Microalgae could be a profitable source of biodiesel

Public release date: 21-Mar-2013
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Contact: Octavi L?pez Coronado
octavi.lopez@uab.cat
34-935-813-301
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona

Researchers at the UAB's Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), have analysed the potential of different species of microalgae for producing biodiesel, comparing their growth, production of biomass and the quantity of lipids per cell (essential for obtaining fuel).

Their study shows that one type of marine algae that has received little attention till now - dinoflagellate microalgae - is highly suitable for cultivation with the aim of producing biodiesel.

The scientists carried out the whole production process in exterior cultures, in natural conditions, without artificial light or temperature control, in cultivation conditions with low energy costs and subject to seasonal fluctuations. Detailed analysis of all costs over 4 years gives promising results: microalgae cultures are close to producing biodiesel profitably even in uncontrolled environmental conditions.

"If we make simple adjustments to completely optimise the process, biodiesel obtained by cultivating these marine microalgae could be an option for energy supplies to towns near the sea", points out Sergio Rossi, an ICTA researcher at the UAB.

Among these adjustments, scientists highlight the possibility of reusing leftover organic pulp (the glycerol and protein pulp that is not converted into biodiesel) and using air pumps and more efficient cultivation materials.

Though similar studies have been done on other alga species, dinoflagellate microalgae have shown themselves to be a very promising group that stands out from the rest. Moreover, these microalgae are autochthonous to the Mediterranean, so they would present no environmental threat in the event of leakage.

Third-generation biodiesel

First-generation biodiesel and bioethanol (obtained from monoculture of palm oil, sugar cane, maize, etc.) have presented problems that make them less attractive. The crops cover large areas of land and need huge amounts of fresh water, and their use implies diverting food products to the energy market.

The possibility of creating energy from hydrocarbons extracted from organisms like marine phytoplankton, the so-called third-generation biodiesel, has several advantages. Firstly, algae offer the same production levels while taking up only between 4 and 7 per cent of the area occupied by crops on land, thanks to their high concentration of energy per cell. Secondly, they do not need fresh water, as sea water is sufficient, which makes them viable even in deserts or arid areas near the coast. Finally, marine algae are not, a priori, sources of food for human consumption, which avoids the ethical problem of monoculture to provide fuel rather than food.

###

This study was led by scientists from the UAB's Institute of Environmental Science and Technology and involved researchers from the Department of Marine and Oceanographic Biology of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CSIC, from the UAB spin-off Indit Innovaci SL, in the UAB Research Park, and from the SOSTENIPRA research group, of the UAB's Department of Chemical Engineering.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Octavi L?pez Coronado
octavi.lopez@uab.cat
34-935-813-301
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona

Researchers at the UAB's Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), have analysed the potential of different species of microalgae for producing biodiesel, comparing their growth, production of biomass and the quantity of lipids per cell (essential for obtaining fuel).

Their study shows that one type of marine algae that has received little attention till now - dinoflagellate microalgae - is highly suitable for cultivation with the aim of producing biodiesel.

The scientists carried out the whole production process in exterior cultures, in natural conditions, without artificial light or temperature control, in cultivation conditions with low energy costs and subject to seasonal fluctuations. Detailed analysis of all costs over 4 years gives promising results: microalgae cultures are close to producing biodiesel profitably even in uncontrolled environmental conditions.

"If we make simple adjustments to completely optimise the process, biodiesel obtained by cultivating these marine microalgae could be an option for energy supplies to towns near the sea", points out Sergio Rossi, an ICTA researcher at the UAB.

Among these adjustments, scientists highlight the possibility of reusing leftover organic pulp (the glycerol and protein pulp that is not converted into biodiesel) and using air pumps and more efficient cultivation materials.

Though similar studies have been done on other alga species, dinoflagellate microalgae have shown themselves to be a very promising group that stands out from the rest. Moreover, these microalgae are autochthonous to the Mediterranean, so they would present no environmental threat in the event of leakage.

