Banner Graphic, Volume 14, Number 130, Greencastle, Putnam County, 7 February 1984 — Page 19

Oil in orange peel shows potential as an all-purpose pesticide

c. 1984 N.Y. Times In a cage full of houseflies, scientists placed an orange. Nothing happened as the flies buzzed happily around the fruit. The scientists then removed the fruit, scratched its skin and returned it to the cage. Within 15 minutes the flies were acting strangely and two hours later they were all dead. The experiment (and others using different insect pests), conducted by University of Georgia entomologists, revealed that the oil in orange peels shows promise of being a powerful all-purpose insecticide. Natural insecticides are common enough in plants but the trick is to turn them to man’s use. A variety of tests have already demonstrated that the orange oil can wipe out fire ants and wasps and kill fleas on a cat, yet does not harm people, animals or the environment, the scientists say. The experiments included placing a damaged orange outside a cage full of flies, so that the insects had no direct contact with the orange. The flies still died, however. And when ex-

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posed directly to drops of the oil, the flies died more quickly. “We haven’t tested the citrus oil on agricultural pests such as boll weevils yet,” said Dr. Max Bass, head of the entomology department at the university’s experiment station at Tifton, Ga. “But right now, it looks like we might have a potent insecticide against household pests, and one that also smells good.” Bass and his co-worker, Dr. Craig Sheppard, in cooperation with the federal Agriculture Department, have already identified some of the citrus oil components that may be the active insect-killing agents. They believe, however, that other substances in the oil are also involved. The scientists, whose findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of The Journal of Agricultural Entomology, hope that when the insectkilling chemical compounds in orange peels are fully isolated, the substance can be synthetically produced more cheaply than by squeezing it from fruit.

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and the ‘Greenhouse Effect’

Based on most likely (mid-range) scenario.

_ Projected Emission 40 Of Carbon Dioxide 1 ...i.i ,1 j i i _J_ 1 1 1 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100 ~ Effect of Carbon Dioxide Level 600 On Atmospheric Temperature^***^^°l (right scale, in \ ******* —I centrigrade) ,******* 2°B 200 t dioxide level I scale, in parts per million) | 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060 "2080 2100 g Source Environmental Protection Agency

'Greenhouse effect' Global strategy aims at reducing carbon dioxide

By WALTER SULLIVAN c. 1984 N.Y. Times NEW YORK - A global strategy to reduce a potentially dangerous increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has been outlined by engineers and economists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. In a report to the National Science Foundation, the specialists propose that the use of fossil fuel, largely responsible for the carbon dioxide increase, can be substantially reduced by greater efficiency in energy production. They believe that energy use could be cut in half within 50 years. Reduced burning of fossil fuels can also be achieved by speeding up conversions to nuclear power, solar energy and wind power, says their analysis. In many parts of the world, it asserts, nuclear power is significantly cheaper than coal, “especially given environmental restrictions against coal typical of present United

Bacteria clue to photosynthesis origin?

By HAROLD M. SCHMECK Jr. C.1984N.Y. Times NEW YORK - Unusual bacteria that may offer clues to the origin of photosynthesis have been discovered by scientists at Indiana University, the National Science Foundation has announced. The bacteria have a combination of properties never before observed, said the foundation, which supports research by the scientists.

States practices.” In industrialized countries other than the United States, the report adds, nuclear power plants are being vigorously developed. The engineers and economists propose that photovoltaic cells generating electricity directly from sunlight can become a major energy source, particularly in sunny countries with extensive otherwise unproductive terrain. Their report contrasts sharply with some earlier analyses, notably one by the Environmental Protection Agency, suggesting that little could be done to halt the carbon dioxide increase and its possibly harmful warming effects. The MIT-Stanford report says that although a “significant” wanning is inevitable, it can be mitigated; that to be effective, measures would have to be taken globally and preferably as soon as possible, though early universal adoption of a single energy strategy would clearly be difficult.

The bacteria are believed to represent a hitherto unknown category of photosynthetic organisms and may be descendants of primitive microbes that played a part in the origin of photosynthesis on earth. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae and some bacteria use the sun’s energy for their growth. The beginning of photosynthesis is considered one of the most significant events in the evolution of life on earth. The early atmosphere had no free oxygen, scientists believe. In photosynthesis, green plants break down water and release free oxygen. It was from this process that earth’s atmosphere accumulated the free oxygen on which higher forms of life depend. Photosynthetic

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Carbon dioxide, mostly from fuel-burning, traps heat radiation from earth and atmosphere, preventing dissipation into space

Carbon dioxide is a minor but increasingly abundant constituent of the atmosphere. It is generated by all forms of fossil fuel combustion. As a gas it acts much like the glass in a greenhouse, allowing sunlight to pass through, but absorbing the heat radiation that otherwise would escape into space, thus creating the muchdiscussed “greenhouse effect.” The proposed strategies also promise a reduction in acid rain and other forms of air pollution and would help, the report said, to lower international tension “both by reducing the pressure on depleting energy resources and by increasing beneficial international collaboration.” Because of uncertainties regarding both the timing and consequences of carbon dioxide increases, the report says, stringent curtailment of fossil fuel at this time is neither justified nor feasible. Nevertheless, it adds, in view of the “potential for severe impacts,” and the slowness typical of changes in production and use of energy, “it makes sense to

plants continue to supply oxygen to the atmosphere, but bacterial photosynthesis does not release oxygen. Scientists who study early evolution believe that photosynthesis began in bacteria and that modifications of the process, in which oxygen was released, arose later. The bacteria discovered by Dr. Howard Gest and Jeffrey L. Favinger of Indiana University cannot live in the presence of oxygen and do not produce it. Such bacteria might have flourished in the early, oxygenless atmosphere. “The peculiarities of these bacteria that we discovered strongly suggest that they may be of great value for tracing early biochemical evolution on the earth,” Gest was quoted as

develop new strategies for reducing future fossil fuel carbon emissions.” The report estimates that, through new technologies and system replacements, energy consumption reckoned in constant dollars could be reduced 1 percent yearly without adversely affecting the economy or gross national product. “This improvement seems achievable in all regions and sectors,” says the report, adding that it is “the most important single opportunity” to ameliorate the carbon dioxide buildup, and “appears attractive in its own right, both economically and environmentally.” The report’s conclusions were made public by the National Science Foundation. The authors were Dr. David J. Rose, professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and principal investigator, Dr. Marvin M. Miller, also of MIT, and Dr. Carson Agnew of Stanford University.

saying in the foundation’s announcement. In an interview by telephone, he said the bacteria seem to have an unusual form of chlorophyll, the substance through which photosynthesis works.

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Laser light may be future power source for largest computers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Light someday may be the “key” that controls the world’s fastest large-scale computers. University of Rochester scientist Joseph H. Eberly and two former associates have patented an optical switching device that uses laser light to replace electric current.

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February 7,1984

By using light pulses shorter than a picosecond (one-triilionth of a second) and by reducing the need for cooling components that increase computer size and the distance an impulse must travel, a “light-powered” computer could perform nearinstantaneous switching and logic functions, says Eberly.