Brilliant Bio-Design: 14 Animal-Inspired Inventions

That’s not a bat in the sky - it’s a surveillance camera. Scientists and engineers are looking toward animal and human biology to inspire inventions like these.
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Beneficial Bacteria: 12 Ways Microbes Help The Environment

[ By Steph in Energy & Fuel & History & Trivia & Science & Research. ]

We have become obsessed with eliminating bacteria, attacking with gels and wipes the microbes we associate with infection, illness and death. But not only are many types of bacteria actually helpful, some strains may hold the key to fighting global warming, cleaning up pollution, breaking down plastic and even developing a cure for cancer. These 12 amazing discoveries demonstrate the many ways in which microscopic organisms help maintain the health of our own bodies and the entire planet.

Gulf Oil Spill Gases Eaten by Bacteria

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Certain types of bacteria can actually clean up troublesome environmental pollutants like spilled petroleum. In fact, a specific strain called Alcanivorax drastically increases in population when an oil spill provides them with large amounts of food, so that they’re able to remove much of the oil. They’re at work on the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico right now, and while they certainly can’t undo the vast damage that has been done to this region as a result, they definitely provide a beneficial effect.

Bacteria Eat Pollution and Generate Electricity

(images via: science news)

Bacteria with tiny wire-like appendages called nanowires not only digest toxic waste – including PCBs and chemical solvents – they produce electricity while they’re at it. One type in particular, called Shewanella, is a deep-sea bacteria that grows these oxygen-seeking nanowires when placed in low-oxygen environments. Researchers discovered that when the microbes’ nanowires are pricked with platinum electrodes, they can carry a current. If these capabilities can be harnessed effectively, they could one day be used in sewage treatment plants to simultaneously digest waste and power the facilities.

Geobacter Consume Radioactive Contamination

(images via: wikimedia commons, sharenator)

The nanowires grown by certain types of bacteria can also be used to immobilize harmful materials – like uranium – and keep them from spreading. A research team at Michigan State University has learned that Geobacter bacteria, which is found naturally in soil, essentially electroplates uranium, rendering it insoluble so it can’t dissolve and contaminate groundwater. These bacteria can be brought into uranium contamination sites like mines and nuclear plants in order to contain the radiation, potentially limiting the disastrous consequences of these types of spills.

Plastic-Eating Bacteria Breaks Down Bags

(image via: katerha)

Non-biodegradable and far too ubiquitous on this planet, plastic becomes a big problem when it comes to disposal. But in 2008, a Canadian student carried out a truly amazing science experiment in which bacteria were able to consume plastic. Since then, research teams have been working on developing this ability and using it to our benefit. A professor at the University of Dublin got the bacteria to metabolize cooked-down plastic bottles into a new type of plastic that’s actually biodegradable.

Earlier this year, scientists discovered that bacteria are already breaking down plastic debris in the world’s oceans on their own, though they’re not yet sure whether this will have a positive or negative effect on the environment. Items like fishing line and plastic bags are devoured by these bacteria; the problem is that the waste that the bacteria then produce could potentially be harmful to ocean ecosystems as it travels up the food chain.

Nylon-Eating Bacteria Clean Up Factory Waste

(image via: ingrid taylar)

We count on a polymer called Nylon 6 for all kinds of everyday uses like toothbrushes, surgical sutures, ropes, hosiery and strings for instruments like violins. The manufacture of this material produces toxic byproducts that get carried out in waste water – but – you guessed it – there’s a bacterium for that, too. Flavobacterium actually evolved to produce special enzymes to digest these byproducts that they didn’t have previously, and that aren’t seen in similar bacterial strains.

In fact, the ability to produce these enzymes in order to consume a material that didn’t even exist prior to the invention of nylon in 1935 is often used as evidence against the theory of creationism, which denies that any new information can be added to a genome by mutation.

Metabolizing Methane, A Greenhouse Gas

(images via: livescience)

One of the most dangerous greenhouse gases, methane is produced by all sorts of industrial and natural processes, including the decomposition of our own waste and that of livestock. Scientists fighting global warming are struggling to find ways to control the effects of methane, but one solution could come from a simple single-celled microorganism. Some types of bacteria use copper from the environment to metabolize methane, eliminating both the greenhouse gas and toxic heavy metals all at once.

Researchers are still trying to determine how to use this in real-world applications, but some options may include venting methane emissions through filters of these bacteria. What’s more, after eating the methane, the bacteria turn it into methanol – so we can harvest their waste for use as fuel.

Turning Newspapers into Car Fuel

(images via: striatic)

Microbes named T-103, found in animal waste, can produce the biofuel butanol by eating paper. Tulane University developed a method for growing the cellulose-consuming microbes so they can produce fuel in the presence of oxygen, which is lethal to other butanol-producing bacteria. This could make the whole fuel production process far less expensive and thus more potentially applicable in the real world. The researchers say that butanol produces more energy than ethanol, which is produced from corn sugar, and doesn’t require engine modifications. It can also be carried through existing fuel pipelines.

