By Robert J. Kriss, C2ST Editor

We know how to generate electricity from solar and wind energy, but we haven’t figured out how to provide electricity at night or on cloudy or calm days relying solely on renewable energy. Some politicians and environmental activists talk like we can and should take all nuclear power plants and fossil-fuel plants off-line immediately. That just isn’t possible yet. The pace of change must quicken, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that we have a ways to go to develop the technology necessary to save our planet. For anyone interested in curbing global warming, the focus should be on how to promote the development of new technologies to keep the lights, heat and air-conditioning on all the time. Continue reading “A Dam Good Idea to Transition to Renewable Energy”

Sponsored by the Manne Research Institute

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On Thursday, May 21 the Chicago Council on Science and Technology will hold our largest fundraising event of 2020: Science in the City. The evening supports C2ST’s mission and the full spectrum of our programming. Your support is critical to our mission.

Continue reading “Save the Date for the 2020 Science in the City Gala”

By Robert J. Kriss, C2ST Editor

In a notable line from the 1967 movie, “The Graduate,” a savvy businessman takes a recent college graduate played by Dustin Hoffman into a quiet room at a party to give him a hot tip for his future. The businessman says he has a single word for the graduate — “plastics.” Today, the word might be “batteries.”  Continue reading “Chicago “Hard-Tech” Tackles Global Warming”

Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST, Editor

In a collaboration with Google, Northwestern researchers are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to develop machine learning programs that identify cancer with better accuracy than a radiologist in some cases. Other research is using powerful new microscopy techniques to examine changes in cells at the nanoscale level. These breakthroughs promise to detect cancer at very early stages when the chances of successful treatment are highest. The innovative techniques will also reduce false positives and negatives — incorrect diagnoses — and thereby target treatment better. With these advances, scientists hope to detect a range of cancers, including breast, colon, pancreatic, ovarian, and lung. Learn more about this pioneering research being performed in Chicago by visiting these sites here and here.

Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST, Editor

Happy New Year to all our readers.  Consider starting the New Year off right with a healthy-eating resolution that’s scientifically backed.  Chocolate, strawberries, (chocolate covered strawberries!), blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cauliflower, oats, peanuts and tea – simple, tasty treats that can make a big difference in preventing catastrophic diseases.  This article from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) explains how these foods substantially lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  No fads, no highly-processed “health” foods.  You don’t have to suffer eating bland food to stay healthy.  You can enjoy some of the tastiest treats and improve your health at the same time.  There’s solid science to guide your choices.  When you understand the basics of what causes these diseases and how the chemicals in certain foods can prevent them, the case for making theses dietary choices becomes compelling.  Check out “The Dietary Choices That Boost Prevention” to learn more.

Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST, Editor

In this article, Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists (“IFT”) tells us about research and development work underway to produce protein-rich products from plants and animal cells that will taste as good as a burger but will be healthier and more environmentally sustainable.  See what you may be feasting on in the future here.”  IFT is a professional membership association that promotes the development of healthy, safe, and sustainable food products by providing a forum for science of food professionals to share how science and innovation makes food better. In the organization’s own words:  “As a scientific community grounded in purpose, IFT feeds the minds that feed the world.”

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