What's that Stuff? C&EN Online makes it easier to find out.

Have you seen the new look for the American Chemical Society publications, including the member's news weekly Chemical & Engineering News? C&EN features regular elucidating columns with entertaining information about the chemicals we encounter in everyday life - perfect for the non-chemist and chemical savvy alike.

What's That Stuff? considers contact lens solutions this week. Have you stopped to wonder what's pooling around that contact lens as you tease it out of its lens case? Or given any thought to be benefits of the moisturizing agent polyvinyl pyrrolidone as opposed to, say, your own spit? No? You might want to find out!

Yeah! New Books for your Thanksgiving break

Want to read something that isn't required yet still engaging and educational? Todays' new books shipment offers some wonderful choices! Here are just a few to tempt you:

• Mean and lowly things by Kate Jackson, is a naturalist's glaringly truthful account of snakes, science, and survival in the Congo.
• A Supremely bad idea by Luke Dempsey follows three mad birders and their quest to see it all through 8 states, 1 foreign country, 129 towns, 34 national parks and "too many alarming motel rooms" to chase the most beautiful and rarest birds the country offers. [Listen to Bruce Gellerman's interview with the author on Living on Earth, Sept. 12]
  
• David and Richard Garfinkle's Three steps to the universe offers a guided tour from the sun to black holes to the mystery of dark matter throughout the entire universe.
• What the nose knows (Avery Gilbert) explores the science of scent in everyday life. One could only wish for scratch and sniff cards to make it complete.
• Peter Pringle brings us the story of Stalin's persecution of one of the great scientists of the twentieth century, in The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov.

There are plenty more, so come on in and browse the new books area! Or browse the new list online.

ACS Publications Unavailable this Weekend

On the weekend of November 15–16, 2008, the American Chemical Society Publications website will be unavailable as they deploy a dynamic new web delivery platform, hosting all 34 ACS Journals on a platform rich with new features and functionality. A flash-based demo showcasing many of the features and benefits of the new site is available at: http://pubs.acs.org/flashdemo

Download what you need before 8:30 a.m. Saturday!

Former CIA Director Woolsey on National Security and Oil

From Scientific American special editions, October 2008:
For National Security, Get Off Oil
Former CIA director R. James Woolsey says America's oil dependence is a grave threat
By Stephen D. Solomon

"At R. James Woolsey’s farm in southern Maryland, solar panels on the roof of his house send electricity back to the utility grid when his family is not using much power. And he drives a Toyota Prius hybrid with a conversion kit that enables him to recharge the car’s battery pack using an extension cord and household current."
Read more at Scientific American online
SciAm.com > Special Editions > Energy > Automotive Technology

Interested in learning more about hybrid cars and other energy technologies, from a physics perspective? Here's a fascinating new book that has just been cataloged on OBIS: Physics of societal issues : calculations on national security, environment, and energy / David Hafemeister. New York : Springer, c2007
Available online to OhioLINK libraries at springerlink.com. Link there from OBIS.

"Forward linking" in JSTOR

JSTOR continues to expand in the number of journal titles archived and in the wonderful flexibility of its search features. It also provides an easy way to jump from the archive to more recent issues of any journal title, through links to publishers' web sites and the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center when appropriate.

BROWSE BY DISCIPLINE is a quick way to see all of the content in a broadly defined subject area. The biological sciences are well-represented in JSTOR, but physical and chemical studies are plentiful in the General Science category. See, for example:

Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences Vol. 358, No. 1766, Jan., 2000

Science into the Next Millenium: Young Scientists Give Their Visions of the Future: II: Chemistry and Biological Physics.

Science titles added to the JSTOR archives in the past few months include:
Ambio
American Biology Teacher
Botanical Review
Economic Botany
Flora Neotropica
Folia Geobotanica
Oecologia

Create a MyJSTOR account, and you can take advantage of some great new features, such as exporting saved citations directly to RefWorks.

Have you tried RefWorks yet?