Soil-Dwelling Bacteria Kills Cancer

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Cancer and bacteria don’t go well together – at least, when you’re talking about immune response. But one type of bacteria, called Clostridium sporogenes, may actually be used to deliver drugs in cancer therapy thanks to its ability to target tumors. Professor Nigel Minton of the University of Nottingham has learned that C. sporogenes will only grow in oxygen-depleted environments – like the center of solid tumors. When injected into a tumor log with cancer drugs, the bacteria can help the drugs kill the tumor cells without affecting healthy tissue. Researchers expect to have a streamlined strain developed for use in a clinical trial by 2013.

Panda Poop Bacteria Makes Biofuel

(images via: wikimedia commons)

“Who would have guessed that ‘panda poop’ might help solve one of the major hurdles to producing biofuels, which is optimizing the breakdown of the raw plant materials used to make the fuels?” says Ashli Brown, Ph.D., co-author of a study on how bacteria in panda feces can break down a super-tough plant material known as lignocellulose. This discovery could speed up development of plant-based biofuels that don’t rely on food crops. Several types of digestive bacteria found in the panda feces are similar to those found in termites, which of course are pros at digesting wood.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that panda waste will suddenly be in demand for the production of biofuels – that would probably be a lost cause, given the extremely precarious status of the species. The bacteria that have been identified for their cellulose-processing abilities will be isolated and grown on a commercial scale. However, it does prove how important biodiversity really is, and that many species around the world may have more to offer than we realize.

Turning Human Waste into Rocket Fuel

(images via: elvertbarnes, wikimedia commons)

Pandas aren’t the only species whose waste may hold the key to producing fuel. With the help of the bacteria Brocadia anammoxidans, human sewage could be transformed into hydrazine, better known as rocket fuel. The bacteria naturally consume ammonia and produce hydrazine in the process. Until their discovery, scientists thought that hydrazine was only a man-made substance. However, this is less of a boon to NASA than it is to sewage treatment plants. In standard plants, waste-eating bacteria require oxygen to be pumped in with power-chugging equipment, so this development could save a lot of money.

Sulphur-Eating Bacteria Reduce Acid Run-Off

(image via: wikimedia commons)

When sulphur in mine tailings from mining operations react with water and oxygen, they produce toxic sulphuric acid, a major environmental problem which may also be contributing to climate change. Researchers at McMaster University found that two species of bacteria isolated from a mine tailings pond in northern Ontario work together to use sulphur as an energy source, producing and consuming each other’s sulphur-containing waste in a cycle that reduces the amount of toxic runoff Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). This runoff dissolves carbonate rocks and releases CO2, worsening climate change, so the more it is reduced, the less carbon dioxide gas is released into the atmosphere.

Probiotic Bacteria That Treat Depression & Anxiety

(images via: alancleaver_2000)

We already know that beneficial bacteria play an incredibly important role in our own biology, helping with everything from dental health to digestion. But probiotic bacteria may even alter brain neurochemistry, helping to treat anxiety and depression-related disorders. Researchers at McMaster University in Canada and University College Cork in Ireland demonstrated that mice fed with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 showed a marked decrease in stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviors as well as lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This opens the door to potential microbial-based treatments for psychiatric disorders.

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Fuel’s Gold: 10 More Unusual Alternative Energy Sources

Mankind’s continuing quest for energy has sparked alternative options that may seem odd and impractical today, but could someday become quite commonplace.
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Tagged: development, drugs, energy, green, health, history & trivia, michigan, newspapers, science & research, theory

11 Ways Technology is Helping to Save Endangered Species

September 19, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats & Science & Research & Technology & Gadgets. ]

Unchecked human activity has destroyed animal habitats and disturbed the delicate balance of many ecosystems, reducing the populations of many species near the point of extinction. Our roads, farms, factories, pollution and poaching have caused undeniable harm to animals – now it’s time we use the fruits of our progress to help them. Here are 11 fascinating and uplifting ways in which modern technology is aiding the conservation efforts of species that are disappearing all too quickly.

Collecting Gorilla Conservation Data with GPS

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Bushmeat hunting and other threats have pushed the Cross River gorilla, which inhabits the tropical forest of the Nigeria-Cameroon border, to the brink of extinction. Fear of humans has led the remaining gorillas to steep, difficult mountain terrain, which makes it difficult for park rangers and conservationists to track them. Luckily, technology has intervened: the North Carolina Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society have begun using global positioning system (GPS) in order to better understand the distribution of the gorillas in relation to existing habitat and human activity in their area. FIeld trackers can now collect wildlife monitoring data with computers that collect data systematically and automatically map the terrain.

GPS Tracks Tagged Tigers

(images via: physorg.com)

GPS is also being used in a slightly different way, to directly track the movements of tagged animals. Scientists in southern Nepal have fitted an injured wild tiger, which wandered into a tourist resort and was nursed back to health, with a GPS collar. Vets and conservationists released the tiger in the remote jungles of western Nepal and will use the data from its collar to learn more about these tigers’ movements, in the hopes of protecting them from increasing threats from poachers.

