Dilemma with Diet

Diets that come and go are like any other fad. However, the one aspect of each of those diets remains a constant, balanced mix of foods and regular exercise.

What constitutes the balanced mix of foods however, is still mysterious. The American diet has taken on a stigma to fats, the supposed heart disease causing agent. Recent articles have shed some interesting light onto this once, thought to be understood aspect of diet:

What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie? -An article in the New York Times that details some of the controversy around the Atkin's diet and the still uncertain state of dietary science.

Another author, Gary Taubes's wrote: The Soft Science of Dietary Fat, which outlines a history of how the American diet came to criticize fats. He points to a few zealous congressmen who helped push the trend, despite the medical profession's admitted lack of certainty.

The U.S. Government Food Pyramid has undergone significant modifications in the last ten years (image: Wikipedia)

The diet issue, as noted in the two stories above, remains elusive at best. The last ten years has brought compelling stories about the typically, unthought-of food industry that is a daily part of our lives. From the documentary Super Size Me to Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food , and its catch phrase "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants," have brought at times shocking insight into our understandings of "how the sausage is made."

Yo-Ho A Sailor's Life for Me

Stepping aside from the usual posts about science in the everyday world, I present a short clip about sailing and the intriguing vocabulary that comes with it when on the seas ( or lakes)

Science Shows Deceiving?

Science shows on Discovery or the Science Channel have always been a part of my daily-knowledge-diet. After several years however, they began to repeat themselves and could no longer compete with my increasing factual knowledge as a result of my university training.

Television program where they investigate a wide-variety of man-made events and objects (image: Science Channel)

A recent talk by John Rennie, who served as editor-in-chief at Scientific American from '94-2009, speaks of the problems with the media's methods in regards to reporting science. Rennie points out that much of the news we receive about science are the things that were recently published in scientific journals and other forms. The problem with this system is that it can lead to confusion for readers.

A report on a scientific study that says: "Researchers have linked X with Y," can deceive a reader into feeling that these studies are the cutting-edge of our scientific knowledge. The more acceptable perspective is that these new studies are merely another piece of a puzzle, and that they are not entirely indicative of a solved mystery.

This ties into science programming after I saw a Science Channel episode of:

How Do They Do it?
"Super Cars" Building and designing the most advanced super cars in the world.
(2009)

The problem arose from a segment on ethanol fuel cars. The show features a stylish, concept-style car driving around town while the narrator mentions facts about the cleanliness and fuel efficiencies of ethanol based automobiles. Although the show is meant to give glimpses of new technologies, the tone and enthusiasm behind the idea of ethanol was misleading.

Automobile capable of using ethanol fuel (image: luftfahrad - Wikipedia)

The show, in my mind, hyped the scale of ethanol's usage, making it seem like it corn-based fuel pumps were more common than they are.

This is not a criticism of "How Do They Do It," they have a target audience like any journalist. But by focusing only on the highlights, the information can deceive by painting an ideal picture that seems larger than it is, rather than showing one more piece of the puzzle.

A Highly Controllable Magnetic Substance with Potential Uses in Ultra-Fast Computers

Below is a press release I wrote while working at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, a synchrotron laboratory where researchers use various flavors of light frequencies to study matter. Click on the images for larger text.

The Root of all Juice

We're going to play a game. It's called, find the power source. Ready go:

Okay, maybe that one was little much, try this:

 

The answer we're looking for here is the 3V Battery. 

So what does this have to do with anything? Anyone who has ever have used an electronic device has encountered it. It's where it all begins, simply put, the supply of power. Whether it's a AA battery or a cord that channels the juice from the wall outlet. This symbol is the most important.

The electronics schematic symbol for a cell

It's the source of that jumbled mess up top, but it's also in every electronic device you'd come across. Ipods to plasma screens all run on that simple electron (electricity) producing source. The point of all this is that someone sat down with a pen and paper and started with that symbol and worked their way forward, manipulating the electric juice as it flows through the wires. 

Using a slew of odd looking components like resistors and integrated circuits, the electrical engineer is the master creator of all things modern.

An integrated circuit-not a 21st century centipede

Classic resistor

Objects like these are in charge of doing one thing, altering the electrical signal that passes through them. In the end, electronics are nothing more than tons of well-manipulated signals that are either ON or OFF. Imagine how a computer comes of that?

Sadly, the knowledge of electronics seems to be slipping away. It is fair to say we are riding on the backs of a small percentage of the population's intrepid electrical engineers who can take electrons flowing from a battery and turn it into music with a picture of the album.

Going Further:

While the symbol for a cell is the simple drawing of vertical and horizontal lines, there are other sources of power than just a battery (which actually is a combination of several cells).

