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Science, Evolution, and Creationism …
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On Thursday, the National Academy of the Sciences (NAS), “the nation’s most eminent scientific organization,” produced a book “on the evidence supporting the theory of evolution and arguing against the introduction of creationism or other religious alternatives in public school science.” The NAS notes that scientific progress has “reinforced evolution’s role as the central organizing principle of modern biology.” “We wanted to produce a report that would be valuable and accessible to school board members and teachers and clergy,” said Barbara Schaal, vice president of the academy and biologist at Washington University in St. Louis. Conservatives such as former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, for example, have often insisted that there is still a debate on the origins of mankind and that the science clashes with religion. But as the book states, “attempts to pit science and religion against each other create controversy where none needs to exist.” The book will be available on the NAS website.  Source - The Progress Report

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A bald eagle flys from its perch near the Melvin Price Lock and Dam 27 in East Alton. (Robert Cohen/P-D)

Bald eagle returns from brink of extinction
By Ken Leiser
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/28/2007

The bald eagle — that regal symbol of American pride — has completed its long flight back from the edge of extinction. And give the bird credit for patriotism: the news comes just in time for that proud American holiday, July Fourth.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is expected to announce today that the eagle will no longer be perched on the national list of threatened and endangered species. The news conference will be held at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington.

The widely anticipated move caps a 40-year comeback for the eagle, whose numbers were ravaged by the now-banned pesticide DDT and widespread hunting. Their numbers have surged from 417 nesting pairs in the early 1960s to nearly 10,000 in much of the country today, according to the group Environmental Defense.

STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County

No longer endangered
Among the other species removed from the list:

— American alligator (1987)

— American peregrine falcon (August 1999)

— Yellowstone grizzly bear (March 2007)

— Gray wolf, Western Great Lakes (March 2007)

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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A little known corps of engineers creates environmental innovations on an increasingly dwindling budget.

There has been a lot of chatter about hybrid cars, hydrogen-powered cars and even solar-powered cars coming to market in order to help us kick our “addiction to oil.” But few designs for viable alternatives to large gas guzzling vehicles, like delivery and garbage trucks, have come out of the engineering box. This new UPS truck, designed and built by engineers working for the EPA’s Clean Automotive Technology program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, runs on a combination of combustion engine and hydraulic pumps.
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The concept is surprisingly simple: When you step on the gas, the diesel engine drives hydraulic pumps that power the wheels and charge hydraulic storage tanks. When you let up on the gas, the engine shuts off completely and the hydraulic chambers engage to power the truck. There is no direct drive shaft from the engine to the wheels. When you brake, the forward momentum of the vehicle is converted to energy that is stored in the high-pressure hydraulic tanks, an efficiency concept reminiscent of hybrid electric cars that charge the car’s battery with the energy created by breaking. That process, in hybrids, can recover about 20% of the car’s moving energy; in the hydraulic truck, an astounding 70% of the energy is recovered. For the stop/start use common to most UPS trucks, that translates to a 60% to 70% increase in fuel efficiency.

The first two prototypes for the vehicle will hit the road this year, signaling a huge victory for engineers in the EPA’s Clean Automotive Technology program. - Seed: Punishing Success at the EPA

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See a movie of a plug-in Toyota Prius in action! Seems like technology like this should be part of our national security strategy.

With Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) it is possible to get 100 miles per gallon from your hybrid. Not only is electricity under $1/gallon, but these cars are only going to get cleaner as the grid gets cleaner. As for now, even charging off the national grid, which is about 50% coal, these cars produce under half the net pollution. This is not futuristic thinking folks, this is right here and right now, as Ron Gremban of Calcars explains “We already have all the components necessary to rapidly change our transportation energy.” – so let’s get plugged in! - Source: Treehugger Blog

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See a movie of a plug-in Toyota Prius in action! Seems like technology like this should be part of our national security strategy.

With Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) it is possible to get 100 miles per gallon from your hybrid. Not only is electricity under $1/gallon, but these cars are only going to get cleaner as the grid gets cleaner. As for now, even charging off the national grid, which is about 50% coal, these cars produce under half the net pollution. This is not futuristic thinking folks, this is right here and right now, as Ron Gremban of Calcars explains “We already have all the components necessary to rapidly change our transportation energy.” – so let’s get plugged in! - Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/treehuggertv_plug_in_prius.php

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