RefWorks is the newest bit of bibliographic nirvana the library offers. Okay, that's a wildly inaccurate overstatement and misuse of the true meaning of nirvana - but RefWorks is pretty darn nifty all the same. Get your references in order, all in the same electronic folder for a specific project or paper, have them formatted for you in just about any style you desire, share your references with research team members, and get in-text citations inserted in your manuscript as you write... all from a web-accessible server that you can access from any networked computer anywhere. Export citations directly from dozens of databases into your RefWorks account, and it even saves those handy FIND IT links to the full-text. You can also import all of those references you've stored on your computer with some other bibliographic management utility, and have the benefit of accessing those citations from anywhere! Want more information? Contact me and I'll walk you through the process - or get started on your own at refworks.com. Create your individual account and you'll be on your way.

Intriguing Reference Titles on the New Book Shelf.

Two of the new titles we received in our latest shipment of new books are:

• Encyclopedia of Scientific Principles, Laws, and Theories / Robert E. Krebs. 2 vols.
• The Senses: a Comprehensive Reference / Stuart Firestein, et al., editors. 6 vols.
  

Both are excellent sources for succinct and clear explanations of complex phenomena. Reading through the first title is far more entertaining than one might suspect, covering ancient to very recent principles, laws and theories in one alphabetical sequence. From Ptolemy's Theory of a Geocentric Universe to Schneider's Theory of Biological Systems and Climate Change, the 2-volume set covers a lot of ground. Just scanning the table of contents is enlightening, given the wide range of subjects offered. Take a look!

The Senses is far more in-depth in its presentation, providing longer articles on very specific topics (Neurotransmitters in the taste pathway; Aquatic animal models in the study of chemoreception; and Genomics of invertebrate olfaction are just three articles out of 220 or so). Each article is supported by numerous references to primary literature, so this is a very good starting point for research. Good illustrations and photographs add to its usefulness.

There are many other enticing books on the new book shelf - stop by and enjoy looking at the book covers and reading blurbs, at least, in between class and lab.

Intro to Permaculture: Ecological Edible Landscapes

Invitation to a Workshop on September 20, sponsored by OEFFA and Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Explore the basics of permaculture, a system of design that uses principles and processes found in nature to create food, fuel, and fiber for people, while caring for the earth and its inhabitants.

Focus on edible forest gardens; gardens which look and function like forests and provide food for people in urban and rural homes alike. From the design through planting and care, expert designers Josh Beniston of Habitats Landscaping and Brett Joseph of Conneaut Creek Farm will tell how to create such a garden anywhere.

$45 OEFFA members/ $60 non-members. Class size is limited so sign up early! Please bring your own brown bag lunch.

To register, send your check, along with your name, address, phone number and email to: OEFFA Workshops, 41 Croswell Road, Columbus OH 43214. Questions can be directed to laura@oeffa.org or 614-421-2022.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Classroom A
1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle, Cleveland OH 44106-1767
Saturday, Sept 20 - 9am-5pm

Get Oriented! New Student Tours of the Library on Friday

All of the campus libraries offer orientation tours for new students on Friday [complete orientation schedule, pdf]. You could make a day of wandering through all of our spaces! We suggest that you choose just one branch library to visit in addition to the VERY important introduction to the Main Library in Mudd. Plus, you get cookies and punch (maybe lemonade) when you take the Main Library tour... nice.

Science library tours are Friday afternoon @ 1:00, 1:30, 2:00 and 2:30. Only 20 minutes in length! You'll get to practice using the movable, compact shelving, find the current issue of Nature, check out a good study carrel to claim for the semester, and take a post-tour nap in a window seat, if you're so inclined. Nappers always welcome. See you Friday!

