Global Forest Watch Tracking Tree Loss Around The World

Global Forest Watch is tracking the deforestation around the world as a near real-time event. It is a new dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that "empowers people everywhere to better manage forests". It is supported by world renowned corporations and organizations like Google, UNEP, NASA, etc.

Below picture shows the loss and gain of forest between Jan. 2000 and Dec. 2012 for my country Malaysia.

The next picture shows the forest status between Jan. 2006 and Dec. 2012. From it we can see that we have more blue colors than red. This means Malaysia is actually planting back the tree.

I guess it is a good sign that we Malaysian are helping to combat the global warming.

Exposure To BPA During Baby Time Is Linked To Prostate Cancer

New research done by University of Illinois at Chicago, U.S.A., has linked prostate cancer to the early foetal exposure to low concentration of Bisphenol A (BPA). According to the National Cancer Institute, 15% of American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives.

BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastics and can be found in aluminum beverage cans, most food cans, infant formula that comes in cans, dental sealants, paper receipts, and epoxy-lined beer cans. Estimated more than 90% of Americans carry traces of BPA in their bodies, so that there is almost “universal fetal exposure” to BPA.

The researchers implanted stem cells from deceased young men into lab mice. Then fed BPA to the mice for the first 3 months of life. 33% of the stem cells has cancerous or precancerous lesion later in their life. 45% of the cells that were exposed to BPA before and after mice implantation developed precancerous or cancerous lesions later.

The researchers propose that early exposure to BPA permanently reprograms a fetus’ stem cells. Those stem cells are then used to replenish organs throughout the course of a person’s life, and if those stem cells are extra-sensitive to estrogen as a result of early exposure, they will pass on that sensitivity to the prostate tissues later in life. It’s already known that men’s rising levels of estrogen, which happens naturally as they age, are partly responsible for causing prostate cancer.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/health/fetal-exposure-bpa-linked-prostate-cancer.html

New Solar Fuel Cell Runs On Biomass

Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S.A., has come out of a new fuel cell design that incorporates solar thermal energy, enabling it to use woody biomass, algae, and even chicken waste for energy input instead of relying on hydrogen gas. The non-hydrogen angle is significant because hydrogen gas is expensive and energy-intensive to produce.

The idea of using biomass to run a fuel cell is nothing new. The only problem is that to break down the carbon bonds in natural polymers you need a catalyst which involves expensive precious metals, like platinum.

The key in the design is the use of inexpensive transition metals called POM (Polyoxometalate) catalyst. POM is both a photochemical (chemical interaction with light) and a thermochemical (chemical interaction with heat) catalyst. When mixed in a solution with ground-up biomass and exposed to sunlight or heat, it then oxidizes the biomass and delivers the charges from the biomass to the fuel cell’s anode. The electrons are then transported to the cathode, where they are finally oxidized by oxygen through an external circuit to produce electricity.

POM catalyst is durable and can be re-used without re-treatment, which helps to cut costs. Another advantage of POM-biomass mixture is that it is inert at room temperature (in the absence of sunlight or heat) which helps to reduce storage cost.

Source: http://cleantechnica.com/2014/02/19/new-solar-power-fuel-cell-runs-wood-chips/

WhatsApp Soon Will Be Under Facebook

Facebook announced yesterday that it will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging company WhatsApp for US$16 billion, which US$4 billion will be in cash and remaining US$12 billion in stock.

As part of the deal, WhatsApp co-founder and Chief Executive Jan Koum will join Facebook's board, and the social network will grant an additional $3 billion worth of restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders, including Koum.             

In the acquisition, Facebook promised to keep the WhatsApp brand and service.