Daryl Hannah Arrested in White House Protest Against Use of Fossil Fuel

Daryl Hannah was arrested by U.S. Park Police Tuesday at a protest in front of the White House. Hannah was participating in a sit-in against the construction of a pipeline that would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The actress was handcuffed by police after she refused to move. She paid an $100 fine and was released from custody. Hannah, who starred in such classic '80s films as “Roxanne” and “Wall Street,” has been active in environmental causes for years. She was previously arrested in 2006 for protesting efforts to bulldoze the country’s largest urban farm in Los Angeles and in 2009 for protesting mountaintop removal in West Virginia. She has long been an advocate for curbing use of fossil fuels.





http://nbcwashington.com

Can renewable forms of energy replace fossil fuels? Answered by Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Human society has relied on fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, for many generations -- and we will probably rely on them for quite a while to come. As many have observed, this is not necessarily a good thing.

The fossil-fuel economy is the standard gasoline-burning world we're used to. But it has some serious downsides to it. Cars powered by the internal combustion engine produce byproducts that are bad for the air, like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons. Along similar pollution lines, the fossil-fuel economy is also responsible for a good portion of global warming. Each gallon of gas your car burns emits 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) of carbon, which contributes to the rising temperature of the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the transportation of the oil used to produce gasoline is often at fault for major environmental pollution problems: Think oil tanker spills, pipeline explosions and well fires. Finally, on the political end of the spectrum, the fossil-fuel economy forces the United States to be dependent on oil-rich countries, as we can't produce enough of our own oil. That has all kinds of repercussions, including allowing other countries to control how much we pay for gas.

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Blue August: Paradise Lost

Planet Green

Louisiana supplies 25% of the U.S. seafood supply... but no one is buying because of the oil spill. Long time resident of Grand Isle, Gerald, has never seen anything like it in his 74 years.

Dinos: Getting To Know a Duck-Billed Dinosaur

http://news.discovery.com





Dr. Bob Bakker, the curator of the duck-billed dinosaur mummy, tells us about this Cretaceous species.

Blue August: Grand Isle, Now A Ghost Town

Planet Green


Grand Isle used to be bustling with tourists... but now it sits empty. It could take decades for the region to recover from all the lost revenue from the oil spill.

Notable Feathered Dinosaurs: Confuciusornis

Confuciusornis (Greek for "Confucius bird"); pronounced con-FEW-shus-OR-nis

Habitat:

Woodlands of Asia

Historical Period:

Early Cretaceous (130-120 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About one foot long and a few pounds

Diet:

Probably seeds

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Beak, primitive feathers, curved foot claws

About Confuciusornis:

One of a series of spectacular Chinese fossil discoveries made over the past 20 or so years, Confuciusornis was a true find: the very first prehistoric bird with a true beak. Unlike other flying creatures of its era, Confuciusornis had no teeth--which, along with its feathers and curved claws suited for sitting high up in trees, makes it one of the most unmistakably birdlike creatures of the Cretaceous period.
However, just because Confuciusornis looked like a modern bird doesn't mean it's the great-great-grandfather (or grandmother) of every pigeon, eagle and owl living today. There's no reason primitive flying reptiles couldn't have independently evolved birdlike characteristics such as feathers and beaks--so the Confucius Bird may well have a been a striking "dead end" in avian evolution. (In a new development, researchers have determined--based on an analysis of preserved pigment cells--that the feathers of Confuciusornis were arranged in a mottled pattern of black, brown and white patches, a bit like a tabby cat.)

photo:Confuciusornis (Vladimir Nikolov)

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Check out Bob's Dinosaur Blog !

Bob Strauss is a freelance writer and book author; one of his specialties is explaining scientific concepts and discoveries to both a lay and professional audience.

Bob Strauss is the author of two best-selling question-and-answer books that range across the expanse of science, biology, history and culture: The Big Book of What, How and Why (Main Street, 2005) and Who Knew? Hundreds & Hundreds of Questions & Answers for Curious Minds (Sterling Innovation, 2007).

Dinos: Dino-Prospecting

http://news.discovery.com






How do you locate your next dino dig? By prospecting in them thar hills! James Williams finds out how it's done.

Blue August: Faces Of The Gulf

Planet Green


Philippe Cousteau travels to the Gulf region to meet the real people affected by the BP oil spill and how their lives are forever changed.

