I based the composition upon a tonal row consisting of six diatonic notes, using familiar serial composition techniques which allow only strict variations of the tone row (direct, retrograde, inversion, and retrograde inversion). The composition was originally scored as a twelve-bar, twelve voice sketch in the Finale program, then exported via MIDI to Reason 2.5, where the various rowforms were cut, pasted and fed to synthesizers for arrangement and manipulation. The only instrumental exception to this scheme is that I allowed myself the luxury of importing a finger cymbal sample, in order to provide rhythmic propulsion at specific times. The finger cymbals felt idiomatically appropriate for the piece.

In addition to the strict melodic rules, I imposed a strict hierarchy of rhythmic subdivisions as well. The row is represented in sixteenth, eighth, quarter, half and whole note phrases. Again, I allowed for one luxury, in the form of a melody which, based on the tone row, asserts rhythmic freedom. For me, the hierarchy of the repetitive subdivisions reflects the fractal nature and symmetry of the image of the white lily. During the arranging and mixing of the work, I allowed the animated sixteenth-note parts to emerge and submerge, much the way one’s eye tends to roam across the symmetry of the flower, focusing briefly on one pattern, then the next, then attempting to encompass the form as a whole.

15 January, 2006

(This piece is a winner of one of our Mandala book prizes)

The umbrella is open but the rain is not ready to fall.
It shies and waits, waits until is already late to come.
Spring is near and I feel shy of the sun.
I kneel down by a flower patch and the dry
sidewalk feels cold against my hands. I keep thinking
of bees, buds and umbrellas, all in one thought.
Flower memories slap my face like a blast of winter storm.
I scroll down the images and my brain is smitten
by the possibility of love within thought. Images come,
go and change me slowly like spring opening its buds.
A careful dancer. I have time to think of flowers
and ballerinas, I have time to touch the bare,
infertile ground. Somehow I know the earth gives me time,
because she is getting ready, she is not timid of new buds.
I rise from the ground relieved to know how much I
don’t know, and how that much is what, somehow,
a flower knows. And again it is umbrella, bee and flower
in my brain, all in one thought.

(This piece is a winner of one of our Mandala book prizes)

During Atlantis’ eighth invasion,
When that island nation had exhausted
Its supply of metal, the gardeners
Left their greenhouses, went to the warriors
And said, “We’ve made you coastal defenses—
Blades six inches long, divided triply,
Coarse-toothed, spine-edged, deep-rooted. They’ll tangle
In the wrathful crab-men’s chitinous claws
Rip the bellies from the Devil’s dolphins
When they force their landings upon the beach.”
“These are wooden weapons?” asked the warriors.
“They are flowers,” came the gardeners’ reply.
“How are they named? How were they created?”
“We name them not at all, as is our style.
Nor dare we share the secret of their birth.
But our moth-prophets whisper at midnight
That Greeks shall call the flower Eryngium
After their word eruggaein meaning
To eructate and Dioscorides
Will recommend them for healthful purges.
No Roman will credit us as the plant’s
Inventor; rather they will imagine
Lusty Venus overate on love foods,
That while gorging on pine nuts, ripe peaches,
Arugala, anise and river snails
She vomited forth the mixed mass of them,
But, as no thing she touches turns ugly,
She belched cobalt flowers into the sea.
Britons will make sweetmeats from the boiled roots,
Call them ‘kissing comfits,’ feed them gladly
To lovers whose libidos they’d increase.
The Saxons shall call the plant eryngo
Or sea hulver or sea holme, this last name
Which we specially love, because ‘holme’ means
The sea, or flooded regions, or holly,
Or a deserted isle, like ours will be
After the ninth invasion (or so say
The blameless moth-prophets who never err).
Thus will the English look on the flower,
Say sadly, ‘There’s no place like holme,’ and think
On doomed Atlantis.” Then the gardeners
Took up their seedbags and sowed the beaches
With weapon-flowers to stave off the fleet
That even then was putting out to sea.

