Algae based oil production ramps up, Oxygen in tumours predicts ...

It looks as though algae based biofuels have geared up for potential commercial production,?Sapphire Energy Raises $144 Million for an Algae Farm ?

The new funding will allow Sapphire to finish building its algae farm, near the small town of Columbus, New Mexico, just north of the U.S.?Mexico border. A 100-acre segment of the farm has already been finished, and when the whole project is complete, by 2014, Sapphire will have the capacity to produce about 1.5 million gallons of algae crude oil, which can be shipped to refineries to make chemicals and fuels such as diesel and gasoline.

Algae growing at Las Cruces facility via Sapphire Energy

The full article does express the concern that such a large scale facility might be pushing the limits of current technology. Thus far most algae based biofuels have been produced on a small scale and have been too expensive to be competitive with other fuel sources. Sapphire does estimate that it will take about six years for the new facility to reach maximum production potential and will be able to compete against fossil crude oil, currently at $85 a barrel. They also hope that the final oil product will be chemically close enough to be refined in the same plants as regular crude oil ? another costs saving factor. While they are using brackish and slightly dirty water, water supply still remains an issue. One gram of algae requires one thousand grams of water.

Oxygen in tumours predicts prostate cancer recurrence

Low oxygen levels in tumours can be used to predict cancer recurrence in men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer even before they receive radiation therapy ? a breakthrough that could change the way their cancer is treated.

?We?ve not only shown that men do worse if they have low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in their prostate cancer, but that they also do worse over a shorter period of time,? said Dr. Michael Milosevic, a U of T professor of radiation oncology and radiation oncologist in the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Cancer Program, University Health Network (UHN). ?These patients seem to develop cancer recurrence within only a few years of completing treatment.?

The clinical research, led by radiation oncologists from the University of Toronto and the PMH Cancer Program, (UHN) was published online in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

?This information could change the way prostate cancer is treated and goes a long way to ensuring that all patients receive the right treatment from the outset ? based on their individual tumour,? Milosevic said. ?At the heart of it, this is what personalized medicine is all about.?

I thought this was an interesting finding ? and a reminder to any middle-aged male readers to include a prostate exam in your next check-up. Though the specific changes in treatment seemed a little unclear to me. They did say that based on these findings they hoped that identifying the factors that influence prostate cancer behavior will lead to the exploration of new drugs to target hypoxia in tumors.

SFI ?Eggcited? About Packaging for White House Easter Eggs

For the fourth year in a row, the National Park Foundation has decided to package the official White House Easter Egg in a gift box made from paperboard certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

?I am thrilled that the National Park Foundation chose to package their famous White House Easter Eggs in SFI-certified boxes,? said SFI president and CEO Kathy Abusow. ?This action is an excellent example of making environmentally responsible decisions and will hopefully inspire others in the public and private sector to think creatively about their own sustainable practices.?

The National Park Foundation decided four years ago to start making the conservation of American forests an integral part of the historical White House Easter Egg Roll and package the eggs in paperboard sourced from responsibly managed forests.

Hopefully with events such as the White House Easter Egg Hunt will increase awareness of looking for paper and wood products with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative(SFI) label.

Science question of the week. Identify the molecule in the picture. be careful not to assume because it is H2O2. The answer is at the bottom of this post.

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