Biofuel boost from modified microbes

Posted Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:07:00 GMT by Colin Ricketts

A bit of genetic tweaking has produced a tenfold increase in the amount of biofuels bacteria can produce, pushing the process towards commercially viable levels of output. Bacteria produce the fuel and James C. Liao, UCLA's Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, who led the team managed to produce 15 to 30 grams of n-butanol per litre of culture medium by genetically modifying Escherichia coli (E. coli).

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Molasses proves a match for ozone-depleting chemical

Posted Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:23:00 GMT by Colin Ricketts

Using molasses to encourage beneficial microbes could help to replace a chemical which damages the ozone layer. The USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are seeing if a system that uses the treacle to stimulate beneficial bacteria in the soil and so does away with the need for Methyl Bromide.

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'Pompeii' like fossils of Trilobites found in real-life situations

Posted Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:01:01 GMT by Colin Ricketts

Sudden death and burial by hurricane-displaced sediments has frozen ancient creatures in real-life situations which allow scientists to try and decipher how they behaved. University of Cincinnati palaeontologist Carlton E Brett says colonies of ancient sea creatures have been caught in mid-orgy by sudden downpours of fossilising sediment catching snapshots of life in the way that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius did at Pompeii.

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Bacteria tests offer green fuel hope

Posted Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:01:00 GMT by John Dean

Researchers at an American university have devised a way to dramatically increase the production of butanol - an environmentally-friendly alternative to diesel and gasoline - from bacteria normally seen as harmful to humans.

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KATWARN project: Preparing for the unexpected

Posted Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:32:00 GMT by Michael Evans

A German project to provide an early warning system for unexpected emergencies. The KATWARN project, from the original German for Catastrophe Warning for Every Eventuality. KATWARN employs various warning channels to reach people affected by disasters. They use classical warning channels like email, text messages and fax. In addition new technologies for important future warning infrastructures are being tested within the project.

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British soldiers to go solar powered

Posted Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:12:00 GMT by Nikki Bruce

A new project is underway to provide soldiers with energy efficient power packs. It has been announced that scientists from the Universities of Glasgow, Loughborough, Strathclyde, Leeds, Reading and Brunel in conjunction with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) are currently developing a new personal power pack for British troops. Filed in environmental issues: Solar/Science & Technology.

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Don't bin that banana skin! It's a water purifier

Posted Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:07:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

Banana skins can serve as more than just fodder for the compost heap, and for purveyors of slapstick humor. A new study into their effectiveness at filtering heavy metals shows minced banana peel to be one of the best materials to use, to remove these harmful toxins from drinking water. Filed in environmental issues: water purification - science

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Georgia Tech develop early warning system for tsunamis

Posted Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:09:00 GMT by Michael Evans

A system developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology is able to give coastal residents a 20 to 30 minute warning of a tsunami. It is caused by a wave from an under-sea earthquake, spreading outwards until it reaches land, usually without warning. As the depth of water decreases the wave's pent-up energy creates a devastating wall of water that hits the coastal area, causing massive destruction and often a considerable loss of life. Filed under environmental issues: Tsunamis/Technology.

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Newly discovered mature galaxy cluster, revised big bang theory?

Posted Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:01:00 GMT by Tamara Croes

A recently discovered mature cluster of galaxies seems to be a rare phenomenon - or could the universe have developed differently from what is currently thought? Scientists working from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile have recently discovered the furthest mature cluster of galaxies away from us which we can still see. Filed under: Science - Technology.

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Can the leopard change its spots?

Posted Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:11:00 GMT by Michael Evans

Research at Harvard University has identified the gene that governs colour patterns in mice. Two of the great wonders of Nature are its diversity and its mystery. Why, for instance, do leopards have spots and why do zebras have stripes? Scientists at Harvard University have come a little closer to answering this age-old question.

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Pity the poor worm; struggle for Phylum Annelida survival more complex than previously thought

Posted Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:04:00 GMT by Nicolette Smith

The immune system of the Nematode worm and how it can help us to manage dangerous infections. Not many people would confess to an admiration for the worm species, and yet a recent study backed by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has shown that worms are the ultimate gamblers; a type of worm known as a Nematode plays a high-risk game…with disease resistance.

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Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels Could Halve Amount of Water Plant's Release Into the Atmosphere

Posted Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:16:01 GMT by Nikki Bruce

A new report predicts worrying effects on the transpiration of plants. Enjoy basking in the cool shade of an old oak tree in the height of summer? Well, according to American and Dutch scientists it could soon be a less effective way of escaping the heat from the sun. A new study has found that as a result of rising carbon dioxide levels, plants are releasing less water into the atmosphere.

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Essential oils from peppermint boosted with a splash of sage, rosemary and thyme

Posted Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:59:01 GMT by Martin Leggett

Spraying peppermint with waste-waters from distilling aromatic herbs boosts their essential oil content, according to Mississippi State University researchers. Rather than just discharging waters left over from the processing of herbs, such as sage, rosemary and thyme, it is hoped they can now be used to give their herbal cousins a helping hand.

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Solar flare cycle driven by rivers of plasma

Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:34:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

New models of the huge streams of plasma on the surface of the Sun are raising understanding of the complex mechanisms at play. As the solar sunspot cycle picks up speed, and starts sending out new flares towards the Earth, understanding exactly what makes the Sun tick looks to be increasingly important – for the stability communications and power systems, as well as of the climate.

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Florida, the sunshine state just got 10 million years older

Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:21:00 GMT by Martin Leggett

Florida, the sunshine stats may not be as youthful as looks suggest. A new analysis of samples collected from water boreholes have pushed back the time, when Florida first emerged from the sea, to 45 million years ago. The study describes a familiar landscape of palm trees and islands, and provides useful information for those looking to keep water flowing for local residents.

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Buildings that repair and heat themselves

Posted Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:03:06 GMT by Martin Leggett

A new approach to getting organic materials into tiny glass beads opens up a number of new possibilities for intelligent cement – that can heal cracks, and regulate temperatures. This exciting development is described in a thesis presented to the University of the Basque Country, and raises the prospect of buildings lasting longer – and requiring less energy to be heated and cooled.

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