Gizmorama
January 20, 2010
------------------------------------------------------------
50 War Classics on 4 DVDs for only $14.99
That's Less Than 30 Cents A Show...
http://pd.gophercentral.com/u/3890/c/186/a/474
------------------------------------------------------------
Good Morning,
Scientists have revisited the old theories about how Iguanas
got to the islands of Fiji and Tonga. They have always
thought that they rafted the 5,000 miles across the Pacific,
but now they have reason to believe they walked! Read all
the details in the last article.
Until Next Time,
Erin
Questions? Comments? Email me at: mailto:gizmo@gophercentral.com
Email your comments=
P.S. You can discuss this issue or any other topic in the new
Gizmorama forum. Check it out here...
http://gizmorama.gophercentral.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunflowers could provide food and fuel
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Determining the genetic makeup
of sunflowers will lead to species that can be used for food
and fuel, scientists in Canada said. A joint venture between
Genome Canada, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and
Energy, and France's National Institute for Agricultural Re-
search aims to create a reference genome for sunflowers with-
in four years. The sunflower -- the world's largest plant
family -- contains 24,000 species of food crops, medicinal
plants, horticulture plants and noxious weeds. The sunflower
genome is 3.5 billion letters long, slightly larger than the
human genome. Once the genetic makeup is known, sunflower
species could be crossbred to produce a plant that grows up
to 15 feet tall with stalks up to 4 inches in diameter while
producing high-quality seeds, said project leader Loren
Rieseberg of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
"The seeds would be harvested for food and oil, while the
stalks would be utilized for wood or converted to ethanol,"
Rieseberg said. "As a dual-use crop it wouldn't be in compe-
tition with food crops for land."
------------------------------------------------------------
GopherCentral Book Collection
Six Sensational Books At One LOW Price...
List Price: $59.92
Deal Price: $5.99
A collection of six books from some of GopherCentral.com's
favorite publications. From the funny and bizarre to the
thrifty and tasty each book is a treat. From good clean
jokes to the R-rated ones that might make you blush. This
collection has it all. Plus you even get the book wonderful
book Corporate Soul.
This book collection includes:
- Best of Laff A Day - World According To TZ
- Best of Clean Laffs
- Thrifty Tips
- In The Kitchen With Marzee - The Daily Recipe
- Best of Bizarre News II (Uncensored)
- Corporate Soul
Order your collection today for just $5.99.
http://pd.gophercentral.com/u/1061/c/120/a/474
------------------------------------------------------------
Boeing joins research in aviation biofuels
WASHINGTON - Boeing, which has experimented successfully
with renewable aviation fuel, is taking a key part in a new
search project bankrolled by the United Arab Emirates to
find a sustainable and commercially viable aviation fuel
made from seawater plant extracts. Biofuel research has
taken different directions as concern over climate change
has produced various responses, from cash-starved poor
countries seeking biofuel substitutes for petroleum to rich
countries, such as those in the Arabian peninsula, pouring
cash into alternatives to hydrocarbons -- their mainstay and
chief source of income. The biofuel quest has also raised
concern that it is shifting focus away from agriculture that
can eradicate world hunger to agriculture for producing
alternative energy. Biofuel research-and-development pro-
grams are generating new lines of revenue for businesses
that did not engage with the industry until recently. The
latest deal involves the Boeing Co., the United Arab Emirates
airline Etihad, Honeywell and the U.A.E.-based Masdar Insti-
tute. Boeing said the research would lead to the deployment
of a pioneering system using seawater and desert, both in
abundant supply in Abu Dhabi. Boeing will help establish a
research institution and demonstration project in Abu Dhabi
dedicated to sustainable energy solutions, the company said.
The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project will use inte-
grated saltwater agricultural systems to support the develop-
ment and commercialization of biofuel sources for aviation
and co-products. Analysts said although Abu Dhabi has vast
funds for research, the developers would have to exercise
caution in controlling costs to make sure the project can be
emulated elsewhere, including countries with fewer resources.
Most agricultural projects in the desert-dominated Arabian
peninsula have suffered because of high costs of implemen-
tation, mainly due to poor human resources and dependence on
immigrant labor. It is not clear yet how the demographics
will affect the feasibility of SBRP. The project managers
want to look into applying innovative saltwater farming in
Abu Dhabi's arid and saline-rich environment. The government
is also keen for Masdar City, where the institute is located,
to be celebrated as the world's first zero-carbon city.
"Together with the Abu Dhabi government, Etihad Airways and
other industry leaders, we are forging our energy future by
developing a renewable fuel supply now, not when fossil fuels
are depleted," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing
Commercial Airplanes. "Developing and commercializing these
low-carbon energy sources is the right thing for our indus-
try, for our customers and for future generations." The
integrated approach uses saltwater to create an aquaculture-
based seafood farming system in parallel with the growth of
mangrove forests and salicornia, a plant that thrives in
salty conditions. The closed-loop system converts what would
otherwise be problematic aquaculture effluent in seawater
into an affordable, nutrient-rich fertilizer for both plants.
The biomass sources can then be sustainably harvested to
generate clean energy and to create aviation biofuels and
other products. Developing low-cost, non-petroleum fertil-
izers is one of the keys to achieving genuine carbon emis-
sions reductions from any biofuel source, the company said.
Analysts said the actual cost of producing alternative bio-
fuels is far from clear because of the huge cash outlays re-
quired for technologies involved in arriving at the current
stage in biofuel production. Affluent countries can conduct
expensive research to achieve popular interim solutions that
they don't yet need, either because they are awash in pet-
roleum or have the cash to buy it. For poor countries, as in
Africa and the Caribbean, biofuel development with some help
from U.N. agencies has been a hard fight, analysts said. Abu
Dhabi has volunteered to set a target of a 7 percent switch
to renewables by 2020.
------------------------------------------------------------
FULL SIZE United States Marine Corps Flag
Normal Price: $19.99
DEAL PRICE: $4.99
Celebrate the most feared and respected troops in the world
with your own Marine Corps flag. For over two hundred years
the first line of offense in every American military effort
has been the U.S. Marines.
* Measures 3 ft. x 5 ft. * Water Resistant
* Durable Polyester * Metal Grommets
With this special price you save $15.00 off the normal price.
There is no better time to get one of these handsome flags. To
see a picture or to order, visit:
http://pd.gophercentral.com/u/3687/c/120/a/474
------------------------------------------------------------
Iguanas may have walked to Fiji, Tonga
OXFORD, Miss. - Iguanas may have walked to Fiji and Tonga
when the islands were part of an ancient southern super
continent, U.S. scientists said. Scientists long believed
iguanas rafted 5,000 miles to the islands, floating across
the Pacific on a mat of vegetation or debris. The latest
genetic, geological and fossil data, however, suggests the
lizards may have walked to Fiji and Tonga millions of years
ago before the islands broke free from Gondwana, the ancient
super continent, said biologists Brice Noonan of the Uni-
versity of Mississippi and Jack Sites of Utah's Brigham Young
University. DNA of living iguanas tested against DNA in
fossils suggest iguanas in Fiji and Tonga have been there
for more than 60 million years, which makes them old enough
to have been there during the time of the super continent,
Noonan and Sites wrote in the January issue of The American
Naturalist. Fossil evidence suggests iguanas also inhabited
other nearby Pacific Islands but became extinct about the
time humans colonized the islands, possibly because they were
a part of the diet of those islanders.
------------------------------------------------------------
Check out Viral Videos on the Net at EVTV1.com
http://www.evtv1.com/
EVTV1.com