Bury me again
So that this time, I may die

Maybe I’ll come back a tulip in your garden
and you’ll pick me

Or a drop of water finding its way to your spring
from which you’ll drink

I’ll grow back a weeping willow
shading you when you’re blistering

Or a morning glory
wrapping myself around your lyrical dreams

A sunray
to your sighing flower on that dawn

Or the rock that fills the gap
preventing you from slipping

Maybe I’ll be that star
and realize away your solitary

A child
holding your hand to cross that stream

I’ll come back as soft lips
And you’ll kiss the loneliness of beauty

An anchor
Fixing the rain shadows

Maybe I’ll be a garden of castles
And lay you out a road of whimsy

Bury me again
Let me die, and be free

Through the constellation of a lily
My eye wanders. No further than my garden
For the universe. Just a moment, to look
Down, see the heavens reflected in
A flower. I find myself again.

Blood donors around the world got a pat on the back last week, as the World Heath Organization (WHO) stamped June 14 “World Blood Day.”

Everyday millions of people feel the jab of a donation needle, giving pints of blood that can help save lives, and last Tuesday was a chance to reflect on this generosity, said the WHO in their reasons for labeling the day.

“Safe blood is a fundamental need for the health system of any country,” said Dr Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the WHO in a press statement. “WHO’s 192 Member States have recently agreed that World Blood Donor Day will be an officially recognized annual event. This will help raise awareness of the continuing need for safe blood and safe donors,” added Jong-wook.

Apart from thanking current blood donors, World Blood Day also aimed to point out that access to safe blood is only available for two out of ten people worldwide, leaving the other eight potentially in peril. Furthermore, only 30% of countries currently have a national blood transfusion service.

Part of the celebrations, which included a “gallery” in London’s Trafalgar Square with pictures of 100 selected blood recipients, therefore aimed to increase awareness about the need for blood donation.

However, the news from the WHO is not all bleak, as they point out progress made in Malawi, a sub-tropical country in Southern Africa. The 12 million people in Malawi have been hard hit by HIV/AIDS, which significantly affects the mortality rate there. Despite this health concern, a safe blood service has been set up in Malawi, decreasing the death rate in children in some cases by 60%.

In Canada, Canadian Blood Services — a not-for-profit charitable organization that manages 840,000 units of blood annually for Canadians — suggests that the need for blood supplies in this country continues to grow, but less than four percent of people donated blood last year.

In response to this, Raymonde Gaumont, a Canadian whose 738 donations ranks highest among females in the country, speaks passionately about blood donation on the Canadian Blood Services website, which she calls a social responsibly.

“I first gave blood at the age of 18 when I enlisted in the Canadian Forces. The military life and blood donation system are united by a strong historical connection. Health is a privilege and, as human beings, we have a responsibility to share it,” Gaumont is quoted as saying on the site.

Canadian Blood Services is also promoting a bill that was introduced into the Senate on May 5, 2005, which wants to make the second week of June “National Blood Donor Week.”

I am writing you with much concern after I read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design to be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.

Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing. We tend to be very secretive, as many people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don’t understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.

I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming to long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.

In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear our views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. We will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.

Sincerely Yours,

Bobby Henderson, concerned citizen.

P.S. I have included an artistic drawing of Him creating a mountain, trees, and a midget. Remember, we are all His creatures.

