Harry Chen Thinks Aloud

According to the data published by the US National Oceanic and Atomspheric Administration (NOAA), the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high.

Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.

The worst part of the news, though is expected, is that the situation is worse than scientists have previously predicated. The Earth is losing its natural ability to soak up CO2 each year.

Climate models assume that about half our future emissions will be re-absorbed by forests and oceans, but the new figures confirm this may be too optimistic. If more of our carbon pollution stays in the atmosphere, it means emissions will have to be cut by more than currently projected to prevent dangerous levels of global warming.

Source: World CO2 levels at record high, scientists warn, guardian.co.uk

When two people get into a fight, it’s always difficult for them to stop. Why? Because the person who received the last punch always want to get even the opponent with an additional punch.

If getting even with your opponent is the end means to stop a fight, in theory it should relatively easy to get two people to stop fighting. Each person just count how many times they have received a punch from their opponent. They should stop fighting when each has received equal number of punches.

However, this is hardly achievable in reality.

A recent study, reported in this NYTimes article, shows that while people think of their own actions as the consequences of what came before, they think of other people’s actions as the causes of what came later.

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I used to think science is more important than arts — because it’s more likely for a person to make a better living for studying science than arts. As I grow older, I come to appreciate arts and understand its value. I now believe arts is as important as science in moving forward the positive development of humanity.

Sir Ken Robinson gave a great talk on why it is important to encourage creativity (e.g., arts) in children education. He pointed out that the current education is set up to produce workers for an industrial society. In the current system, while students are encouraged think and learn, but often they are not encouraged to be creative.

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Speak the truth is the responsibility of all scientists. To be able to speak the truth is the basic right of all scientists. According to New York Times, “scientists doing climate research for the federal government say the Bush administration has made it hard for them to speak forthrightly to the public about global warming.”

Employees and contractors working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with a U.S. Geological Survey scientist working at an NOAA lab, said in interviews that over the past year administration officials have chastised them for speaking on policy questions; removed references to global warming from their reports, news releases and conference Web sites; investigated news leaks; and sometimes urged them to stop speaking to the media altogether. Their accounts indicate that the ideological battle over climate-change research, which first came to light at NASA, is being fought in other federal science agencies as well.

Since I don’t have full knowledge about these incidents, it’s difficult to say how much truth is in the story. However, it’s certain that if the story was truth, it’s a “crime” for the White House to prevent scientists from publicly discussing global warming issues.

This subject reminds me of an OnPoint podcast show that I have listened.

1. NASA and Global Warming, OnPoint, NPR, February 03, 2006

In Chinese culture, there is a belief that playing Mahjong can help elderly to stay alert and prevent memory lost. In the West, experts believe that shopping may also help to prevent memory lost.

“Women not only live longer than men but possibly maintain their brain functions better than most men in part because they shop. While shopping, they are physically active, wandering through stores and carrying parcels. They are mentally active, comparing prices and making choices. And, after completing their shopping, they feel they have accomplished something.”

Source: Remember this — How to prevent and protect your memory and makes it grow, by Marshall Loeb, MarketWatch, March 4, 2006.

In the past, I would not have thought about leaving the US. Given the complex process that I have to go through in order to obtain my US permanent residency, and the growing opportunities in China, recently I do have thoughts about leaving the US.

The truth is that I’m not alone. A recent survey showed that the stay rate for foreign doctorate recipients may be in decline.

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I’m a big fan of the TV show CSI. It reminds us the power of science. I know forensic scientists can gather much information about a person from a single DNA sample, but I would never guess that they can also use DNA information to predict the last name of a person!

The method exploits genetic likenesses between men who share the same surname.

The technique is based on work comparing the Y chromosomes of men with the same surname. The Y chromosome is a package of genetic material found only in males.

It is passed down from father to son, just like a surname.

Details of the research from the University of Leicester, UK, appear in the latest edition of Current Biology.

And of course, this method has it limitation. Based on an initial study, “[Researchers] found the approach was most useful for less common names, with a 34% chance of prediction in the 80 least common surnames from the 150-name sample.”

• Source: DNA ‘could predict your surname’, BBC News, February 21 2006.
• Original Paper: Genetic Signatures of Coancestry within Surnames, Turi E. King et. al., Current Biology, Volume 16, Issue 4, February 21, 2006

Scientific American has launched its own podcast. The first two episodes are as the follows.

Episode 1
In our first podcast, Scientific American editor-in-chief John Rennie reflects on the Korean stem cell debacle; the National Inventors Hall of Fame announces this year’s inductees; and evolution defender Eugenie Scott discusses the importance of the decision in the recent Dover evolution trial. Also: hear outtakes from the CSI show you’re never going to see on TV.

Episode 2
In this episode, Scientific American staff editor Christine Soares talks about avian flu; Bruce Merkin discusses marijuana policy in the U.S. and England; and paleontologist Gregory Erickson describes the newfound long-lost cousin of T. rex. Also: test your science smarts with our quiz and hear how yesterday’s comics might have handled today’s news.

Another science podcast that I recommend is the New Scientist podcast.