Tomorrow
in Brief
edited by Cindy Wagner
Disappearing Snowcaps
Coastal mountains in the western United States will be 70% less snowy in
the next half century, predict climate modelers at the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory. Global warming will reduce the amount of water stored as snow in the area
spanning from the Sierra Nevada range to the Cascades. This will cause flooding in the
fall and winter and drought in the spring and summer, disrupting the region's agriculture,
fisheries, and hydropower industry. The model is based on a 1% annual increase in the rate
of greenhouse gas concentrations through 2100; the result will be more winter
precipitation falling as rain instead of snow and pushing the snowline in the mountains up
from 3,000 feet to higher than 4,000 feet.
Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Media and External
Communications, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352. Web site www.pnl.gov/news.
Stimulating Weak Muscles
A miniaturized array of electrodes could help stroke patients and others
with weak muscles get their arms and hands moving again. Implanted into a patient's arm,
the "BION" microstimulator mimics signals from the brain, electrically
stimulating weak or paralyzed muscles to effect functional arm and hand movements. Because
the electrodes are small (less than 2.5 mm in diameter) and are controlled independently,
as many as 255 can be used at once on a patient, making for a less-invasive and
more-effective solution than previous systems. While about two-thirds of stroke victims
regain some ability to walk, fewer than 30% regain useful arm function, which keeps them
from living more independently, say the Southampton University researchers developing the
device.
Source: University of Southampton, External Relations, Highfield,
Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom. Web site www.soton.ac.uk.
Battlefield Clarity
New software could give military decision makers a clearer view of a
theater of operation, enabling them to predict enemy movements. The system coordinates
information received from multiple air and ground sensors that track the movements of
troops, artillery, aircraft, and other targets. The aim of the system is to filter out
noise--the so-called "fog of war"--according to Tarunraj Singh of the University
at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The software system is part of the
U.S. Defense Department's mission to develop network-centric warfare strategies, with
information technology to link sensors, soldiers, and strategists.
Source: State University of New York at Buffalo, News Services, 330
Crofts Hall, Buffalo, New York 14260. Web site www.buffalo.edu/news.
Troubling Trends for the Human Future
Malnutrition, disease, and human misery in general will reach
"unimaginable" levels within 50 years if current environmental and
population-growth trends continue, warns agricultural ecologist David Pimentel of Cornell
University. At current growth rates, the human population will reach 12 billion by 2054;
reducing the birthrate from an average of 2.9 to 2 children per couple will delay that
milestone by about 20 years. Feeding this expanding population will put more stress on
cropland, which is already declining by 10 million hectares a year due to soil erosion,
says Pimentel. "The only way to reverse the growing imbalance between human
population numbers and food supply is to actively conserve cropland, fresh water, energy,
and other environmental resources," he concludes, recommending more effort in
developing ecologically safe agricultural technologies.
Source: Cornell University, News Service, Surge 3, Ithaca, New York
14853. Web site www.news.cornell.edu.
Biological Clock in Space
As humans explore beyond their earthly environments, their biological
clocks will be severely disoriented. A team of researchers at the University of Virginia
is now investigating the potential impacts of that biological disruption. Since the days
are slightly longer and the light is redder on Mars than on Earth, astronauts' circadian
rhythms could be altered, affecting their sleep, for instance. One result could be more
accidents or mistakes due to fatigue. The researchers will explore ways to help astronauts
adapt to space time through such strategies as changing the timing of meals, hormone
administration, exercise, and adjusting light conditions.
Source: University of Virginia, Office of University Relations, 400 Ray
C. Hunt Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904. Web site www.virginia.edu.
