New CO2 findings may unlock secrets of global warming (+video) - The Capitol Column

“The Southern Ocean is a large window by which the atmosphere connects to the interior of the ocean below. Until now we didn’t know exactly the physical processes of how carbon ends up being stored deep in the ocean. It’s the combination of winds, currents and eddies that create these carbon-capturing pathways drawing waters down into the deep ocean from the ocean surface,” said lead author Jean-Baptiste Sallée from British Antarctic Survey. “Now that we have an improved understanding of the mechanisms for carbon draw-down we are better placed to understand the effects of changing climate and future carbon absorption by the ocean.”The team noted that the Southern Ocean could allow scientists to better predict how ocean currents and ocean systems around the world deal with the increasingly large amount of carbon dioxide. Until now, climate scientists understood little about the relationship between oceanic systems and carbon dioxide. Due !
to the size and remote location of the Southern Ocean, scientists have only recently been able to explore the workings of the ocean with the help of the small robotic probes.<br />http://www.capitolcolumn.com/news/new-co2-findings-may-unlock-secrets-of-global-warming-video/

How summer thunderstorms could be punching new holes in the ozone layer - Christian Science Monitor

In fact, Anderson's team initially was working on another climate problem: the formation of cirrus clouds and their effect on climate. Clouds represent one of the big areas of uncertainty in climate models. And cirrus clouds can have a warming effect on climate by allowing sunlight through but trapping heat rising up from underneath. The tops of thunderheads are one source of cirrus clouds, which assume their feather-like appearance as high-altitude winds blow across the tops of the thunderheads, giving them their anvil shape.The study points to &quot;the potential for a pretty significant effect on stratospheric ozone at latitudes where we normally wouldn't think that would happen,&quot; said Mario Molina, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California at San Diego who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 with the late Frank Rowland. The two worked out the chemistry behind stratospheric ozone depletion and chlorofluorocarbons, once widely used as refrigeran!
ts and aerosol-spray propellants.<br />http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/0726/How-summer-thunderstorms-could-be-punching-new-holes-in-the-ozone-layer

Electricity pumps artificial jellyfish through water - BBC News

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the BBC website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time. &quot;I was surprised that with relatively few components - a silicone base and cells that we arranged - we were able to reproduce some pretty complex swimming and feeding behaviours that you see in biological jellyfish,&quot; said John Dabiri, professor of aeronautics and bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena.<br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18953034

Stanford Researchers Complete 1st Complete Computer Model of an Organism - CleanTechnica

&#8220;This achievement demonstrates a transforming approach to answering questions about fundamental biological processes,&#8221; said James M. Anderson, director of the National Institutes of Health Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives. &#8220;Comprehensive computer models of entire cells have the potential to advance our understanding of cellular function and, ultimately, to inform new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.&#8221;Cells that took longer to begin DNA replication had time to amass a large pool of free nucleotides. The actual replication step, which uses these nucleotides to form new DNA strands, then passed relatively quickly. Cells that went through the initial step quicker, on the other hand, had no nucleotide surplus. Replication ended up slowing to the rate of nucleotide production.<br />http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/22/stanford-researchers-complete-1st-complete-computer-model-of-an-organism/

Iceberg breaks off from Greenland's Petermann Glacier - BBC News

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the BBC website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.<br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18896770

Institutional Mission and University

University administration should generate a pool of creative ideas for faculty members. When designing an academic research project, professors know the general preferences of a university, but not necessarily specific policy of their own university.

http://higher-education.criticpen.com/article/institutional-mission-university-priorities-m4z9

Mars rover lands on Xbox Live - USA TODAY

Posted document.write(niceDate("7/16/2012 1:12 PM")); | Updated document.write(niceDate("7/16/2012 1:17 PM"));A screenshot from the Mars Rover Landing game.<br />http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2012-07-16/nasa-mars-rover-game/56253212/1

Russian Soyuz blasts off for International Space Station - BBC News

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the BBC website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.<br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18850521

University as a Country

The structure of a university is very similar to a country, and its management system too; a smaller society but utopia, due to its sophisticated community. Factors like national benefits, patriotism, and nostalgia are all (and must be) the case in a smaller scale. Even outsiders (usually in administrative roles) are expected to behave like loyal alumni, learn the school alma mater, and become interested in in the major sport teams, and other traditional functions of the university. This practical allegory is to utilize available models. The athletic success in Olympic is of political important (not just fun) for a country, it is the same for a university fame (for attracting students). The reasons and motivations of students for attending a university are like those of immigration. Thus, university leadership should empower its own country through united national strategies. This is the reason that today’s university essential needs to implement change. The ratio of people living in developed country to those living in developing countries from one to two (in 1995) is approaching one to four (in 2010)



http://higher-education.criticpen.com/article/university-as-a-country-m4zc

New Trigger For North Atlantic Phytoplankton Blooms Discovered - PlanetSave.com

[...] New Trigger For North Atlantic Phytoplankton Blooms DiscoveredPlanetSave.comEvery year, in the North Atlantic Ocean, there occurs what&#039;s known as the North Atlantic Bloom. It&#039;s caused an immense number of phytoplankton bursting into existence. The seawater first turns green, and then whitish, as a progression of different &#8230;Swirling currents fuel huge blooms in North Atlanticmsnbc.comSwirling ocean prompts plankton blooms, suggests studyChristian Science MonitorNew trigger for plankton &#039;blooms&#039; foundUPI.comThe Bunsen Burner&nbsp;-Bangor Daily News&nbsp;-Kansas City infoZineall 33 news articles&nbsp;&raquo; [...]&#8220;Springtime blooms of microscopic plants in the ocean absorb enormous quantities of carbon dioxide, much like our forests, emitting oxygen via photosynthesis. Their growth contributes to the oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide, amounting globally to about one-third of the carbon dioxide we put into the air each year through the burnin!
g of fossil fuels. An important question is how this &#8216;biological pump&#8217; for carbon might change in the future as our climate evolves.&#8221;<br />http://planetsave.com/2012/07/07/new-trigger-for-north-atlantic-phytoplankton-blooms-discovered/