Category Archives: Science

So Clean It’s Deadly

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Chris Zach

The upcoming book The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman discusses the ultra-pure water used in semiconductor manufacturing. It’s so pure and free of dissolved minerals that drinking it is dangerous. Apparently it will leech these vital minerals from your body … Continue reading →

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Just How Clean Is Natural Gas?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Chris Zach

I am always intrigued when new life cycle greenhouse gas footprints are published, because the results are often surprising. It is challenging to accurately estimate the life cycle footprint of a product with intuition alone. Examples: bottled water is up … Continue reading →

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Nuclear Power and the “Dread to Risk” Ratio

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Chris Zach

I’m writing this post in light of the recent disaster and its aftermath in Japan. Plus, the issue combines several subjects of my personal interest: energy technology, science, and psychology. Before going on, let me state that this post isn’t … Continue reading →

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Gimme that green, French wine

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Chris Zach

It ain’t easy being green. Apparently we will now need to calculate “green lines” for every buying decision. I wonder where the green line is for microbrew vs. homebrew…? My front porch? Last year, a study of the carbon cost … Continue reading →

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Frog or Leaf?

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Chris Zach

Nature was the world’s first magician. Tweet

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Nice To Meet Your Microbes

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Chris Zach

The New York Times had an eye-opening science story on July 12, 2010 about the recent research and medical advances in the field of human-dwelling microbes. This story is a perfect example of why I inevitably fall back to science … Continue reading →

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