In the News
Henson, Jim: U.S. Muppeteer-Producer
Profile of Jim Henson, who was "responsible for perhaps the most recognizable and beloved television characters of all time -- the puppet/marionette hybrids better known as the Muppets."Provides highlights of Henson's career and listings of television series (such as "Sesame Street"and "Fraggle Rock"), films (including "The Dark Crystal"and "Labyrinth"), publications, and further reading. Includes links to related essays. From the Museum of Broadcast Communication. Researchers Reveals How Certain Chemicals Protect The Brain Against Ce
A study by Johns Hopkins scientists has revealed that stimulating brain cell receptors for certain hormone-like chemicals in brain cells called prostaglandins can protect the cells from amyloid β-peptide 42 (Aβ1-42), a compound that has been linked to brain cell death and Alzheimer's disease (AD). An Apple Or A Pear? It's More Than A Question Of Taste
Eating an apple is infinitely better than looking like one, according to experts at the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Humor aside, research has drawn significant links between body shape and heart disease. The American College of Cardiology is hoping to reshape America by highlighting this new health data on World Heart Day. The Jewish New Year
Collection of material about the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which are celebrated on the first day (Rosh Hashanah) and the 10th day (Yom Kippur) of the month of Tishrei of the Jewish calendar. Includes information about customs, traditional foods, and related topics. Also includes material about Sukkot and Simchat Torah, which are celebrated later in Tishrei, and activities in the prior month of Elul. From Chabad.org. Education, Careers, and Outreach in Toxicology and Environmental Healt
Collection of resources on toxicology and environmental health for those interested in careers in these fields. The site covers education, career options, continuing education, accreditation boards, and professional societies. Also includes resources for K-12 education and links to international organizations. From the National Library of Medicine. Ancient Cave Bears Were As Omnivorous As Modern Bears
Rather than being gentle giants, new research reveals that Pleistocene cave bears ate both plants and animals and competed for food with the other contemporary large carnivores of the time: hyaenas, lions, wolves, and our own human ancestors. Research Warns Against Sleeping In Contact Lenses
Sleeping in contact lenses can lead to an increased risk of severe eye infection, new research suggests. But new generation contact lenses, the investigation reveals, perform better in this regard than their predecessors. [Ironic] LONDON: A jailed cocaine dealer is working as Santa Claus on
John Tams, who dons beard, boots and red suit to work in a cafe's Christmas grotto, said he wanted to give something back to the community... You've Got Mail, and Your Period
An old-school fertility-tracking method gives birth to a slew of high-tech products. Now your Treo can tell you precisely when you're most likely to get pregnant. By Jenn Shreve. Nuclear threats
Earlier this week I highlighted the views of Jesse Ausubel, who argues that renewable energy sources will not be sufficient to fulfill global energy demand and that nuclear power is the only viable option for powering the world. See Renewable Myths and Nuclear Heresies. Almost left unsaid, in his argument, although alluded to, are the inherent security and safety issues that surround the maintenance of a widespread nuclear industry. This week, a trio of security serious vulnerabilities surrounding the use of nuclear power have been published. The first threat is at the source of the raw material for nuclear power itself, the uranium mine, processing plant, and transport route. Here, physical protection and security are at a much lower level than at a nuclear installation in the developed world, according to Austrian scientists writing today in the International Journal of Nuclear Governance, Economy and Ecology. The second threat is from saboteurs with expertise in the industry and the security of nuclear installations. Researchers from the US Environmental Protection Agency suggest that such saboteurs on the inside could wreak havoc and cause a serious environmental and health threats with only small, shaped explosives or even no explosives at all. Finally, at the waste end of the nuclear industry, a second US team point out that the significant quantities of spent radioactive fuel could also represent a security nightmare. The team from environmental health and safety consultants S. Cohen and Associates, in Montgomery Alabama, point out that there is no secure central repository for nuclear waste. Any one of the waste storage or processing plants could be vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Friedrich Steinhäusler and Lyudmila Zaitseva of the Division of Physics and Biophysics, at the University of Salzburg, Austria, have investigated the potential security threats facing the industry at the initial mining and milling end of the nuclear process. They explain how there are several points at which someone intent on terrorism or other purposes might intercept highly radioactive material. For instance, terrorists or saboteurs might instigate illegal mining of an officially closed uranium mine or diversion uranium ore from a mine or mill, or more obviously demolition of facilities with the intention of causing environmental harm. The Austrian team believes such threats are very real. Uranium mining has been carried out in almost twenty countries, although 90% of world production takes place in ten of these, with seven of these states having been associated with clandestine nuclear activities. “The current control system is inadequate as it could allow rogue nations or terrorist groups to traffic uranium or enriched yellow cake in at least 24 countries on three continents,” say the researchers, “There is a critical need to counter the threats resulting from an uncontrolled acquisition of these radioactive materials in a coordinated manner.” Anthony Honnellio of the Emergency Response Branch OSSR and Stan Rydell of the Pesticides Toxics and Radiation Unit, both divisions of the US Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, realised that have been many reports on nuclear security that focus on terrorist attack from outside. However, they explain that sabotage by individuals with a detailed knowledge of security procedures, plant layout and the functional nature of the critical components of a nuclear power plant, could exploit their knowledge to catastrophic effect. They speculate on how small explosives might be brought into secure areas and reveal that despite post-9/11 security improvements, banned items nevertheless slip through the metal and explosive detection equipment at airports, so could just as readily be brought into a nuclear installation. But, their concern does not lie only with the impact an explosion at a carefully chosen site my cause. They suggest that damage to a critical component could disable a power station and lead to widespread power outages, with significant civil disruption to those dependent on the supply. In their consideration of security at the waste end of the nuclear industry, Edwin Sensintaffar and Charles Phillips of S Cohen and Associates point out that a recent review of safety and security at commercial spent nuclear fuel plants suggested that such facilities are vulnerable to terrorist activity. A deliberate fire at such a facility could cause widespread radioactive contamination, which could affect the local and wider population as well as cause serious environmental damage. Sensintaffar and Phillips describe a scenario based on such an event to demonstrate the potential impact resulting from the release and dispersion of spent fuel products. “The radioactive contamination that could be released into the environment from such an event could contaminate thousands of square kilometres, result in billions of dollars in economic impact and large numbers of both early and latent cancer deaths,” the researchers say. Share This 
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