Web searches wreck the environment

Two Google Searches Generate The Same Amount Of CO ² As Boiling A Kettle For A Cup Of Tea: Researchers

Jonathan Leake & Richard Woods

Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

While millions of people tap into Google without a thought for the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of carbon dioxide. Boiling a kettle generates about 15g.

“Google operates huge data centers around the world that consume a great deal of power,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact.”

Google is secretive about its energy consumption and carbon footprint. It also refuses to divulge the locations of its dozens of data centers.

However, with more than 200m internet searches estimated globally every day, the level of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused by computers and the internet is provoking concern.

A recent report by Gartner, the industry analysts, said the global IT industry generated as much greenhouse gas as the world’s airlines — about 2% of global CO ² emissions. “Data centres are among the most energy-intensive facilities imaginable,” said Evan Mills, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Banks of servers storing billions of web pages require power both to run and cool them.

Though Google says it is in the forefront of green computing, its search engine generates high levels of CO ² because of the way it operates. When you type in a Google search for, say, “energy saving tips”, your request doesn’t go to just one server. It goes to several competing against each other.

It may even be sent to servers thousands of miles apart. Google’s infrastructure sends you data from whichever produces the answer fastest. The system minimizes delays but raises energy consumption. Google has servers in the US, Europe, Japan and China.

Wissner-Gross has also calculated the CO ² emissions caused by individual use of the internet. His research indicates that viewing a simple website page generates about 0.02g of CO ² per second. This rises about tenfold to about 0.2g of CO ² a second when viewing a website with complex images, animations or videos.

A separate estimate from John Buckley, managing director of carbonfootprint.com, a British environmental consultancy, puts the CO ² emissions of a Google search at between 1g and 10g, depending on whether you have to start your PC or not. Simply running a PC generates between 40g and 80g of CO ² per hour, he says. SUNDAY TIMES

CBSE tries to make schoolbags lighter

Anahita Mukherji | TNN

Mumbai: Here’s a piece of good news for children groaning under the weight of huge schoolbags. CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi has issued a circular to the board’s schools across the country, asking them to implement a slew of measures in order to lighten the bags, especially in the primary section.

From ensuring that unnecessary textbooks are not prescribed by schools to re-designing the timetable so that soft skills are interspersed with academic subjects, the board has prescribed a slew of solutions to heavy schoolbags.

According to the CBSE circular, the number of prescribed textbooks for a particular class should not exceed the number prescribed by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) for that class. The circular adds that “schools should ensure strict compliance with the number of books prescribed so that students and parents are not burdened academically or financially’’.

The board has also asked schools to maintain the bags of children up to Std II in the institute itself and suggested the setting up a class library, which can lend texts to students who have forgotten their books at home.

The circular goes on to discuss a more modern pedagogy of education in order to lighten schoolbags. These include integrating soft skills with “main course teaching’’, using interesting alternatives to homework and adopting a continuous as well as comprehensive method of evaluation.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done when it comes to reducing the load children carry to school. Several private schools insist on a number of unnecessary books. When I recently went to a book shop and asked for an NCERT text, I was immediately offered a whole range of workbooks, which were double the price of the textbook,’’ said Anita Rampal, Delhi University professor in the department of education and chairperson of the NCERT’s primary textbook development committee.

Rampal said though the NCERT policy clearly stated that only languages and math should be taught in Std I and II, several CBSE schools—both private as well as Kendriya Vidyalayas—often insisted on teaching environmental science in these classes and even prescribe textbooks for the same. “This is against the NCERT policy,’’ she adds.

Schools have welcomed the move to lighten schoolbags. “They need to implement the policy more effectively and come up with alternatives to textbooks—such as worksheets and creative activities—in the classroom,’’ said Dr K B Kushal, director of the DAV group of schools.

