Friday, November 17, 2006

1. FREEDOM FUEL: HYDROGEN, IT SEEMS, IS NOT AN ODORLESS GAS.

Last week a New Jersey court sentenced Patrick Kelly of Kuna, Idaho to five years in prison for defrauding investors in United Fuel Cell Technologies. I don't know Kelly, but in 2000 I got a letter from the Genesis Project in Boise, ID inviting me to join other scientists in developing an energy-efficient process for separating hydrogen from water. Bad smell. Two years later a company called Genesis World Energy claimed it had succeeded. WN cried "scam" (WN 13 Dec 02) . Scams that claim to break the First Law of Thermodynamics are not uncommon. What made this scam different was that the Genesis web site said they weren't taking investments. However, only one month later, President Bush in his State of the Union address proposed the Freedom Car, "powered by hydrogen, and pollution free" (WN 31 Jan 03) . Timing is everythng. Deep-pocket investors begged Genesis to be let in.

2. FREEDOM OF SCIENCE: "IN DEFENSE OF SCIENCE AND SECULARISM."

On Tuesday, the Center for Inquiry held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington to issue a declaration urging that public policy be based on science rather than faith. The declaration was signed by a number of leading scientists and advocates of strict church-state separation. The Center for Inquiry is an outgrowth of the Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, which publishes the Skeptical Inquirer.

3. ELECTRONIC TOYS: THE WONDERS MODERN SCIENCE MAKES POSSIBLE.

There are lines all over the country to buy the PS3. But Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co. is betting on a different horse: a button- activated, foot-tall, bearded Jesus in hand-sewn cloth and sandals. He recites such bible verses as, "No one can reach the Kingdom of God unless he is born again." That oughta grab 'em.

4. TAMIFLU: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED IN THE WAR AGAINST BIRD FLU?

There were reports this week of "behavioral problems" associated with the antiviral drug, but the maker, Roche, says new data shows the effects are from the virus, not the drug. The Defense Department hopes so. It stockpiled huge amounts of tamiflu. Donald Rumsfeld hopes so too. He left DOD, but he's a major stockholder in Gilead Sciences where he was once CEO. Gilead holds the rights to tamiflu which it outsources to Roche.

5. RED WINE: GOOD NEWS IF YOU RUN MARATHONS, AND YOU'RE A MOUSE.

Resveratrol, already shown to reverse the effects of obesity in mice, as we reported on 3 Nov 06 , has also been shown to increase their stamina. However, researchers say it's impossible to drink that much wine. We can but try.

6. ALTERNATIVES: CHINESE TURNING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL MEDICINE.

Even as demand for the untested superstitions soars in the West.

Bob Park can be reached via email at whatsnew@bobpark.org
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the University, but they should be.