Exxon fights Columbia University Instead of Fighting Global Warming - http://clapway.com/2015/12/02/exxon-fights-columbia-university-instead-fighting-global-warming/

There is a very serious matter at hand between Exxon and Columbia University. A dean at Columbia University announced that they believe that they are making false accusations against them for ethical misconduct about some of their graduate students.

THE SIDE OF EXXON IN THIS DILEMMA

Ken Cohen, an executive at Exxon, accused some journalists and graduate students from Columbia University for deliberately skewing their research on some of their articles. Cohen goes on to say that he believes that Columbia University’s research policy prevents any data from being manipulated in a way that presents the research as inaccurate. Cohen stated that he believes that that is what Columbia did and that they are violating their own policy. This is Exxon’s side of the story. However, Columbia University thinks otherwise.

THE SIDE OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Steve Coll, the dean of the University of Columbia’s journalism school, is categorically denying that their graduate students and journalists of Columbia University skewed Exxon’s research on purpose. Coll was stated as saying that he was shocked that they were accusing them of this accusation. He stated that they possess email records that prove that their allegations are not true. Coll continued by going through all of the all of the email and telephone exchanges for them.

Instead of accusing Columbia University of doing something that does not appear to be true, Exxon should be focusing on trying to fight and stop global warming. The company has bigger fish to fry than focusing their time accusing Columbia University of ethical misconduct. Global warming is not something that is just randomly going to disappear. It is something that needs to be focused on heavily and hopefully they will realize that and do it. However, it seems like they are not going to lay down for Columbia.

Exxon fights Columbia University Instead of Fighting Global Warming

The Ice Bucket Challenge Actually Helped in Funding High-Risk Studies for ALS - http://clapway.com/2015/08/20/the-ice-bucket-challenge-actually-helped-in-funding-high-risk-studies-for-als123/

It’s been a year since the ice bucket challenge literally flooded our Facebook timelines. The good news: all that dumping of ice-cold water on our bodies did not go in vain.

The ice bucket challenge funneled serious money into ALS research

The ice bucket challenge was instituted by the ALS Association as a means to create awareness about ALS and to raise funds for research. ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a debilitating and progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells and the spinal cord. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 12,000-15,000 people in the United States suffer from ALS. Also, called Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS has no cure, although some treatments may reverse or impede the progressive nerve damage. A lot of what happens at the cellular level in ALS is unknown. The ice bucket challenge raised about $220 million, which has helped clear some of the mystery.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins discover effects of key protein involved in ALS

Researchers Philip Wong and Jonathan Ling at Johns Hopkins University, who were working on ALS for about a decade, needed funding to study the effects of a protein called TDP-43. This protein was often found in clumps in ALS brains upon autopsy. It wasn’t known whether they caused the disease or were a result of it. The ice bucket challenge funding came at a crucial point, and they discovered that TDP-43 was essential for proper nerve function, and that by delivering a protein that mimicked the effects of TDP-43 in the nerve cells, they were able to prevent the cells from dying. This new protein mimic could thus be developed into a therapy to reduce nerve damage in ALS patients.

Biogen and Columbia University to map the genes involved in ALS

The ice bucket money will also be put to good use by a collaborative project between Biogen Inc. and Columbia University Medical Center. They plan to map out the genes and clinical traits of people with ALS. They believe that genes and the traits they control could give a clue to the bodily changes that occur much before the disease is diagnosed. This could help initiate early therapy and perhaps stall disease progression.

For all the flak the ice bucket challenge received, these promising studies should show that activism is not always slack.

So, what’s on your bucket list?

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The Ice Bucket Challenge Actually Helped in Funding High-Risk Studies for ALS

Single Molecule Diode Paves Way for Microscopic Electronics - http://clapway.com/2015/05/26/single-molecule-diode-paves-way-for-microscopic-electronics-123/

Researchers at Columbia and Berkeley have successfully created an effective single molecule diode, a development that could lead to the creation of nano-scale electronic devices. The concept of a single molecule diode was first proposed in 1974 By Mark Ratner and Arieh Aviram, and has until now been a tantalizingly unachievable goal in nanotechnology. Now that a one-molecule diode has been developed, the world may be closer to seeing an entire electronic device contained in one molecule.

WHAT IS A SINGLE MOLECULE DIODE?

A diode basically acts as a gate for the flow of electricity. It only allows electricity to travel through it in one direction. Diodes are a crucial part of the circuits that power the electronic devices we use every day, including the microchips that make computers work. The single molecule diode is exciting because it will allow for a new phase in the miniaturization of electronics.

BETTER THAN BEFORE

Although single molecule diodes have been created in the past, this new molecule outperforms previous attempts by far. The older single molecule diodes were simply molecules designed to have an asymmetrical structure. While the asymmetrical structure did give these molecules some of the properties of diodes, it was not enough to achieve completely unidirectional travel of current.

The new single molecule diode is more than 50 times more effective than its predecessors at making electricity flow only in one direction. It also conducts much more power: 0.1 microamps. The new diode achieves these remarkable results through simple means. Instead of focusing on making the molecule itself asymmetrical, the researchers introduced asymmetry into its environment. Since this single molecule diode is so easily constructed, it will be relatively simple to incorporate into current nano-scale devices.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Diodes are not the only electronic components that might be made out of a single molecule. Since Aviram and Ratner’s 1974 paper, scientists have been experimenting with turning molecules into electrical switches, transistors, and more. The hope is that eventually entire circuits will be built out of single-molecule components. The team of researchers that created the new diode will now focus on trying to understand more clearly the mechanics behind why their new device works.

Single Molecule Diode Paves Way for Microscopic Electronics