Hubble Telescope Identifies Whale Sharks

(image via: wikimedia commons)

Another exciting and surprising application of space technology to animal conservation is the use of Hubble Space Telescope computer software, which is used by astrophysicists to locate stars and galaxies in outer space, to identify the unique markings on the hide of the endangered whale shark. The pattern-matching algorithm of the software can identify individuals’ markings in much the way of a fingerprint, ‘virtually tagging’ each animal without ever disturbing them.

Text Messages Protect Elephants in Kenya

(image via: wikimedia commons)

Those little chips used in some cell phones to store phone numbers and other user information are being used in Kenya to keep endangered elephants from leaving their habitats and entering human civilization, where they tend to cause damage to homes and other structures. In 2008, Save the Elephants fitted a SIM card into the collar of an elephant named Kimani, who frequently ventures into nearby farms, and set up a virtual ‘geofence’ using GPS. Any time Kimani approaches the invisible boundary, locals and conservationists are automatically warned via text message. Similar SIM collars fitted onto other elephants text the position of tagged animals to researchers, allowing them to map entire migration routes.

Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags for Fish

(image via: california hatchery reform)

Four species of endangered fish are getting some high-tech help in the Upper Colorado River with the use of ‘Rifle’, a “passive integrated transponder” (PIT) system that monitors their movements. PIT tags, which are inserted into the fish in much the same way as microchips in cats and dogs, are sensed when tagged fish pass through the Price-Stubb Diversion Dam, allowing researchers to gather priceless information on the migration patterns of species like the Colorado pikeminnow.

Unmanned Planes Spot Arctic Seals

(image via: wikimedia commons)

Cameras mounted on unmanned planes that fly over the Arctic are not only capturing images of declining sea ice – they’re also marking the location of endangered seals. “Because ice is diminishing more rapidly in some areas than others, we are trying to focus on what areas and types of ice the seals need for their survival,” said Peter Boveng, leader of the Polar Ecosystems Program at NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Species like bearded, ringed, spotted and ribbon seals rely on sea ice for breeding, resting and a safe haven from predators. The unmanned “Scan Eagle” aircraft is used in conjunction with image recognition software to automate the identification of seals in thousands of images gathered during flights. Such a system can drastically reduce the amount of time researchers must spend tracking the seals.

Desalination Plants Providing Water to Arabian Oryx

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Electronics firm Hitachi is helping to save the endangered Arabian Oryx with fresh water from its solar-powered desalination plants in Abu Dhabi. This beautiful animal was extinct in the wild in the late 1960s due to excessive hunting and has only recently been re-introduced to its natural habitat after successful captive breeding programs. However, it is still in danger, and finding access to fresh water is always a challenge. Hitachi’s desalination unit removes the high salt content found in desert groundwater, feeding the filtered water to waterholes in remote desert areas.

Gene Sequencing Machines Save Tasmanian Devils from Cancer

(images via: wikimedia commons)

Tasmanian devils are in danger because of a disfiguring and almost always fatal cancer called devil facial tumor disease that is spreading through the population of this species like wildfire. Scientists say the disease works like a virus, but actually spread by a whole cancerous cell that developed in a single individual several decades ago. In order to better understand this disease and what they can do to help the notoriously ferocious (yet still incredibly cute) Tasmanian devil, scientists are using gene sequencing machines to determine the genetic diversity of the animals. This technology allows researchers to look at the DNA code of the animals. Using the genetic code found from the initial two animals in the study, the research team has developed a test that costs $150 per animal, down from the $10,000 it originally cost to analyze the complete genome.

Sonogram Spots Grouper in Mangrove Roots

(images via: wikimedia commons)

The Goliath grouper, which can exceed six feet in length, is critically endangered, and scientists need to be able to identify their numbers. This is hard to do when juveniles spend almost the first decade of their lives among the tangled roots of red mangrove trees in the Atlantic Ocean. Today, thanks to sonogram technology, the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) is able to conduct visual underwater surveys that help evaluate the effectiveness of protective measures that have been put into place. The acoustic dual-frequency sonar camera “sees” individual fish with the use of sound waves, regardless of the limited visibility in dark, murky waters.

Websites That Raise Awareness

(images via: wildlife near you)

If everyday people were more aware of threatened species that live practically in their own backyards, would they be more aware of their interactions with those animals and how their own activity affects them? It seems likely, and websites that give animal lovers information about species in their area can definitely help. WildlifeNearYou was developed not with the intention of saving animals, but helping people find out where they can see certain types of animals in any given area. They invite users to upload photos of animals they’ve seen and document their locations. While WildlifeNearYou doesn’t focus specifically on endangered species, it – and other websites like it – has the potential to increase our awareness of the diverse natural world.

Controversial Cloning: A Last Resort?

(images via: sciencemag)

If a species is on the brink of extinction because of human activity, don’t we have an obligation to do whatever is in our power to save them? Many scientists and conservationists say yes – even if that means cloning the last remaining members of a severely endangered species like Africa’s northern white rhinos. In San Diego, a ‘Frozen Zoo’ holds the DNA of over 8,400 species stored at -280F.

