This looks a bit too good to be true, one cow giving enough power for 19 houses!

Urine-powered cars, homes and personal electronic devices could be available in six months with new technology developed by scientists from Ohio University.

Using a nickel-based electrode, the scientists can create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that could be burned or used in fuel cells. “One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses,” said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology. “Soldiers in the field could carry their own fuel.”

Pee power is based on hydrogen, the most common element in the universe but one that has resisted efforts to produce, store, transport and use economically.

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Fascinating development around electric cars, devices that are so silent they become dangerous for pedestrians used to the noise of our good old explosion engines. Why not also add a fume spitting vapor at the back of the car?

Japan’s near-silent hybrid cars have been called dangerous by the vision-impaired and some users, prompting a government review on whether to add a noise-making device […]

“Blind people depend on sounds when they walk, but there are no engine sounds from hybrid vehicles when running at low speed” and on the electric motor, he said.

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I missed a news that has probably widely been discussed in the blogosphere long time ago. But Clarins - famous cosmetic company - created a product that uses a “Magnetic Defence Complex” that “protects skin from the ageing effects of Artificial Electromagnetic Waves”.

It is interesting to see this industry react to innovation, and propose products surfing the fears/uncertainties of the people, knowing that it will necessarily trigger a cascade of negative reactions.

The lawyers went to work, came up with the fact that one needs “robust scientific evidence” proving that waves have a negative impact on the skin, the FDA changed the classification from cosmetic to drug, and after all that noise you can still order a bottle for a little bit less than 45 Swiss Francs.

After the impact of mobile phone signals on the brain, scientists are studying our favorite companion’s effect on mental health, and the first reports paint a not so rosy picture.

New research suggests excessive use of mobile phones can hinder sleep, trigger fatigue and stress and cause mental problems like depression and lack of concentration. […]

The correlation between phone use and mental state was shown by a study published in the Korean Journal of Epidemiology in 2005 and conducted by a team led by Prof. Kim Dong-hyun […]. The team studied 501 high school students in four groups according to their cell phone use. Those who used them the least scored below 35 points on depression, while those who used the most scored above 51. The latter group also scored over 61 in terms of impulsive behavior. “We can’t generalize that cell phone use causes depression or impulsive behavior, but at least we proved there’s a connection,” Kim said.

Full article on Chosun (Korea’s biggest daily newspaper)

When I read these studies I sometimes feel like Steve Rubel who wonders if wireless radios could become the next tobacco… Are mobile phones really the largest biological experiment ever?

Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says. […]Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture.

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Sounds very logical. What is the social impact of fast food on this planet? And with the recent 83% jump in basic food price obesity is sure to remain a rich country problem.