Which country consumes the most oil? Answered by Science Channel

Science Channel

Unless and until there is a far-reaching, viable, affordable and accessible-to-the-masses alternative fuel that can get us from point A to point B, the world is stuck with guzzling oil. And guzzle it we do! The answer to which country consumes the most might not be too surprising, considering the size of its economy and standard of living.

No big shocker, the United States consumes more oil than any other country -- specifically, 18.7 million barrels per day, according to 2009 estimates from the CIA World Factbook. The European Union collectively ranks as No. 2 on the list, with 13.7 million barrels per day. China, Japan and India occupy the third, fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with 8.2 million, 4.4 million and 3.0 million barrels of oil per day, according to the CIA's report. Russia, Brazil, Germany, Saudi Arabia and South Korea respectively round out slots six through 10.

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Stories from the Gulf: Backyard Used to Be Water

Planet Green

Those living on the marsh and water near the Gulf Oil Spill face a changed landscape forever.

Notable Feathered Dinosaurs: Chirostenotes

Chirostenotes (Greek for "narrow hand"); pronounced KIE-ro-STEN-oh-tease

Chirostenotes (Nobu Tamura)

Habitat:

Woodlands of North America

Historical Period:

Late Cretaceous (80 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 7 feet long and 50-75 pounds

Diet:

Probably omnivorous

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Narrow, clawed fingers on hands; toothless jaws

About Chirostenotes:

Like Frankenstein's monster, Chirostenotes has been assembled out of odd parts, at least in terms of its nomenclature. This dinosaur's long, narrow hands were discovered in 1924, prompting its current name (Greek for "narrow hand"); the feet were found a few years later, and assigned the genus Macrophalangia (Greek for "big toes"); and its jaw was unearthed a few years after that, and given the name Caenagnathus (Greek for "recent jaw"). Only afterward was it recognized that all three parts belonged to the same dinosaur, hence the reversion to the original name.
In evolutionary terms, Chirostenotes was closely related to a similar Asian theropod, Oviraptor, demonstrating how widespread these dinosaurs were in the late Cretaceous period. As with most tiny theropods, Chirostenotes is thought to have sported feathers, and it may have represented an intermediate link between dinosaurs and birds.

_________________________________________________________________

Check out Bob's Dinosaur Blog !

Bob Strauss is a freelance writer and book author; one of his specialties is explaining scientific concepts and discoveries to both a lay and professional audience.

Bob Strauss is the author of two best-selling question-and-answer books that range across the expanse of science, biology, history and culture: The Big Book of What, How and Why (Main Street, 2005) and Who Knew? Hundreds & Hundreds of Questions & Answers for Curious Minds (Sterling Innovation, 2007).

Stories from the Gulf: Rebuilding a Dream

Planet Green

See a few determined locals stand up for their community and the Gulf after the oil spill.

Blue August: Oyster Bay

Planet Green


Just because the oil hasn't reached Oyster Bay yet, doesn't mean the effects can't be felt. If the sale of seafood continues to plummet a generation of oystermen will be lost.

Whiskey Biofuel? Only in Scotland

http://news.discovery.com

Analysis by Alyssa Danigelis

Scientists in Scotland announced this week that they figured out a way to produce biofuel from whiskey. At first, this dram fan was horrified: Why would anyone want to waste good whiskey to make biofuel? But the process turns out to be rather brilliant.

A team of researchers at Edinburgh Napier University's Biofuel Research Center led by the center's director, biology professor Martin Tangney, have spent the last two years experimenting with two byproducts of the whiskey-making process.

They took the byproducts, a liquid from copper stills called "pot ale" and spent grains, wonderfully named "draff," and turned it into a butanol "superfuel." The butanol could then be blended with regular gasoline or diesel, similar to the way small amounts of ethanol are blended now, meaning engines wouldn't need any alterations.

The scientists used draff and pot ale from the Glenkinchie Distillery in Pencaitland, Scotland, but they're staying mum on exactly how they made the biofuel. I can only imagine there were some heady smells involved.

The potential market for transforming this organic waste into fuel is actually sizable. According to the university, the $6.25 billion whiskey industry produces more than 400 million gallons of pot ale and 187,000 tons of draff every year. So far, the scientists have filed a patent on the biofuel and plan to start a company that will develop it commercially.

I think the appropriate thing to say now is something along the lines of "cheers!" or "bottoms up!" but I'm going to go with "whiskey-biofuel!" Neat.

Photo: A whiskey library. Credit: Ethan Prater.

Stories from the Gulf: A Fisherman's Outlook

Planet Green


See a commercial fisherman's take on the Gulf Oil Spill and the impact of mass pollution.