Heavy schoolbags have been a concern for a long time,’’ said Avnita Bir, principal of RN Podar School in Santa Cruz. Bir, however, pointed out that it wasn’t just the content of a schoolbag that was to blame. “The shape of schoolbags that are currently used causes an imbalance in the distribution of weight,’’ she added. Students whom TOI spoke to said the CBSE move was a step in the right direction.

anahita.mukherji@timesgroup.com

ALL WORK, NO PLAY

[Ants have always fascinated me. As a kid I used spend hours tracing their line and finding out their hideout - used to wonder how they communicate - used to notice how two ants passing by each other would pause just for a moment, may be to greet each other - something like - 'hey man, wats up' or 'how r ya, where r u headed' - then I also remember calculating the speed of an ant when i was 12, using a calculator and then finding out the ratio of human body to an ant's body - then comparing the speed of a human v/s an ant - i don't exactly remember the results of that comparision - was a decade ago when i did it - though I remember that the result was an eye opener - it increased my love and respect towards the ant community :) - sandeep r. sharma]

Worker ants don’t allow any hanky panky in their colony

Worker ants in colonies with a queen are physically attacked by their peers if they try to reproduce, a study says. In ant society, workers normally give up reproducing to care for the queen’s offspring, who are also their brothers and sisters.

The researchers found that chemicals produced by the sneaky ants gave away their fertility status, the BBC reported on Saturday.

The findings by a US-German team of researchers are published in the journal Current Biology.

To test the idea, scientists applied a synthetic compound typical of fertile individuals to non-reproductive worker ants belonging to the species Aphaenogaster cockerelli. In colonies where a queen was present, the workers with the hydrocarbon chemical applied to them were attacked by other ants. The researchers reported that deceitful ants were bitten and pulled by their peers. But this was not the case in colonies without a queen, where ants were free to reproduce.

Co-author Jurgen Liebig of Arizona State University in Tempe, US, said the hydrocarbon chemicals produced by the cheating ants were an “inherently reliable signal”. This “reproductive policing” plays an important role in maintaining harmony in the ant world, Dr Liebig explained.

For cheating to be a successful strategy for some ants, the researchers say, two conditions would need to be satisfied. Firstly, worker ants would need to suppress the hydrocarbon signals on their bodies. Secondly, they would need to continue to express the signal on their eggs, so that their offspring could not be distinguished from those of the queen. AGENCIES

TOP OF THE MIND

Let’s light up the lives of India’s poor millions

R K PACHAURI

One important message that the voters have given, in states where elections were held recently, is a clear preference for performance and development. India’s place in global affairs has been enhanced substantially in recent years, largely because of impressive economic growth. The strength of this country and the influence it is able to exert in global affairs would depend essentially on India’s place as a global economic power. Political leaders, therefore, must not only live up to the expectations of their individual constituencies but ensure the growing economic strength of India. And also see to it that the benefits reach out to every citizen of the country.

Against this background, policy makers must show extreme sensitivity, particularly as we move along the New Year, to ensure reducing disparities between the rich and poor This can happen only if opportunities are created for the poor, and if government expenditure is utilized effectively. Development continues to be lopsided in the country.

India has miles to go in improving human development indicators. For instance, of the nearly four million deaths of new-born children globally in 2007, 28% occurred in India. Despite massive efforts towards immunization, 40% of all the world’s children who are not immunized live in India After 61 years as an independent nation, over half of India’s population practices open defecation. Similarly, despite efforts to universalize primary education, more than one in every five of all primary age children out of school, are in India. It is not as though government funding for programs in the country has been deficient in these areas, but there is clearly a lack of effectiveness in the manner in which programs are delivered.