From Waltzing Planets and Nanostructures to Volcanoes and Flamingos

New books arrived last week, by the dozens. Quick, while there are just a few lovely weeks of summer left, grab a new book and head for the shade of the nearest tree on your lunch break. So many fascinating titles to explore! In addition to the tantalizing keywords in our blogpost title, we have new books on wildlife conservation in China, genomic approaches to stem cell biology, mycorrizhal symbiosis, scientific exploration of the dreaming brain, bacterial communication, and biogas generation from waste. You're sure to learn something new by even a cursory review of the new book shelf!

The Science Library, circa Summer 2002

I came across this photo while sorting through a drawer recently, and felt nostalgic at the sight of so many print journal issues! Just look at all those lovely things. The biology section of the current journals area is practically overflowing. This was taken early in the summer of 2002, after our first academic year in the new Science Center, and we were apparently gathering journals for binding (note the stacks of issues lying on top of the low shelving). Within just a few months more than 70 of these print titles were cancelled, in favor of online-only access at the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center, and we have continued to reduce the print collection since then. How quickly things can change!

New Faculty and Student Publication: FitzGerald, et al., Phys Rev B

Stephen FitzGerald and Affiliate Scholar Jesse Rowsell have collaborated with a number of OC students to publish new research findings in Physical Review B. Student collaborators and their anticipated (or actual) dates of graduation are listed at the end of this posting.

S. A. FitzGerald, K. Allen, P. Landerman, J. Hopkins, J. Matters, R. Myers, and J. L. C. Rowsell, "Quantum Dynamics of Adsorbed H2 in the Microporous Framework MOF-5 Analyzed using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy"

Physical Review B 77, 224301 (2008).

Thanks to Jesse Rowsell for providing this information: "Employing hydrogen as an energy carrier continues to be a lofty goal, with significant technological challenges remaining unmet. Storing the supercritical gas, both safely and efficiently, is a particularly difficult endeavour for vehicular power generation, i.e. using fuel cells. To improve hydrogen storage densities, several classes of sorbent materials have been identified. Only a handful of analytical tools are currently available to assist scientists in understanding the interaction between H2 and these materials, some requiring very expensive instrumentation and limited resources, such as nuclear reactors.

"Our work involves the use of a compact infrared spectrometer equipped with a sample chamber that can be pressurized with hydrogen gas and cooled to temperatures approaching 10 K (-263°C). Under these conditions, hydrogen molecules stick to the surface of the sorbent material and their rotational and vibrational motion--which is quantum mechanical--can be analyzed. Ultimately, the spectral data provide information on the strength of the H2 binding at discrete sites on the material's surface, allowing an assessment of its performance. As we analyze a wider array of sorbents, correlations between their structures and properties should emerge, providing some direction for enhancing their hydrogen storage efficiencies."

Student collaborators:
Jesse Hopkis 2009
Patrick Landreman 2008
John Matters 2008
Kelty Allen 2007
Ross Myers 2007

The mighty Mustard seed: an alternative to methyl bromide and a green fuel source

Methyl bromide is an effective and highly toxic biocide used widely in strawberry fields of California. It is also one of the last major contributors to the hole in the ozone layer. The EPA has established more stringent guidelines for pesticide use, to protect agriculture workers, and alternatives to methyl bromide are actively being researched. Living On Earth considers one promising alternative in this week's show: ground-up mustard seed being developed by Farm Fuel Incorporated. Listen to the radio show [download mp3 file] or read the transcript.

[image from G.S. Dunn, Dry Mustard Millers]

Farm Fuel Inc. is also involved in developing biodiesel for transit buses. Scott Doggett, a contributor to Green Car Advisor, tells more in his post "This Biodiesel Plan's a Spicy One!"

Geological Context for the Wenchuan Earthquake

The July issue of GSA Today, published for members of the Geological Society of America (GSA), includes an indepth study of the geological and geophysical factors of the recent deadly earthquake in China.

Given the world-wide interest in this devastating event, the GSA has made the article available for open access.

The books just keep on coming!

Another large shipment of new books brings many more possibilities for your summer reading list. Continuing the garden theme, we offer Gods and goddesses in the garden : Greco-Roman mythology and the scientific names of plants, by Peter Bernhardt. There is something for everyone on the new book shelf, whether you're looking for an explanation of the placebo effect or want to explore the color of butterfly wings or are anxious to identify a spotted tail quoll (see color plate 1 of Trees, truffles, and beasts for a close up of that carnivorous marsupial). The universe and solar system are featured in several new titles, as is sedimentary geology. Not to be missed is Bonk: the curious coupling of science and sex, by Mary Roach, best-selling author of Stiff. Alternative reproductive tactics provides a rather drier but no less fascinating approach to studying sexual behavior. Do stop by and find a book for yourself. Gracious, it is nearly the end of June! So many options, so little time ...before required reading takes over students' lives.

Summer Reading is Here!

Our newest shipment of books includes great titles to see you through the summer. Chemistry in the garden by James Hanson, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is a fine introduction to natural products chemistry in common plants possibly growing in your own backyard.

The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter "is at once a history of ideas and an exploration of modern science and the frontiers of human knowledge" [from the publisher, Princeton Univ. Press].

There are dozens more on the new book list! Selected keywords from the list will whet your appetite for good reading: Archimedes, Hiroshima, stem cell ethics, feminist science, DNA & evolution, nanosilicon, death in the Cretaceous, seashells, parasitoids, sexual behavior, synergy, biomass combustion, hydrogen future, neuroeconomics, Amazon, stream ecology...

stop in and check out a few. Heard of a good book we should order? Tell us! email aricker at oberlin.edu. Thanks.

New Report from NSTC: Effects of Global Change on U.S.

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has released its report, Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the U.S., dated May 2008.

As reported by Andrew C. Revkin in the New York Times (May 28, 2008, p. A14), "The rise in concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from human activities is influencing climate patterns and vegetation across the United States and will significantly disrupt water supplies, agriculture, forestry and ecosystems for decades." Among the more sobering conclusions of the report are the predictions of wide-spread water shortages in the western U.S., with dire consequences for populations and agriculture, and the migration of invasive species adversely impacting ecosystems throughout North America.

Healthy biodiversity, essential for ecosystem maintenance, is predicted to suffer as species struggle to adapt to rising temperatures, and conditions that encourage parasitic-induced disease as well as competition for resources and suitable reproductive habitats. From the Executive Summary: "The resilience of many ecosystems is likely to be exceeded this century by an unprecedented combination of climate change, associated disturbances (e.g., flooding, drought, wildfire, insects, ocean acidification), and other global change drivers (e.g., land use change, pollution)." Read the Summary and Findings.

Faculty publication: A. J. Roles in Evolution, May 2008

Angela J. Roles, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, has published a portion of her doctoral dissertation in this month's issue of Evolution:

"Fitness effects of mutation accumulation in a natural outbred population of wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum): comparison of field and greenhouse environments."
vol. 62 (May): 1066-1075.

This issue was not yet accessible on either the BioOne or OhioLINK EJC servers at the time of this posting, but it will be very soon. In the meantime, you can read the print issue in the library.

US Lists Polar Bear as Threatened Species

From the Natural Resources Defense Council, taken from Associated Press and NRDC Press Release, May 14:

"Faced with Scientific Evidence on Global Warming, Court Order, and Public Pressure, Government Grants Polar Bear Endangered Species Act Listing Due to Global Warming."

Despite listing polar bear as a species requiring protection under the Endangered Species Act, the first such listing attributed to loss of habitat due to global warming, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said it would be "inappropriate" to use the listing as an impetus to address global warming generally or reduction of greenhouse gases specifically. Learn more at Defenders of Wildlife.

Darwin Online

On this date… May 14, 1856

Charles Darwin, then 47, sits down in the study of his country home in Down, England, and starts to write On the Origin of the Species.*

You can now read Darwin’s publications and correspondence online!

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online

The Darwin Correspondence Project

*from: The Illustrated Almanac of Science, Technology, and Invention.