The Marlboro E-Cigarette Is Here

It was only a matter of time. The owner of the world-famous cigarette brand Marlboro has decided to launch its own electronic cigarette product. Altria Group Inc hopes to take advantage of a recent consumer trend -- "smokeless" cigarettes -- in order to try to offset the sales slump of regular cigarettes.

More smoking bans, health worries, and increasing taxes on tobacco products have moved millions of Americans to try e-cigarettes, which provide the nicotine boost of regular tobacco products without the burning smoke. Basically they vaporize liquid nicotine from disposable cartridges and, at least in theory, greatly reduce the health risks (although some doctors disagree) and inconvenience of regular old smoking. Some of the products are promoted as ways to quit smoking gradually, or at least limit the damage it does.

The new e-cigs will be sold under the "MarkTen" brand and priced around $10 each, with new nicotine cartridges sold in packs. Many industry experts expect all the other major tobacco companies to follow Altria's lead and come out with their own electronic cigarettes within the next couple of years.

We say: This is kinda cool but we're still worried about the toxic nano-sized metal particles found in some e-cigarette products.

Learn some mo': Marlboro maker Altria to sell e-cigarettes

More Carbon Dioxide in Air = Greener Deserts

Apparently all the carbon dioxide gas building up in Earth's atmosphere is helping to make its deserts greener, according to a new report from the Geophysical Research Letters scientific journal. Researchers found that "leaf cover" in arid areas (dry deserts in the US, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa) have increased by 11 percent in just the past 30 years, most likely due to increased photosynthesis from rising CO2 levels.

The research confirms the theories held by many global climate experts: more carbon "plant food" equals more plants all over the planet Earth. Other studies have shown that vegetation has increased everywhere, not just in the deserts and that warming temperatures and increased rainfall may also be having a strong effect.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide, which has increased nearly 15% in the past 30 years, seems to be especially fueling tree growth. According to Australian researcher Randall Donohue:

"Trees are reinvading grasslands, and this could quite possibly be related to the carbon dioxide effect... Long lived woody plants are deep rooted and are likely to benefit more than grasses from an increase in carbon dioxide... The effect of higher carbon dioxide levels on plant function is an important process that needs greater consideration"

We say: Good news! Who cares if rising CO2 levels are raising sea levels... the Las Vegas desert needs more palm trees!

Learn some mo': Carbon Dioxide Greening Deserts

New Clean Energy Production Method Might Lower Carbon Dioxide Levels Too!

Scientists may have discovered a new technique that solves many of the world's energy problems, and a few of its environmental problems too. A new report from researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory describes a way to produce ultra-clean hydrogen fuel while capturing CO2 and neutralize ocean acidification... all at the same time.

The potential giant leap in clean energy production involves mixing salt water and silicate minerals and then running an electrical current through the solution (aka "electrolysis"). By using a novel and relatively simple technique, all kinds of good things happen, including increasing the carbon content of the water greatly while simultaneously creating acid-reducing bicarbonate.

Experts say this technique produces "super-green" hydrogen because, unlike most methods (which are "carbon neutral" at best), it actually consumes CO2. The biggest obstacle will be lowering the cost and scaling the technology up in a way that makes real-world production economically viable. Also, technological hurdles like hydrogen gas storage and transportation problems must be overcome to make this a long-term clean energy solution.

Still, there is great hope that this new technology will lead to an abundance of clean fuel as well as a possible reduction in greenhouse gases. According to Greg Rau, study co-author:

"We think this suggests a process that is significantly cheaper and safer than other chemical air capture methods that have been proposed."

Learn some mo': Scientists Invent Super-Clean Hydrogen Fuel Technique That Could Save Us All

Marijuana: The Anti-Obesity, Anti-Diabetes Wonder Drug?

Compounds found in the marijuana plant appear to help control blood sugar levels, increase "good cholesterol" in active smokers/users, lower the risk of diabetes, and keep people thin... according to new research published in the American Journal of Medicine. Harvard scientists found that consuming cannabis seems to protect against obesity and diabetes -- while lowering overall body-mass-index (BMI) -- despite the fact that users tend to consume more food calories due to the well-known "munchies" effect of the drug.

What is the reason for this perplexing conundrum? According to lead Harvard researcher Murray Mittleman:

"...[marijuana users] appeared to have better carbohydrate metabolism than nonusers... Their fasting insulin levels were lower, and they appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to maintain a normal blood-sugar level."

The cannabinoid receptors in the human brain are very involved in hunger and metabolism. But researchers still aren't exactly sure how cannabis compounds change the interaction between appetite, eating, and the body's insulin response. The diet drug rimonabant acts on cannabinoid receptors in a very different way than THC, leading to a decrease in fasting insulin levels and weight loss. (Unfortunately, rimonabant has the nasty side effect like making you want to kill yourself, so it's never been legal to buy in the US.)

We say: Awesome! More good news about a plant that is obviously some kind of miracle drug store from nature!

Learn some mo': Marijuana: The next diabetes drug?

Xbox One "Highlights" Video Gets LOTS of Views

Someone made a funny video showing the "highlights" from the strange announcement for the new Xbox One video game console. It has has managed to get over 4 million views in just a couple of days. Check it out below...




We say: That's pretty good... :)

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What do you think about the video and the new Microsoft Xbox 1??