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Posts

Ron Leir

Woolly Mammoth Show Addresses Endangered Elephants, Environment

November 27, 2020/in Bergen Lafayette, Education, Events, header, News, Other Fun Stuff /by Ron Leir

Elephants from the Pleistocene epoch have checked in at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

On view is a model of the woolly mammoth, which thrived and ranged widely in the Arctic and environs during the ice age before disappearing around 4,000 years ago.

But today, the pachyderm — whose preserved remains are found periodically under permafrost in northern climes — is back in the spotlight as a potential planet-friendly agent for change.

Which is why the museum has installed a new “Making Mammoths” exhibit that was opened to the public this past Saturday courtesy of Blue Rhino Studio of Minnesota.

The exhibit, featuring a 9’3” tall foam and fiberglass replica of the creature’s head and tusks fashioned from steel armatures, pays tribute to the work of genomics pioneer George Church, a Harvard Medical School professor.

Church, 66, a geneticist with a background in molecular engineering and chemistry, has studied DNA extracted from mammoth carcasses with the idea of introducing genetic sequences into modern-day Asian elephants — both as a way to rescue an endangered species and to bolster the planet’s defense against climate change.

When mammoths still roamed the Arctic regions, they routinely uprooted trees, thereby maintaining grasslands and, in the process, isolating gigatons of carbon in the frozen tundra, suppressing the spread of methane from topsoil.

Scientists like Church now hope they can create a hybrid “mammophant” that can adapt to a new cold habitat, trample the area’s existing trees and brushes and, once again, fight global warming.

Experts estimate there are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the wild.

In a tape made for the science center’s visitors, Church elaborates: “We’re trying to make cold-resistant elephants that fill an ecological niche. They don’t have to be perfect copies of mammoths, just good enough to do their job over 10 to 20 million square kilometers of the Arctic.”

As herbivores, Church explained, “The elephants love to knock down trees, even if they’re not planning on eating them, and the trees in the Arctic are pretty easy to knock over. That would result in the carbon in the trees getting buried in the permafrost and freezing and then being replaced by more photosynthetic grass, which is easier to pound down.”

Using a technology known as CRISPR DNA-editing, Church has isolated about 42 genes, such as those favoring more fur, thicker ears, and fat deposits,  all promoting extreme cold tolerance that could be developed in a lab. The genes could then be introduced into the nucleus of an Asian elephant cell either placed into the egg of a surrogate mother or by alternate means “outside the body.”

The gestation time would be a minimum of two years, Church said, and if the experiment proved successful, that would be followed by several years of testing the mammophant’s behavior in a cold environment.

At the same time, Church said, researchers would look for ways to prevent fatal outbreaks of EEHV (endotheliotropic herpesvirus) common among young Asian elephants.

If the genetic experimentation is successful, Church said his team intends to make tens of thousands (of mammophants) if not hundreds of thousands.

Liberty Science Center awarded Church one of its Genius Grants in 2018, and the following year museum President and CEO Paul Hoffman proposed setting up an exhibit focused on the woolly mammoth and Church’s research. Blue Rhino began assembling it in this May and finished it this month.

“Dr. Church’s work to resurrect mammoths is absolutely bleeding edge,” Hoffman said. “We are excited to showcase such intriguing genomic science and let our guests explore the contemporary bioethical questions it raises. This new exhibit … will appeal to learners of all ages ….”

Indeed, part of the exhibit includes an illustrated panel by science cartoonist Larry Gonick that helps young visitors connect with the thinking behind the creature depicted by the mounted model.

For more news relevant to Bergen-Lafeyette, click here.

Aaron Morrill

Five Reasons to Buy an Electric Car

September 10, 2020/in header, Latest News, News /by Aaron Morrill

I was having my hair cut the other day and chatting with the guy with the scissors when the conversation turned to automobiles. He had recently test driven a Tesla Model 3, I learned. His original plan had been to buy a Subaru, but he figured it was a good opportunity to see what all the EV (electric vehicle) fuss was about. That drive was all it took. “It was amazing, so fast and smooth,” he told me. Now he’s planning on buying a Tesla.

I didn’t need any convincing. For close to three years I’ve been driving an electric Chevrolet Bolt. It’s persuaded me that, indeed, the future of transportation is electric and that the internal combustion engine (ICE) will soon be a curiosity relegated to transportation museums, right next to the steam engine.

Here’s why.

