The Last Chapters

The Last Chapters

Kolbert is definitely passionate in her quest to find the answers and tell the true tale of global warming. In the chapter about Burlington, Vermont, we see an idealistic vision of what the world could hopefully become. The Mayor and the City took things into their own hands, regardless of what little the government would do to help. Here we begin to acknowledge that life does go on, there could be a brighter tomorrow. With the help of local businesses and community members, Burlington has shown it’s true color, and it looks green to me.

I liked this chapter, mainly because it showed a place close-to-home, that has made steps toward a greener future. I think that Plattsburgh, just as easily, could provide some kind of greener-tomorrow standards or suggestions. If the City of Plattsburgh showed that it cared, maybe it’s inhabitants would sense that it’s finally a time for change. Another thing that I like about this chapter, is that Kolbert also explains what going on in the opposite spectrum, China. In this, she tells that even if Burlington continues it’s efforts, it will all be for nothing, because Industrial China is on the rise. In this, I suppose, she intends to provide us with the notion that the entire world must make major changes to counteract this impending doom. In a way she makes a wedge of her own when explaining Burlington’s progress, which is interesting, I think.

In the last chapter, she makes it clear that something needs to be done now. Not tomorrow, not next week, right now some kind of massive wave of change needs to be blasted throughout our world. We all need to make a change. I like this portion, because it firmly stands by every statement she has made throughout the book. It is us that is the problem. We lack the will to change. It’s funny, I think I remember that line from the recent flick The Day the Earth Stood Still. It is the essential idea that we all must prove we can beat this, that intrigues me the most, as a reader. She continues to explain the surely catastrophic repercussions, and she continues to explain the stupidity of the Bush Administration.

The fact remains that the earth will survive, it will sustain what life survives the next century, and whatever happens, it probably won’t really effect us. This, she explains in so many words, is pretty much how the White House looks at the global warming crisis. Luck and resourcefulness are two human qualities that we all have, but simply find them hard to acknowledge. We have the will, we just need to tap it.

The Afterword is just one more collaborative effort to sink all of the facts and ideas from the book, into the readers minds forever. She explains what’s happening right now, and she shows us that New Orleans and Katrina is just the front page of it all. How many hurricanes? How many have we had in the last half century? What? It’s just a great way to leave us, right here, right now, amongst all the muddied debris and rotting flesh.

On the Reading

At this point, Kolbert certainly made it clear that global warming is real and the consequences are severe. Now she begins to explain what exactly our indivual CO2 emmissions mean to the situation. I really enjoy the statement, "Here in the United States, most of us begin generating CO2 as soon as we get out of bed." It puts a shot into my mind that makes me think of tiny little molecules slowly being released into the air as I go about my daily routine. After she deliberately explains what we're doing to the earth every day is destroying it, then she begins to give us real methods of action. She goes on to establish those scientists that are making the effort, however are lacking the support. Kolbert presents to the readers, every possible way we could revert the earth's CO2 levels to that of a pre-Y2K climate system. The problems that persists, as always, is ourselves. The answer is implemenation of these projected ideas to save our world. Without actual theory being put into play, what else can we do?

The next chapter, titled The Day After Kyoto, shined a light on certain presidential administration affairs on this subject. I'd like to say, firstly, that I'm sure whatever grudge Kolbert held against Dobriansky, is slightly less intense. Besides the entertainment of this chapter, as she continously bashes the Bush administration in every way she could devise, I feel it does explain the truth behind the matter. We've been told over and over that the Bush administration lacked the will to make an effort, after reading this chapter, I feel as though the government was blaitently denying the problem. This chapter is an inside look on how the political and economic goals do not include the safety of our planet, but rather the safety of our wallets. Power and greed continue to run the world, when will it end?

The Reading

For me, chapter 5 is definitely the most boring segment of the book, thus far. I do like how she continues to thread the idea that this is all for our planet, which is in dire need of our help. One scientist proposed that within a hundred years, he wouldn't be surprised if most things were destroyed. I think that she uses her examples, for the most part, to display the severity of what could happen should we continue to choose (and she tells us that we do have a choice, from a geopolitical standpoint) not to change our destructive ways.

The most intriguing fact that Kolbert poses in chapter six, is that the planet is already nearly as warm as it ever has been in the past 420, 000 years. She explains in this piece that global warming causes the waters of earth to expand and in many cases, it has caused a certain amount of flooding that, in turn, has forced those human inhabitants to adapt to that specific area. I like this chapter a bit more than the last, for the concept that she implies when she writes of floating houses. She shows us all that even humans have had to begin to adapt to the recent climatic changes.

