How is Global Warming Affecting Your State?

The National Wildlife Federation has developed 52 fact sheets, detailing the effects of global warming on wildlife in every state, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See the list for all areas. Download the pdf for Ohio.

From the Ohio fact sheet: "Rising temperatures and drops in lake levels in the state will likely change the makeup of entire ecosystems, forcing wildlife to shift their ranges or adapt." Each fact sheet includes solutions for global warming that are specific for the state or region.

Philica features transparent peer-review

Philica is an online, open-access journal accepting manuscripts in any discipline. It describes itself as "instant academic publishing with transparent peer-review" and currently features 121 articles and observations. Submitted papers span the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, with greater numbers of articles in astronomy, physics, biology and chemistry. Music, philosophy, political studies, anthropology, and history are just some of the other disciplines represented, so it is truly multidisciplinary.

Learn more at the Philica site, taking special note of the essay "What's the problem with academic publishing?" and the list of articles needing review. You may find a paper that you are uniquely qualified to review, and are invited to do so. To write a review, simply click the link at the bottom of the article or observation.

Open Access Papers Draw Readers' and Media Attention

Recent papers published in Public Library of Science are grabbing attention from readers and the media alike, owing to the research presented and open access nature of PLoS articles. Here's a bit from the PLoS Blog, submitted by Rebecca Walton:

In "Cryptochromes Define a Novel Circadian Clock Mechanism in Monarch Butterflies That May Underlie Sun Compass Navigation," published in PLoS Biology, Steven Reppert and colleagues reveal that the circadian clock of the monarch uses a novel molecular mechanism, heretofore not found in any other insect or mammal."

Read the story by the Associated Press in Google news as well as Walton's blog entry and papers in PLoS.

Barack Obama: Pushes for Evidence-Based Science Policy

Science considers the support for scientific research among the presidential candidates in the Jan. 4 issue. Considering the credentials of Barack Obama seems particularly timely, following his win among Democrats in the Iowa caucus.

The Science news article illustrates Barack's support for science policy and research based on factual, peer-reviewed evidence:
"Deborah Burnet, a pediatrician at the University of Chicago who studies the connection between obesity and diabetes, says Obama displayed the same evidence-based philosophy whenever she invited the Harvard Law School grad and community organizer to lecture her class on racial disparities in health. The 30-something Obama would urge her students to think about "how to use scientific inquiry to make intelligent public policy," says Burnet."

Read the full story (DOI: 10.1126/science.319.5859.28a). For on-campus users or your Oberlin login required.

Top 25 Science Stories of 2007 - from Scientific American

Scientific American extolls the top 25 science stories of the past year in their Dec. 21 Weekly Review, including "some exciting new developments and discoveries: human skin cells were transformed to stem cells; primates came within a hair of being successfully cloned; scientists found that if they killed the virus behind some cancers, they might also kill the cancer; the discovery of a new planet with the most Earth-like characteristics yet observed; and, the unveiling of the first quantum computer."

Check out the entire list, from antibiotic resistant infections, California wildfires and James Watson to the disappearance of the Yangtze River Dolphin.

Sign up for Scientific American e-newsletters.

The Library is Closed

The Science Library is closed for Winter Break - from 4:30pm Dec. 21 through Jan. 1.
Hours for Winter Term, January 2 through February 4: Monday-Friday, 9am-noon and 1-4:30pm.
Closed on Saturday & Sunday.

Last minute gift ideas and great reading recommendations

Eco-Libris presents The Holiday Green Gift Guide for Book Lovers

You may find these gems in your local bookstore, just in time for gift-giving - or in your local library, just in time for Winter Break reading. One book on the list that caught my eye is Bill McKibben's Deep Economy : the wealth of communities and the durable future.

The college library's copy is out on OhioLINK loan right now, but you can request a copy from another OhioLINK library and look foward to reading it in January.

If you want more suggestions for good reading, check out NPR's Science Friday archives. The December 7, 2007 show covered a slew of notable science books published in 2007.

Happy reading, and best wishes for a restful Winter Break!

Extended Hours for Reading Period

Come study here this weekend! We're open later and earlier than typical: 'til 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights; open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Thanks to our student assistants for taking on extra hours!