Using stem cells to recreate animals without a healthy mating pair is a hotly debated topic; so far, the process has not produced optimal results and many fear that such measures will become a fall-back response to loss of habitat and other problems that cause species to become endangered in the first place.

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74 Most Exotic and Amazing Animal Species

Some of the strangest, most amazing and most threatened species in the world. Some of these animals may appear harmless but are all too deadly while others …
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Tagged: animals, animals & habitats, data, endangered animals, facebook, gadgets, kenya, movements, north, power, price, research, science & research, technology

A Constructive Concept: Growing Germs to Wire the Desert

August 17, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Art & Design & Science & Research & Technology & Gadgets. ]

The search for sustainable building materials has led us through all kinds of natural and man-made substances, from wood to concrete to hemp and bamboo. But a new kind of proposed building material could beat the green power of all of these, and it may soon help to bring grid electricity to the deserts of the United Arab Emirates.

(all images via: Evolo)

Ginger Krieg Dosier is an assistant professor of architecture at the American University of Sharjah in the UAE. Her concept for a new, green building material is not terribly far-removed from existing materials, but it could be a simple way to build transmission towers in the desert without relying on materials that have to be transported for long distances.

The method proposed by Dosier is similar to one that has recently been proposed by other architects and materials scientists: use a naturally-occurring bacteria called Sporosarcina Pastuerii to create a sort of bio-cement. The common soil bacteria bonds with sand to create a strong, sustainable natural concrete material. But Dosier wants to take the concept one step further and incorporate 3D printing.

In Dosier’s method, the bacteria would be grown in a lab and then fed into a 3D printer where it would bind sand together into blocks of bio-cement. The bacteria/sand combination would take the place of the resin/lasers and other methods of joining layer upon layer of material until a desired shape is achieved. The bricks could be made into any desired size, shape and thickness depending on the needs of the specific tower. The bricks would completely harden within two weeks, a process which is sped by the hot, dry desert air. The blocks could be built offsite and inexpensively transported to the building site where they would be used to create load-bearing transmission towers to bring electricity to the remotest desert locations.

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Bio-Engineered Bricks Grown from Urine, Bacteria & Sand

Traditional brick manufacturing is wasteful and releases loads of carbon dioxide into the air. This new, greener method could revolutionize construction.
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Tagged: architecture, art & design, bricks-grown, building materials, concrete, design, facebook, research, science, science & research

Mud Men: Scientists Find an Ocean of Rare Earths

July 5, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Steve in News & Politics & Science & Research & Technology & Gadgets. ]

I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah! A Japanese expedition has discovered a wealth – literally – of rare earth minerals in mud samples taken from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Should the discovery pan out, the rewards could be richer than gold. Even better, refining the bounty involves much more environmentally friendly processes compared to those used in highly toxic traditional mining.

Trash to Treasure

(images via: Mining.com, Nature News and The Australian)

A stunning discovery by a Japanese research team could ripple the waters of science, technology and geopolitics for years to come… “ripple” being the key word as the report concerns samples of seafloor mud dredged from thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

(images via: Investors Insight and iOffer)

Mud, you say? Indeed, the gooey gloop that’s been accumulating for millions of years harbors an unseen but much desired treasure: rare earth minerals, said by some to be “21st-century gold” based on their rarity and value. These attributes are a function of demand, which has been on the rise due to the explosion of new, high-tech products and applications requiring these formerly uncommon elements.

(images via: DachaMetals, New Scientist and NewsWhip)

Now just to clarify, “uncommon” refers to concentrated deposits of rare earth minerals suitable for commercial mining. The elements themselves (the metals Scandium and Yttrium, plus 17 minerals in the Lanthanide series of the Periodic Table) are relatively common components of the earth’s crust – Cerium, for example, is about as common as Copper.

(images via: Qwiki and UCL Graduate School)

The three rare earth elements mentioned above are joined by Lanthanum, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium and Lutetium. Their atomic numbers range from 57 through 71 inclusive, plus 21 for Scandium and 39 for Yttrium. Besides sharing similar properties, many of the rare earths have similar names derived from the Swedish village of Ytterby, where rare earths were first identified in the early 19th century.

Rare Earths, Abundant Uses

(image via: Allvoices)

Before we delve into the particulars of the Japanese ocean discovery, let’s take a look at the many uses of rare earths and why they’re so important today, as opposed to 100, 50 or even 10 years ago. Can you imagine living without your cellphone, MP3 player or other portable electronic devices? What would the modern world be like without hybrid vehicles, flat-screen TVs, night vision goggles, superconducting magnets or anything made by Apple?

(images via: Bloomberg, China Rare Earths and Hurriyet)

Pretty grim, huh? What’s even grimmer is knowing that 97 percent of the current supply of rare earth minerals is controlled by a single nation, China, and boy oh boy do they know it! Annoy China and you just might see your rare earth imports cut to the bone… and by “you”, we mean Japan.

