@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

jim_smoot

@jim_smoot@mastodon.world

Dad/husband/PhD microbiologist. Working to bend Keeling curve with tech that’s sustainable in all dimensions. Returned to my roots to increase carbon uptake while restoring trophic balance in aquatic ecosystems.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

davidho, to random
@davidho@mastodon.world avatar

Unlike TV or the movies, I've never had color liquid in a test tube or beaker in my lab, despite the fact that I've worked in a geochemistry lab for 30 years. 🧪

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@davidho too bad for you! I used potassium permanganate, which is a fabulous shade of purple, for isoprenoid branch elucidation and malachite green for routine phosphate quantification. Also, there’s a rainbow of biochemical assays—so much so that, it’s the basis of agar art these days.

https://asm.org/events/asm-agar-art-contest/winners

davidho, to random
@davidho@mastodon.world avatar

I thought mastodon was supposed to be nice.

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@davidho that account is gross. Blocked and reported for its posts.

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

1/…

Via Anna Bower:

NEW: Judge McAfee denies 's efforts to throw out criminal charges in Fulton County on First Amendment grounds.

Read the order: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24531545-order-on-first-amendment.

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@GottaLaff @tomiahonen agreed, he appears to be a Kemp republican. Hopefully he doesn’t like Winnebagos...

davidho, (edited ) to random
@davidho@mastodon.world avatar

“In a drastic attempt to protect their beachfront homes, residents in Salisbury, Massachusetts, invested $500,000 in a sand dune to defend against encroaching tides. After being completed last week, the barrier made from 14,000 tons of sand lasted just 72 hours before it was completely washed away”

Hear me out, if they had used olivine, they could sell carbon removal credits. At $100/tonne of CO₂, that’s $1,000,000 for 14,000 tonnes of olivine!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/dollar500k-dune-designed-to-protect-massachusetts-homes-last-just-3-days

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@davidho please provide a reference that suggests 1 ton CO2 removal per 14 tons of olivine. That is substantially less than 1.25 ton CO2/ton olivine potential reported by Hangx and Spiers in 2009.

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@davidho @jim_smoot ah, thanks for clarifying. What is the source of removal inefficiency in coastal olivine sand deployment? Precipitation, addionality, or a combination of both? Is there a report that describes field trials?

davidho, to TeslaMotors
@davidho@mastodon.world avatar

It's no wonder people confuse carbon capture and sequestration (#CCS) with carbon dioxide removal (#CDR). The people naming these CDR techniques keep calling them direct air CAPTURE and direct ocean CAPTURE.

Use Direct Air Removal and Direct Ocean Removal instead!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/phildeluna/2024/03/05/carbon-capture-explained-point-source-capture-vs-carbon-dioxide-removal/?sh=2c7c5c7421c8

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@davidho it’s worse. Some of the CDR policy wonks want to do away with CDR and only use CCS “to make messaging easier”…

sundogplanets, to random
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social avatar

I did WAY TOO MANY things last week (including long satellite pollution meeting, helped lead a workshop for the Canadian Astronomical Society, live radio interview, submitting abstracts, organizing and leading a "teaching climate change" workshop, 3 hour lecture/Q&A at local Science Centre, normal teaching/parenting/etc).

Today I stayed on my farm, harvested willows, and made the biggest basked I've made yet, and I feel very good about this very different kind of productivity.

A gloved hand holding a bundle of red osier dogwood shoots that are super bright red, in front of a snowy field.
A bunch of willow shoots (with a few fuzzy pussywillows showing on some) growing in a winter-killed weedy area, with snow and a bright blue sky in the background.

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@sundogplanets many more of these, and you’ll need to open an Etsy site! Very nice work!

davidho, to random
@davidho@mastodon.world avatar

Who's going to ?