Others include DC power supplies:

A representation of DC power-- what comes out of a AA battery

Or AC power supplies:

The power that comes out of the outlets

 Both are two different creatures and their behaviors are much different as far handling them in the circuitry. The symbols are not universal, but the idea is consistent throughout schematic drawings. For example look at the first image and notice that its power supply says: " +9 to 12VDC." It just means the juice ranges from 9 volts to 12 volts direct current (DC).

Why Corporations Still...

"Hey thanks for calling today, we'll definitely get your information off to someone and they'll be in touch soon." said Budweiser and MillerCoors PR departments.

It could be the typical journalism woes but it makes me wonder. Are Budweiser and MillerCoors beer brewing companies, or just a companies that happens to brew beer?

There is no doubt that they are the power house of the beer brewing industry in this country and that they are the kings of consistency. Brewers around the world highly respect these companies for what they do. What do they do that's so special? Aside from making a popular pilsner style beer they make a lot of it.

Brewing beer is a labor intensive process but the hardest part comes at the end. The final ingredient, yeast, are one of the most temperamental critters out there. Brewers must constantly pamper their yeast like rockstars. One mistake, no matter how minor could throw the entire brew off-balance. Miller and Budweiser have figured out how to do this and it's nothing shy of a scientific and technological wonder.

Copper kettles for the boiling portion of beer brewing.

Yeast laboratories and Ph.Ds in microbiology and physiology are what it takes to understand this deceptively simple single-celled organism that could. With all this success though comes the infrastructure to manage it all, the corporation.

Billions of yeast cells all go into making every batch of brew

This is what makes me now wonder, after having talked with so many in the brewing world. Are Miller and Budweiser about the craft of brewing? After many repeated attempts to get a brief interview from either, I never received a reply.

Budweiser's PR department though did want me to know that

"We use beer brewer's yeast, not baker's yeast."

Making Sense

The nuclear crisis in Japan is scary, a lot of potential for disaster. The fury of media coverage has been nice and I feel for the most part, they are showing a good deal of useful information to explain the situation. Yesterday I sat in on a session led by two nuclear engineers and medical physics expert who gave a no frills assessment.

Surprisingly, the scientific level of these media coverages is pretty intense, lots of jargon. I thought I'd do my part and briefly explain some key elements to nuclear reactors.

What is a nuclear plant?

Power plants using nuclear fuel are just a reinvention of the mousetrap. All power plants do one thing, make steam to drive a turbine. That spinning turbine makes electricity and the means to do that though varies. In reality, all power plants carry the risk of explosion because they all handle high-pressure steam.

Firstly, nuclear reactor plants do not explode on account of their nuclear fuel. There just isn't enough percentage of radioactive substance to trigger the massive explosions we're familiar with.

How do they work?

Nuclear reactors work by using a small yet critical amount of radioactive material that creates a chain reaction. When all of the variable line up the reaction produces heat, which can be used to boil water.

Nuclear power plant cooling towers. These are just big tubes where the steam is recycled. There is a perpetual rain shower inside due to the steam climbing, cooling, and then raining back down. The plant then re-heats the water and makes electricity once more.

Fuel Rods: These are the main source of energy and contain the primary radioactive materials used to create the heat. They are triggered by neutrons. When neutrons are flying around the fuel rods, a lot of energy is being released.

-More info about the entire fission process as a result of neutrons HERE Someone has already said it better than I could.

Control Rods: These are neutron absorbing rods that can be inserted into the chamber where the fuel rods are producing heat. The control rods help stop the bombardment of neutrons and can stop the reaction in the fuel rods all together.

A simple diagram showing the basics of nuclear plant designs

The bottom line: Japan's reactors are in danger due to power failures. The plant's main power supply was damaged as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. The facility did have backup battery power but those eventually ran out. Without the electricity they were not able to keep the water pumps running.

These water pumps are essential in keeping a continuous supply of cool water to absorb the heat and keep things at a manageable temperature. If they cannot be cooled, steam builds and so does the pressure inside the reactor core and housing. The engineers are able to release some of the steam but that is risky because it's a direct release of radioactive materials into the atmosphere.

Some tech'ier stuff:

The Fukushima Daiichi plant reported that once they detected seismic activity they began the fission shutdown process. Inserting the control rods successfully stopped the primary fission process in all 6 reactors. Within the fuel rods though are highly-radioactive elements that continue decaying and radiating large amounts of heat.

There is also the issue of hydrogen gas buildup as a result of water oxidizing with the metals in the reactor. Hydrogen gas is very flammable and can be cause for more troubles.


Something unclear? Science need a little tweaking? Let me know in the comments.