(images via: Asiabizz, Euronews and East Asia Forum)

In November of 2010, an incident occurred in the East China Sea near the disputed Senkaku Islands (Japanese) or Diaoyu Islands (Chinese). While attempting to stop and arrest the captain of a Chinese fishing boat deemed to be trespassing, a Japanese Coast Guard vessel was rammed by the Chinese ship. Check out this video captured by a Japanese crewman and leaked without authorization:

Leaked China-Japan boat crash video sparks row, via RT

(images via: ChattahBox and Blogs/WSJ)

Amid the diplomatic fallout caused by Japan’s taking the Chinese trawler captain into custody, rare earth exports from China to Japan dropped precipitously and remained at lower than normal levels for months. As Japan is a major manufacturer of leading edge electronics and hybrid vehicles, shortages of rare earth elements would be expected to seriously affect these industries while those in China enjoyed unrestricted access to these crucial raw materials. Japanese companies have accelerated rare earth recycling programs but these worthwhile efforts are stopgaps at best. How did we arrive at such a situation?

China Crisis

(images via: Telegraph UK and Reuters)

When one considers mining for rare earths, the NIMBY factor comes into play in a big way. Put plainly, a rare earth mineral mine is about the last thing you’d want in your backyard. Separating the minerals from the waste products involves the use of toxic chemicals and produces particulate pollution on a massive scale. The waste itself is toxic – rare earths are often found in conjunction with radioactive elements such as Uranium and Thorium.

(images via: Latest China and Business Insider)

Voters in the United States and Australia – two nations with large reserves of rare earth minerals – simply won’t tolerate rare earth mining. China, on the other hand, has a totalitarian form of government that puts the needs of China as a whole before those of the “voters”. Even so, there have been rumblings from farmers and agricultural cooperatives in China’s rare earth mining and smelting regions whose crop yields have plummeted as a result of extensive pollution.

(images via: Straits Times and China Daily)

One of the stated reasons China has reduced its exports of rare earth minerals is due to these environmental concerns, though many China-watchers dismiss this as green-washing to hide the real issues: Chinese strategic control over rare earth minerals and the prices charged for them.

(images via: Treehugger and New York Times)

Some might say that rare earth importers have only themselves to blame for the current supply imbalance, and that may indeed be true. There’s the moral issue to consider as well: while we enjoy our iPhones and Prius’s (Prii?), millions of poor Chinese farmers suffer from ill health and reduced quality of life. Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody could find an abundant source of these essential minerals and a cheap, easy and non-polluting method of refining them?

Bounty From the Sea

(image via: CBC)

A recent announcement published in Nature Geoscience would seem too good to be true, which is perhaps why the researchers behind the story ensured that their testing was both vigorous and voluminous in scope before revealing their discovery. According to the researchers, led by Yasuhiro Kato of the University of Tokyo’s department of systems innovation, “Just one square kilometer (0.4 square mile) of (oceanic rare earth) deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption.”

(images via: Geeky Gadgets, SBS and Asahi News)

Professor Kato and his team tested over 2,000 sediment samples retrieved from the seafloor at 78 different sites in the central Pacific Ocean – in international waters, one might add. It gets even better: the oceanic rare earth deposits are nearly twice as concentrated as underground deposits in China and they boast a higher ratio of heavier to lighter rare earth elements. Serendipitously, heavier rare earths are more important than lighter minerals in manufacturing technology products.

(images via: Dawn, TCE Today and Geology.com)

Since the oceanic rare earths are suspended in viscous mud and not locked into solid rock, refining them would be a simpler process. No need for blast furnaces or the strong acids that have wreaked so much environmental havoc around land-based mines. Radioactivity from associated trace elements is not a concern as the Japanese researchers measured their occurrence at just 1/5 that of typical underground ores. What’s more, these rare earths are anything BUT rare. According to professor Kato, rare earths contained in the seafloor deposits could amount to 80 to 100 billion metric tons. Estimated global reserves confirmed by the USGS for all land-based sources including China only total 110 million tonnes. Investors may not be happy to hear this news but just about everyone else should be!

(images via: Nature Geoscience, 2Space and Canadian Mining Review)

The only fly in the ointment is bringing the rare earth-infused sea mud to the surface in quantity. The researchers’ samples were extracted from cores ranging from 11,500-20,000 ft (3,500 to 6,000 meters) below the ocean surface. Where there’s a will there’s a way, however, and necessity is the mother of invention after all. “Sea mud can be brought up to ships and we can extract rare earths right there using simple acid leaching,” stated professor Kato. “Within a few hours we can extract 80–90 percent of rare earths from the mud.” Sounds like a plan!

The possibility of cheap, abundant, pollution-free rare earth minerals is as exciting as the prospects of low-cost, sustainable and renewable solar power… though the latter still lurks somewhere in the future. At least there’s hope, both for consumers and for China’s long-suffering farmers and rural villagers. The day may come when, like the 1970s funk-rock band Rare Earth, we all can celebrate another day of living, another day of…LIFE!