“Stem cells isolated from adult breast tissue” – CTV.ca, Jan 5 2006
“California ‘backs’ stem cell move” – BBC, Nov 3 2005
“Two Studies Bolster Stem Cells’ Use in Fighting Disease” – Washington Post, Sept 27 2005
“Discredited Stem Cell Scientist Apologizes in South Korea” – New York Times, Jan 12 2006

Almost every other day we hear or read something related to stem cell research, may it be scientific, political, or economical, from news reports or newspapers. It seems that stem cell research has become an extremely popular field of study – and not without good cause. First of all, stem cells might serve as a potential therapy for diseases that result from the inability of our body’s cells to replenish themselves after injury or cell death (i.e. diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Muscular Dystrophy, spinal injury, heart diseases, etc). Secondly, it appears that some cancers are a result of aberrant stem cell behavior, making further understanding of basic stem cell biology essential to finding more effective treatments for cancer. Understandably, stem cell research has evolved dramatically over the past 10 years. It seems necessary, therefore, to talk about what a stem cell is, what obstacles stem cell research faces, and what attempts have been made to address these obstacles.

So, what exactly is a stem cell? Generally speaking, a stem cell is an unspecialized cell without a defined function that has the ability to: 1. Self-renew, meaning the cells can continuously replicate in its unspecialized form without dying, and 2. Give rise to multiple specialized cell types of the entire organism or a given tissue type. This means, for example, that the same stem cell can possibly transform into blood cells, neural cells, muscle cells, and many more. Usually stem cells are separated into two types: embryonic and adult. Embryonic stem cells are derived from early embryos before they implant and develop into a fetus, while adult stem cells are derived from a mature adult being. The best example of an adult stem cell is the hematopoietic stem cell, which can generate all the different types of blood cells, including red blood cells that carries oxygen, platelets that promotes blood clotting, and various kinds of white blood cells associated with disease fighting. To demonstrate the ability of a stem cell to generate different cell types, words like “pluripotent” and “multipotent” are used. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, as they can generate any cell type in an individual except the placenta. Adult stem cells are multipotent, meaning they can generate a large range of cells, mostly in the same organ system, but not every single cell type in an individual. Hence adult stem cells don’t have the same plasticity (a term adopted by stem cell biologists to represent the range of tissue types a cell can produce) as embryonic stem cells. The ability of stem cells to generate a virtually limitless number of cells with many different characteristics make them great candidates when it comes to replacing the cells in medical conditions mentioned previously such as diabetes or spinal injury.

So far it sounds like stem cells could be a miracle treatment for many costly, (with respect to both human lives as well as medical expenses), medical conditions. So why haven’t we seen a wide spread use of stem cell therapies in clinical treatments? The reason has both social and scientific roots. The major ethical issue with stem cell research originates from embryonic stem cell research. This is because of the fact that majority of the embryonic stem cells are taken from embryos that still have the ability to develop into a fetus, and the procedure used to generate embryonic stem cells will essentially kill the embryo in the process. Hence many groups, especially religious communities, object to the use of embryonic stem cells for research. Should these embryos be considered as individuals? Does the destruction of very early embryos equate to destroying life? Can we generate embryos for the purpose of research but not creating life? Essentially the argument ends with the big question, “when does life begin?” – and that is one that I don’t have the chance to further discuss in this short piece. Until there is universal agreement with this issue, it is less likely that embryonic stem cell research, especially in humans, will be accepted by all groups. Interestingly, scientists have recently begun to address this issues not from the ethical/social/religious aspects, but through the development of new techniques to generate stem cells.

Recently two articles published in the Jan 12th, 2006 issue of Nature demonstrated the possibly to generate less ethically refutable embryonic stem cell lines. Before a fertilized egg develops into an embryo, it goes through several stages of cell divisions and form a cell cluster called morula; each cell inside the morula is called a blastomere and the morula continues to form a “blastocyst.” A blastocyst, which is where embryonic stem cells are usually derived from, is capable of implanting in the uterus. Lanza and colleagues from Advanced Cell Technology developed a technique to remove one blastomere from the 8-cell stage mouse morula, and use that blastomere to generate several embryonic stem cell lines. This technique is already being used as a way to detect genetic defects of in vitro fertilized embryos. They also found that the rest of the blastomeres could continue to develop into an implantable blastocyst with a normal rate, showing that the embryo was not destroyed or damaged and could continue to develop unharmed. Another group led by Meissner and Jaenisch from MIT used genetic manipulation technique to generate a blastocyst that in essence could not implant in the uterus and hence is NOT an embryo. Nevertheless, one could still derive embryonic stem cells from the blastocyst by reversing previous genetic manipulation. Although it is uncertain whether the same scenarios can apply to human embryonic stem cell research, this is an important step in solving ethical issues with advance scientific techniques. It certainly won’t be anytime soon since research in human embryonic stem cells will have to be available first.