Complete end-of-semester library hours.

Best wishes for a good end to fall semester, and a wonderful winter break!

Climate Policy Center updates now on Earthscape

The Climate Policy Center (CPC), an independent, bipartisan, non-profit organization, is one of the newest contributors to Earthscape, published by the Columbia University Center for Digital Research and Scholarlship. The CPC was established to develop policies to counter global warming.

Recent updates on Earthscape have focused on environmental issues in mountain regions around the globe, and new U.S. climate reports by region. Earthscape also posted updates on environmental issues in Africa and Asia, as well as a collection of reports from the European Union. Earthscape continued to add to the collection of Congressional Research Service publications on environmental issues this month as well.

Try a search on Earthscape.

Resources for AIDS Awareness Month

December 1 was World AIDS Day. The National Institutes of Health commemorated the day with a joint statement and announcement of awards.

The main library has created an exhibit that highlights materials in the collection related to AIDS and HIV [more about the exhibit].

The science library subscribes to Exchange on HIV/AIDS, a useful source of current information from around the world.

One very recent book in the collection of electronic books from Springer is The Biology of Dendritic Cells and HIV Infections.

Find more books on the biology of HIV infections by searching HIV infections as a subject heading in OBIS.

Get comprehensive information from the National Institutes of Health from the AIDSinfo Web site.

John Muir's papers digitized online

The University of the Pacific Library is home to the papers of John Muir, famed naturalist writer, founder of the Sierra Club, and forefather of the environmental movement. Digital images of all of John Muir's journals and drawings in the Univ. Pacific Library's Special Collections are now accessible online, as part of the Holt-Atherton Special Collections Digital Collections. The journals consist of 78 volumes and over 7,000 pages written between 1867 and 1913. The drawings consist of 371 images.

John Muir related Web sites of particular note:

• John Muir’s Birthplace
  
• Dunbar’s John Muir Association
  
• John Muir Trust
  
• John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez
  
• John Muir biographic sketch from the National Park Service [source of the John Muir portrait shown above].

Search: Books about John Muir in the college library.

Climate Creeping onto Texan Agenda

Heard on NPR's Morning Edition, November 26, 2007 · "Texas emits more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other state. And if Texas were a country, it would be the seventh-largest carbon dioxide polluter in the world.

Texas's high carbon dioxide output and large energy consumption is primarily a result of large coal-burning power plants and gas-guzzling vehicles, both of which contribute to the pollution problem. But while many Texans think bigger is better, there are signs of an attitude change on energy consumption."

[listen to the story]

Conservation now available online

Conservation is now available online for Oberlin College library users. Our subscription is accessible only at the publisher's website, Blackwell Synergy, rather than the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC). The magazine is published by the Society for Conservation Biology, supported in partnership with six other influential organizations in conservation: the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, and University of Washington. Find the title on OBIS as Conservation (Seattle, Wash.).

The scholarly journal of the Society, Conservation Biology, is online at the EJC, but this sister publication (previously titled Conservation in practice and sometimes referred to as Conservation magazine) is not part of the OhioLINK-Blackwell agreement. Paper copies of these titles are in the science library.

Reduced Hours for Thanksgiving Break

The library closes at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday of this week, to observe Thanksgiving.

We will be open on Friday afternoon from 1-4:30 p.m. only, and return to normal hours on Saturday and Sunday (12:30-5:30 p.m. and 12:30-11 p.m., respectively).

If you need to access online library resources from off-campus during the break, login to the college proxy server in advance (see Connect from Off Campus on the library's web site).

Questions? Chat with us online! obescience on Yahoo, AIM, Meebo. Quick Meebo access

Nanostructures, nanobiotechnology, nanofabrication, oh my!

Have you explored the new all-things-nano journal from the American Chemical Society? Check it out: ACS Nano.

See also the free website for the nanoscience community hosted by ACS @ ACS Nanotation. The image gallery and nano picks features are especially noteworthy. Contribute to the Wiki, submit a question to a nanoscientist, and be part of the commnity.

Questions are Good - send 'em our way!