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Snow Foolin’: Completely Insane Pics of Japanese Snowfall

Parts of the U.S. may be buried under unusual amounts of snow, but our snowfall pales in comparison to the 56-foot drifts found in parts of Japan every winter.
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Tagged: australian, earth, environment, gadgets, news & politics, ocean, oceans, periodic-table, rewards, science & research, technology, united-states

Pretty Smart: Great Green Gift & Product Packaging

April 4, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steph in Art & Design & Science & Research. ]

Some people say it’s what’s inside that counts, but the truth is, packaging plays a big role not only in the presentation of a product but in the earth-friendliness of its life cycle. And considering all the plastic that temporarily protects a product and then gets pitched into landfills, we need all the eco-innovation we can get. These 14 sustainable gift wrap ideas & product packages make bulky, wasteful wrappings a thing of the past, choosing reclaimed, recyclable and natural materials for beautiful and efficient results.

360 Paper Bottle

(image via: core77)

60 million plastic bottles are thrown away every day in the United States alone, and it’s not just the waste that’s a problem – plastic is made from petroleum. So what can we do about it? One possible solution is the 360 paper bottle concept, made of fully recyclable food-safe paper. It even has a paper lid!

DIY Gift Wrap by Grey Likes Weddings

(image via: style me pretty)

If you tend to think of DIY gift wrap made of recycled materials as a little too rustic for your tastes, check out these gorgeous examples of creative reuse. Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings created the decorative accents on these gifts using reclaimed items like vintage brooches, thrift store sweaters, book pages, fabric scraps and natural greenery.

Billerud Fiberform Biodegradable Packaging

(images via: below the clouds)

From Swedish packaging designer Billerud comes ‘Fiberform’, biodegradable and recyclable packaging that takes plastic out of the equation for all manner of products from food to cosmetics. This paper-based packaging can be embossed or printed and fits securely around package contents to protect it.

Molded Paperboard for Newton Running Shoes

(image via: sustainable is good)

Simple, green and cost-effective, this molded paperboard box made for Newton Running Shoes eliminates the need for tissue paper padding by creating a tight custom fit around the shoes. You won’t even find disposable packing materials inside the shoes – instead, they include a pair of socks and a reusable bag!

Universal Cardboard Packaging by Patrick Sung

(image via: design milk)

Don’t you hate it when you order a small item that comes in a ridiculously oversized cardboard box? Patrick Sung’s Universal Packaging System (UPACKS) could make that problem a thing of the past. This innovative packaging concept not only bends around objects of virtually any shape for packaging that’s easy to customize, it’s strong and durable, too. One drawback, however, is a lack of stackability, which might require further thinking outside the box (literally).

DIY: CD Spindle for Bagel Transport

(image via: blisstree)

Need to keep a bagel sandwich protected while on the go? One genius Flickr user named piwonka came up with this novel idea using a reclaimed CD spindle. If only this would catch on at the neighborhood deli.

Banana Leaves as Natural Packaging

(image via: inhabitat)

Naturally durable and water-resistant, banana leaves could serve as an eco-friendly packaging option for all kinds of applications. In a series called Packaging the Future, Inhabitat outlines the many virtues of banana leaf packaging, especially for food. These tough leaves can even be folded into cute little bowls.

MoMA TerraSkin Treeless Paper Packaging

(image via: sustainable is good)

Made of 80 percent calcium carbonate mineral powder and 20 percent resin, TerraSkin is tree-free and requires 50 percent less energy to create than regular fiber-based paper. It’s got a bright white color without bleaching, is naturally tear-resistant and repels water, requiring less ink when printing. The Museum of Modern Art began using TerraSkin for its gift boxing and packaging needs in 2006.

EcoTubes Recycled Paper Lip Balm

(image via: phoenix botanicals etsy)

Want plastic-free lip balm that still provides tube-like ease of application? Etsy seller Phoenix Botanicals offers a trio of organic herbal lip balms in biodegradable recycled paper containers that contain 20% more product than plastic tubes with no waste.

Mushroom Packaging

(images via: inhabitat)

Renewable, natural and fire-resistant, packaging made from mushrooms can biodegrade even without oxygen and requires little energy to produce. Created by Ecovative Design, ‘Mycobond’ requires just one eighth the energy and one tenth the carbon dioxide of traditional foam packing material and could eventually make its way into our homes cradling electronics, furniture, décor and countless other items. Because mushrooms can grow practically anywhere, this packaging could be produced locally, saving even more energy.

Yves Behar Box/Bag for Puma

(image via: dezeen)

San Francisco designer Yves Behar of Fuseproject created this cool box/bag combo for footwear brand Puma. Called Clever Little Bag, the packaging consists of a flat-pack cardboard tray that fits inside a reusable recycled heat-woven case with a handle. This design uses 65% less cardboard  than the standard shoe box and requires no laminated printing, no tissue paper and no plastic carrying bag. Clever indeed.

