Tokyo Citizens In Panic Buy Bottled Water As Faucets Spew Radiation

In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear power plant catastrophe, radiation levels are now rising in Tokyo’s water supply,

Winds Blowing Japanese Radioactivity Over Pacific Ocean

Winds are now dispersing radioactive material from the Japanese nuclear crisis over the Pacific Ocean, away from Japan and other Asian countries, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Tuesday.

Radiation Released in Japanese Atmosphere

Japan has told the United Nation’s nuclear agency that a spent fuel storage pond was on fire at a reactor damaged by the earthquake and radioactivity

Blue Roses Anyone?

Which colour would you like your roses? Red, white, yellow … or perhaps blue?

Japan’s Suntory Ltd. said Tuesday it would start selling the world’s first genetically-modified blue roses next month, 20 years after it began research to create the novelty flowers.

The major whisky distiller said it succeeded in developing blue roses in 2004 with the Australian biotech company Florigene Pty Ltd.

The blue roses are created by implanting the gene that leads to the synthesis of the blue pigment Delphinidin in pansies, the firm said.

Japanese Create Stem Cells From Wisdom Teeth

Japanese scientists said Friday they had derived stem cells from wisdom teeth, opening another way to study deadly diseases without the ethical controversy of using embryos.  

Researchers at the government-backed National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said they created stem cells of the type found in human embryos using the removed wisdom teeth of a 10-year-old girl.

“This is significant in two ways,” team leader Hajime Ogushi told AFP. “One is that we can avoid the ethical issues of stem cells because wisdom teeth are destined to be thrown away anyway.

“Also, we used teeth that had been extracted three years ago and had been preserved in a freezer. That means that it’s easy for us to stock this source of stem cells.”

The announcement follows the groundbreaking discovery by US and Japanese scientists last year that they could produce stem cells from skin, a finding that was hailed by the Vatican and US President George W. Bush. Research involving embryonic stem cells — which can develop into various organs or nerves — is seen as having the potential to save lives by helping find cures for diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

But studies on embryos are strongly opposed by religious conservatives, who argue that such research destroys human life, albeit at its earliest stage of development. In the new research, cells were extracted from the wisdom teeth and developed for about 35 days.

The researchers then tested them and found that they were stem cells, which can develop into various other kinds of human cells, Ogushi said. As with last year’s skin cell discovery, the Japanese researchers said it would take time to put the use of wisdom teeth into practical use.

Ogushi estimated it would take at least five years to put the method into clinical use such as trial treatments of congenital bone disease.

“Because extractions of wisdom teeth are commonly operated in dental clinics, we can expect a lot of donors of stem cells,” he said.

FULL STORY

Can Cars Run On Water?

Rally Barbados 2008 saw 89 crews entered in this year’s event which is usually billed as the region’s biggest annual international motor sport event . As exciting as motor sport is I sometimes wonder about the gas bill of de fellas cars especially now subsidies have been removed off the gas and diesel.

Which brings me to the above caption. Many of us would have seen on various websites ‘car run on water’ ads which after a curious look was all the attention it got from me. Until I came across a Market Watch video about a Japanese entrepreneur converting a gas driven car to a water driven one and looking to venture into mass production.

Now I don’t know how well that would go down with the oil companies. Not with those billions of dollars of pouring in. I ain’t one of those that think we running out of oil either. Still mass production is a brilliant idea after all green is the buzz word today right?. Oil hitting $200/barrel in the future is enough to make me cringe. Government policy to offer free public transportation giving bajans the chance to put their vehicles down and use only necessary, maybe a long term strategy on DLP part to reduce the import fuel bill. But it would not work if the same buses have to ferry schoolchildren across the island. Then there are routes inadequately served. Need I say more?

Now will Barbados import any of these cars? One certainly may not see these cars in the traditional market but there is always room for the entrepreneur to capitalize in this niche area.

For the DIY souls there are links below and an accompanied video of the water run car.

Now who is brave enough to start the process or let the mechanic do the job for you? Don’t forget to post your results here.