We have more ways you can contact us! Student staff in the science library are now monitoring the science library's general IM account: obescience. Find our obescience chat window (Meebo widget) on the library's Ask a Question page. Or add obescience to your IM list of friends - we want to be your buddy. You can also contact me - the science librarian - with the widget over on the right side bar (blue box, Contact me) or alisonricker (yahoo, AIM). I'm not at the computer as reliably as the student staff, so please leave a message and your email address so I can contact you later!

Send us any question you have about using the science library, accessing electronic journals, searching for articles that are primary sources, recommended formats for citing references, or any science library-related mystery you're contemplating (is it true that you can't get trapped in the movable compact shelving?) - no question is too big or too small! Heck, we'll even tell you how to add OBIE$ to your ID. And the difference between print quota and OBIE$ needed for photocopiers - we've had a lot of practice with that question. Or even - our favorite - how to find a pencil sharpener (yes, we have two. Do you prefer electric or manual?). Don't be shy - talk to us!

E-Books! So many books, so little time, all at your fingertips from OhioLINK

The Electronic Book Center at OhioLINK offers thousands of new titles, a large number of which are from Springer, a noted publisher of high-quality science monographs. One title featured now at the ebook center is Interfacial Nanochemistry: Molecular Science and Engineering at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces.

The Advanced Search option allows precise searching of keywords in title or text or chapter/section, etc., with various ways of focusing the search (e.g., subject area, date of publication, publisher). My search on "climate change" within the subject area "Environmental" resulted in 135 titles, including this 2007 popular science book from Springer:
Hot House: Global Climate Change and the Human Condition, by Robert Strom.

Note that you *can not* find this book in OBIS. Not all of the titles in the ebook center have been cataloged for member libraries' catalogs, or even the OhioLINK central catalog, so take advantage of the search options offered at the ebook center to find new stuff!

OhioLINK offers even more electronic books than those at the ebook server - note the icons lined up at the bottom of the web site (you might have to scroll down a bit to see them) - including Oxford Reference and Safari Books on computer and technology titles. Go read!

Have You Read Dot Earth Today?

The New York Times offers Dot Earth - A blog about climate change, the environment and sustainability.

Today's blog post offers Two New (and Very Different) Roadmaps for Climate Progress, by Andrew C. Revkin.

Revkin compares the Kyoto Protocol (due for renewal in 2012) with a cap-and-trade strategy embodied in the International Carbon Action Partnership.

Read more at the NYT blog and in Nature's Climate Blog. Considering the press release of the Nobel prize committee, the more attention to and positive action given to these issues, the better!

The following observation is from the Nobel press release:

"By awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 to the IPCC and Al Gore, the Norwegian Nobel Committee is seeking to contribute to a sharper focus on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world’s future climate, and thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind. Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man’s control." nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/press.html

How to bury the problem: carbon capture & storage

From the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry World, October.

"Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could allow us to burn fossil fuels without climate consequences - but only with more investment in R&D, argues Stuart Haszeldine.

"CCS is a suite of technical and chemical processes which allow CO₂ to be separated, liquefied under pressure, and then transported by pipe for storage in porous geological rock formations, deeper than 800 metres beneath the seabed. Suitable geological sites may be depleted oil or gas fields, or salt water aquifers not already used for other purposes.

"CCS can directly reduce CO₂ emissions, enabling industrialised countries to continue using coal and gas for electricity generation while still meeting targets of 60 to 80 per cent reductions in CO₂ emissions from power generation by 2050."

Read more at Chemistry World.

While you're at the RSC publications site, check out their other news magazines, which "provide a snapshot" of the latest findings in chemistry:

• Chemical Science
• Chemical Biology
• Chemical Technology

The State of Science in America

Disover's Oct. 2007 issue is a special anniversary issue reviewing the current state of science in America. The future is not entirely rosy, though there is enough promise to motivate even a resigned pessimist in the endeavor of educating tomorrow's scientists. From The Edge of Medicine to hypersonic missiles (Defense Department research), NASA's intelligent flight control system, and an encouraging interview with Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Discover's writers cover a lot of ground. A worrisome essay is Jennifer Washburn's Science Under Siege, which identifies the biggest threat to science as the decline of government support and the growing dominance of private spending over American research. Stop by the library and read the whole issue.

Art work by middle-school students enhances the entire issue, and their aspirations for learning math and science are a pleasure to read.