sign of the Maiden.
For ancient Greeks the Aster symbolised love. Ancient Greeks knew constellation of the Maiden which associated with the goddess of love Aphrodite. According to myth the aster has arisen from space dust when the Maiden looked from the sky and cried.
In China Asters symbolise beauty, accuracy, elegance, charm and modesty.


Rose



There is an ancient Hindu legend how god Vishnu and god Brama have started dispute on what flower is the most beautiful. Vishnu preferred rose, and, Brama who never saw this flower earlier praised lotus. When Brama has seen the rose, he has agreed that this flower is the finest flower on the Earth.
Thanks to a perfect form and wonderful aroma for Christians the rose since ancient times symbolized paradise.
Ancient Romans so idolized the beauty of roses that put them on fields instead of wheat, and in the winter the whole ships took out the flowers from Egypt.
Knights once compared ladies of the heart to roses. They seemed so fine and unapproachable, as well as this flower. On boards of many of knights as an emblem the rose has been engraved.
Rose - flower most honored by Christianity. The rose name - a flower of the Virgin.

Lily



Ancient Greek myths attributed lilies the divine origin. According to one of them, once goddess Gera fed baby of Ares. Drops of the scattered milk have fallen to the ground and have turned to snow-white lilies. Since then these flowers became an emblem of goddess Gera.
At ancient Egyptians the Lily along with Lotus was a fertility symbol. The love to it was adopted also by Christians, having made a symbol of Maiden Maria. The direct stalk of a lily personifies its mind; the hung leaves modesty, gentle aroma divinity, white color chastity. According to the sacred Writing, the lily was held by archangel Gabriel when has notified Maria on a fast birth of the Christ.Spoke, as if she has grown from heart of the lost Cossack who was taking part in a gain of Siberia under leadership by Ermak. In the people it also named «imperial curls».

amul to expand milk territory

In a strategic move aimed at grabbing a larger share of the growing demand for milk in the country, Amul's parent Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has, for the first time, gone beyond its Gujarat boundary and procured milk from other states as well.

Over the last six months, GCMMF, which is the largest distributor of milk in the country, has procured 7-8% of its milk from states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan. "We would like to bring farmers from other states into our fold. Earlier, we used to cater to the demand of the entire country from Gujarat alone. Now we feel the need to procure milk from other state cooperatives too. Demand is growing rapidly and we want to tap into this growth," R S Sodhi, managing director, GCMMF told TOI.


Out of the total average of 93 lakh litre of milk procured daily, GCMMF sells 34 lakh litre outside Gujarat. Earlier, most of it was procured from Gujarat through its 30-lakh producer network. GCMMF pays around Rs 400 per kg to farmers for milk. Considering the heat from competition and newer regional players entering the field, Amul feels it would be in the best interest of the cooperative to tap into farmers from other states through the cooperative structure. As a result, it also gains from reduced transportation costs.


Sodhi said the cooperative is witnessing a 20% growth in liquid milk annually. The growing demand, despite the fact that milk prices had gone up a couple of times during the last one year, is because of improved household incomes. "There is growing prosperity even in smaller towns. This is why we have decided to expand into 3,000 more towns to increase the reach of non-milk products like milk powder, butter, cheese, ice cream and butter milk over the next 6-7 months. When there is rise in income of a household, the first category which they spend more on is foods," said Sodhi.

The cooperative has set a target of hiring 200 super stockists in those 3,000 towns to expand its reach. By expanding its rural reach, GCMMF expects to clock a 20% growth in non-milk categories which have an annual turnover of Rs 5,500 crore. GCMMF is targeting a turnover of about Rs 10,000 crore in the current financial year.

Tata Pixel concept

It's not coming to the States--at least not for several years--but the Tata Pixel concept shown at last week's Geneva Motor Show is worth paying attention to.

It shows how a more upscale four-seat urban car could be built on the underpinnings of the tiny Tata Nano, the world's cheapest new car.

One clever feature: The 10-foot-long Pixel's scissor doors open up, rather than out, so they stay within the car's footprint without impinging on passing traffic, cyclists, or pedestrians.

