APRIL 1, 2024 - INTERESTING SCIENCE

 APRIL 1, 2024 - EXCITING SCIENCE 

I read different blogs and news stories.  I found two this last week that interested me.

First (if you didn’t get your chocolate rabbit for Easter), there is a shortage of cocoa (aka “chocolate’).  Seemingly, there is a drought in the chocolate-growing areas of West Africa.  (As a chocaholic, that is bad news).

But the good news comes from Nebraska research. Seemingly, agriculture researchers in Nebraska have found that the soybeans and corn plants have much in common with the cocoa plant. Still, something that isn’t common is that soybeans and corn can grow in the midwestern climate while cocoa grows in hot climates. Corn is the central aspect of this new development. Corn is a sweetener. (If unsure, look at some of your labels—including beverages that use corn sweeteners.)

GMOs—Genetically Modified Organisms— some soybean genes joined essential corn genes to create a simple cocoa-like plant to create a derivative about 95% the same as cocoa (chocolate).  American farmers can control the moisture better (with irrigation) than in the drought-stricken areas of West Africa. The result is a bean (or kernel) that tastes like chocolate, much cheaper in the United States.  In blind taste tests, about 65% picked a soybean/corn Hershey bar over a cocoa Hershey bar.  While full-scale production is a few years away, Scientists are excited about the prospect of this new chocolate.

The United States Department of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given tentative approval to the product, pending significant testing.  Some issues include long-term results (such as whether the SuperCocoaBean (SCB) use causes some diseases - a little far out, but will this cause blindness, sterility, cancer, or other.  Because of the genetically altered nature of the SCB, risks can be significant.  The FDA 

anticipates full approval in three to five years.

Until then, we might have to limit our chocolate intake.

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The second article concerns managing the weather. Atmospheric scientists from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Oxford University (England), and the University of Jamaica have been studying harnessing the weather—and in particular, the devastating hurricanes that hit the Caribbean islands. 

Over the years, scientists have tried “seeding” the clouds with Silver iodide so that the hurricanes would drop their rain quicker (and not over land), which would weaken the hurricanes.  However, recent experiments have used nickel iodide (much cheaper than silver iodide), which is more aligned to SHFR - Super High-Frequency Radio Waves. The nickel iodine - like the silver iodide causes the moisture to freeze - thus weakening the storm.  The super high-frequency radio waves can be produced offshore and cause heavier rain to fall over the ocean instead of on land.   

So far, that isn’t much new.  The latest experiments have focused on moving the clouds and hurricanes using the SHRF properties of the nickel-iodide.  One particular hurricane front in 2023 was headed for Jamaica.  The nickel iodide supercooled the hurricane, but like using a mouse to move a cursor, they moved the hurricane to uninhabited areas.  The plans for 2024 include moving the hurricane to West Texas - and bringing controlled relief from drought by dropping well-needed moisture gently over a large area for about a week instead of the traditional hurricane model of heavy rains and devastating winds to have gentle rainfall and much lower winds.  

Scientists have hypothesized that the right nickel iodides and Superhigh-Frequency Radio Waves could move moisture thousands of miles. This could mean bringing monsoon rains over India to gently rain over Saudi Arabia or over to Western Australia. 

Karen adds - and even over the drought-stricken areas of West Africa where the cocoa plantations are. 

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If you have read this far, be aware of the calendar date.  This is bogus research.  Happy April Fool’s Day!!!

Love does win (and that’s not an April Fool Joke)

Karen Anne White, © April 1, 2024