Come to this mCDR networking event that [C]Worthy is co-sponsoring on Monday, 19 February 2024, at the Audubon Aquarium (1 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA).

https://www.us-ocb.org/13218-2/

jim_smoot,
@jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

@davidho one of the dumbest things post pandemic are in-person only meetings. Have fun at event limited to those with resources to attend and no video record to share on YouTube

petergleick, (edited ) to random
@petergleick@fediscience.org avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @petergleick that’s some next level delusion. Out of curiosity, what is HAARP?

    davidho, to CDR
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    Humans have always treated the ocean as a dumping ground: toxic chemicals, munitions, plastics, and now we want to dump massive amounts of terrestrial biomass in the ocean for CO₂ removal ().

    https://www.science.org/content/article/combat-climate-change-companies-bury-plant-waste-sea

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho that article suggests chemical reactions breakdown methane in sulfate-rich waters. Do you know what that assertion is based on? I suspect it’s SRB metabolism; and if it is, then it’s wildly optimistic to believe that much OC decomposition won’t lead to methane ebullition.

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    I'm so confused after reading this article. Is it about carbon capture or carbon removal?

    Even though the atmosphere doesn't care, they're not the same in terms of policy, technology, investment, social acceptance, readiness to scale, ecosystem harm, etc.

    https://www.greenbiz.com/article/2024-will-be-huge-year-carbon-capture-usage-and-removal-sector

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho O&G has co-opted CDR and is attempting to muddy its meaning with CCUS, so I’m not surprised Dr. Carbon Wrangler (a former Exxon employee/undersecretary for ff at DOE) is conflating the two. I tried to convince a CDR policy person to not combine CDR and CCUS, but he insisted that it made his “comms” easier if he didn’t make a distinction between the terms…

    davidho, to CDR
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    Read every word. Decarbonization has to come first. is only for legacy and residual emissions.

    https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/12/1085178/two-former-department-of-energy-staffers-warn-were-doing-carbon-removal-all-wrong/

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho today’s CDR efforts must be nonparasitic; thus operators should 2x their energy use with renewable energy assets that are “additional”. Done smartly, this increases decarbonization rate while building out needed CDR capacity. So far, Fervo Energy is only example though…

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    We don't have to know whether there are tipping points in the climate system to know that life is going to continue to get worse as long as we keep burning fossil fuels and emitting CO₂.

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho 💯

    davidho, to CDR
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    Between 1999 and 2020, 460,000 deaths in the US was attributable to PM₂.₅ from burning coal.

    No amount of CO₂ removal () will fix this.

    https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf4915

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho now do mercury deposition from stack aerosols

    davidho, to ChatGPT
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    Lol. Did write this article?

    Larry Summers is the Charles W. Eliot University Professor of Harvard University, and not whatever that article says.

    https://www.reuters.com/technology/openais-new-look-board-altman-returns-2023-11-22/

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho he’s also about the worst possible choice for being a board member. The whole openAI non-profit/for-profit LLC thing has been a joke. This last bit is just the cherry on top…

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    We did it, everyone!!!

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho well, I guess Ken Caldeira won his steak dinner bet with his libertarian think tank buddy….

    GottaLaff, to legal
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    Guess Vanky toughed it out on a school day.

    🧵THREAD starts here 1/…. As always I’ll live-thread reports from multi reporters, scrambling, so can’t reply. Plz remember to preface replies w “Not for Laffy” or similar so I don’t get distracted. TY

    Via Dan Alexander:

    just made the long walk up the stairs of the Lower Manhattan courthouse where she will face questioning this morning from the attorney general’s office as part of her father’s 250 million fraud suit.

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @GottaLaff great thread; thank you!

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    “Nature, one of the most prestigious journals in scientific publishing, on Tuesday retracted a high-profile paper it had published in March that claimed the discovery of a superconductor that worked at everyday temperatures.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/07/science/superconductor-retraction-nature-paper.html?unlocked_article_code=1.80w.G4pa.wGU6ivYAG5j7&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho oops; extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence….

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    I sometimes think about how I pointed out that Carbon Pulse's logo is a water molecule and they got mad.

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho lol, nice alt description

    gbhnews, (edited ) to fediverse
    @gbhnews@mastodon.social avatar

    🌞 Good morning ! This is GBH bringing you the world from . It's 57F at Logan Airport and visibility is 10 miles.