I'm wondering when she's going to pose some ideas to make all this go away. She's shown us in so many ways that it's real and we as a people, globally, can make a difference. The question is what can we do to change the political agenda of the world's industrial and greed-based ideals?

Chapter 4 Observations

This was definitely an interesting chapter for me, specifically because I'm writing a paper on this subject. Extinctions have occurred throughout the history of our planet, however, recently we've discovered that the current rate of extinctions are related to global warming. In The Butterfly and the Toad, Kolbert explains the reality that species are on the move with thanks to climate change.

I think she's extremely successful in showing the reader that this is real, this is happening now and it's a big deal. The hard data and facts revealed by her interviews shows us that it's not a just few species at risk, and it's not in very highly selective regions of the globe. The effects she describes with the consistent migration of the comma is a great example to start out with and I think it's important to show early on that this subject relates to many places, which she does. She has top notch sources with the most up-to-date knowledge on the subject, though she tells it all in a story that we can see through her eyes.

Obviously, she chose these examples because they're all related to global warming and the changes it's created for these organisms. Some can adapt and some cannot, species die out and new forms of life take their place. The two main examples, however, are complete opposites, which shows that everything is being affected in different ways. What she really wants the readers to understand, I believe, is that the situation is proving to worsen and that the main threat is human.

The most striking piece of information that I read was the fact that in a matter of a few years, an entire amphibian species, the golden toad was wiped out, simply due to a lack of rain. The part that really got to me, was when she explains that in one single year, the population went from 1,500 toads to a total of 8. Then that was it, another year or so and they were gone. This makes me think how easily and how quickly life can disappear. It was very disturbing to think of thousand of eggs and tadpoles burning to a crisp, in what must have been their birth sites since who knows when.

The quality of her information is equal to the quality of her writing, and that makes this a truly gripping chapter in the book. It's a serious look at what is happening to life on our planet due to global warming. The information is fairly easy to comprehend, but there's still a fortitude of scientific background, in the quotes, especially. The only thing I can think of, that I didn't like in this chapter, was that some of the information differentiated from research I'd recently done on this subject. Honestly, though, I think I'd rather believe her Kolbert.

Question/Topic For Class

A question that I've thought a lot about, recently, is why isn't anybody doing anything? There's so much research and so many people are devoted to figuring this whole equation out, but for what? Action needs to be taken and it needs to happen now. When a large enough number of people come together to make this change a reality, only then could even the slightest changes begin. Do we, as a people, really even want to change?

About the Reading

(Meltwater in Greenland)

Chapters two and three held numerous significant pieces of evidence that support this theory of global warming. The first bit of evidence comes from about 150 years ago, when a scientist named Tyndall identified what we call the "natural greenhouse effect." This was explained through his invention of a device he called a ratio spectrophotometer, which allowed him to compare the radiation of gases in our atmosphere.
Klobert continues to shed some light on the history of this concept of global warming and who made the significant advancements to ultimately shed light on the reality of global warming. One scientist, Arrhenius, discovered that the burning of fossil fuels contributes to an increase of CO2 in our atmosphere. He assumed that no harm would come from this and obviously had no idea how important this discovery truly was. He also determined that doubling the CO2 in the atmosphere would cause a global temperature rise around nine and 11 degrees, a scientific reality that is still proven today.
A most obvious piece of evidence that global warming exists is what has been labeled as "The Keeling Curve." This chart shows the increase in CO2 concentration over the last 40 years. It shows that the CO2 parts per million have increased from 315 to over 380 since 1959. Next in chapter 3, she tells us that NASA's scientists have determined that throughout the 90s the Greenland ice sheet had been melting by 12 cubic centimeters per year.
Kolbert continues to talk about the realities of global warming, and the massive melting that has taken place in the Arctic over the last half a century. She talks of receding glaciers and the increase of ice flows and of course, the lessening of ice in the coldest places in the world.
I think the amount of evidence in just these two chapters is enough of a suggestion, for me, that global warming is a real threat. The fact that we now know how real and severe it is, and that we're still not doing anything about it, is the real shocker.
Again, I enjoy Kolbert's writing style, her storytelling. It's extremely important that she gives us a face to face look at the people most disturbed by global warming, which she does by introducing the readers to a range of people involved. From scientists to natives, she gives us a closer look at how these people's lives are effected, and also how they're advancing research on global warming. I think, for the most part, that she stays objective. She just makes it very, very clear that global warming is real and it is a threat. As to the quality of her explanatory powers, I believe she is quite gifted. She gives so much history and so much character in so few pages and the quote from page 58, describing that the proverbial doomsday clock "is already five past midnight," is a very strong statement.

Three Questions/Observations

Firstly, I like the casuality of the writing. It's simple and easy enough for anybody to understand, and that's the point, isn't it? She states that this book is for everybody, and it's written to allow that possibility. It's a lot of new scientific information to soak in, so as to my judgements on the quality of writing, I believe it's got a great conversational style added to an abundance of facts related to global warming.

I like that it's mentioned very early on (page 2) that although she's been very specific places of interest, there are hundreds to thousands of places in the world that are seeing global warming's effects. It puts the threat in true perspective--some places are showing more severe effects, regardless, the entire planet is under effect.

I think it's great that by the end of the first chapter, she's suggested a range of ideas and theories that pertain to directly to us and global warming. This is a book that doesn't just tell you what global warming is, it shows each of us the severity and the simplicity in that we all must make a difference. Seems to me that the author fears the worst for our planet, and she tells a story of how it is and of how it could be.

That's basically what I've taken from the first pages, I like it so far.

Araneus Arachnids

For those who aren't terrified of the hairy little eight-legged creatures we call spiders, congratulations.

Only 10 percent of men "admit' to having arachnophobia, fear of spiders, although I think the need to maintain masculinity may have been a factor in some cases. For the most part, spiders serve as a helpful ally in our ongoing quest to destroy annoying pests like the common house fly.

Recently at hunting camp, as I was opening one of the old window's wooden shutters, one such arachnid decided to descend upon me. I screamed, surely, and staggered backward until I felt remotely safe around 15 or 20 feet away from my attacker. I yelled "Dad! Dad! Come look at the size of this thing!" He came over slowly with a stick and began to poke at it like a small child. Before any damage could be done, I grabbed the stick and decided to try and take a few close-ups.

Absolutely ready to swat and squish at any time, I crept up to what I now believe to be a member of the Araneus family, also known as orb weavers.

These spiders which spin round flat webs to catch their food, belong to the family Araneidae.
This divides into a couple of different groups with the largest being the genus Araneus, which consists of over 1,500 species worldwide.

One such species, the barn spider as pictured above, often builds webs in open spaces and stays in a kind of retreat or hole with a strand of web attached to a nearby leaf. The spider does this so that when something touches the web with enough force to move the leaf, he or she will know they've caught something and then proceed to move in for the kill.

This species is found all over the US and Europe, and their unique "ink-blot-like" markings make them quite a spectacle of life's intricacies. The legs and under body is generally orange, but in instances such as this, the legs can take a hue of magenta, giving the legs a rather pinkish flare. The massive abdomen is naturally a work of art that can be used as both a display of superiority and as a lure of curiosity.

After my model kindly stayed in one place for me, I thanked him and let him be. It was far from a cure of my fear, spiders still seriously freak me out, but it was cool to get within centimeters of such an amazing specimen.

Could insects ever evolve into beings as intelligent as we are?

It's Sunday, and the Giants are pounding the Raiders. As I sit and wonder what to blog, I ask my roommate if insects could ever evolve into beings as intelligent as we are. He is clad in a blue Giants jersey with hat, and is clutching a small 'Giants' Nerf-football. Upon being asked this question he simply peers over and says "their brains are tiny, they could never think like we do."
A scientist could spend his life pondering the same question, only to come to that same end result--a bug's brain is incapable of functioning at our level.
The main difference between the way humans and other animals have evolved is the kind of intelligence we have. Most animals have a special kind of intelligence, known as instinct, which means that they are born with special knowledge pre-programmed into their genetics. For instance, crocodiles are born with the special knowledge of hunting. Some guidance is needed, but the basic urge to do so is already stamped into the crocodile's mind.
Other "intelligent" animals, like humans, other advanced primates, and dolphins think differently. We don't have as much intelligence already programmed into us from the get go, as our intelligence must be learned. Humans aren't born with special knowledge of how to drive cars or operate computers, we are taught. Such knowledge must be passed down from generation to generation, hopefully leaving each a bit smarter than the next.
The number of species of insect ranges from two million to 50 million, due to the fact that humans have yet to find every living organism on this planet. In the history of the world, insects have remained to be organisms of lesser intelligence. All things evolve. Some things evolve so quickly, nobody ever knows that it happened. Everyday a human being evolves many ways thanks to our ability to think. The changes around us, the feelings we conspire, everything we do can lead to evolutionary breakthroughs. We can choose.
An insect does not have the choice to learn, they are not incapable of learning, but of comprehension, the insect knows little. For example, an ant is closely following behind his cousin on the way back to their home. A large shadow moves overhead and slowly a large object is closing down on them. The shadow is a man, and the object is a right-footed Nike. It's that simple.
An ant or any insect, for that matter, really doesn't have a chance at becoming as intelligent as we are. They've been around for millions of years and have yet to change significantly because they are not meant to. Even insects have highly-organized societies and methods of survival, but these are the skills in which these insects could evolve.
It goes back to Darwin, survival of the fittest, and simple evolutionary adaptation due to a change in environment. If global warming does persist, then perhaps insects will change in ways to survive. Insects could not evolve into beings as intelligent as we are, based on what we know now and the current status of our planet's ecology.

Of Strong Will and Profound Ideas

For the last half-century, and many years prior, scientists have studied the universe. Theories upon theories have been formulated in an effort to answer the ultimate question: How did the universe begin?

The article, Stephen Hawking Is Making His Comeback, pays tribute to a man and a dream to find the answers to our universe. Simply, the man's will in unchallengeable. Having been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in 1963, his mindset has not lessened, if anything it has grown substantially.

Imagine losing control of your body. Imagine struggling with the main functions that you've used every day to get out of bed, take a shower, or get dressed. Imagine being one of the most brilliant minds in the world with these problems.

HOW DOES ONE HANDLE the problem of solving the mysteries of the universe, while incapable of using a pen or pencil? HOW DOES ONE HANDLE the constant drive to explore knowledge and test theory in a subject few find remotely understandable? HOW DOES ONE HANDLE combining relativity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics to suggest an unproven theory with only the mind as a tool for research?

This article is definitely inspiring. The fact that he is still around is a testament to his will and his purpose as a physicist. An average person with a tenth of Hawking's strength could not amount to what he achieves on a daily basis.

(i) Lede (20%): I think the lede is quite strong, I feel like I'm in that place, and more importantly I feel as though I am being introduced to someone very special. It's easy to read, easy to get into. I'd give the lede a 18 out of 20 mainly because there was really a stabbing grabber, but it remains great as it is.

(ii) Content (20%): As far as content goes, this deserves a 20 out of 20. No questions seemed left unanswered and there is such a wealth of his history as well as the history of his research, that it feels complete.

(iii) Organization (20%): Love it. I thought it was very refreshing to have the conclusion tie into the lede after a lengthy 10 page article. The article seems very well rounded, and things play out as the actual happenings occurred in history. 20 out of 20.

(iv) Quality of writing (20%): I think the quality of writing in this piece keeps up with the quality of the work and person described. Transitions and quotes are introduced with nice fluidity. The article reads well and doesn't require a rest although it gets heavy at points. The writing fully encompasses his journey and triumph, so I believe it's an easy 20 out of 20.

(v) Clarity of exposition (20%):The entire article portrays a man in a deep struggle with disease and unimaginable questions to answer. The writing is thick in spots and extremely scientific. For the most part, the writing is legible to the average person, but in some areas there could possibly be room for a more understandable analogy. 18 out of 20.

96/100 Article..in my opinion.

What is an esker?

Often known locally as a "horseback," an esker is a long and narrow, slightly raised stretch of sediment. You see, around 1.5 million years ago glaciers began melting, forming rivers underneath. As with all rivers, they carried sediment quite easily across the landscape. The glaciers then completely melted, leaving behind a range of twisting ridges in regions such as Manitoba, Canada and Maine in the U.S..

The name esker comes from the Irish word eiscir, which means: "a ridge or elevation, especially one separating two plains or depressed surfaces." The term was used to describe long, winding ridges, which we now know to be deposits of glacial flows. The best-known example of such an esker is the Eiscir Riada, which runs the entire width of the island of Ireland from Dublin to Galway.

At the time of the glacial melting, much of the sediment from these rivers was carried out to the ocean to become marine sediment. That which was not carried to sea was left behind in long ridges of mineral deposit which are used today as highways.

These ridges are snake-like casts of a prehistoric landscape composed of glaciers and the rivers running underneath. Besides the fact that these places provide a descent vantage point and in most cases keep your feet dry, we can actually imagine how these rivers once flowed. When an esker is comprised of finer sediments, one can tell that 1.5 million years ago this part of the region was a particularly slow going river. In some cases all that's left behind is silt, which indicates an extremely fast paced water flow once passed through.

Even our own Adirondacks are home to several eskers, with a pair near Star Lake in the Western region.

The Headline-- A Modest Proposal:How to Stop Aging Entirely

(Elders)

Biologist Aubrey de Grey lays out a plan to stay young forever. Key step: finally winning the war on cancer.by Aubrey de Grey and Michael Rae

The Lede:

In my view, we can probably eliminate aging as a cause of death this century—and possibly within just a few decades, soon enough to benefit most people currently alive.

What could that achieve, in humanitarian terms? I’ll start with some numbers. Around 150,000 people die each day worldwide—that’s nearly two per second—and of those, about two-thirds die of aging. That’s right: 100,000 people. That’s about 30 World Trade Centers, 60 Katrinas, every single day. In the industrialized world, the proportion of deaths that are attributable to aging is around 90 percent—yes, that means that for every person who dies of any cause other than aging, be it homicide, road accidents, AIDS, whatever, somewhere around 10 people die of aging.

Many people, when thinking about the idea of adding years to life, commit the “Tithonus error”—the presumption that, when we talk about combating aging, we’re only talking about stretching out the grim years of debilitation and disease with which most people’s lives currently end. In fact, the opposite is true. The defeat of aging will entail the elimination of that period, by postponing it to indefinitely greater ages so that people never reach it. There will, quite simply, cease to be a portion of the population that is frail and infirm as a result of age. It’s not just extending lives that I’m advocating; it’s the elimination of the almost incalculable amount of suffering—experienced not only by the elderly themselves, of course, but by their loved ones and caregivers—that aging currently visits upon us. Oh, and there’s the minor detail of the financial savings that the elimination of aging would deliver to society: It’s well established that the average person in the industrialized world consumes more health care resources in his or her last year of life than in an entire life up to that point, irrespective of age at death, so we’re talking about trillions of dollars per year.

.....

When someone simply states that humans may not die from aging in the next 25 years, it really makes you think about what the world could be in the not-so-distant future.

I like this lede mainly because of that first sentence that presents this crazy idea that's surely straight out of a sci-fi/fantasy novel. It's short, it's sweet, it's daring. To think that we may never live to see all the long years of suffering at the end of our lives is a wonderful thought.

Then she goes in with the facts and numbers. 100,000 people die of old age every second? Wow. Postponing death indefinitely? Wow.

We seem to be living in a time where change is moving at maximum velocity. The discoveries that we make today are pieces of enormous and intricate puzzles, in which many have been and are nearly complete. Less than 15 years ago, the Internet was made available for public use. Since then, it seems, we've become a world that revolves largely around technology. So much has changed since then.

Since the beginning of intelligent thought, we've strived to improve the quality of life. The idea presented in this lede is inspiring. I like it a lot.

New England Aster

The New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, formerly Aster novae-angliaeis) is a hardy perennial, native to the northeastern portion of the United States. The large light violet to deep purple flowers have distinct yellow centers found clustered at the end of branching stems. The plants height can be anywhere between two and six feet, this specimen at around two. Germination takes between 21 and 45 days during the months of August to October. The leaves, when crushed, release an aroma similar to turpentine.

This particular grouping was found about two feet to the left of my parents little garden in Cadyville, NY. Though these flowers weren't planted, they are popular at the Florist's. With over 20, 000 differing species in the aster family, each is similar yet unique. These flowers here will bloom right along with the changing of the leaves in the fall.

The Best Headline of All Time

I think my favorite headline was: Living in 'The Age of Stupid'. I feel like that's such a dumb but true statement, which is strong by itself.
In a time where it seems like there is such an abundance of technology and ideas, it seems like it should be simple to handle the immense problems in our world today. I think the answers to everything are out there and whether by time or human inclination to discover we will solve our problems--not to mention future problems.
We have the resources and the knowledge to act on certain things including solar, wind, water, and other forms of generating power. The fact that we are still continuing to live the same old lives regardless of what's happening to our planet is stupid. The lead is short, bitter, and powerfully true...what else do you need?