  1. The driving experience is much better. I like sporty cars that are fun to drive. My previous car was a Volkswagen GTI, a classic “hot-hatch” known for its pep and handling. My Bolt is better in almost every way. It’s quicker because unlike an ICE, the power is immediately available. There’s no revving the engine or searching for a better gear because most EV have only one gear. In traffic, you tap the accelerator, and you’re off like a slingshot: no lag.  Think Han Solo switching to hyper space in the Millennium Falcon. Moreover, the engine is virtually silent and free of vibration. It’s so quiet, in fact, that manufacturers have had to add fake sound so you don’t mow down unsuspecting pedestrians.
  2. EVs are virtually maintenance free. According to Tesla, their drivetrain has only about 17 moving parts compared to the 200 or so in a typical ICE vehicle. My Bolt has 80% fewer moving parts than your average ICE vehicle. And this holds true for all EVs. There are no belts, spark plugs, oil changes, you name it. I’ve yet to take my Bolt in for any maintenance (though yes, you still have to rotate tires and change windshield wipers).
  3. The “Gas” is Cheap. One of the joys of owning an EV is never having to visit a gas station. But beyond keeping your hands clean and avoiding the fumes, you pay substantially less per mile to drive an EV. My Bolt has a range of 239 miles. At 17 cents a kilowatt, charging its 60kW battery at home costs approximately $10. With the average car in the U.S. getting 25.1 miles per gallon and the average price of regular gas in New Jersey at $2.22 per gallon, you would drop $21 bucks to travel the same distance. That savings adds up over time.
  4. You’ll be Fighting Climate Change. I won’t belabor the issue of global warming. You’ve all heard the science.  What I will point out is that even if your electricity comes from coal—which in New Jersey it doesn’t—EVs are still better for the environment, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
  5. You’ll Be the Life of the Party. Not really. But people will corner you and want to know all about your car. And at a party where the conversation is lagging, that can be a godsend.

What about charging and the much discussed “range anxiety?” Well, as to charging, if you’re lucky enough to have a driveway or garage or own a brownstone, you’re golden. For $500, you can buy a “Level 2” charger and fill the “tank” up every night. If not, public chargers — which cost a little more per kilowatt — are sprouting up everywhere, including here in Jersey City.

And as for range anxiety? Well, if you’re going on a long trip—more than 200 miles in a day—you’ll launch your trusty Chargepoint or PlugShare app on your phone before heading out the door, and it will tell you where you can stop for lunch and use a fast “Level 3” charger.  (During these stops my wife likes to get exercise. I hit the nearest restaurant.) Yes, it requires a little planning, and there are still rural areas lacking fast chargers. But, really, aren’t these minor inconveniences a small price to pay to change the world?

 

 

 

Events

Franchesca Maniscalco

Implied Scale: Confronting the Enormity of Climate Change

April 12, 2021/in Events, Jersey City Arts, Virtual Event /by Franchesca Maniscalco

Mana Contemporary will be holding an exhibit. Their new exhibit Implied Scale: Confronting the Enormity of Climate Change will be held from Apr. 22 to Jul. 27.

The exhibit will focus on motivating mobilization towards reversing the climate crisis. It will feature artwork by Catherine Chalmers, Zaria Forman, Jeff Frost, Ted Kim, and James Prosek.

There will be a series of online and in-person events before and during the exhibit.

Click here for more information and details about the event.

 

 

News Briefs

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced that the suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old man in BJ’s parking lot in #JerseyCity was apprehended yesterday afternoon in New Port Richey, Fla.

Former Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly, who retired effective as of February 1st, earned a $282,779.58 payout for unused time, according to public records. Go here for story.

According to a report in the Jersey Journal, a  Jersey City police and fire dispatcher died on Wednesday after being admitted to the hospital with Covid-19. His death, apparently, follows a Covid-19 outbreak at the Jersey City Public Safety Communications Center. A city spokeswoman has confirmed the death but said that it “hasn’t been determined” that it was coronavirus-related.

 

The 2021 tree planting applications are available. Fill out the form and our city arborists will handle it. Apply early! bit.ly/adoptatreespri… @innovatejc @JCmakeitgreen

Mayor Steven Fulop and the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the opening of the City’s sixth vaccination site located near the Marin Boulevard Light Rail Station to vaccinate frontline workers, including all food and restaurant workers, grocery store workers, porters, hospitality workers, warehouse workers, those in the medical supply chain, and more.

Two of the City-run vaccination sites will dedicate 1,000 J&J vaccines for those interested, prioritizing workers who have limited time off: 100 Marin Boulevard and 28 Paterson Street (Connors Center).   Those interested should call (201) 373-2316.

Vaccine-eligible individuals can make an appointment online by visiting hudsoncovidvax.org.

Keep abreast of Jersey City Covid-19 statistics here.

Governor Murphy has launched a “Covid Transparency Website” where New Jerseyans can track state expenditures related to Covid.  Go here.

For info on vaccinations, call Vaccination Call Center. Operators will assist you with scheduling one: 855-568-0545

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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