But there's another feature that's even cooler: 'Spin on the spot' parking, which lets the Pixel park in little more than its own length.

The feature comes courtesy of a unique Zero Turn toroidal infinitely-variable transmission, designed by Torotrak, that splits the torque from the Pixel's rear-mounted engine to let one rear wheel rotate in one direction while the other goes in the opposite direction.

With front wheels that can angle sharply to almost 90 degrees (since there's no engine between them), the little Pixel has a turning radius of just 8.5 feet (2.6 meters). Which makes snap U-turns a breeze, and lets the Pixel parallel-park in little more than its own length.

As the video below shows, that would make city driving a whole lot more convenient.

The first part of the video simulation, by the way, shows the Pixel using a smart phone as its instrument display. Many vehicle functions are controlled via virtual buttons in the Pixel app, from door opening to car starting.

The woman in the video has to stare intently at her phone (to make sure she hits the right button, we hope?), but the parking demo occurs from 1:20 to 1:50 in the clip.

alcohol and drugs can stimulate writers, musicians

Search Amazon.com for alcohol

The idea that alcohol and drugs can stimulate writers, musicians and others to create great works of art is a 'dangerous myth' because they can actually stifle creativity, says a psychiatrist.

Iain Smith, consultant in addiction psychiatry at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow, said that while many artists and writers were known for their use of intoxicating substances, most produced their greatest work when they were sober.'

Smith said: 'The reason that this myth is so powerful is the allure of the substances and the fact that many artists need drugs to cope with their emotions. Artists are, in general, emotional people, and the use of these substances to deal with their emotions is more likely to happen.'


He added that drugs and alcohol were social substances and many creative people, such as Hemingway and French artist Edgar Degas, spent a lot of time in Parisian cafes exchanging ideas and imbibing large quantities of absinthe and other types of alcohol.

Smith said that American writer Tennessee Williams was addicted to alcohol. Poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and John Keats favoured opiates, as did writers Marcel Proust and Edgar Allan Poe. Vincent van Gogh drank absinthe.

American writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eugene O'Neill and William Faulkner were all recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature -- and all were alcoholics.

Smith said that American writer Hunter S. Thompson once wrote 'I'd hate to advocate drugs, alcohol or insanity to anyone - but they've always worked for me'. Baudelaire also urged fellow poets 'to be drunk always'.

 
But from reviewing the evidence, Smith claims that many of these artists were most productive during times of sobriety.

He said: 'The idea that drugs and alcohol give artists unique insights and powerful experiences is an illusion. When you try and capture the experiences (triggered by drugs or alcohol), they are often nonsense.'

Ministry of Mines is not ready to handle Afghan mineral deposits

The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium," a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

The vast scale of Afghanistan's mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists. The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed, American officials said.

While it could take many years to develop a mining industry, the potential is so great that officials and executives in the industry believe it could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war.

"There is stunning potential here," Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, said in an interview on Saturday. "There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant."

The value of the newly discovered mineral deposits dwarfs the size of Afghanistan's existing war-bedraggled economy, which is based largely on opium production and narcotics trafficking as well as aid from the United States and other industrialized countries. Afghanistan's gross domestic product is only about $12 billion.

"This will become the backbone of the Afghan economy," said Jalil Jumriany, an adviser to the Afghan minister of mines.

American and Afghan officials agreed to discuss the mineral discoveries at a difficult moment in the war in Afghanistan. The American-led offensive in Marja in southern Afghanistan has achieved only limited gains. Meanwhile, charges of corruption and favoritism continue to plague the Karzai government, and Mr. Karzai seems increasingly embittered toward the White House.

So the Obama administration is hungry for some positive news to come out of Afghanistan. Yet the American officials also recognize that the mineral discoveries will almost certainly have a double-edged impact.

Instead of bringing peace, the newfound mineral wealth could lead the Taliban to battle even more fiercely to regain control of the country.