Third-generation biodiesel

First-generation biodiesel and bioethanol (obtained from monoculture of palm oil, sugar cane, maize, etc.) have presented problems that make them less attractive. The crops cover large areas of land and need huge amounts of fresh water, and their use implies diverting food products to the energy market.

The possibility of creating energy from hydrocarbons extracted from organisms like marine phytoplankton, the so-called third-generation biodiesel, has several advantages. Firstly, algae offer the same production levels while taking up only between 4 and 7 per cent of the area occupied by crops on land, thanks to their high concentration of energy per cell. Secondly, they do not need fresh water, as sea water is sufficient, which makes them viable even in deserts or arid areas near the coast. Finally, marine algae are not, a priori, sources of food for human consumption, which avoids the ethical problem of monoculture to provide fuel rather than food.

###

This study was led by scientists from the UAB's Institute of Environmental Science and Technology and involved researchers from the Department of Marine and Oceanographic Biology of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CSIC, from the UAB spin-off Indit Innovaci SL, in the UAB Research Park, and from the SOSTENIPRA research group, of the UAB's Department of Chemical Engineering.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uadb-mcb032113.php

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97 percent of UK doctors have given placebos to patients at least once

Mar. 20, 2013 ? A survey of UK doctors found that 97% have prescribed placebo treatments to patients at least once in their career.

Researchers at the Universities of Oxford and Southampton in the UK discovered that 97% of doctors have used 'impure' placebo treatments, while 12% have used 'pure' placebos.

'Impure' placebos are treatments that are unproven, such as antibiotics for suspected viral infections, or more commonly non-essential physical examinations and blood tests performed to reassure patients. 'Pure' placebos are treatments such as sugar pills or saline injections which contain no active ingredients.

A random sample of doctors was surveyed online, and returned 783 responses. This sample was found to be representative of all UK doctors registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research, the University of Oxford Department of Primary Health Care Sciences and The Southampton Complementary Medical Research Trust. The results are published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

'This is not about doctors deceiving patients,' says Dr Jeremy Howick, co-lead author of the study from the University of Oxford, 'The study shows that placebo use is widespread in the UK, and doctors clearly believe that placebos can help patients.'

The survey showed that doctors prescribing both pure and impure placebos reported doing so for broadly similar reasons. Placebos were mainly given to either induce psychological treatment effects, because patients requested treatment or to reassure patients.

Ethical attitudes towards placebo usage varied among doctors, with 66% saying that pure placebos are ethically acceptable under certain circumstances and 33% saying they are never acceptable. Impure placebos were more widely accepted, with 84% of doctors deeming them acceptable.

This widespread use and acceptance of placebos is consistent with similar studies worldwide, yet they are still against General Medical Council ethical codes. 'Current ethical rulings on placebos ought to be revisited in light of the strong evidence suggesting that doctors broadly support their use,' says Dr Howick.

For both pure and impure placebos, over 90% of doctors objected to their use where it endangered patient/doctor trust and over 80% were against using them if it involved deception.

'This latest study with the University of Oxford demonstrates that doctors are generally using placebos in good faith to help patients,' says Professor George Lewith, co-lead author of the study from the University of Southampton, 'Other previous published studies by Southampton have clearly shown placebos can help many people and can be effective for a long time after administration. The placebo effect works by releasing our body's own natural painkillers into our nervous system. In my opinion the stigma attached to placebo use is irrational, and further investigation is needed to develop ethical, cost-effective placebos.'

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Oxford, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jeremy Howick, Felicity L. Bishop, Carl Heneghan, Jane Wolstenholme, Sarah Stevens, F. D. Richard Hobbs, George Lewith. Placebo Use in the United Kingdom: Results from a National Survey of Primary Care Practitioners. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e58247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058247

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ipOztLuCajU/130320212816.htm

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Freight forwarding - USVI Moving Center

Quote
LiquidFluoride
...... customs doesn't cost anything does it? didn't seem to when I brought my truck down...