Japanese Furoshiki Reusable Gift Cloth

(image via: reuseit.com)

Why use disposable gift wrap at all when you could simply wrap the gift in a beautiful reusable organic cotton cloth? It’s easy to cut wrapping cloth out of any fabric you have on hand, or you could go with an elegant pre-made option like this organic cotton version by Chewing the Cud, inspired by the traditional Japanese Furoshiki cloth and printed with soy inks.

Recycled Paper Envelope from Book Pages

(image via: mistybliss)

A beautiful, one-of-a-kind shipping or gift envelope is as simple as sewing some book pages together. You could also use brown paper bags, as in this tutorial by Natural Kids.

Biodegradable Packaging for McDonald’s

(image via: inhabitat)

McDonalds will likely never truly earn the right to call itself ‘green’, but it would earn a lot of cred if it picked up this concept for biodegradable packaging by University of the Arts grad student Andrew Millar. The bags are made of naturally grease-resistant grass fiber and fold out into compartmentalized trays for tidy, low-waste meals on the go.

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Don’t Panic: Last-Minute Green Holiday Gift Ideas

The winter holidays are here - are your presents? If not, don’t worry. Here are a some ideas to get the last few green-loving people crossed off of your list.
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: art & design, cool, facebook, gifts, green, homes, organic, packaging, phoenix, plastic, recycled, science, science & research, shoes

Urban Ruins: Abandoned Building Houses Architecture Academy

March 2, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Art & Design, Nature & Ecosystems, Science & Research. ]

An abandoned five-story apartment building in Taipei, Taiwan is the unlikely setting for an unusual learning experience. It is the home of Ruin Academy, an interdisciplinary research center that studies the “Third Generation City,” or the ruins of the industrial city. By incorporating a number of disciplines and a mixture of research topics, the Academy explores and celebrates our modern man-made ruins.

While the research topics covered by the Academy are fascinating on their own, the building in which the research takes place is just as unique. All of the windows and interior walls have been removed to allow bamboo, trees, fruits and vegetables to grow freely. Six-inch cylinders of the exterior walls and ceilings have been cut from the buildings to let the rain inside.

Dormitories were constructed from mahogany for professors and students to sleep in. They call it a voluntary refugee camp, which the building does resemble until you reach the fifth floor. There sits a public sauna which Academy dwellers call the “best in the Pacific.”

The Ruin Academy students take their cues from the urban jungle, focusing on re-organizing the industrial city and rearranging the way that humans interact with their environment. Workshops offered by the Academy include Urban Acupuncture, Anarchist Gardener, Ultra-Ruin, River Urbanism and Compost. According to the group, the Third Generation City is a mixture of nature and man-made construction.

In essence, it seems that the group is actively looking for that process which is normally very slow and unchecked by human interaction: the ruination of a human dwelling place. They do not participate in the downfall of the city; rather, they look for places where urban ruins have already gained a slight foothold and they seek to help it along. Far from being agents of destruction, they are scholars and architects who are looking forward to the next stage of the urban existence.

(all images via: Nikita Wu)

Taipei, according to the “constructor-gardeners” of Ruin Academy, is the perfect place for this project. The city is increasingly dominated by official industrialism, so constructing an artificially natural indoor garden in the heart of the city is the perfect way to begin pushing this urban environment toward the organic.

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3D Farming: 26 Vertical Farms and Green Skyscrapers

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Tagged: facebook, gardening, modern ruins, nature, nature & ecosystems, research, ruins, science, science & research, wallflowers

Powerful Research: The 8 Best + Worst Electric Power Sources

February 9, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By WebEcoist in Energy & Fuel, Science & Research, Technology & Gadgets. ]

Discussions of the best and worst energy sources often devolve into opinionated and dogmatic “religious” wars, full of speculation and low on scientific rigor. But this may not continue for much longer. According to a December 2008 press release, Stanford University environmental engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson completed the “first quantitative, scientific evaluation of the proposed, major,energy-related solutions by assessing not only their potential for delivering energy for electricity and vehicles, but also their impacts on global warming, human health, energy security, water supply, space requirements, wildlife, water pollution, reliability and sustainability.”

In the study, Jacobson reveals what he found to be the 8 best-to-worst electric power sources. Here they are, in illustrated detail!

The Four Best

Wind power

(Images via TreeHugger, 4HCirriculum)

The best source of electric power, according to Jacobson’s study, is wind. As the diagram above helpfully illustrates, wind is converted to usable electricity by way of a blade-driven turbine with an internal generator. While wind currently only provides 1.5% of worldwide power, it is becoming more and more widely used, doubling in the 3 years between 2005 and 2008. According to Jacobson, a nationwide roll out of wind would result in a “better than 99% reduction” in carbon and air pollution emissions.”

Concentrated solar power (CSP)

(Image via Sustainable Design Update, RobertDowney.com)

Second to wind in Jacobson’s study was concentrated solar power, or CSP. Shown above, CSP systems utilize vast arrays of lenses and mirrors in order to focus a lot of sunlight into a small beam, which is then used as the heat source for power plants. Unlike some of the other power sources covered here, CSP is not new. Primitive forms of it date back to around 700 B.C. when the Chinese first used mirrors to ignite their firewood.

