Author Archives: derekrejto

Biofuels. Good or Bad?

As an answer to the increasing oil prices, energy conservation and concerns regarding global warming, biofuels have been considered a plausible alternative to other energy sources.  Biofuels consist of a variety of fuels, which have been derived from biomass, earth’s renewable biological resources.   Through some reading online, I believe that biofuel is as an environmentally harmful resource for three main reasons.  Whether it be because the fact that food prices will increase with a decrease in crops…or because there will be an actual increase in global warming…or because of the inability for crops to keep up with the demand of biofuel-materials…I feel that biofuels need to reconsidered as an alternative for our everyday energy uses.

Biofuels work at Argonne by Argonne National Laboratory via Flickr Creative Commons

First, biofuel is produced from plant oils and from edible crops, which means that we have to make the choice between food and oil.  Scientists studying this issue have realized that food prices have and will continue to increase with an increasing demand for biofuel.  The increase in demand for a production of biofuels, in particular biofuels from maize and sugarcane, has had a numerous implications on grain supply-and-demand systems around the world.  And because of the need for specifically maize (corn crops), which is extremely profitable to grow, an increasing amount of farmers who previously grew wheat and rice are now switching over to maize crops thus decreasing the availability of wheat and rice.

corn by tricky via Flickr Creative Commons

Second, in order to produce biofuel, the clearing of natural ecosystems for these crops will actually increase global warming contrary to common belief.  This is due to the fact that carbon dioxide is produced when you clear natural grasslands and other land areas to create farmland for biofuels.  The conversion of native habitats to cropland for biofuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as this is due to burning or microbial decomposition of organic carbon that is stored in the biomass of the earth.  Basically, until the carbon debt is repaid, biofuels from converted lands will actually have greater green house gas emission than the fossil fuels they are displacing.

Clear cutting land for cultivation by Lon&Queta via Flickr Creative Commons

Last but not least, the current crops we are producing cannot keep up with the demand of bio-materials needed for producing biofuel.  Farmers struggle to keep up with the demand for biofuel crops, as this demand shifts up demand for staple crops.  In other words, the biofuel demand is so high, that farmers cannot maintain their main crops, staple crops, and as a result these main crops also end up being in high demand.

It seems as though biofuel will only increase food prices, increase global warming and cause farmers to be faced with an inability for their crops to keep up with the demand of biofuel-materials.  With these main points in mind, I ask you to reconsider the use of biofuels in our society and question whether they are not only beneficial to us humans, but also beneficial to the earth we live and rely on.

-Derek Rejto

The Perfect Nap

Have you ever wondered how long the perfect nap is?  As we are all university students I am sure that at one point or another we have had the urge to take that quick nap in an attempt to replenish our mind and body.  However, I feel that most of us have also experienced waking up from our nap feeling groggy and just plain out-of-it.  So what is the secret to a perfect nap?  It is called the power nap!

Nap time by buhny via Flicker Creative Commons

To understand the power nap we must first understand how the stages of our sleep cycle work.  Essentially, sleep comes in various stages.  In the beginning, known as the light sleep stages, you drift off as your brain slows down.  On the other hand, in later states, known as the deep sleep stages, you reach deep sleep and REM.  When we awake from the earlier stages we feel refreshed, alert and energized! This is because your brain hasn’t fully entered the sleep cycle and so waking up from it isn’t a strain on your brain. But on the other hand, if we awake during the deep sleep cycle we wake up feeling groggy and exhausted.  This is because your brain has now entered deep into the sleep cycle, thus interrupting this cycle makes you feel the opposite of refreshed.

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Youtube by AsapSCIENCE

Now you may be wondering how long of a nap this would require to avoid the deep sleep cycle.  Many studies have shown that power naps less than 30 minutes are ideal for most people in achieving optimal results when waking, as these awake you during the light sleep cycle.  For example, there was a study at the University of Düsseldorf that discovered that even naps as short as 6 to 10 minutes were able to restore memory , alertness and better learning/performance.  Additionally, the Flinders University explained through their study that a 10 minute nap was the best length for a nap in terms of recuperation.  This 10 minute length was based on the subjects only having 5 hours of sleep the night prior.

Idea Man by hank_rhoads via Flickr Creative Commons

Idea Man by hank_rhoads via Flickr Creative Commons

Overall, the power nap can be extremely efficient in dealing with exhaustion and a fatigued mind when done right.  It seems weird that a shorter amount of napping time will lead to better results when waking up, but we must consider how our brain functions when we sleep.  So the next time you get back from lecture and only have an hour or so before your next lecture, why not try out a quick power nap to refresh and replenish your mind and body!

-Derek Rejto