Sunday, December 26, 2010

Talking about communication...



The language, in any form, is the way in which humans beings have learned to communicate our own ideas to others... even the English has become one of the most used language in all over the world, first because of the british imperialism and after because the economic and technologic advaces of US and UK, pero hay muchísimo más que el inglés, prueba de eso son los iberoamericanos laureados con el Nobel en Literatura, las óperas italianas, la música clásica francésa, en fin, infinidad de representaciones de los seres humanos (científicas, culturales, tecnológicas, sociales, ...) en diferentes idiomas, que en lo particular no menciono por ignorancia.

Anyone believe that the mankind progress would improve the ability to communicate, however, sometimes I belive that that's the opposite, I like to cher this short BBC note(in spanish)about how a simple dispute could kill one language:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_7097000/7097944.stm

So, if u want to say anything in any language... be our guest ...

Emilio

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Celebrate good times come on (8) tu ru ru run run tun tun tun


Yesterday we celebrated the graduation of 4 members of our group Biorem.

Indeed finishing our coursework is something to rejoice for. Many are unable to complete, many can’t withstand the hardship and stress of a degree. However our comrades showed and proved their courage by always giving exceeding efforts.

It is scary to go out of the veil in which the academic environment keeps you safe. The commitment, the tough challenges that come next may be more difficult than anything we have faced, but fear not because we are prepared and ready for them.

You have proved your mettle by obtaining the top three grade scores of this generation. Be glad on your first step to the professional world. Or like Obi wan said “you have taken a step to a wider world”.

Congratulations, and Viel Glück.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Our eyes reach further than our minds


A publication of Dr. Vogt, reports the discovery of an exo-planet orbiting the dwarf star Gliese581 which is around 20 light years from earth.
But this is not what is surprising. Since the first exo-planet discovered a decade ago, there are now approximately 500 known exo-planets.
What the publication emphasizes is that this new planet lies in the "goldilock zone" this zone is the distance between a planet and its star needed to find water in its three states. The distance not too far and not to near that makes a planet candidate to harvest life. The planet has aproximately 3 to 4 times the mass of Earth, this property gives the possibility to have ENOUGH gravity for an atmosphere.
Some facts that i liked about the note was that Gliese 581 g (the planet) always has one side facing its star and one facing darkness, so the scientist predict that in a region between both sides temperatures could be just right to give various life forms.
"Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude," said Dr Vogt. The author also comments that the potentially habitable planets in the universe is around 10 - 20%, this number is staggering

and some questions arose to me while reading the note.
"We're at exactly that threshold now with finding habitable planets," said Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution, a co-author of the study......
if we were to someday reach this planets, would we suffer the same thing as the aliens of "war of the worlds"... die by microbes =)....

Does the fact of one side always facing the star mean that the planet does not rotate at all. Could the non rotating characteristic of the planet be the reason of the uncertain gravity to form an atmosphere? if so than how lucky we are the earth revolves at 1674 km per hour =0

Also observe the tittle of the entry.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Buon viaggio!!


El pasado 3 de Noviembre nuestros queridos compañeros Alejandra Alvarado y Aldo Almeida partieron rumbo a Venecia, Italia al "Third International Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Waste" para presentar los resultados de sus trabajos en las ponencias:

Opportunities for co-digestion of industrial and agricultural substrates for anaerobic digestion.

Biochemical Methane Potential of desert plants: Aloe vera and Opuntia robusta in La Comarca Lagunera.

Confiamos en el buen desempeño que realizarán y esperamos que pronto estén de vuelta!

Mucho éxito!!

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On November 3rd our dear partners Alejandra Alvarado and Aldo Almeida traveled to Venice, Italy to the "Third International Symposium on Energy from Biomass and Waste" to present the results of their work in the papers:


Opportunities for co-digestion of industrial and agricultural substrates for anaerobic digestion.

Biochemical Methane Potential of desert plants: Aloe vera and Opuntia robusta in La Comarca Lagunera.


We trust on their good performance and hope to get them back soon!

Best Regards!!


Sunday, November 7, 2010

Finally October edition of Bio-Sciences!


La edición de Octubre de Bio-Sciences ha llegado, un poco tarde pero ya esta aquí para todos!

En este mes pueden encontrar artículos de temas muy interesantes sobre todo de Cambio Climático donde encontrarán un recuento de cumbres y reuniones acerca de los acuerdos para combatir este problema.

Esperemos que todos pasen y le echen un vistazo a esta grandiosa edición! y no olviden enviar sus comentarios a :

bioscienceslaguna@gmail.com

y visita nuestros enlaces por Facebook (Bio-Sciences Journal) y Twitter (@bio_sciences)
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The October edition of Bio-Sciences has arrived a little late but is here for everyone!

In this month may find very interesting articles on all topics of Climate Change where you will find an account of summits and meetings of the agreements to combat this problem.

Hopefully, all will pass and take a look at this great issue! and do not forget to send your comments to:

bioscienceslaguna@gmail.com

and check out our links for Facebook (Bio-Sciences Journal) and Twitter (@ bio_sciences).

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

FDA says OK! to the use of stem cells like treatment for people whit spinal injured.


Finally the controversial stem cells were approved by the Food and Drugs Administration to be used to treat people whit spinal injuries, so this is how US doctors have begun the first official trial of using human embryonic stem cells, that have the potential to become in many of the different cell types found in the human body.


Geron, a biotech company located in the famous "Sillicon Valley" near San Francisco, is the company that get green light for these trials, they have spend $170m dollars on developing a stem cells (SC) treatment for spinal cord injuries. They start working whit human SC in 1999, when many predicted that some decades would be, before cell therapy would be approved for human clinical trials. Now that's a reality, but it will take some time to evaluate results, and more time and research to know if the therapy is safe and effective.