A Flush Flash of Fireweed

This beautiful species (epilobium angustifolium) often exists in large colonies in areas of land where burns have occurred, hence the name fireweed. These light pinkish-purple flowers have four large petals and are clustered from the mid-section to the top where the flowers are closed tightly and drooping. Also known as Great Willowherb, this plant has a variety of medicinal and edible uses.
This past Friday on the way to my parents camp in Onchiota, I stopped my Subaru Outback on the side of the Club's private dirt road. I saw to my left a small field of bright magenta floating amongst the tall pale green grasses and the sweet smell of late-Summer flowers was dense in the air. Dave Matthews Band played in the background as I pulled my tripod out of the trunk and screwed on my Kodak Z980. While humming "Why I am" the bees swarming all around in their florescent buffet seemed to add a distinctive bass-line that I'd yet to hear in the song, but enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless.
The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked especially in cakes and Stir-Fries. Late season are more bitter and tougher, early to mid season leaves are best and should only be eaten in moderation as nausea can take effect. A syrup was originally extracted from the flowers and stems, and nowadays the flowers are used in the making of Fireweed Jam.
Medicinal uses include oral use of the plant extracts often in the form of an infusion or tea, to treat prostate problems as well as diarrhea. It's also used topically to heal minor burns, rashes, ulcers, and other skin afflictions.
This native 2-5 foot plant usually flowers between June and September and can easily be found in the mountains of the Adirondacks.

More Problems in Africa

My South-African World Systems professor would say of Africa, "as a continent, Africa is alright, help is often the worst possible method of correction." As a nation, however, Kenya needs help.
One of the most anticipated droughts in the history of the nation were simply shrugged off by government officials when the time to act was presented. Some speak of a conspiracy by certain individuals in the grain industry to recently sell out before crop losses became too severe.
So many things are wrong with Africa, as a continent. I must completely disagree with my Inside Africa professor on this one. Kenya needs help, Niger, Chad, and this list continues with African Nations in dire need of support to even survive the current drought. Meteorologists predict that rain will come by early October. How many more have to die before the proper aid is given?
At this point, government officials are turning a cheek to the situation by simply denying a fact-people are dying due a drought, and without food or water, nothing can possibly survive. In a nation where hospitals are rare and one cannot simply dial the local physician, this problem needs to be solved immediately. Help is needed. Support from the UN is not strong enough, nor is the Global effort to aid those still breathing.
It's not just people, everything is dying. Plants, animals, and anything living is being eliminated by the extremely hostile elements of the environment. With no help, it seems as though these countries are doomed by our planet. Along with a lack of technology, Kenya is deeply in need of new resources not only to protect themselves from drought, but from the countless dangers encompassed with life in Africa.

Portable Lung Cancer Detector

More people die from lung cancer than any other form of cancer. It's a fact. Not everyone can afford CT scans and other diagnostic methods to check for the disease. That's a fact.
Research shows that your breath, alone, can tell you if you have lung cancer. Apparently this has been a know fact for sometime now. The breath of those with this disease has higher concentrations of alkanes and other volatile organic compounds, according to the Times.
Members of the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have recently developed what is to be known as a fairly inexpensive, portable sensor technology that can differentiate a healthy person from a lung cancer patient.
The sensor consists of tiny(5 billionths of a meter in diameter) particles of gold, which are capped with organic compounds chosen specifically to react with the deadly compounds found in the breath of people with the disease.
Here's how it works: When the volatile particles are deposited between two electrodes, they act as an electrical resistor. Researchers found that when combined, an array of nine resistors creates patterns of change in the array, depending on whether or not the person has cancer. In plain English, this means that by breathing into a small tube, filled with little sensors testing for changes involved with highly volatile particles, such as alkanes. These changes will either tell you if you have cancer, or hopefully that you're a healthy non-smoker.
This is a great achievement, that could possibly save hundreds or maybe even thousands who cannot afford health care. The researchers are still developing the system, and in the near future, they hope a similar approach could diagnose a range of diseases.

A Clue to Life?

We have found extraterrestrial life in our solar-system. Due to recent findings, scientists have detected the amino acid glycine in comet bits. In 2006 NASA's space probe, Stardust, brought back samples from the comet Wild 2.
To me, this means that the building blocks of life are in actuality, all around us. Our solar system must be truly abundant with these proteins, if a single probe can collect glycine from a single comet on one single mission. Some scientists think that gas clouds contain these amino acids, and that these proteins could possibly float right on through the cosmos. A puzzling thought, to be sure. Imagine life continually gliding through the universe, with no destination and an unknown point of origin. Absolutely extraordinary.
This finding definitely concludes that life does exist beyond earth. Perhaps in the near future we could discover intelligent life in the cosmos. Until then, we can all hope they come in peace.