TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese sailor has set out from Hawaii for Japan, hoping to complete the 7,000 km (4,400 mile) journey using only the power of the waves beneath his boat.

Garlanded with flowers, 69-year-old adventurer Kenichi Horie waved from the deck of his catamaran-like boat as he set off on the latest of many challenges he has taken on since he became the first Japanese to sail solo across the Pacific in 1962, a video of his departure from Hawaii showed.

“We can once again actually ”˜sail’ with cargo ships, thus opening a new chapter in the history of commercial shipping”

Thus is the verdict from MV Beluga Skysails captain Lutz Heldt upon completion of the vessel’s 12,000 mile round-trip maiden voyage. The crew and vessel were at sea for nearly two months, giving the “skysail” concept ample opportunity for testing and tweaking.

Alan J. Heeger and colleagues point out that plastic solar cells, fabricated from bulk heterojunction materials comprising semiconducting polymers and fullerenes, have already demonstrated promising performance.

However, researchers do not understand how to control the nano-scale morphology and are looking for ways to optimize the solar cell performance for practical use. Heeger, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for his pioneering research on conducting polymers, is widely recognized for his ongoing efforts to improve solar cell efficiencies.

The Masdar Headquarters building will produce more power than it needs (an energy positive building). In fact, the solar roof (one of the largest in the world) will be constructed first, and it will power the construction of the rest of the building. The video link on this page has a great view of the sun-infused interior.

The 1.4 million square foot building was designed by Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Overeating disrupts entire networks
of genes in the body, causing not only obesity, but diabetes
and heart disease, in ways that may be possible to predict,
researchers reported on Sunday.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Pollution at the Beijing Olympics poses no immediate threat to athletes' health but could affect world-class performances, the International Olympic Committee's top medical official Arne Ljungqvist said on Monday.

"I believe the conditions will be good for athletes although they will not necessarily be ideal," the IOC medical commission chief told reporters in a conference call from Sweden.