Vehicles made in the USA do not pay... and I mean manufactured in the USA... as you may know, the vehicle could be American but manufactured in Canada ... Most trucks produced by GM, Ford, and RAM (Chrysler) are USA production... hence, no pay at customs...

If my memory serves me well, I think I paid .25 x net vehicle weight for the road tax...

It would be good to make sure you do not run out of charge.. or they will make you pay a fee for moving the bike around... and hope they don't leave the switch in the on position...

Source: http://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,199780,199780

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How to live in zero gravity: Take a tour of the International Space Station

Sure, we know there?s no screaming in space. But there?s also no flushing. And no hair brushing.

Pay attention, because these are things you too can learn by watching former International Space Station Commander Sunita Williams walk?or should we say, float her way?through a typical morning in space.

Spoiler alert: Zero gravity is a pain in the neck, and other places.

First, Williams is a perfect host for a video tour: She?s a veteran space traveler with 195 days of space flight?the longest time in space for a woman. And she lived on the space station for four months.

As the astronaut explains on the NASA video, sleeping on the space station is very different from snoozing in your comfy bed on planet Earth. Instead, there are sleep pods and sleeping bags?and it doesn?t matter if your bed is located upside down or sideways. Your body won?t know the difference. Each cubby also comes equipped with a docked laptop and personal items, like clothes.

Once you get up, it?s time for the morning routine. Tooth brushing isn?t all that foreign?and yes, you still do it, even so far from home. The toothpaste is ?sticky,? as Williams explains, and stays on the brush. Even the water cooperates from a tube, although some escapes into a bubble that Williams catches and swallows.

And, as Williams shows with her cloud of hair floating anywhere but on her head, every day is a bad hair day. "See how much better the brush makes my hair look?" She laughs, as she runs a brush through her hair, which continues to stand on end. She adds, "I'm just joking. It still stands up straight." Hair styling seems like a pointless exercise.

However, there are some activities that can?t be skipped, and the toilet is one of them. Or rather, two of them. Suffice to say, suction is involved, as is good aim, in the ?orbital outhouse,? as she calls it. We?ll let you watch to get the details.

Easier to digest: details of making and eating breakfast. The space station kitchen is stocked with American favorites like cereal, eggs and bread?some freeze dried and needing water, others ready to eat. Japanese and Russian foods are also available: It is, after all, an international space station.

Williams confides that the package labeled ?snacks? is the candy stash. The scientist also admits to a Fluffernutter habit, and the space station actually keeps a jar of Fluff on hand so she can indulge (stored in a zip-locked compartment, natch).

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/live-zero-gravity-tour-international-space-station-220803585.html

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Wealthfront, The Investing Service That Has Made Me Money ...

Wealthfront is one of my favorite startups out there today ? because it has actually made me money. I?m not alone. The automated investments company has been growing its user base by 20 percent every month, because it cuts out traditional mutual funds and investment advisors and charges its users a very low fee for returns that have been beating the Street.

Now it?s aiming at the sluggish and shady finance industry with a $20 million second round of venture funding led by Mike Volpi of Index Ventures, Chamath Palihapitiya of The Social+Capital Partnership and Reid Hoffman of Greylock Partners ? plus a large group of angel investors including Matt Mullenweg, Andy Dunn, Adam D?Angelo, Michael Schroepfer, Hunter Walk, Cipora Herman and Satya Patel.

My personal story is pretty typical of why the company has been doing so well.

After Inside Network got acquired in May of 2011 ? and after I?d paid off all the taxes and a scary credit card debt from my previous, failed startup ? I was stuck trying to figure out what to do with the money I had left. I talked to some financial advisors who recommended various packages that promised uninteresting returns, along with fees that looked to zero out any of those gains. I sat on the problem for months, unsure of what to do.

I?d seen Wealthfront launch at the end of 2011 and was curious (it was promising to solve my exact problem), but I only got around to trying it last November after it added an online wire transfer option that didn?t require me to spend hours filling out transfer papers at my bank. Well, and also, once I became confident enough in the direction of the U.S. and world economies that I thought investing would be worth it.

