Not Exactly Rocket Science - a resourceful & interesting site!

I like this site.
If you want to keep abreast of the latest science issues/development, remember to visit this site - Not Exactly Rocket Science by Ed Yong - an award winning science writer.

"One of the best sites for in-depth analysis of interesting scientific papers"
- The Times

ps: i have also made a link at the bottom right panel.

Education in Malaysia

Dear students, i find this website quite interesting to read on because it is about education, about you & me & our beloved country, & our future as a nation. The website highlights many relevant & important issues which are closer to home.

Click here or go to Choose Your Link & click on the link (at bottom, right side panel).

Greenhouse effect & global warming (3)

In this posting, i would like to introduce a new term to you. It is called Carbon Footprint.. Some of you might have already heard
of this term because it was introduced sometime ago. And we shall see how we can help to reduce our carbon footprint. Pls note that this is not part of your biology SPM syllabus, but believe me, it is worth learning.

According to wikipedia, A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product". For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted.

Each one of us contributes to GHGs emission everyday while going about doing our daily activity which cause climate change/global warming. So, what is your carbon footprint? click on this calculator to find out yourself.

After doing the above exercise, i realised that my carbon footprint is above average, i better do something to reduce my carbon footprint.




What should/can we do?
1. Turn it off when not in use (fans, lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer, playstation, etc. etc. ...) click here to learn more.
2. Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need
3. Do your weekly shopping in a single trip
4. Hang out the washing/clothes to dry rather than tumble drying it in the machine
5. Sign up to a green energy supplier, who will supply electricity from renewable sources (e.g. wind and hydroelectric power) - this will reduce your carbon footprint contribution from electricity to zero
(*unfortunately, we can't do this because Energy Supply in Malaysia is monopoly by only one company called Tenaga Nasional Berhad.... bad luck )
6. Fit energy saving light bulbs - (*i know the bulb is a bit costly, but try to encourage your parents to purchase, i believe you can explain the benefits - it is long-lasting & save energy in the long run!)
7. Replace your old fridge / freezer (if it is over 15 years old), with a new one with energy efficiency rating of "A"
8. Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler
9. Car pool to school/tuition centres
10. Use public transport - bus or train rather car. (*Unfortunately in Malaysia, this is a big problem! bad public transport, the bus either late or never arrived! or packed like sardine?)
11. For short journeys either walk or cycle (eg: to the school, shop, to your friend's house doing revision/homework/project, to tuition)
12. Use biodiesel fuel (*unfortunately, only for diesel engine vehicle) click here to know more.
13. Don't buy bottled water if your tap water is safe to drink. (*Don't do this if you live in Malaysia!!! always boil your water.)
14. Buy local fruit and vegetables, or even try growing your own
15. Buy foods that are in season locally
16. Don't buy fresh fruit and vegetables which are out of season, they may have been flown in
17. Reduce your consumption of meat (*because farm animals contribute to more GHGs emission)
18. Try to only buy products made close to home (look out and avoid items that are made in the distant lands) - (* i know this is not easy because we Malaysian like to buy imported foods/fruits, or maybe our local products are less attractive)
19. Buy organic produce (*not easy to do this because they are not cheap!)
20. Don't buy over packaged products. (*did you notice that some items/products have many-many-many layers of packaging materials??)
21. Recycle as much as possible.
22. For those who are rich, cut down your visit to Saunas, Health clubs, restaurants, go-karting etc. etc... (these places contribute to more GHGs emission.)

(the above list has been modified from carbon footprint. click here for the full list)

I hope we can try to do some of the activities listed above if not all.
Together we can fight global warming!


For more carbon footprint cartoons, click here.

Greenhouse effect & global warming (2)

Carbon emission.

I hope you have read my posting about the above which i posted sometime last month.

A few weeks ago during our biology lesson about carbon emission, we have discussed some possible ways we could help to reduce/minimise the release of carbon dioxide. I have suggested that maybe we could try to use less air-cond at home (eg: use the fan at night), or plant a small tree, etc. I hope some of you have tried those ideas, because i have.

Once i was so excited upon hearing the arrival of a hybrid car (toyota prius) to the M'sia market - sometime in August this year. But after checking further, i realise that it is really way too costly to own one due to high taxes imposed by our government, which come to RM175,000 for a 1.8L! OMG, the price is doubled compared to my family car! To be honest, i love this car but i can't afford.
I wonder why the government make it so discouraging/difficult for us to own a greener car to save the environment! Are they not worry about pollution/global warming? or are they trying to protect the proton? If it is the proton issue, those engineers at proton you better work harder & come out with your own hybrid version that WORKS!

Let's move on.....

I found this informative video at TED about global warming.

Al Gore presents updated slides from around the globe to make the case that worrying climate trends are even worse than scientists predicted, and to make clear his stance on "clean coal."
Al Gore mentions about the melting ice caps, click here to view.




If you want to know how a hybrid car works, click here. look for prius-intelligent.

(note: i don't have any stake in toyota)

Bone marrow transplant - how they do it?

Some of you have asked me how to harvest bone marrow from a donor.
I would like to share this link with you, hope you get some idea.

Daniel Kraft demos his Marrow Miner -- a new device that quickly harvests life-saving bone marrow with minimal pain to the donor. He emphasizes that the adult stem cells found in bone marrow can be used to treat many terminal conditions, from Parkinson's to heart disease.click here.