Britain Tries to Block Clean Energy Efforts

Apparently England is working against an initiative in the EU to promote attempts to give renewable energy sources top priority for access to the power grid. These energy sources include windmills and other "green" energy sources. The EU is working toward a plan to provide 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources within twelve years. Under the plan England would have to supply 15% of its power needs from renewable sources within that time frame.

The Guardian has reported that British officials want to amend mandatory language from "shall" to "may", thereby severely restricting enforceability. The directive is sought so that Europe can eliminate the most polluting sources of energy such as coal.

Exploding Comets Slay Millions

A new theory suggests that exploding comets are responsible for the extinction of woolly mammoths. Recently researchers have proposed that a meteor or comet exploded close to the earth's surface. The resulting shock waves and heat caused fires over much of the northern hemisphere.

From the original story:

About 13,000 years ago, woolly mammoths roamed the North American continent and the first known human society in that region, known as the Clovis civilization, lived there as well. But geologic and archaeological evidence shows they both suddenly disappeared, and scientists have long debated the mystery of the mass extinction of both animals and humans about 12,900 years ago. At that time, climatic history suggests the Ice Age should have been drawing to a close, but instead rapid climate change initiated an additional 1,300 years of glacial conditions. But scientists couldn't agree on the cause of the sudden change in climate. However, about two years ago geophysicist Allen West proposed that an asteroid or comet exploded just above the surface of the earth over modern-day Canada, sparking a massive shock wave and heat-generating event that set large parts of the northern hemisphere ablaze, setting the stage for the extinctions.

Ken Tankersley, Anthropology professor at the University of Cincinnati studied sites in Ohio and Indiana that offers the strongest support yet for the exploding comet/asteroid theory. Samples of diamonds, gold and silver found in the region have been conclusively sourced through X-ray diffractometry to have come from the diamond fields region of Canada. Tankersley and West both believe the best scenario to explain the presence of these materials this far south is the kind of cataclysmic explosive event described by West’s theory. "We believe this is the strongest evidence yet indicating a comet impact in that time period," says Tankersley.

Scientists Locate Genius Genes

There is a specific set of genes responsible for brain development when you're in the womb and that affect your ability to learn later on. A group of researchers has identified those genes. Their discovery could represent the first step genetically manipulating brain development.

The study is extraordinary not just because of its futuristic implications. The technique is called RNA interference, or RNAi:

Dr. Katharine Sepp and her fellow researchers took fresh neuronal cells extracted from embryos of the fruit fly genus Drosophila and screened them using RNA interference techniques. The team tested all genes, one by one in a rapid manner, for their potential role in neuronal development. The team then validated the method in mice.

The researchers believe that this study provides an effective method for future studies of a large variety of genes, including those with important functions in the nervous system.

This research will open up new ways to tinker with brain development, but right now the genes have only been identified in lower organisms such as flies and mice.

Korean Dog Cloning Company Gets Sued

The trouble started when an American woman placed an order with Korean biotech company RNL to create copies of her beloved late pitbull terrier named "Booger". A Texas company by the name of Start Licensing claims to own a patent that covers cloning a variety of animals including house pets and endangered species. California-based biotech company BioArts holds an exclusive license to Start Licensing's patent. They are currently holding an online auction to clone five dogs with a minimum bid of $100,000.

"In an interview with The Korea Times, Lou Hawthorne, chief executive of BioArts, said that the claims that the RNL could potentially block BioArts from cloning dogs using its patent from Seoul National University (SNU) would be a case of "the tail wagging the dog.''

"The claims in the Roslin patents relate to a method of cloning all mammals, not just sheep. Although the technique was first successful with sheep, the claims are not limited to sheep,'' he said."

US Firm to Sue Korean Dog Cloning Company

German Thesis Invalidates Patent

A patent was held invalid because of a thesis in a German university library. Apparently you can't patent something if it has been disclosed somewhere else even though that disclosure might be difficult to track down.

"The examiner rejected the claims of Hall’s reissue application on the grounds that they were anticipated under 35 USC 102(b) by a doctoral thesis in a university library in the Federal Republic of Germany that was made available to the public more than one year prior to the critical date. The examiner’s rejection was sustained on appeal to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.

The director and manager of the university library loan department had made a statement that approximated the date the thesis would have been available to the public based on the library’s procedures for processing doctoral theses. The estimated date was over two months prior to the critical date. He also stated that theses were made available to the public by indexing in a dissertations catalog and placement in a dissertations section within the general stacks."

In re Hall at Pharmaceutical Chemistry Patent Blog.

Louisiana fights evolution with "academic freedom"

Louisiana has passed a law that allows local school boards to choose "supplemental classroom materials" to critique certain scientific theories. The scientific theories that will be open to critique include but are not limited to "evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning." The bill has been signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal. Interestingly, Governor Jindal studied biology at Brown; his former genetics professor sent him a plea to veto the bill. Not surprisingly, this law has generated both strong criticism and support.

"The bill has been opposed by every scientific society that has voiced a position on it, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS CEO Alan Leshner warned that the bill would "unleash an assault against scientific integrity, leaving students confused about science and unprepared to excel in a modern workforce.""

"Lining up to promote the bill were a coalition of religious organizations and Seattle's pro-Intelligent Design think tank, the Discovery Institute. According to the Louisiana Science Coalition, Discovery fellows helped write the bill and arranged for testimony in its favor in the legislature. The bill itself plays directly into Discovery's strategy, freeing local schools to "use supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner.""

Original story.