http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- In excess of seven million barrels of gasoline are consumed by vehicles in the United States every day. As scientists race to find environmentally sound solutions to fuel the world`s ever-growing transportation needs, battery researchers are exploring the promise of lithium-air battery technology. http://www.physorg.com/news180639792.html Technology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:43:41 EST news180639792 (PhysOrg.com) -- Ethanol, often promoted as a clean-burning, renewable fuel that could help wean the nation from oil, would likely worsen health problems caused by ozone, compared with gasoline, especially in winter, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news180011426.html Space & Earth Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:11:32 EST news180011426 (PhysOrg.com) -- The genetically modified cyanobacterium consumes carbon dioxide and produces the liquid fuel isobutanol by using energy from sunlight. http://www.physorg.com/news179683624.html Biology Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:07:55 EST news179683624 Outrageous prices may not be the only thing causing anger at the petrol pumps. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Physiology, has shown that rats exposed to fumes from leaded and unleaded gasoline become more aggressive. http://www.physorg.com/news178264764.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:02:11 EST news178264764 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have built a machine that uses the sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide waste from power plants into transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The system could provide an alternative to carbon sequestration; instead of permanently storing CO2 underground, the CO2 could be recycled and put to use. http://www.physorg.com/news178203219.html Chemistry Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:06:36 EST news178203219 Budding US hybrid car maker Fisker Automotive will reopen a shuttered General Motors plant in Delaware to build fuel-efficient, plug-in cars, the White House announced Tuesday. http://www.physorg.com/news175884098.html Technology Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:03 EST news175884098 A University of Michigan survey released today shows widespread consumer interest in buying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). But the cost of the cars is much more influential than environmental and other non-economic factors as a predictor of purchase probabilities. http://www.physorg.com/news175347895.html Technology Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:46:04 EST news175347895 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's technology was instrumental in cleaning up Southern California Edison's Visalia Pole Yard, which is scheduled to be taken off the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund list this week. http://www.physorg.com/news172765794.html Space & Earth Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:30:33 EST news172765794 (PhysOrg.com) -- Going on a diet can be good for you. And maybe a gasoline "diet" of traditional fuel blended with increased levels of ethanol will be good for the environment and economy without hurting cars and small engines. Researchers are trying to find out because new ethanol blends could play a starring role in reducing petroleum use. http://www.physorg.com/news172568234.html Technology Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:37:56 EST news172568234 Cash for Clunkers may have run out of money, but certainly not gas. http://www.physorg.com/news172156634.html Other Sciences Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:40:13 EST news172156634 Growing evidence shows that exposure to lead in the environment is associated with cardiovascular disease, including increased risk of hypertension. However, those studies have looked at lead concentrations in blood, not bone lead, a better indicator of cumulative lead exposure over time. In a new study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that bone lead was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes, particularly from cardiovascular disease. It is the first study to analyze the association between bone lead and mortality. http://www.physorg.com/news171724009.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:40:05 EST news171724009 An award-winning Los Alamos National Laboratory sound-wave technology is helping Solix Biofuels, Inc. optimize production of algae-based fuel in a cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally benign fashion -paving the way to lowering the carbon footprint of biofuel production. http://www.physorg.com/news171203048.html Technology Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:40:04 EST news171203048 (PhysOrg.com) -- As a possible energy source for fuel cells or a substitute for gasoline, methanol is increasingly drawing attention beyond its importance as a feedstock for chemical industry. It can be stored much more efficiently and cheaply than hydrogen and could be distributed by way of the existing network of fuelling stations. The disadvantage is the truly complex synthesis of methanol from natural gas via a detour through synthesis gas. One interesting alternative that was pursued and then abandoned is known as the direct low-temperature oxidation of methane to methanol. http://www.physorg.com/news170052907.html Chemistry Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:58:15 EST news170052907 (PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers at Ohio State University have found a way to double the production of the biofuel butanol, which might someday replace gasoline in automobiles. http://www.physorg.com/news169890707.html Chemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:57:34 EST news169890707 New UC Davis estimates say the federal government's Cash for Clunkers program is paying at least 10 times the "sticker price" to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. http://www.physorg.com/news169468231.html Space & Earth Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:31:08 