I went through its onboarding flow by directing its software to follow a conservative investment strategy fitting to my situation. Wealthfront picked mostly exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for U.S., foreign and emerging market stocks, along with bonds, real estate and natural resources.

I began making money from it immediately, no doubt benefiting from the particularly positive mood that many markets have been in since late last year.

By February I was like, hey this is pretty great, so I invested a smaller amount and directed Wealthfront to max out the risk on that account.

Today, nearly four months after starting to use the service, my conservative investment is up 4.4 percent and my risky one 5.2 percent. This might not look as good as the crazy numbers you see on benchmarks like the S&P 500, but as the company discusses here, it?s basically impossible to benchmark diversified portfolios like what Wealthfront offers.

Founder Andy Rachleff tells me that about a quarter of its users added additional money last month. And these people aren?t just 20- and 30-somethings like me who are fortunate enough to have the problem of investing hard-earned returns from their stints at successful startups.

Wealthfront has been growing through word of mouth, he says, as well as a rewards-type program for users who get their friends on board. About a third come through the latter mechanism. If you get somebody in, you get $5,000 of your money managed for free and they get $10,000 managed free. Note that Adam Nash, a top Silicon Valley product manager who joined after a great run at LinkedIn, is going to be focused on growth going forward.

In general, the company?s fees are set up to undermine the models of incumbent investment services like Fidelity, Schwab, and any other mutual fund investor or financial advisor. It charges a monthly rate based on an annual 0.25 percent fee, which compares quite favorably to the quotes I received from professionals ? along the lines of 2.5 percent for a massive minimum required investment.

The low fees are only the beginning of what Wealthfront offers. Another feature is automated tax-loss harvesting for any account worth at least $100,000, which it added last year. If you make a profit on parts of that account?s portfolio, it?ll reinvest it and avoid taxes on the gains by doing so.

The company also sometimes makes larger changes to how it handles your money.

Earlier this month it adjusted all user portfolios to include a much broader range of bonds, as well as the addition of retirement accounts (allowing long-term investors to avoid yearly taxes). The expected gains from these changes, which were masterminded by the company?s legendary Chief Investment Officer Burt Markiel, come out to about 0.5 percent per year.

Where to now? Rachleff thinks he can carve out a solid chunk of the approximately $12.5 trillion individual investor industry in the U.S. A founding partner at top venture firm Benchmark beginning in 1995 and a Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer since 2004, Rachleff is also a student of the real disruption going on here. He?s aiming for anyone who can?t afford the high requirements of most professional investors.

He says the company will be using the additional $20 million to invest in more improvements to the core product, as well as a major push for more growth.

The company previously raised a total of $10.5 million from a big group of angels, as well as DAG Ventures, beginning in 2008 when it began life as kaChing, which Rachleff described in an essay for us as being a not-so-disruptive social investing service.

[Update: There are competitors out there, that create a software layer on top of ETFs and other assets, that I haven't used, and frankly hadn't heard about despite looking around and despite some of them being covered extensively on TechCrunch (yes, our search features are weak). One of them is Betterment. There's a nice debate between Wealthfront, Betterment, and various other competitors over on Quora. I'm personally going to try using Betterment as well and see how it works for me. I'm not taking back anything I said about Wealthfront, but I'll do more posts on the issue as I try stuff out, and if you're looking for options... read the Quora thread as a good primer.]

Wealthfront combines world-class financial expertise and leading edge technology to provide sophisticated investment management at prices affordable for everyone. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and received funding from DAG Ventures and such angel investors as Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and Jeff Jordan.

? Learn more

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/20/wealthfront-the-investing-service-that-has-made-me-money-raises-20m-from-index-greylock-and-socialcapital-partnership/

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Researchers spot molecular control switch for preterm lung disorders

Public release date: 20-Mar-2013
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Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have made major discoveries that could lead to new treatments for lung disorders in premature babies. In a mouse study, the team located key molecules that switch on stress pathways in preterm lung disorders, and also found that when parts of these pathways were blocked with a pain drug, lung damage was prevented or reversed.