Other than the ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells for research, there are still many scientific difficulties in actually using embryonic stem cells for clinical therapy. First of all, because a stem cell is an unspecialized cell, there are many stages before it can differentiate on command into a final stage cell such as a neuron, a skin cell, or a muscle cell. And there are also many factors involved in keeping the cell in its final stage. Hence, the correct ”stop” and “go” signals need to be worked out first. Otherwise we risk using cells that are unstable – and, let your imagination go wild here, – we certainly do not want to find skin cells inside our brain after stem cell therapy! Right now, the majority of research with embryoinic stem cells is focused on using them as cell replacement therapy in medical conditions such as diabetes, spinal injury, Alzheimer’s, etc. A strong caveat of this approach, though, is that the ES cells used are from another donor. The recipient of such embryonic therapy will very likely have to receive immunosuppressive. Immunosuppressive therapies compromises the recipient’s immune system, and therefore prevent the recipient’s body from rejecting cells and tissue from the donor. However, immunosuppressive therapy causes an increased chance of infection, not to mention the accumulative long-term cost of this lifelong therapy. Therefore it is necessary to establish techniques to generate recipient-tailored embryonic stem cells before ES cell therapy can be widely applied. Theoretically speaking, such embryonic stem cells can be generated by a technique called nuclear-transfer: the patient’s genetic material inside the nucleus of his or her cells is transferred into a donor oocyte (egg) to generate an embryo with the patient’s own genetic profile. Cells generated from this stem cell will have the same characteristic as recipient cells and therefore can fool the recipient’s immune system and prevent immune rejection. And that is why the paper published by the Korean group led by Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk from Seoul National University in the June 17th, 2005 issue of Science attracted so much attention. If successful, it would be the first time that nuclear-transferred, patient-specific human embryos were generated. Although this article was eventually found to be a fraud that disturbed the whole scientific community, it clearly demonstrated how desperate we are to seek progress in this area – a whole other article can be written on this topic, I am sure. Another option is to use adult stem cells derived directly from the patient. Even here, there are certainly limits to the plasticity and self-renewal ability of adult stem cells. If this limitation can be removed, then adult stem cells might serve as an alternative to embryonic stem cells.

It is without question that stem cells hold tremendous therapeutic potential, yet additional research is essential to move us closer to clinical benefits. At the same time, we should keep in mind that ethical issues will need to be addressed before we will see routine use of stem cells as treatments. It is inspiring to see many efforts being made to resolve these pertinent ethical issues. It is my hope that one day I will live to see a comprehensive and equitable agreement that could allow us to translate science into life-saving treatment.

Does the idea of genetically modified (GM) trees stir up images of Ents from The Lord of the Rings? Do you find yourself wondering if there are transgenic trees planted in your local forest? If someone were to ask how you feel about planting GM trees in a plantation forest, what would you say?

Okay, let me back up a few steps. This article is about tree biotechnology in Canada. In order to continue reading this article you need to know a few things about biotechnology. DON’T STOP READING. If you already do know, feel free to skip this paragraph. If you need an introduction, or a refresher, please read on.

Genetically modified – we see the phrase often in the news and especially in scientific writing. For a lot of us it stimulates feelings of anxiety, for some hot heads (e.g.: me) it can even stimulate unwanted arguments with say, an unsuspecting roommate (e.g.: old roomy Greg). Nonetheless, it’s a term used to describe the intentional alteration of genetic material (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid, DNA). What a lot of people don’t realize is that even conventional breeding falls under this category! Another often used expression is “transgenic”. Transgenic organisms are those with genetic material from another genus (for example, spruce genes in rose bushes or vice versa). A novel trait is one that is not common in a natural population.