Every year 12,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries just in US, here in Mexico, through the TELETON, we know that a lot of people suffer this kind of injuries by causes like car accidents or falls.





It is very important to remember the bioethical implications in this kind of trials in human, remembering the unfortunate event were US doctors made human trials on Guatemalan population which included the infection of people whit sexually transmitted diseases.


Do you have any opinion???

Monday, October 11, 2010

And the winner is... the mankind !!!

Nobel prizes represent the top of the best in sciences, literature and for the peace "makers", since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine or physiology, literature and for peace, and since 1969 in economic sciences. This international award is administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.

Last week the Nobel prizes 5 nobel prizes were announced, and yesterday the economic scinces was the last in be laureated...

The father of the test tube babies, Robert G. Edwards was laureated whit the Nobel Prize in MEDICINE for the development of the in vitro fertilization procedures.

Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in PHYSICS for the isolation of Graphene a super-strong and highly conductive material abel to reveal new secrets of fundamental physics.

Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki share the Nobel Prize in CHEMISTRY for developing new, more efficient ways of linking carbon atoms together to build the complex molecules that are improving our everyday lives.

Peruvian by birth, but citizen of the world by conviction, Mario Vargas Llosa, the Nobel Prize Laureated in LITERATURE embraces multiple genres (novel, plays, essays), and politics too, in his commitment to social change.

Among the many people campaigning for the human rights in China, Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel PEACE Prize Laureated has become the most visible symbol of the struggle for the freedom in that comunist country, in fact, breaking news inform about the detention of Xiaobo's wife after her visit to the Nobel Prize Laureated in jail, he is currently serving a 11-years prison term.

As a reflection exercise we must remember that the legacy of all the Laureated is a gift to the mandkind, that must be used for the common well of all ths citizens of the World.

If you were able to choice one Nobel Prize award for someone in any area, Who will be your Laureated and why? I think that I know just the Alejandra's answer: Craig Venter for Human Genetic Code or Synthetic Cell, am I right Ale???

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Bio-Sciences está aquí!!

Saludos a todos

He aquí los últimos números de la revista... no estaban perdidos... andaban... mmmm... bueno, andaban por ahí.

Esperamos sus comentarios y sugerencias al correo de siempre:

bioscienceslaguna@gmail.com

Y desde ahora pueden seguirnos en facebook (Bio-sciences Journal) y en Twitter (@bio_sciences) y desde luego no dejen de seguir al grupo también por facebook (Bioremediation Group Laguna).

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Hello all!
Here are the last issues of BIO-SCIENCES... there were.... they were... well, they are here!! :D

We are waiting for your comments and suggestions at:

bioscienceslaguna@gmail.com

And since now you can follow us by facebook (Bio-sciences Journal) and Twitter (@bio_sciences). But don't forget, also BIOREM is in facebook (Bioremediation Group Laguna).



Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Energy Security / Seguridad Energética

Early in the morning, I heard in the news about the approval of the new Energy Plan by the German government, that extend the lifetime of the nuclear reactors, reversing a decision of the previous government (a coalicion of a centre-left party and a green party).

Even previous opinion polls suggest that sixty percent of the Germans want nuclear reactor close, the five ministers cabinet, from the upper house of parliment, said that nuclear is a "bridging technology" for a greener future.

The past government had decided to shut down the Germany's nuclear plants by 2021, but now, under the new plan, reactors from nuclear power stations will have an average of 12 years of function.

What is admirable, is the vision of the German government to implement a policy of long term on energy, even if the main motive is from the economic type, they want to raise the share of renewable energy sources in power generation from the current 16% to 80% by 2050.

Is the Mexican government doing the same???

What is the cause of the anti-nuclear feeling among the Germans???


Is the greener future posible??? <--- talking about the hole Earth


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Hoy por la mañana, escuchaba en las noticias acerca de la decisión del gobierno alemán de aprobar un nuevo Plan de Energía, que extiende el tiempo de vida de los reactores nucleares en suelo alemán, revirtiendo así, la decisión del gobierno anterior (una coalición entre un partido centro izquierdísta y un partido verde).
Aunque encuestas de opinión pública demuestran que 6 de cada 10 alemanes prefieren cerrar las plantas nucleares, el cabinete de 5 ministros de la cámara alta del parlamento alemán, expresó que la energía nuclear es un "puente tecnológico" a un futuro más verde.
El gobierno anterior había decidido cerrar las plantas de energía nuclear alemanas para 2021, pero ahora, con el nuevo plan, los reactores de las estaciones de energía nuclear tendrán un tiempo de vida promedio de 12 años.
Es realmente admirable la visión del gobierno alemán de implementar una política energética a largo plazo, inclusive si la razón principal sea del tipo económica, ellos buscan elevar el porcentaje de las energías renovables sobre el total de las energías empleadas de un 16 al 80% para el 2050.
Estará el gobierno mexicano haciendo algo similar?
Cuáles serán las causas del sentimiento antinuclear de los alemanes?
Es un futuro más verde realmente posible para la Tierra?
Emilio Nafarrate Rivera

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Arsenic in Comarca Lagunera's water


It's hard to belive, but yesterday in a coffee discussion whit some friends, I discovered that even whit all the media reports, a large section of the population is unaware of the problem of arsenic contamination of water in the Comarca Lagunera.

As a student and training-environmentalist, I invite you to talk about environmental topics (whit very objectives points of view, never exaggerating or liying about the stats) whit your family and friends, whit the aim of "wake up" the general interest and the concern about our regional environment future.

I would like to congratulate to the Dr Celso Manuel Valencia for his publication on the editorial section of El Siglo de Torreón, entitled: Encrucijadas y remediación: el arsénico en el agua de la Comarca Lagunera, published in September 8th. You can read it in the online-version in: