KNIGHT WATCH

IS THERE NEW "DRIVE" IN TECHNOLOGY?

On July 16, 2010 the Zephyr, an unmanned solar aircraft, smashed the world record for continuous flight. The plane had already been airborne 7 days and was expected to double that time. Developed by a UK defense technology company, the plane weighs 117 pounds and has a wingspan of 74 feet. The top of the 323 square feet wing area is covered with solar panels thinner than a sheet of paper which power the plane at night. Predicting both military and civilian uses, the developers hope that future testing will live up to the definition of zephyr and be a “breeze”. In 2010 Gordon Murray unveiled the T25. The gasoline-powered eco car is 7.8 feet long and 4.2 feet wide. It gets 74 mpg and costs approximately $9,000. The car’s modular interior has 6 configurations to accommodate passengers and cargo. Its assembly-line production allows all major components to be fitted on the chassis before the pre-painted body panels are put on. This results in a smaller auto plant, which will reduce the car’s overall carbon footprint. Murray also designed the McLaren F1 supercar, which has a speed of 240 mph. At 80 mph, the T25 has more green power. In 1997 the present land/speed record of a sound-barrier-breaking 763 mph was set. “Bloodhound” is a supersonic car being designed to break that record. The car is approximately 42 feet long, 9 feet high and 2 feet wide. Fully fueled it will have a mass of more than 14,100 pounds and be powered by both a jet and a rocket engine, generating a thrust of 47,500 pounds. Bloodhound is predicted to reach 800 mph at a 2011 preliminary run and reach 1,050 mph in 42 seconds by 2012 – unless that’s just a lot of “fast-talk”. Further into the future Italian engineers plan to develop a driverless car. The car will be equipped with 4 laser scanners and 7 video cameras to detect and help avoid obstacles. The driverless car will follow a lead vehicle from which it takes its cues, but it will respond on its own to ordinary obstacles and dangers. The car will travel at 30-37 mph and require an 8-hour charge after every 2-3 hours of driving. Practical uses for this technology include military caravans, nighttime plowing and seeding of fields and – my favorite – being able to allow drivers to read the newspaper while stuck in traffic – legally.

ARE THEY SURE PIGS CAN'T FLY?

Ants find their way by emitting a gland-made smell trail. In a sandy environment where these trails would blow away, scientists believe “pedometer-like” cells in ants’ brains count steps. A group of ants were caught and divided into 3 groups: stilts added for longer legs, partial leg amputation for shorter legs and normal legs. When they were released, the ants on stilts walked past their nest, those with amputations stopped short of their nest and those with normal legs walked right to their nest. However, each group had taken the same number of steps. It seems ants have a “counterculture”. 

Crows can recognize individual humans by their faces. To prove this, volunteers were asked to wear a cave man mask when they were catching and tagging crows. No matter who wore the mask, crows would fly near and caw loudly. When a different mask was worn, there was no crow response. However, when the cave man mask was worn upside down, some crows turned upside down in flight to get a better look at the mask. For thousands of years the survival of crows has depended on recognizing who would harm them – and thus they can recognize individuals in a “crow-d”. 

Insects may become a major food source by 2050 when the earth’s population is billions larger and more “meat” is needed. This is the opinion of a Dutch entomologist. Insects make up 80% of the earth’s animals and 80% of earth’s people already eat insects intentionally. The rest of us eat them unintentionally. In the U.S. chocolate can have 60 insect components per 100 grams, peanut butter can have 30 insect parts per 100 grams and fruit juice can have 5 fruit fly eggs and 1-2 larvae for every 250 milliliters. This is information that could make some Americans “bug-eyed”. 

Jellyfish – their size determines the number and length of their tentacles. The 40-pound “lion’s mane” jellyfish has a disk-shaped bell that can measure 3.2 feet across and tentacles that can extend more than 32 feet. The tentacles are in eight clusters with 150 tentacles in each. Like all jellyfish, their tentacles are covered with “nematocysts” – capsules containing a trigger and a stinging structure. One tentacle can have thousands of nematocysts, which are activated upon contact with an object. A dead jellyfish or even a detached tentacle can still sting. Obviously, these sea creatures are more dangerous than they “sea-m”.