Geothermal power

(Images via EcoFriend, ReUK)

Clocking in at third in Jacobson’s study of the best and worst electric power sources is geothermal. The task of a geothermal power pant is using heat stored in the Earth to heat water that is in turn used to power steam turbines. As one might imagine, this is somewhat difficult. The rewards, however, seem to be worth it. According to EcoFriend, geothermal power generation represents “a completely safe, clean, and a virtually inexhaustible process and can fill the world’s annual needs 250,000 times over with nearly zero impact on the climate or the environment.”

Tidal power

(Images via StatKraft, Ausscifi)

The “last of the best” in Jacobson’s study was tidal power. Tidal power is based on the idea that the change in water levels between high and low tides can be forceful enough (in coastal areas) to power turbines.  Since water is roughly 1,000 times more dense than air, lots of energy can be squeezed from even low-velocity tides. Tides also have the advantage of being more predictable than solar or wind power, which are only reliable insofar as the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

The Four “Not So Best”

Solar photovoltaic (PV)

(Images via EIA, Ardenham Energy)

Photovoltatic solar panels are what most people associate with solar power. They are simply panels that use semiconductors to convert the sun’s rays directly into electricity. While these are certainly useful (and sales have risen from about 15,000 in 1998 to 886,000 in 2007), there are limitations, namely that they can only suck up electricity when the sun is shining.

Wave power

(Images via Sweden, Piston Heads)

The sixth best electric power source according to Professor Jacobson is wave power. It’s main strong point? According to Sweden’s national website, “while solar power is available for about 1,000 hours a year and wind power for about 2,200 hours a year, wave power is available for up to 4,000 hours a year.”

Hydroelectric power

(Image via K2M Energy)

The 7th best electric power source was hydroelectric, which currently provides about 19% of total world electricity. Despite this, hydroelectric comes with some significant disadvantages, such as how much space is required to build and operate a hydroelectric dam, possible dangers to nearby animal habitats, and disruption of aquatic ecosystems.

Nuclear power

(Images via Hello World Bea, Guardian)

The “worst” electric power source in the study was nuclear power. While nuclear has proven effective across the world (namely by powering 75% of France), the main risk is safety. As meltdowns like the one at Chernobyl have demonstrated, the risk of accidents in nuclear fission looms large, holding the potential to wipe out entire populations depending upon the severity of the meltdown.

Again: the entirety of Professor Mark Z. Jacobson’s detailed study on the 8 best and worst electric power sources can be read here.

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Biomass & Thermal Power: 25 Cutting-Edge Designs

Did you know that a river could cool the second tallest skyscraper on the planet or that chicken droppings could power thousands of homes? Unlike solar and wind power generators, earth-base…
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: climate, cnn, facebook, france, gadgets, ocean, professor, science & research, sustainability, sweden, technology, technology & gadgets

Fission for Explanations: Gabon’s Natural Nuclear Reactors

February 2, 2011 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Energy & Fuel, History & Trivia, Science & Research. ]

Nuclear power is a controversial topic among people who care for the environment, but nature was creating nuclear power long before humans have even been inhabiting the planet. Natural nuclear reactors have been found in Oklo, Gabon: these African natural fossil reactors have been radioactively dated to be roughly two billion years old. While they no longer function, they are providing very important information that is helping to increase our understanding of our planet.

First discovered in the 1970s, the natural fossil reactors rest in the grassy highlands of the African country of Gabon. Following the discovery of extensive highly enriched Uranium deposits in the 1960s, a minesite and processing plant were built to extract the valuable material from the ground. But mining was temporarily halted when the ancient nuclear reactors were discovered in order to allow geological research of the sites. Some of the reactors remain intact today, some have been completely mined out, but all ceased to function hundreds of millions of years ago. Since then, the radioactive material has been degrading naturally and today harmless. As far as anyone knows, this handful of sites in Gabon represent the only naturally occurring nuclear reactors on the planet.

(all images via: Curtin University)

The natural reactors occurred because two billion years ago, the Earth contained a high concentration of Uranium-235. U-235 is a naturally occurring fissile uranium isotope that is found throughout the entire Solar System. The density and abundance of U-235 along with the scarcity of neutron absorbers, a high concentration of a moderator (like water) and a size appropriate to sustain the fission reactions all contributed to the formation of these incredible natural reactors. Today, these conditions are not met anywhere on Earth and so no natural nuclear reactors are operational. All of this information would be interesting, but not very useful if not for the fact that we aren’t quite sure what to do with our own man-made radioactive waste. Observing the degraded remains of these naturally-occurring fossil reactors is helping scientists gain a firmer handle on the issue of radioactive waste containment.

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The Third Rock: Our Blue Planet

(source: deestea)

Known interchangeably as the third rock from the sun, the world, the living planet, and simply, Earth, our planet is uniquely interesting in many ways that we often take f…
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: designs, energy & fuel, energy and fuel, environment, facebook, gabon, geological phenomenon, geology, planet, research, science, science & research, third-rock, uranium

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