So, like most sciences there is a lot of jargon used to describe biotechnology. What’s important to keep in mind, is that all of these genetic changes fall under the general definition of biotechnology, which consists of the application of science and engineering to the modification of genes.

Tree biotechnology is a growing field of interest and research. Many countries engage in significant tree biotechnology research programs, including Canada. Government agencies such as the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) support tree biotechnology research programs across the nation. This research includes developmental science and the applications of transgenic trees.

Quiz time! Get out your pens and paper. #1 – What is your definition of biotechnology? #2 – Are you surprised to know that tree biotechnology research is occurring in Canada? I’m not going to review the answer to #1, but how about #2. Really, it shouldn’t be that surprising, should it? Forestry is a huge, and hugely important, industry in Canada. Not only are demands for wood products increasing (reduce, reuse, recycle!), but the desire to preserve our natural forests and ecosystems introduces a large pressure on forestry in Canada. The destruction of our forests from pests, such as the pine beetle is a real example of an event driving tree biotechnology research. From this perspective, tree biotechnology has the potential to play an important role in our country’s ability to compete in industry and develop effective forest management programs.

So, the question still remains: What type of tree biotechnology is happening in Canada? Rest assured, it’s not the development of killer trees!

According to the CFS, the goals of tree biotechnology research in Canada include production of healthier trees, increase in tree population density, meeting growing demands for wood products, decrease in loss of natural forests and ecosystems, forest protection using biological pest control, development of techniques and methods to asses the impact of transgenic trees and a sustainable increase in competitiveness of Canada’s forestry industry. Tree biotechnology research under other agencies (commercial and academic) are also looking at developing techniques to propagate and genetically transform trees, the creation and effects of stress tolerance (for example salt and drought tolerance), and the use of naturally occurring or transgenic trees to remove toxic materials from contaminated land. Phew, long list!

A great deal of research (as evidenced by applications for field trials of transgenic trees) involves the production of herbicide and pest-resistant tress. Using traditional biotechnology techniques, trees can be transformed to carry and express genes that protect them against herbicides and natural pathogens. In fact, field trials of pest-tolerant transgenic white spruce were initiated in 2000 by the CFS. Earlier than this, the first Canadian field trial began in 1997 when the CFS planted a small plot of transgenic poplar trees.

So, what are the real risks of transgenic trees? Or, maybe it is more accurate to ask, what are the perceived risks of transgenic trees?

The spread of novel traits to other trees and organisms is a concern expressed by environmentalists, activists, and researchers. For example, pesticide-resistant transgenic trees posses the risk to transfer the resistant gene to pests (potentially resulting in “super bugs”) and other organisms. The transfer of genetic material occurs naturally, though infrequently and rarely of benefit to the organism involved in the transfer. This is referred to as gene flow and is a valid risk arising from genetic engineering. Depending on the genetic modification, however, this risk can increase or decrease. Current field studies are designed to manage and critically monitor this risk, but long-term trials are necessary to better understand this risk.

However, situations in which people counted their seedlings before the seeds germinated (bad science joke?) has already occurred. In China, over 1 million transgenic trees have been planted as a means to slow desertification and restore tree populations. The trees were transgenic for pest resistance and it has since been reported that a lack of control and monitoring has resulted in significant crossing with native tree species. The consequences of which are yet to be determined.

Another proposed risk of planting transgenic trees is the threat to biodiversity. Is this a real risk? It depends who you ask – and right now you are asking a tree biotechnologist! Tree biotechnology can be used to preserve biodiversity, by selecting and growing (in managed plantations) desirable and important trees and avoid the destruction of natural forests. Techniques used in biotechnology can also provide valuable information about where the most genetically diverse populations grow.