IS GLOBAL WARMING GETTING WARMER?

Global warming causing the extinction of animals isn’t a new phenomenon. According to a study published in the journal Evolution, Earth began warming 21,000 years ago; and the warmer areas became, the higher the extinction rate was. For example, Africa had a relatively small climate change and fewer species became extinct. North America had a substantial climate change and more species – giant beaver, dire wolf, ground sloth – became extinct. Although humans hunting for game would have affected the extinction of large animals, global warming affected both large and small animals – and will until human doubt becomes extinct. Global warming is threatening lizards with extinction. Scientists studying lizards in Mexico warn that 20% of lizard species could be extinct by 2080. Lizards are ectotherms – they depend on the environment to control their body temperature. Because they don’t sweat or pant, they seek shade to cool down. Because of needing more shade due to the rising temperatures, lizards have less time to look for food and mate; and because the temperatures are rising quickly, lizards don’t have time to evolve. Considering lizards eat insects and birds eat lizards, the food chain is being affected. Unfortunately, humans have a slow (chain) reaction time. One solution that is being considered to fight global warming is cloud whitening. When water vapor encounters sea salt crystals in cloud-forming areas, the water vapor condenses around the crystals, forming tiny droplets. These droplets make clouds whiter and the whiteness diffuses sunlight. Researchers want to build on this natural cloud-forming process. They want to put boats in the ocean to spray clouds with seawater mist, thus making the clouds whiter and able to reflect the sun’s rays, sending them back into space. It is not a solution for global warming, but in this case “cloudy thinking” could help. Global warming isn’t destroying the world’s mangroves. Ironically, mangroves – forests straddling both land and sea – generate $2,000-$9,000 per hectare annually from fishing – much more than is generated by the aquaculture, agriculture and tourism that are destroying them. In fact, mangrove forests are being destroyed 4 times faster than land-based forests. One-fifth have been destroyed since 1980. Mangroves cover about 150,000 square kilometers in 123 countries. In addition to providing valuable fishing, mangroves are a replenishing source of timber and charcoal. Mangroves also help fight global warming and provide ecosystems resilient to increasing temperatures. It’s the “man” in mangrove that’s destroying them.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT...?

  Which came first, the chicken or the egg? At last there’s a scientifically proven answer. British scientists discovered that a protein, which is found only in a chicken’s ovaries, is necessary to make an egg. Therefore, the egg could only exist if it had been made inside a chicken. The protein speeds up the development of the hard shell, which protects the yolk and fluids while the chicken grows inside the egg. Scientists now expect that understanding how a chicken makes an egg shell will be useful in designing new materials and processes – literally “egghead” ideas.

 Why does wearing high heels hurt after they are taken off? According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, women who have worn high heels daily for years have calf muscles that have shortened up to 13% and Achilles tendons that have thickened. Stretching these in order to stand flat on the floor is painful. Other problems associated with wearing high heels are bunions, hammertoes, nerve damage and arthritic knees. However, the most common injury is ankle sprains caused by women falling off their shoes. Supposedly 2-inch heels are acceptable. It seems women should walk tall in low heels.

 What do pastors do when they minister to more than one congregation? They appear before the other congregations in digital form. Approximately 3,000 churches nationwide use high-definition video to beam Sunday sermons to “satellite” churches. Some broadcast a hologram image of the pastor that floats behind the pulpit. Others project the pastor’s image on a large video screen. Some sermons are live. Others are pre-recorded. Although this technology costs between $50,000 and $2 million, it’s worth it for many churches. Ministers can reach more people without having to build more churches if they use “from on high”-definition technology.

 Who reports unfit doctors? According to a national survey of approximately 2,000 doctors, more than one-third don’t think it is their responsibility. Only 69% of doctors who knew about an unfit colleague reported him or her. Anesthesiologists were the most likely to report another doctor and doctors in specialties like pediatrics, who don’t perform as many procedures, were the least likely to report. Among the reasons for not reporting were thinking someone else was taking care of it, 19%; thinking that nothing would be done, 15%; and fear of retribution, 12%. Maybe they should take 2 aspirins and call the doctor in the morning.