Officialdom in this country re quires urgent overhaul, and to this extent the latest report of the Administrative Reforms Commission has some far-reaching recommendations, which should be given urgent attention. It is necessary to initiate a countrywide public debate on some of these recommendations in which all stakeholders, including government, businessmen, various professionals and civil society must take part actively. Also, given the growth of entrepreneurial capabilities across the entire spectrum of Indian society, there is a need for closer partnerships between government and the private sector. Indeed, in some areas this has worked well already, where government has wisely vacated the field for private sector operators, for example in the case of mobile telephones. A revolutionary change of similar character is required in the field of renewable energy generation as well, which would bring substantial benefits to some of the poorest citizens living in rural India. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has launched a program called Lighting a Billion Lives, which ad dresses the sad situation of 1.6 billion people globally who have no access to electricity. Unfortunately, 25% of these — 400 million — live in India. Yet, this problem can be ad dressed and solved within a year, if required, through provision of solar lanterns which in the aggregate would cost less than the subsidy provided on kerosene. It is well known, based on studies by respectable organizations, that over 40% of this subsidy goes to benefit those who are in the business of adulteration of other petroleum products. Yet, a rational shift of this nature is obstructed largely by political considerations.

As the country gears up for the general elections and while we are at this exciting juncture of carving out new opportunities for the people of India two lessons are important for political leaders to reflect on. First, some of the basic problems associated with poor human development need urgent readdress. This would happen only if a major overhaul of the government machinery was to take place. Secondly there is a need for rationalizing subsidies and prices that often pervert the very purpose for which they are designed. One hopes that this year will see some new thinking on these critical issues and a change in direction for the benefit of the Indian society.

The writer is chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

India tracks Armstrong’s path

Chandrayaan Maps Landing Sites Of Apollos & 1st Human Steps On Moon

Srinivas Laxman | TNN

Pune: India’s maiden moon mission, Chandrayaan-I, zoomed into the memory lane as it mapped the landing sites of the six Apollo missions that were launched between July 1969 and December 1972.

Among the flights was Apollo 11 which created history in space exploration, taking on board Neil Armstrong, the first human to step on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.

Talking to TOI, P Sreekumar, a space scientist who quit his job in the US to be a part of the Indian moon mission, said the mapping process began on January 7 and was completed on Saturday. It includes the landing sites of Apollo 12, 14, 15 and 17, besides the historic mission.

“Our purpose of carrying out this exercise was to validate and confirm through global mapping the data about moon’s surface and rocks, which had been obtained by these Apollo flights,’’ said Sreekumar, who is in Pune to participate in the inauguration of the International Year of Astronomy programme at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

He added that the mapping was done by six of the 11 scientific payloads on board Chandrayaan, which included the indigenous Terrain Mapping Camera and the Hyper Spectral Imaging Camera. Among the others are Nasa’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, Radom from Bulgaria and the Near Infra-Red Spectrometer (Sir-2) of Germany.

Sreekumar further explained that despite the Chandrayaan flying in the north-south polar orbit, it was successfully covering the entire lunar surface and tracking the Apollo landing sites, which were located on the equatorial region of the moon.

The Sub-Kev Atom Reflecting Analyser (SARA), a payload of the ESA from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, the Space Physics Laboratory and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvanathanapuram, was activated on board the Chandrayaan this week.

The role of this equipment is to image the moon’s surface composition, including the permanently shadowed areas, study the solar wind interaction and carry out studies connected with space weathering.

TOTAL RECALL: The Indian moon mission is also tracing the landing site of Apollo 11, which took on board Neil Armstrong, the first human to land on the lunar surface

HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

New IITs, IIMs to give SCs aid

List Of Institutes In Top-Class Category To Be Expanded From 125 To 184

Akshaya Mukul | TNN

New Delhi: The new IITs/IIMs/NIITs, new law schools and host of other new educational institutions run by various government ministries will soon be included in the list of top class educational institutes so that scheduled caste students can avail of government scholarship.

Even non-government and semi-government engineering and managament institutes are proposed to be included. BITS Pilani, BIT Mesra, KIT hubaneswar, VIT Vellore, Thapar IET Patiala and a few others are already part of the ‘top class educational institute’ scheme.