    Mass. Gov. Maura Healey says the state's emergency shelter system will is reaching capacity and families may be placed on a wait list after Nov. 1.

    The National Toy Hall of Fame is letting the public participate more in the induction process - and voting is open on 5 toys.

    mayoral candidates debated last night at GBH's studio. (Link below)

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @gbhnews @TexasObserver lol, this thread made my morning!

    erictopol, to random
    @erictopol@mstdn.social avatar

    Had a scheduled appointment today a CCS pharmacy for a Covid vaccine booster. When I checked in, I’m told they ran out and they have “supply issues.” No prior notification, despite their having my email and text info. Pathetic roll out and CVS execution

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @erictopol cvs is definitely struggling. I suggest making the appointment in person rather than online, ask them for a paper confirmation of your appointment, ignore any automated notifications that your appointment is cancelled, and show up at appointment. It took two attempts, but my wife and I received boosters yesterday…

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    F**king Penn…🙄

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/health/nobel-prize-medicine.html?unlocked_article_code=_QwUYeKEh9Cbdgn3iWRIrTETSURcPPVGQDUVRHuvDM18A5TFuodD8XyUCL-zakGrZEfCqULXdP6Xi8rN8giKH7kCcB8wRTvdiIeRqz2QxFhiYTVLm_9_1Jj-ghPyxFOBFQOeO3BA8ihnmx0qN6bmDTaSfRlV2BJ2NUgzTb07ahiYMBGvhSQgjP8C993MpucdaNhIC2xSYk51x3lQAToAuRnitNIL2JCJLMjuxsaE8jAs9zBfs05sLFjGcCq7BcahRXLngXUU_HgXJCnzUSIuH60ZLJEjpasANq_z7GXIXN9mhiF2qPsn_1sgt-wqRGr_0JEUQykVlwlWJ2f7UQ&smid=url-share

    Dr. Kariké, the 13th woman to win the prize, languished for many long years without funding or a permanent academic position, keeping her research afloat only by latching on to more senior scientists at the University of Pennsylvania who let her work with them. Unable to get a grant, she said she was told she was “not faculty quality” and was forced to retire from the university a decade ago. She remains only an adjunct professor there while she pursues plans to start a company with her daughter, Susan Francia, who has an M.B.A. and was a two-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing.

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho what happened at Penn is chronic in academia as is funder bias. Regarding this manuscript being rejected by Nature & Science and accepted by Immunology, it’s a reasonable outcome. Modified NA bases by 2005 weren’t novel and their impact on inflammation response to mRNA is more specialized than general interest. Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

    External leadership is needed to realize genuine systemic reform. But, if SOS behavior in mCDR is any indication, it’s not happening anytime soon.

    petergleick, to Texas
    @petergleick@fediscience.org avatar

    You have to admire how hard the Texas GOP works to stay on brand, even if the brand is dishonesty, corruption, bribery, abusing the rule of law, and a complete lack of ethics.

    https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-acquitted-impeachment-texas-attorney-general/

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @petergleick I watched bits and pieces of the trial. The prosecution sucked and they failed to provide any direct evidence. Wild to see the naive hyper conservative lieutenants think that their words were sufficient evidence. “Bless his heart” comes to mind wrt deputy dog lawyer who was manipulated to think he was acting as a special prosecutor while getting stiffed on his bill. It’ll be interesting if the FBI investigation brings indictments.

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    Amazon announced plans to buy 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) via direct air capture (DAC) over 10 years.

    https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-generate

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho money would have been better spent putting solar+battery VPP at their warehouse down the street from me and working with municipal government and PG&E to supply renewable electricity to economically disadvantaged families in the city during off peak commercial hours.

    davidho, to random
    @davidho@mastodon.world avatar

    NSF is encouraging the submission of proposals on the fundamental understanding and assessment of environmental processes, and/or social, cultural, and ethical impacts of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and solar radiation modification (SRM). 👀

    https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23151/nsf23151.jsp?org=NSF

    jim_smoot,
    @jim_smoot@mastodon.world avatar

    @davidho good, it’s better than billionaire funded pet projects with little transparency and poor experimental design.

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