The corruption that is already rampant in the Karzai government could also be amplified by the new wealth, particularly if a handful of well-connected oligarchs, some with personal ties to the president, gain control of the resources. Just last year, Afghanistan's minister of mines was accused by American officials of accepting a $30 million bribe to award China the rights to develop its copper mine. The minister has since been replaced.

Endless fights could erupt between the central government in Kabul and provincial and tribal leaders in mineral-rich districts. Afghanistan has a national mining law, written with the help of advisers from the World Bank, but it has never faced a serious challenge.

"No one has tested that law; no one knows how it will stand up in a fight between the central government and the provinces," observed Paul A. Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business and leader of the Pentagon team that discovered the deposits.

At the same time, American officials fear resource-hungry China will try to dominate the development of Afghanistan's mineral wealth, which could upset the United States, given its heavy investment in the region. After winning the bid for its Aynak copper mine in Logar Province, China clearly wants more, American officials said.

Another complication is that because Afghanistan has never had much heavy industry before, it has little or no history of environmental protection either. "The big question is, can this be developed in a responsible way, in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible?" Mr. Brinkley said. "No one knows how this will work."

With virtually no mining industry or infrastructure in place today, it will take decades for Afghanistan to exploit its mineral wealth fully. "This is a country that has no mining culture," said Jack Medlin, a geologist in the United States Geological Survey's international affairs program. "They've had some small artisanal mines, but now there could be some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan."

The mineral deposits are scattered throughout the country, including in the southern and eastern regions along the border with Pakistan that have had some of the most intense combat in the American-led war against the Taliban insurgency.

The Pentagon task force has already started trying to help the Afghans set up a system to deal with mineral development. International accounting firms that have expertise in mining contracts have been hired to consult with the Afghan Ministry of Mines, and technical data is being prepared to turn over to multinational mining companies and other potential foreign investors. The Pentagon is helping Afghan officials arrange to start seeking bids on mineral rights by next fall, officials said.

"The Ministry of Mines is not ready to handle this," Mr. Brinkley said. "We are trying to help them get ready."

Like much of the recent history of the country, the story of the discovery of Afghanistan's mineral wealth is one of missed opportunities and the distractions of war.

In 2004, American geologists, sent to Afghanistan as part of a broader reconstruction effort, stumbled across an intriguing series of old charts and data at the library of the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul that hinted at major mineral deposits in the country. They soon learned that the data had been collected by Soviet mining experts during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, but cast aside when the Soviets withdrew in 1989.

third generation dye-sensitised solar cells

He is known as the father of third generation dye-sensitised solar cells, which offer much promise in the search for affordable, renewable energy technologies.

Michael Gratzel, after whom the relatively low cost/high performance 'Gratzel cells' have been named, was Wednesday named winner of the prestigious Millennium Technology Prize at a ceremony here.

The concepts behind Gratzel cells can also be applied in the production of hydrogen and batteries, both important components of future energy needs, organisers of the prize said on their website.

Gratzel is director of the laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Switzerland.

Winners of the prize receive a trophy carrying the name 'Peak'. It is given to people for technology innovation.

Two other scientists shortlisted for the award included Stephen Furber, professor of Computer Engineering in Manchester University, and Sir Richard Friend, professor of physics in Cambridge University, UK.

Furber is the principal designer of the ARM 32 bit RISC microprocessor, found in most handheld electronic devices and in more than 98 percent of the world's mobile phones.

Friend's work in plastic electronics revolutionised the field of optoelectronics, with far-reaching consequences for energy efficient applications in display devices, lighting, sensing and solar energy harvesting, the organisers said.

The international panel of experts, which recommends the Laureates and ultimate winner of the Millennium Technology Prize to the Technology Academy Finland, is chaired by Risto Nieminen, professor of physics at Helsinki University of Technology.

V.S. Ramamurthy, renowned Indian nuclear scientist with several research contributions in the areas of nuclear fission and heavy ion reaction mechanisms, is one of the members of the selection committee.