The findings are published online ahead of print in the March issue of American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common chronic lung disease in premature infants and does not have any specific treatment. The disorder affects about 97% of infants with birth weights below 1,250 grams, and can lead to repeated respiratory tract infections, as well as to emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adulthood.

A research team led by Vineet Bhandari, M.D., associate professor of pediatric neonatology and obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, theorized that if the molecules that cause these disorders can be blocked early on, they could essentially prevent lifelong lung problems.

Bhandari and his team studied the lung tissue of newborn mice. The team noted that when this lung tissue was exposed to hyperoxia excess oxygen in tissues and organs that activates all components of the stress pathways in the newborn lung there was a marked increase of cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) in the lung's stress pathways. This action resulted in BPD in mice. Once the team used a drug that inhibits Cox2, they were able to reverse BPD in mice.

"This is the first time hyperoxia has been comprehensively shown to be responsible for activating the stress pathway in developing lungs," said Bhandari. "Hyperoxia can induce interferon gamma and disrupt lung development, leading to BPD in mice. Once we used the Cox2 inhibitor Celecoxib, we were able to reverse the effects in the mouse BPD models. The drug, originally indicated to treat pain, protected the lungs from cell death, and was able to prevent destruction of and damage to the developing lung exposed to hyperoxia or excess interferon gamma in room air."

Bandari added that the findings suggest that Cox2 and or CHOP a molecule important in the stress pathway are potential new drug targets that can be inhibited to treat or prevent human BPD.

Bhandari said the next step is to conduct pre-clinical studies.

###

Other authors on the study include Rayman Choo-Wing; Mansoor A. Syed; Anantha Harijith, M.D.; Brianne Bowen; Gloria Pryhuber; M.D.; Cecilia Janr, M.D.; Sture Andersson, M.D.; and Robert J. Homer, M.D.

Citation: Am. J. Respir. Cell. Mol. Biol. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2012-0381OC (March 2013)

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 20-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have made major discoveries that could lead to new treatments for lung disorders in premature babies. In a mouse study, the team located key molecules that switch on stress pathways in preterm lung disorders, and also found that when parts of these pathways were blocked with a pain drug, lung damage was prevented or reversed.

The findings are published online ahead of print in the March issue of American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common chronic lung disease in premature infants and does not have any specific treatment. The disorder affects about 97% of infants with birth weights below 1,250 grams, and can lead to repeated respiratory tract infections, as well as to emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adulthood.

A research team led by Vineet Bhandari, M.D., associate professor of pediatric neonatology and obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, theorized that if the molecules that cause these disorders can be blocked early on, they could essentially prevent lifelong lung problems.

Bhandari and his team studied the lung tissue of newborn mice. The team noted that when this lung tissue was exposed to hyperoxia excess oxygen in tissues and organs that activates all components of the stress pathways in the newborn lung there was a marked increase of cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) in the lung's stress pathways. This action resulted in BPD in mice. Once the team used a drug that inhibits Cox2, they were able to reverse BPD in mice.

"This is the first time hyperoxia has been comprehensively shown to be responsible for activating the stress pathway in developing lungs," said Bhandari. "Hyperoxia can induce interferon gamma and disrupt lung development, leading to BPD in mice. Once we used the Cox2 inhibitor Celecoxib, we were able to reverse the effects in the mouse BPD models. The drug, originally indicated to treat pain, protected the lungs from cell death, and was able to prevent destruction of and damage to the developing lung exposed to hyperoxia or excess interferon gamma in room air."

Bandari added that the findings suggest that Cox2 and or CHOP a molecule important in the stress pathway are potential new drug targets that can be inhibited to treat or prevent human BPD.

Bhandari said the next step is to conduct pre-clinical studies.