DO WE SEE OURSELVES IN STUDIES?

Subtle signs can indicate troubled marriages. According to scientists who have studied volumes of data on married couples, couples who talk negatively about their early years together have a 90% chance of divorcing. Couples who don’t fight are initially happier, but 3 years later those who bickered from the beginning of their marriage have worked out problems and have a more stable relationship. Eye-rolling – even with a smile – is bad. It signals that a spouse is no longer valued. Finally, just questioning compatibility is a sign of marital unhappiness. It seems unhappiness puts the “ i age” in marriage. 

People shouldn’t put the “i” in insult if they are told they have a big head. Researchers have equated big heads with big brains; and according to a study published in Neurology, big brains deal with Alzheimer’s disease better. The brains of 270 Alzheimer’s patients were scanned. Then their heads were measured and their thinking abilities were tested. The patients with bigger heads did better on memory and cognitive tests. Nevertheless, the average male brain weighs 3 pounds. Albert Einstein’s brain weighed 2.7 pounds – and you don’t have to be an Einstein to figure out what that means. 

The majority of people can’t figure out how to cover their coughs and sneezes correctly. In a New Zealand study medical students witnessed 384 coughs and sneezes during a 2-week period of swine flu. Although three-fourths of the people covered their nose and mouth, two-thirds used their hands. Health officials recommend coughing and sneezing into the elbow, but only 1 in 77 did and only 1 in 30 used a tissue or handkerchief. According to a 2007 Harris study, 1 in 4 people don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom – 1 in 3 when it comes to "men-aces". 

 Plastic has become a menace because the majority of people don’t recycle it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 7.1% of plastic was recycled in 2008. Out of 30.5 million tons, almost 28 million tons ended up in landfills. That’s equivalent to 366,000 Boeing 737’s. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that in 2006 4.6% of petroleum consumption – 331 million barrels – was used to manufacture plastic resin. With 40% of Americans not having access to curbside recycling and not all recycling programs accepting all kinds of plastic, we need to think outside the box – especially if the box is made of plastic.

WHAT'S BAD FOR US NOW?

High-fructose corn syrup that’s used to sweeten many foods is bad for us. It’s been linked to high blood pressure. A study at the University of Colorado analyzed the diet and blood pressure of more than 4,500 adults with no history of hypertension. Researchers found that drinking 2.5 cans or more of non-diet soda daily – or consuming an equivalent amount of high-fructose corn syrup from other foods – increases the risk of high blood pressure 30%. Considering high blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart and kidney disease, high-fructose corn syrup should be – low.

Fruits and vegetable aren’t bad for us, they just aren’t as good for us as they used to be. The selective breeding and synthetic fertilizers used by the farming industry to grow bigger produce faster decrease produce’s ability to synthesize nutrients or to get them from the soil. As a result, produce contains less vitamins, minerals and protein. In 1950 broccoli had 130 mg calcium. In 2010 it had 48 mg. To compensate shoppers should buy brightly colored produce, which contains more healthy phytochemicals; smaller produce, which has more concentrated nutrients; eat produce within 1 week for optimum nutrition; or – or is the “or” in organic.

Hospitals are supposedly bad for us in July. More than 16,000 U.S. medical school graduates become doctors every year and many begin residency at teaching hospitals in July. A study done at the University of California/San Diego examined more than 240,000 death certificates of people who died from complications caused by medicine mistakes between 1979 and 2006. These mortality rates spiked in July – especially in counties with teaching hospitals. To protect ourselves from medical error at any time, we should research hospitals, self-educate ourselves through questions, question medications and complain to the top. Doing these make hospitals more “hospitable”.

Even World Cup soccer is bad for us. A 2008 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that watching stressful soccer matches more than doubled the risk of cardiovascular problems. The adrenalin released by excitement can trigger arrhythmia, coronary spasms and heart attack and use of tobacco or alcohol increases the risk. Doctors recommend that soccer fans be in good health – exercising, eating healthfully and not smoking. At games fans shouldn’t scream or stand up. However, light applause or saying “what a shame” when necessary are permissible. It seems fans can’t “have a ball” at soccer games.

