Science & Technology
Science & Technology
An Ingenious Invention to Treat Chronic Heartburn
David H. Mirman April 22, 2013
As reported by the AP, doctors have used a novel device to successfully treat chronic heartburn. Whereas heartburn, or acid reflux, is familiar to many as an occasional, fleeting pain, in some individuals it occurs chronically and can cause real harm. Such chronic heartburn is called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and…
Science & Technology
North Dakotans Building First Oil Refinery in 57 Years
David Biederman April 17, 2013
On March 26, construction crews started work on the Dakota Prairie Refinery, the first new oil refinery in the contiguous United States since 1977 and the first in North Dakota since 1956. The new refinery will process 20,000 of the 770,000 barrels of crude that oil producers pump out of…
Science & Technology
Swiss Scientists Create Wireless Implant to Monitor Blood Sugar, Heart Problems, and More in Real Time
Derrick Nantz April 15, 2013
Scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have recently developed a new medical implant device that works with a person’s smartphone or tablet to relay medical conditions to its receiver. The 14 millimeter device can detect a variety of chemical levels in the blood and warn its…
Science & Technology
3D Metal Printing Revolution Makes Possible the “Impossible”
Ari Armstrong April 14, 2013
The revolution in 3D printing—a manufacturing process in which “printers” build plastic or metal components—has taken a big step forward with a new machine purchased by the Anschutz Medical Campus in Colorado. A news release from the University of Colorado (which houses the medical center) aptly summarizes the potential: “Metal…
History, Science & Technology
Robert Edwards, Creator of Life, Has Died
Roberto Sarrionandia April 11, 2013
Two great Britons died this week. One, Margaret Thatcher, is well known, and her passing has been widely noted. The other, Robert Edwards, is a brilliant physiologist whose work lead to the first successful human conception, and subsequent birth, through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). His passing has been relatively unnoticed, and…
Science & Technology
Alex Epstein Visits Vassar: Some Students Learn, Others Disrupt
Robert Begley April 10, 2013
"Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet," Alex Epstein argued in a March 29 talk (which I attended) at Vassar College. The event almost didn’t take place. Student members of the group 350.org—which opposes the development of fossil fuels—petitioned to have the talk canceled. When that didn’t work, some set out to…
Science & Technology
Fracking in South Texas Generates $61 Billion Annually in Economic Activity
David Biederman April 2, 2013
In the Southern Texas county of La Salle in 2008, explorers at Petrohawk Energy Corporation took the first steps of what would become an oil producing revolution in the region. The company focused on developing the Eagle Ford Shale, a formation of siliciclastic carbonates and shale less than 300 feet…
Science & Technology
Bionic Eye—Not a Miracle
Ari Armstrong April 1, 2013
When I was a kid I loved watching The Six Million Dollar Man, the television show starring Lee Majors about the bionic man. Of course that was just make-believe. But today scientists are making bionic components a reality. Time reports that Second Sight Medical Products produced (and the FDA approved)…
Science & Technology
Fracking and Frackers Continue Expanding Oil Production
David Biederman March 24, 2013
Since the 2008 financial crisis, U.S. petroleum consumption and imports have declined. Simultaneously, domestic oil production has increased. On Wednesday March 20, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) ran the headline “U.S. crude oil production on track to surpass imports for first time since 1995.” The expectation is that imports will…
Science & Technology
Thomas Friedman Embraces Keystone Extortion
Ari Armstrong March 16, 2013
In his article “No to Keystone, Yes to Crazy,” New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman damns the Keystone oil pipeline but says he’s willing to accept its existence in exchange for “systemic responses to climate change.” How might environmentalists facilitate such a deal? Friedman encourages the likes of “Bill McKibben…