Most valid, however, is the potential risk of damaging a natural ecosystem. Tree biotechnologist or not, this is something we should all be concerned about. This damage can come in many forms and degrees of severity, and encompasses gene flow as well as effects to biodiversity. The type of genetic modification, the area where trees are planted, and whether it is within a natural forest or on a plantation, will affect the level of risk. The complex relationships between organisms in an ecosystem make studying the risks of transgenic trees equally as complex, but it is not impossible.

So are we, as a forestry-rich nation, prepared to accept transgenic trees and tree biotechnology? Most Canadians would oppose the idea. Would you? In fact, many Canadians feel that transgenic trees are too risky, and that more research needs to be conducted. How do you feel?

Although commercial applications of transgenic trees will not likely occur in the near future, research is critical to increase our understanding of the implications and applications of tree biotechnology. This includes further development and larger field trials. The potential for improved and more effective forest management programs and increased industrial competitiveness is huge. Likewise is the potential for healthier forests and the reduction of global desertification. Any potential benefit will not be realized without continuing research and expansion of the procedures and practices of tree biotechnology. It is also important to focus on improving public knowledge of tree biotechnology and the applications of transgenic trees (in other words – forward this article to a friend!).

I believe, as an informed citizen and an enthusiastic tree biotechnologist, that tree biotechnology is a promising area of research. Even if we can’t have forests of Ents, this development is necessary if we are going to come close to fully understanding the complexities of tree development, and for moving towards a new era of sustainable forest management in Canada. However, with so much research occurring and a great deal more to do, I still wonder: In Canada, will we ever see the forest for the transgenic trees?

“…rainy and a low of 2 …” kshhht “…climatologists meeting established a treaty that should further reduce CO2 exhausts by 20% over the next decade…” shh “…and here is their new song fresh from the producer…” kshhhh “…unprecedented flooding for this time of the year…”

“Daaaa, could you please stop tweaking around on MY radio? And could you please drive a bit faster, I wanna bake something for ma before she returns.” She liked radios, something that none of her friends had. They tended to call them relics, which made her like them even more.

With a smile the driver replied “Your radio? Last time I checked, I was driving. And besides, I think we should all follow the recent events that are attributed to human-induced climate changes.”

10 year old Laura gave him the usual you-speak-grown-up-and-I-want-to-listen-to-some-music stare but had learned to not counter his climate comments. The climate. She was cold to the bone, having just come back form the swimming pool trudging through the snow-muck for what appeared to her as ages until reaching their family car. She wouldn’t mind a two degree increase in temperature, who would? Last time she mentioned that, however, a long explanation about flooding, polar ice melting, the disruption of some water current in the Atlantic, pressure changes on the earth’s surface and thus resulting earthquakes and tsunamis that struck with increased frequentness and ferocity had followed. True, there were the recent vids scintillating through the webnews with parts of San Francisco having been displaced by up to 100 metres and talk about it having been avoidable if the polar ice caps were still existing. But then, that city was far away and she sure as hell didn’t feel any tremors in the earth. And according to her geographical sense, the earth’s polar caps were not exactly in San Francisco. She saw no way that some snow melt could be related to all of that. It had turned out time and again that most grown-ups, however, did think like that these days. She decided to distract her old man so that she might get another shot at the radio.

“But, dad, we already drive around in this…” she almost said coffin again, a term impressed on her by her friends for the absolute lack of noise in the vehicle’s interior, “magic machine”. We are already doing something for the environment. Her friends’ elder siblings sometimes boasted with having repaired a real 20th century petrol car sporting the “real combustion sound”. Sure, it made a lot of awful noise but those machines also reeked far worse than any of her failed food preparation experiments – experiments that had triggered the automatic sprinklers at home. Twice already.