IF WISDOM COMES WITH AGE, WHAT AGE?

Twenty-six percent of Americans don't know who America fought for independence. That's according to a 2010 telephone survey conducted by Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The survey included 1,004 Americans age 18 and over across the country. Among the 26% of participants who didn't know the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain, answers included France, China, Mexico, Spain and Japan. Six percent of the 26% were unsure the U.S. had fought any war of independence. Although the survey's margin of error was 3%, the U.S. school system must have a much larger "margin of error".

According to another survey, money can buy happiness - at least one kind. Of the 136,839 people age 15 and older in 132 countries, people with money were likelier to say they were happy with their life overall. However, happiness associated with positive feelings was more affected by respect, control of life, family and friends to depend on and a fulfilling job. It seems money affects one's life evaluation. Positive feelings affect one's emotional well-being. According to the study, both kinds of happiness are basically the same from rural villages to large cities. The "i" in happiness is universal.

The problem of not being able to "unplug" on vacation seems to be universal too. Increasing numbers of people can't go on vacation without being able to check their e-mail. According to a psychological principle called "a variable reinforcement schedule", it is harder to stop a behavior if you're randomly rewarded than to stop it if you're consistently rewarded. Thus the random e-mail of genuine importance increases the need to check e-mail. To deal with this problem psychologists suggest setting aside specific time for checking e-mail when on vacation - and I'm sure marriage counselors would agree.

Hopefully, marriage counselors would also agree romantic love is addictive. Fifteen college-age men and women participated in a study done at Rutgers University. All of them had experienced a romantic breakup within 2 months of the study and all said they were still in love. As the participants looked at pictures of their ex-lovers, their brains were scanned. The parts of the brain affected were those associated with cocaine and nicotine addiction, physical pain and distress, and attachment. The good news is activity in the parts of the brain associated with attachment and addiction decreased with time. Maybe time does heal all wounds - and wounded hearts.

WHAT'S TECHNOLOGY DONE FOR YOU LATELY?

Stanford University is at the forefront of bookless libraries. The periodical shelves of the Engineering Library are almost bare. Starting in 2005 most engineering periodicals went online. Students now read them from laptops and mobile devices. Because engineering is a fast changing field - particularly in specialties like software and bioengineering - traditional textbooks are soon outdated. When the new Engineering Library opened in August 2010, there were 85% fewer books. According to a survey by the Association of Research Libraries, American libraries are spending more on electronic resources and less on books. It's 21st century "resourcefulness".

The resourcefulness shown by e-mailing doctors helps people stay healthy. According to a study published in Health Affairs, patients with diabetes or hypertension who were in e-mail contact with their doctors experienced better health outcomes. The 2-month study looked at over 35,000 patients and about 500,000 e-mail conversations stripped of identification information. Most e-mails were initiated by patients to discuss changed health conditions or lab tests. Patients who e-mailed scored better on cholesterol and blood pressure tests. According to a Harris poll, in 2010 only 9% of Americans communicate with doctors via e-mail. That's an "unhealthy" percent.

Vibrating car seats are healthy. They prevent car accidents by alerting drivers to cars in their blind spots. Unlike visual or audio warnings, touch transmits the location of cars without drivers having to turn their head. Vibrating cell phone motors embedded in the driver's seat create continual soft vibrations. When another vehicle moves behind or beside the car, the vibrations against the driver's back increase in pressure and correspond to the position of the approaching vehicle. However, by continually vibrating instead of activating only in emergencies, the touch system increases driver awareness of all surrounding cars. - creating more "carful" driving".

For more careful flying there's the Solar Impulse. The experimental solar-powered plane completed its 24-hour test flight July 7, 2010. The single-seat plane with a wingspan of a Boeing 777 climbed to 28,000 feet and had a top speed of over 75 mph. The Solar Impulse flew at night by recharging its batteries using 12,000 solar cells. By day it was powered by the sun. However, the Swiss-led project's goal isn't to replace jet propulsion. It's to circle the globe in 2013 making only 5 stops to prove new technologies can break dependence on fossil fuels - to give us "higher hopes" for the future.