Genetic Engineers Back Growing Drugs in Food Crops

CSPI Says Industry & Regulators Sowing Secrecy in America's New 'Pharm Belt'

The controversial practice of using genetic engineering to grow drugs or industrial chemicals in food crops is picking up speed, according to a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). While a 2002 scandal involving an errant biopharm crop from Prodigene temporarily put the brakes on the practice, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has received 16 new applications for biopharming permits in the past 12 months. About two-thirds of those applications involved a food crop such as corn, rice or barley, but virtually every other salient detail about the application—-sometimes even the name of the drug or chemical being produced—-is shielded from public view.

"It is impossible to know whether these biopharmed crops present any food-safety or environmental risk, since the whole process is shrouded in secrecy. Even the Food and Drug Administration is out of the loop," said Gregory Jaffe, director of CSPI's biotechnology project and the author of the report. "What is clear is that the biopharming industry has been given a big green light by federal regulators, even though there is great concern among food producers and consumers about using food crops to produce drugs."

According to the report, six permit applications involved genetically engineered (GE) corn, two involved GE barley, and one permit application each involved GE rice, safflower, and Indian mustard. Five permits involved tobacco, a non-food crop. Although the public portions of the permit applications do not disclose the proposed acreage of the crop, they do list states. Four permit applications identified Kentucky as the location; three identified Texas; Missouri, South Carolina, California, and Iowa were each identified on two applications; Hawaii, Florida, Washington, Nebraska, and Arizona were each identified on one.

Prodigene, which in 2002 was fined by USDA for allowing experimental GE corn to contaminate soybeans headed for the food supply, submitted four of the most recent applications—to produce pharmaceuticals in corn in Nebraska and Texas. Judging from USDA's past record, CSPI anticipates that most of the outstanding permit applications will be approved.

Nothing in the public portions of the applications details whether the permit would be for a field trial or for full-scale commercial production. Nor do the applications fully disclose which organism's genes are being spliced into the crop or what substance the company hopes to produce. Some firms' web sites do at least hint at the proposed crop: Prodigene is advertising two products, grown from transgenic corn, with pharmaceutical applications, trypsin and aprotinin. Another company, Ventria Bioscience, wants to grow rice that contain human genes in order to commercially produce the proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme.

Major manufacturers of processed foods, many of whom embrace applications of agricultural biotechnology that improve crop yields or breed resistance to insects, oppose using important food crops like corn to grow drugs. In 2002 the National Food Processors Association said that it "finds there is an unacceptable risk to the integrity of the food supply associated with use of food and feed crops as 'factories' for the production of pharmaceutical or industrial chemicals." Similarly, the Grocery Manufacturers of America strongly recommends that non-food crops be used for biopharming.

"When non-food crops like tobacco can be used for biopharming, it is unnecessarily risky to use crops like corn or rice without a much stronger and more transparent regulatory system," said Jaffe. "It would be a public relations catastrophe for both the biotechnology industry and the food industry if even minuscule amounts of vaccines or other drugs ended up in cereal."

CSPI's report recommends that food crops should not be used for biopharming unless protection could be assured through a strong regulatory system. CSPI also recommends that USDA conduct environmental risk analyses before permits are issued, and that FDA conduct food-safety risk analyses if a food crop is to be used to produce substances commercially. And, says CSPI, the entire permit process should be open and transparent.

While CSPI advocates for strict regulatory oversight of genetically engineered crops, it believes that agricultural biotechnology holds great promise for human health and the environment.

Korean nights shine with LED lights

The City of Busan said that its 1.8 kilometer-long Namhang Bridge, spanning Yeongdo-gu (district) and Seo-gu, will afford a dazzling night view helped by enhanced lighting.

Every hour (after sunset) multiple rainbow colors will decorate the Busan bridge for 55 minutes and green lights will graciously light up the bridge for the remaining five minutes, the city official said.

Of all the 1,485 lights used to enhance the nightly decoration, LED lights account for almost half of that, or 780, said the official.

The government decided to replace 30% of lighting in public places with LEDs by 2012, at the inauguration of the presidential green growth commission on Feb. 16. This government policy is exerting influence on the country's lighting industry and its tourism as well.