Her comment certainly drew another smile from him, he liked the view of children on the world. “Ah, this magic machine runs on fuel cells, that’s why our motor doesn’t make any noise at all. No combustion, no explosion, and an electric motor with a noise level below the wind on our LCD windscreen.”

“Yes, you explained it to me already.”

“But can you remember?”

“Aehhh…” Too late, she realised that she should have used her well-trained convincing of course. Looking longingly at the radio she sighed in anticipation. At least this time, she found herself looking at some small vids called upon the screens by her father. She liked his drawings. The sensible, comprehensible ones, at least.

“Take a look at those vids” he said smiling even more about that answer. She realised with agitation that he had switched to a semi-autopilot mode to turn around with his seat slowing their speed even further, and decreasing her chance for the radio. But for the moment she was nicely distracted.

“The best comparison to fuel cells can be made with batteries. Batteries produce electricity by chemical reactions. In contrary to such systems, fuel cells depend on gases. They use hydrogen as a fuel. ”

Upon these words, a three-dimensional picture of two globes encircling each other appeared on the screen. She had heard about atoms, but no matter how much she had searched, she found herself unable to see these globes with her own eyes and thus doubted they existed at all. She had learned not to mention that, though. She might still see some atoms one day. She had missed the next part of the explanation reflecting on atoms and was only pulled back into reality by the appearance of two different globes and some mentioning of oxygen as the gas on the other side.

“As for utilising hydrogen, vans like ours are usually referred to as hydrogen cars. In their early stages, most people believed we would just burn hydrogen instead of petrol, but the hydrogen is split electrochemically into two protons (a hydrogen atom bereft of its electrons) at the anode. An anode is one of the two electrodes of the cell. In this car, we have a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cell, the hydrogen is transported through the polymeric electrolyte. It then reappears at the other electrode, the cathode, to combine with oxygen ions (O2-) and forms water, the only waste product. That’s what makes this technology so great, we create mobile electricity using hydrogen and air and produce water. That’s why our car doesn’t stink on the rear side.”

“But what about Sundeep? They refuel vodka in their car”. She always found this explanation of her school friend a bit strange.

Chuckling, he answered “I guess that they might have tried vodka for the fun of it, though what the reformer says to that I’m not sure.” Laura did not know anyone called Reformer and ventured “Who is the reformer”, drawing a louder chuckle form her father. Parents. They always found the strangest things funny.

“A reformer is a machine that converts liquid carbohydrate fuels, for example vodka or more likely methanol and ethanol, into hydrogen. This has the advantage of using liquid fuels that have a large energy per weight density and can be transported and stored easily. Those vehicles, however, need to carry around the weight of that instrument and produce the same stinking exhaust fumes as good old petrol cars – though only about 1% of yonder.”

Yonder. Sometimes he used funny words that she could in turn utilise in school and pretend to know their meaning. But just as she thought she had understood that their car was the best in the world, something she had always know of course, her genitor continued.

“Mind you, the reformers only move some of the dirt back into towns where humankind tried to expel it from after a twentyfold increase in lung cancer in cities across the globe two decades back.” Not that the problem had even been remotely tackled by the banning of all petrol driven mobiles in cities – the occurrence levels merely stabilised. And significant increase in illness was not even the main cause for the ban, but taxpayer demands for an entirely different kind of alleviation derived from the fact that a barrel of crude oil had stepped past the “magical” barrier of $2000US at that time. He never really figured what was magical about it, but the positive change in the city streets was as prominent as in all bars and restaurants after the ban of cigarettes back in the grey past. Well, his grey past at least. “In fact, the production of hydrogen for our car produces just as many waste gases, but it does so concentrated in the green energy centres that have sprung up alongside most of the surrounding water streams where water is split into its components, hydrogen and oxygen, by utilising the energy of the flowing water with small turbines without having to block the stream with a dam.”

Laura was not entirely sure whether that was a good thing, but seeing that their car allowed at least the other kids she knew from school to breath better in their city agglomeration made her feel good. She was drawn again to the two cell drawings in front of her.