The number of such institutes will increase from the present 125 to 184 with the HRD ministry agreeing with the request of social justice ministry. Other ministries like health, tourism and agriculture are also likely to agree with the proposal. Social justice ministry had requested that all six newly-opened IITs in Punjab, Orissa, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh as well as two new NITs at Agartala and Raipur be made part of the ‘top class educational’ scheme. In case of IITs, the new one at Kanchipuram is proposed for inclusion.

The Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology, Ludhiana, has been proposed for deletion from the list as it is a research institute and does not provide degree/diploma. But Delhi College of Engineering is likely to be included. Now, there will be 58 engineering institutes under the scheme, an increase of 10. Among IIMs, the new one at Shillong will also be part of the scheme. Social justice ministry has also proposed to the HRD that the management course in IITs be included. While the managament course of five IITs is part of ‘top class education’ scheme, IIT Roorkee’s management course is proposed to be included. Semi-government management institute like MDI Gurgaon would also be part of it. There will, thus, be an increase of six institutes in the management category taking the total to 29.

In the medical stream, JIPMER (Puducherry), PGIMS (Chandigarh and Lucknow), Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College (both Delhi), IMS (BHU-Varanasi), MMC (Chennai) and KEMMC (Mumbai) would be part of the scheme.

Baby in hot oil: Miracle or hoax?

Rationalists Argue ‘Bubble Effect’ Behind Infants Coming Out Unscathed

Anil Kumar M & Rishikesh Bahadur Desai | TNN

Bangalore/Hubli: Was it hot or not? That’s the burning question after recent incidents of babies being dunked in boiling water and bubbling oil. While God-fearing people call it a miracle, rationalists give a scientific explanation.

In Hubli on Sunday, Mohan Guru Swami, head priest of Lord Ayyappa Temple, boiled nearly 10 kg of oil and then dipped a year-old baby into the pan for a split second. Recently, in Bijapur, a three-month-old infant was dipped into a vessel of boiling water and lifted out. In both cases, the babies apparently didn’t suffer any injuries.

Narendra Nayak, a post-graduate in medical biochemistry and national president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, an apex body of more than 65 atheists, rationalists and humanist groups in India, told TOI that this is due to the bubbling effect.

“When two viscous liquids of different specific gravities are mixed and slightly heated, the heavier one creates an impression being brought to boil. Bubbles rise to the top and the froth-like formation coupled with fumes make people believe it is boiling. Since no one puts a thermometer into the liquid, people can claim that the liquid is boiling,” Nayak said.

This is the Leidenfrost effect, in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than its boiling point, produces an insulating vapour layer that keeps that liquid from boiling rapidly. It’s seen most commonly when cooking. One sprinkles drops of water in a frying pan to gauge its temperature. If the pan’s temperature is at or above the Leidenfrost point, the water skitters across the metal and takes longer to evaporate. The effect is named after Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost who explained it in ‘A Tract About Some Qualities of Common Water’ in 1756.

“It has also been used in some dangerous demonstrations, such as dipping a wet finger in molten lead and blowing out a mouthful of liquid nitrogen, both enacted without injury to the demonstrator,’’ Nayak said.

As part of his campaign to expose so-called miracles and debunk superstitions, Nayak has conducted about 2,000 demonstrations in India, Australia, England, and Greece. Recently, he was in Hyderabad to show that fried bhajjis could be removed from boiling oil by hand using this principle. The same experiment will be conducted in Mangalore on January 16.

MYTH BUSTED?
Nobody has checked the temperature of boiling oil in Hubli
A few lemons are squeezed and the juice put in a frying pan
Oil or water is added to it before heating
As the pan is heated, oil or water starts to bubble
Onlookers think oil is boiling but it is only bubble effect
Temperature of oil or water will not be more than room temperature
— Narendra Nayak, national president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations

A baby is dipped in boiling oil at the Ayyappaswamy temple in Hubli on Sunday