Samgakji Park in Yangdeok-dong, Masan-si (City), also boasts some awesome nightly decorations. "Samgak" means triangular in Korean and the park has recently installed a 'samgak' lighting installation, about 7 meters high, at its entrance to create a relaxing ambience with 10 colored night beams.

The park's central fountain is lighted up by LED illumination, and draws people from the neighborhood to admire its beauty.Yeosu and Ulsan, two biggest carbon emitters of all Korean cities, have recently been picked as initiators of a "Clean Development Mechanism," which was introduced by the central government.

With a 37 billion won budget injection, almost 400,000 light bulbs in the cities will be replaced with LED lights. If the initiation proves successful, other local authorities will benchmark the introduction.

Back in Seoul, there is Dongho Bridge (one of the bridges over the River Han) which boasts this high-end lighting system. When a train begins to cross the bridge, LED lights instantly flash on.

Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Feb. 26 that it had completed the last-phase of the Han Bridge lighting enhancement project. Although not every bridge is equipped with LED lights, all 24 now are now equipped with energy-efficient lighting, according to the government.

Through the renovation, energy consumption on lighting went down by almost 20 percent and annual carbon gas emissions dropped by 328 tons, the city government said.Mapo is the district leading the LED campaign in Seoul. A total of 326 sodium vapor street lamps in the district were substituted by LEDs, the district office said last week. Annually, carbon gas emissions will reduce by 45 tons and 9.5 million won will be saved from the newer lighting in the district, the office forecast.

Even though Korea's LED technology is now in its infancy, it has great potential. Korea's LED company SLD signed a 520 billion won deal with McDonald's headquarters in Chicago on Feb. 16, to become the sole LED illumination provider. The company will not only service 28,000 McDonald's chains in the United States with LED lights, but will also expand its customer-base to Japan, China and Europe.

Solar mirrors to line border in Rann of Kutch

Until now, the only thing shining in the Rann of Kutch was a mirage. Now, the scorching sun could light up another sparkling ring along 
the inhospitable border with Pakistan, if a Rs 61,019 crore dream comes true. And, it won't be an illusion, but real mirrors.

With about 45 investment promises lined up in solar energy sector, Gujarat plans to promote the desert as a hub for renewable energy.

However, the shadow that could fall on Gujarat's solar ambitions is that tapping energy from the Sun has so far proved technically complicated and economically unviable. Also, the scale of just one of the projects  the Clinton Foundation proposal to generate about 5,000 megawatt of power  is way larger than India's biggest power project of 3,260MW in Vindyachal. The biggest solar power plant planned so far is a 160MW project in Portugal.

Gujarat has decided to allocate 1,500 hectares of land in the desert and a small stretch in Santalpur in Bankaskantha district. The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation will create infrastructure for the ambitious `Solar Park'.

Companies have queued up for setting up plants largely due to the incentives offered in the new Solar Power Policy, including exemption from electricity duty and demand cut of 50% of the installed capacity. Units that start production before December 31, 2010, can avail these concessions.

Also thrown in is a guarantee to buy power for 12 years at its production cost Rs 13 per unit for photovoltaic projects and Rs 10 per unit for thermal projects.

``Land availability is not an issue here. Also, sunlight is plenty and rainfall sparse. It is an ideal location for solar power generation as well as component manufacturing,'' said a senior official in the chief minister's office. Barring a large cement plant in north-west of Kutch, all industrial projects have come up south of the district.

Apart from Kutch, the Clinton Foundation is also exploring the international borders in Banaskantha and Patan districts. A joint study conducted by the foundation and Tata Energy Research Institute show that Kutch offers the best solar radiation.

Last week, projects with 716MW of solar power capacity have been allotted to 34 national and international project developers, including PLG Power, Lanco Solar, Moser Baer, Solar Semi Conductor, AES Solar, Astonfield, Torrent Power, Adani Power, Abengoa, Electrotherm, Welspun, NTPC. Put together, these projects will see investment worth Rs 12,000 crore over the next few years. US-based AES Corporation is mulling to set up the world's largest solar project in the state by 2010, sources said.