Tag Archives: Environment

Indestructible Water Bears

Posted on November 19, 2017 by | 1 comment

Water Bears. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic animals that have intrigued scientists for many years. What about them is so captivating? The fact that they are nearly indestructible.

Water bears have been treated to extreme environments, and against all odds, their survival has been astounding. They can survive temperatures ranging from -328 – 300 degrees Fahrenheit, pressures of up to 6000 times our atmosphere, and even…10 days in space!

The question though, is how do they do it?

Theories have gone as far as to suggest that the reason water bears can survive these extremes, is that they came from other planets. Personally, this idea seems impossible, but could it hold a glimmer of truth?

Scientists conducted further research and found a reason for their survival. The reason is anhydrobiosis. Anhydrobiosis is a dormant state where an organism reduces their metabolic activity significantly and becomes almost completely dehydrated. As it turns out, water bears in extreme environments tend to curl up into a dehydrated ball called a tun. In this form, water bears can survive for decades or longer.

If most living organisms were to enter this state of desiccation, they would not be able to come back from it, but water bears can. According to Thomas Boothby, a Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of North Carolina:

“[T]ardigrades have evolved unique genes that allow them to survive drying out. In addition, the proteins that these genes encode can be used to protect other biological material—like bacteria, yeast, and certain enzymes—from desiccation.”

Water bears seem like very interesting creature to study, and it makes sense for scientists to be captivated by their incredible survival rates in extreme conditions. More intensive research on these water bears could lead to amazing discoveries in the future.

~ Sajni Shah

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A Clear Solution for Green Energy

Posted on October 30, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Researchers at Michigan State University have redefined the future of solar power applications. Unlike conventional solar panels, this light harvesting technology is transparent and nearly as efficient in converting light into electricity.

The need for effective and cost efficient technology has never been higher.  As global energy consumption moves away from fossil fuels, solar powered energy has become a key player in the green energy sector. Solar cells can supply a substantial amount of energy, but they need to be deployed over a large area. Theoretically, a solar installation that covers 20% of Nevada could power the entire United States.

Schematic of current solar panel use.

Solar panels work by using the energy from light rays to bump electrons from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Typically, solar panels comprise of many photovoltaic cells, simply meaning they convert sunlight into electricity.

Traditional panels are not enough to produce sustainable energy.

Traditional solar panels have been integrated in many areas and are often found on top of homes or tall buildings. Although this have proven to moderately effective, MSU researchers believe that this new technology will drastically expand photovoltaic applications. The thin, plastic-like material can be used on building facades, windows, cell phones and other devices with a clear surface.

As the direct pathway of sunlight varies temporally and spatially, increasing the possible areas in which energy can be harvesting also increases the absorption potential. Researchers from the University of Lisbon find that having photovoltaic cells on two or three building facades and windows could significantly increase the amount of electricity produced.

It is estimated that there is 5-7 billion square meters of glass surface area in the US. With this amount alone, solar technologies could supply almost 40% of the United States power demand. When combined with traditional solar panels, solar energy could become a major global producer of energy.

See-through solar-harvesting technologies are pioneering the expansion of solar powered applications and their implications could have a huge impact on clean energy in the future.

-Mya Dodd

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A Search for Cleaner Water

Posted on October 2, 2017 by | 2 comments

Photo taken from Flickr Commons. Increasing demand for clean drinking water to drink.

As the Earth’s population grows, there is a parallel increase in demand for clean, potable water.

The ability to effectively and efficiently filter water is a problem that many researchers and scientists are trying to solve. Water clean enough for human consumption is free of undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, and harmful gasses.

To address this growing issue, researchers have been exploring the applications of carbon nanotubes. Analogous to aquaporins, proteins in cells that transport water, these nanotubes are synthetically created to have a higher efficiency of water transport and selectivity for ions and molecules.

Aquaporins: Biological water transporter located in the cell membrane. What researchers are trying to replicate.

The structural feature responsible for the successful transport of water in aquaporins is the narrow, hydrophobic (water fearing) channel which forces water to translocate in a single-file arrangement. Past studies have tried to mimic this structure using a >1 nm diameter, but failed to replicate the effectiveness of aquaporins.

However, new studies done by Tunuguntla et al.  have proven that it is possible to create artificial water channels with increased productivity to the natural protein translocator. They have created carbon nanotubes with diameters approximately 0.8 nm wide. The new nanotube models showed water flux at a rate 6 times higher than aquaporins.

In addition, their experimentation showed a very high ion selectivity. In solutions with a very high salt concentration (NaCl), the nanotubes were still able to transport water. This finding is very promising for the desalination of water. In areas were fresh water is unavailable, application of carbon nanotubes in water purification systems would prove immensely beneficial to communities facing water scarcity.

These findings are especially promising because scientists have created an artificial water channel that rivals biological equivalent.

-Mya Dodd

 

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Fuelling Up – Is Cooking Oil the Next Generation of Energy?

Posted on September 25, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Have you ever had a craving for something greasy or deep-fried, like onion rings, calamari, deep-fried mars bars or some McNuggets?

Deep-fried foods, like the ones pictured, use cooking oil. Source: Shock Mansion

Those food items all share a common factor; restaurants fry and cook these foods with cooking oil, especially for those deep-fried items going in the fryer.

Now when you think of the cooking oil that is used, you’d probably expect it to be disposed as waste after use and that would be the end of it.

However, multiple studies have been done around the world, specifically in China and Vietnam, where researchers produce biodiesel – a biofuel, using cooking oil.

Biofuels sustainably replace fossil fuels.  Biofuels are typically plant based fuels similar to fossil fuels, which we fill our cars with. The key difference is that biofuels use plants grown in the present day, whereas fossil fuels are ancient sources of plant and biological matter.

Biofuels, while more sustainable, are not as easily produced as originally thought. Maintaining and growing crops are highly energy intensive and many conservationists, including Jane Goodall, think that the crops should remain strictly as a food source. However, with oil prices rising and carbon dioxide levels in the air increasing, finding a sustainable approach to fossil fuels will help reduce global warming and provide both ecological and economical benefits.

This is where biodiesel comes in. Biodiesel is a well known biofuel that is used throughout Europe as a fuel source for cars. Presently, it is still being produced using plant crops, but new advancements are being made for how biodiesel can be sourced.

Biodiesel already fuels cars in certain European countries. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Two different studies, one done in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and the other in China have successfully converted waste cooking oil from local restaurants into biodiesel. Both methods use transesterfication, and reagents – potassium hydroxide (KOH) and methanol to synthesize biodiesel.  Each study used a two-step synthesis, where the reagents were heated for an extended time.

These have been highly successful, producing biodiesel yields between 88-97%. Besides the high yields, the researchers from the study in Ho Chi Minh City, say that their biodiesel required only minor modifications to work in engines.

While places around the globe are looking at cooking oils as the alternative, a similar study is going on in our own backyard. Student members of Enactus, a non-profit organization at UBC have been researching and converting cooking oil used by UBC Food Services into biodiesel, in an initiative called Green Pursuit.

With so many different groups and organizations looking for the solution, it could be in the near future where you are enjoying a greasy burger with fries and the oil produced from it would then fuel your car.

Biodiesel converted from cooking oil could be what we fill up our cars with in the near future. Source: Pixabay

– Jessica Hasker

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