Hailing from the University of California in Berkeley, the University of Michigan and MIT, these electrical engineers devised a process that mimics the natural occurrence of evaporation in plants. In a process called transpiration, water absorbed by the plant roots travel upwards to be excreted by the leaves. The scientists recreated leaves in the laboratory out of glass wafers etched with tiny water-filled channels that resemble veins. The glass leaves allow the water to evaporate through the open-ended veins, causing a continuous draw of fluid at the rate of 1.5 centimeters per second.
Tom Brokaw’s latest interview on Meet the Press with Thomas Friedman covers the politics of energy, the emergence of the United States as a leader in “E.T.,” and Friedman’s new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded. Friedman suggests that “E.T. (Energy Technology) is going to be the next IT.”
Now I’m scared. Paris Hilton has jumped into the Presidential race fray thanks to John McCain’s perhaps ill-advised decision to compare Barrack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. (See fellow blogger Clayton’s summary.) In return, Ms. Hilton came out with a professional-looking, tongue-in-cheek riposte that can only be described as… both an illuminating look into American celebrity culture and traditional politics, as well as what we should all understand as a snapshot into how speechwriting can make or break you.