IS OUR ATTITUDE ABOUT HEALTH UNHEALTHY?

People who have the riskiest-for-their-health behavior are likelier to blame their genetic makeup than to attribute illnesses - primarily hypertension and various cancers - to their behavior. In fact, a study which was published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that the more behavioral risk factors people had - like smoking, not exercising and eating a high-fat diet - the less likely they were to be interested in information about how to live healthier. By blaming their genes they didn't have to take responsibility for their actions - or lack of actions.

Because of lack of action Americans are still getting fatter. In 1991 no state had an obesity rate over 20%. In 2010 more than two-thirds of the states did. A recent study showed obesity rates increased in 28 states in 2009. For the 6th year running Mississippi was the fattest state. In 2009 Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia had obesity rates over 30%. In 2010 Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arkansas joined those states. The District of Columbia was the only area with a decrease in its adult obesity rate - in spite of all the "fat cats" in Washington.

Because of parental denial American children are still getting fatter. According to a University of Michigan study, 43% of parents with obese children ages 6-11 said their children were "about the right weight"; 37%, "slightly overweight"; and 13%, "very overweight". However, parents with obese children ages 12-17 were more aware of the problem. Eleven percent said "about the right weight"; 56%, "slightly overweight"; and 31%, "very overweight". Some parents in both age groups said "slightly underweight". It seems parents think that their children will outgrow obesity, but in this case taking a "weight-and-see" attitude is unhealthy.

Both adults and children should know that it's the brain that makes people crave sugary, fatty foods. There's a system of interconnected neurons called the reward pathway. It evolved millions of years ago to encourage prehistoric man to do things necessary to survive - like eat. Because high calorie foods were scarce, the brain learned to release feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin in response to tastes, smells and places associated with rich food. This system worked well until rich foods became easily available. It's the stomach that signals real hunger by releasing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. If you want to avoid gaining weight, you can't have a "brain trust".

IS THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX IN?

 The Body Mass Index is the public health agencies' standard for assessing obesity. It measures weight relative to height, but it doesn't accurately calculate body fat. A study published in the journal Pediatrics suggested that neck measurement could supplement the BMI. Researchers examined 1,102 children, recording their height, weight and neck circumference. They found that a 6-year-old boy with a neck measurement bigger than 11.2 inches was 3.6 times likelier to be overweight or obese. For being first to calculate neck measurements that predict higher risk for children being overweight or obese, the researchers "stuck their own necks out".

It was Japanese researchers who developed the authentication system for the biometric ATM machine. An infrared light passes through a finger to detect the unique pattern of micro-veins beneath the skin's surface. Then the pattern is matched with a pre-registered profile for verification. "Finger-vein" technology is much more reliable than using fingerprints. Tests indicate a one in a million false acceptance rate, which is as accurate as iris scanning. Although biometric ATM machines are used in many parts of the world, as of 2010 none are used in the U.S. You can "bank on" cost being one reason.

China's growing middle class is the reason it is a prime market for companies wanting global growth. Disney has a theme park in Hong Kong and another under construction in Shanghai. Now Disney is opening English language schools in China. Presently there are 11 in Shanghai and Beijing, which will earn $100 million in pretax profits from 2010 to 2015; and 150 more schools are planned. The schools accept children as young as age 1 and cost $2,200 a year for 2 hours of instruction a week. Although the curriculum is heavy in Disney characters, it's obviously no "Mickey Mouse" operation.

However, a Netherlands-based architecture firm has a fantasyland plan to build a 10,000-square-kilometer, sustainable island in the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Hawaii. The building material is to be 97 million pounds of floating plastic presently polluting the Pacific. The modern Venice setting for "Recycled Island" is to be powered by wave and solar energy and the 500,000 inhabitants will have seaweed for biofuel and fertilizer. The firm hopes to have a prototype for the hollow, plastic, building block by 2011. Whether the architects can surmount all the other problems that are involved will determine whether they are innovators or "blockheads".