EST news169468231 General Motors will launch a plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle under the Buick brand in 2011, the automaker said Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news168842357.html Technology Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:39:49 EST news168842357 Nissan's upcoming all-electric car could outsell hybrids like Toyota's Prius even though it can't drive more than about 100 miles (160 kilometers) without stopping to recharge, a senior executive said. http://www.physorg.com/news168802246.html Technology Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:50:01 EST news168802246 (PhysOrg.com) -- Diesel and gasoline fuel sources both bring unique assets and liabilities to powering internal combustion engines. But what if an engine could be programmed to harvest the best properties of both fuel sources at once, on the fly, by blending the fuels within the combustion chamber? http://www.physorg.com/news168524276.html Technology Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:10:02 EST news168524276 (PhysOrg.com) -- Fewer Americans are dying on our nation's roads, not only because they are driving less, but also because the type of driving has changed, says a researcher at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news163351130.html Other Sciences Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:19:42 EST news163351130 (PhysOrg.com) -- Toyota is recognized as one of the leaders in hybrid technology, so it may come as a surprise to some that the company is not terribly keen on selling hybrid plug-ins to consumers. Even though the company is planning to build 500 plug-in Prius cars for test fleets, there are no immediate plans to develop plug-in hybrid technology for consumers. http://www.physorg.com/news162217844.html Technology Fri, 22 May 2009 13:31:27 EST news162217844 (AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency says that corn ethanol - as made today - wouldn't meet a congressional requirement that ethanol produce 20 percent less greenhouse gas than gasoline. But the agency said it is still more climate friendly than gasoline. http://www.physorg.com/news160751096.html Space & Earth Tue, 05 May 2009 14:05:22 EST news160751096 (AP) -- A House committee chairman said Tuesday that he wants Congress to enact a mileage-based tax on cars and trucks to pay for highway programs now rather than wait years to test the idea. http://www.physorg.com/news160157529.html Technology Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:12:45 EST news160157529 Dear EarthTalk: I don't understand why there are many European diesel cars with very high mileage ratings that are not available in the U.S. Can you enlighten? (John Healy, Fairfield, Conn.) http://www.physorg.com/news160071387.html Space & Earth Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:17:26 EST news160071387 Just like gasoline, diesel fuel has plummeted in price since last summer after reaching almost $5 a gallon. So now that diesel goes for about $2.25, sales of diesel-powered vehicles, which almost always get better mileage than their gas-powered counterparts, have risen, right? http://www.physorg.com/news159192120.html Technology Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:02:34 EST news159192120 (PhysOrg.com) -- One of the biggest arguments that some have made against plug-in electric vehicles is that they still promote the use of fossil fuels. When you have to plug in a car for a charge, the electricity used to charge the battery often comes from a power plant that gets its energy from oil. Chicago is hoping to change that as it becomes the first city to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station powered with solar energy. http://www.physorg.com/news158564122.html Technology Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:36:09 EST news158564122 Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you're paying for electricity rather than gasoline all or most of the time. How does that cost compare to a gas-powered car's cost-per-mile? And since the electricity may be generated from some other polluting source, does it really work out to be better for the environment? (Kevin DeMarco, Milford, Connecticut) http://www.physorg.com/news157618076.html Space & Earth Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:48:37 EST news157618076 (PhysOrg.com) -- Last summer, it was very expensive to fill up a gas tank when the gasoline price hit close to four dollars a gallon. Transportation by road or air consumes fuel, which not only increases our vulnerability to foreign imports but also is a source of greenhouse gas emissions that will impact adverse change in climate and global warming. http://www.physorg.com/news156446277.html Technology Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:19:24 EST news156446277 Filling our fuel tanks with cellulosic ethanol instead of gasoline or corn-based ethanol may be even better for our health and the environment than previously recognized, according to new research from the University of Minnesota. http://www.physorg.com/news152817750.html Space & Earth Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:23:11 EST news152817750 University of Oklahoma researchers believe newer, more environmentally friendly fuels produced from biomass could create alternative energy solutions and alleviate dependence on foreign oil without requiring changes to current fuel infrastructure systems. According to Lance Lobban, director of the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, the development of "green" fuels is an important part of the world's, and Oklahoma's, energy future. http://www.physorg.com/news151082899.html Chemistry Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:28:19 EST news151082899 (PhysOrg.com) -- The benefits of ridesharing - aka car-pooling - are well known: less traffic, less wear on roads and less fuel consumed, and the ability to engage in pre-office-hours water-cooler talk that can be accomplished without the water cooler. http://www.physorg.com/news150396367.html Technology Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:46:07 EST news150396367