“So, what is different between these two cells?”

“Ah, yes. PEMs, as polymer-based fuel cells are usually referred to, operate around the temperature that water boils, 100°C. The electrolyte that conducts the protons is subject to drying and thus cannot be heated far above that temperature. As the name suggests, the electrolyte is a polymer membrane, a thin sheet of plastic if you will it that can conduct protons via an electrical current. As I mentioned before, they flow from the anode to the cathode while the electricity, two electrons per hydrogen atom, travels through an external circuit. At the cathode, the protons recombine with hydrogen ions to form water, the circuit is closed. In the case of our car, the electricity propels an electric motor. Early critics thought these cars were merely larger and slower wheelchairs not knowing that the torque of electric motors, probably best described as accelerating force of a car, exceeds that of any combustion engine by leagues.

“The other cell that you can see are called SOFC, as they are rock solid, or rather ceramic solid and nowadays operate at 500°C. They are entirely made from ceramics and a steady progress in research and development decreased that operating temperature from 1000°C. These high temperatures need materials like certain ceramics that are stable for a long time at these temperatures.”

1000 degrees centigrade, not even the oven at home could go that high, Laura was most impressed by that number. “Is that as hot as on the sun?” she ventured and drew another smile from her begetter.

“Not quite”, he continued, “but too hot to be managed by any fuel cell systems on earth for an elongated period of time. The reduction in temperature allows for certain metals to be used, significantly decreasing costs and increasing the system lifetime. Additionally, electrochemical cells have a higher voltage at lower temperatures.” He avoided any explanation of Nernst, Volta, Maxwell and the likes to support that statement. If these names and their respective ideas ever caught the interest of someone, they certainly did not at that age. Ah, blessed youth.

“In contrast to the PEMs, oxygen atoms from the air are split at the cathode and transported through the electrolyte. As these ions are significantly larger than protons, they need much higher temperatures to be able to move through an otherwise dense ceramic electrolyte. The oxygen ions travel in the opposite direction as the protons in PEMs, forming water at the anode. Other than that, the remaining reactions are exactly the same.

“These high temperature cells can be used in cogeneration where the excess heat of the fuel cell is used to both power a steam turbine and to heat water. This process is called, not too surprisingly, combined heat and power, and is applied in most decentralised residential appliances that are in place in houses. In fact, in our basement, the “fridge without a door” as you put it so nicely, is one of those high temperature fuel cells and the waste heat is used to heat the water for our house. It is not connected to a turbine, though, as it is too small for that. In winter, we use a converter to produce hydrogen from methanol stored in a tank under our basement, but for the rest of the year, the sun does all the work for us, producing hydrogen that we need directly with the solar panels on our roof. It simply electrolyses the water.”

She still remembered last autumn when golf ball sized hail had destroyed most of their glittering roof decoration and the house was ice cold. Everybody was happy for the ancient fireplace that was usually a mere decoration. It had gotten warm again after a visit of a huge truck that had filled the tank under their basement with alcohol. They usually had that truck coming later in the year, something explained to her by her father to be connected to less sunlight in winter and snow on the roof. Only now did it dawn on her that this might be the same alcohol her friend used in his car. Interesting.

“Are there other fuel cells?” she asked after having finished her internal reflections.

“Sure,” was the succinct but nonetheless amiable reply, “there are many, all working at different operation conditions, temperatures and materials. I can show you more about them at home, if you’re still interested, as we’re almost there.” His seat turned and he steered to a halt in their street. Almost home? She realised in not-too-unpleasant-a-shock that the ride had been much shorter than anticipated and very enjoyable. Not that all her talks with her scientist-dad were as easy or enjoyable, but sometimes she could almost see atoms with her own eyes listening to his explanations.

She immediately planned to try to coax her oven into baking at 1000°C, just to see what happens with her bakery. Maybe she could even find a new way to produce energy by that…