###

Other authors on the study include Rayman Choo-Wing; Mansoor A. Syed; Anantha Harijith, M.D.; Brianne Bowen; Gloria Pryhuber; M.D.; Cecilia Janr, M.D.; Sture Andersson, M.D.; and Robert J. Homer, M.D.

Citation: Am. J. Respir. Cell. Mol. Biol. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2012-0381OC (March 2013)

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/yu-rsm032013.php

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The radioactive legacy of the search for plutopia

Rob Edwards, contributor

Hanford scientists feeding radioactive food to sheep (Image: US Department of Energy)

Cold war dreams of producing nuclear bombs fuelled shocking radiation experiments by US and Soviet governments, reveals Kate Brown's Plutopia

MAKING plutonium for nuclear bombs takes balls, but not in the way you might think. In 1965, scientists at the Hanford nuclear weapons complex in Washington state wanted to investigate the impact of radiation on fertility - and they weren't hidebound by ethics.

In a specially fortified room in the basement of Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, volunteer prisoners were asked to lie face down on a trapezoid-shaped bed. They put their legs into stirrups, and let their testicles drop into a plastic box of water where they were zapped by X-rays.

The experiments, which lasted for a decade and involved 131 prisoners, came up with some unsurprising results. Even at the lowest dose - 0.1 gray - sperm was damaged, and at twice that dose the prisoners became sterile. They were paid $5 a month for their trouble, plus $25 per biopsy and $100 for a compulsory vasectomy at the end so they didn't father children with mutations.

The testicle tests are just one of many disturbing details Kate Brown has unearthed from the official archives in her fascinating nuclear history. She also tells how tunnels created by muskrats undermined one of Hanford's storage ponds, causing 60 million litres of radioactive effluent to pour into the Columbia river.

And there is the scary tale of how Hanford scientists conducted one of their riskiest experiments, later dubbed the "green run". For 7 hours, they processed highly radioactive "green" fuel that had not been allowed to decay for as long as usual - and showered 407,000 gigabecquerels of radioactive iodine over nearby cities. The green run is said to have been an attempt to mimic what the US thought the Soviet Union was doing to boost plutonium production at its Mayak nuclear weapons plant at Ozersk, in the Urals.

It is the looking-glass links between Hanford and Mayak, and the communities that host them, that form the central theme of Brown's book. They were two secretive citadels, dedicated to producing as much plutonium as possible to fuel the cold war arsenals of the world's two opposing superpowers. They both conferred wealth and privilege on their elite staff, copying each other to create what Brown styles as a "plutopia".

But the two vast, creaking, nuclear complexes also deliberately discharged huge amounts of radioactivity into the environment, cut corners and caused countless accidents and leaks. Brown estimates that during their existence they each released at least 7.4 billion gigabecquerels, four times the amount released by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine in 1986.

The rivers that drain the two sites, the Columbia and the Techa, have both been called the most radioactive in the world, and many thousands of people who live downstream and downwind say the contamination has made them sick. These are, says Brown, "slow motion disasters" created and covered up by state machines.

Brown argues that the US and the Soviet Union both subverted science to maintain the plutopia. The most shocking example was the US Atomic Energy Commission's takeover of seminal Japanese research into the health impacts of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was necessary, according to a senior AEC official in 1955, to ensure that "misleading and unsound reports" were "kept to a minimum".

Brown's account is unique, partisan and occasionally personal in that she includes some of her thoughts about interviews she conducted: for example, she recounts how she ended up becoming friends with one interviewee. But because she is open and thorough about her sources, those are strengths to be celebrated, not weaknesses to be deplored. It also means her book is engaging, honest and, in the end, entirely credible.

This article appeared in print under the headline "The hot cold war cover-up"

Book information
Plutopia: Nuclear families, atomic cities, and the great Soviet and American plutonium disasters by Kate Brown
Oxford University Press
$27.95

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/29b4ddea/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cculturelab0C20A130C0A30Cplutopia0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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