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When you watch this dancing robot strut his stuff, you'll know why it won first place in Austria's annual Hexapod Robot Competition.
Colorized environmental scanning electron microscope photo of Gliocladium roseum, an endophtic fungus that produces myco-diesel hydrocarbons. (Photo courtesy of Gary Strobel.)
In a Patagonian rainforest, plant pathologist Gary Strobel has discovered a previously unknown species of fungus that excretes gases including at least eight hydrocarbons that are the most abundant ingredients in diesel fuel.
"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said Strobel, a professor at Montana State University. "The fungus can even make these diesel compounds from cellulose, which would make it a better source of biofuel than anything we use at the moment."
Unlike other biofuels which must be broken down into less complex sugars for biological processing, Gliocladium roseumcan makes its hydrocarbons directly from cellulose, the fibrous material found in wheat, switch grass, corn stalks, rice straw, and even wood chips.
"This means that if the fungus was used to make fuel, a step in the production process could be skipped," says Strobel who suggests that G. roseum could be grown in factories, like baker's yeast, instead of on valuable farmland.
Diesel is normally obtained from crude oil. The startling discovery of G. roseum calls into question the accepted theory that oil is formed from the remains of dead plants and animals that have been exposed to heat and pressure for millions of years. "If fungi like this are producing myco-diesel all over the rainforest, they may have contributed to the formation of fossil fuels," says Strobel.
Ford Fiesta ECOnetic Photo: autobloggreen.com
Ford, one of the carmakers taking a beating from Congress and the American people for its reliance on gas-guzzling SUVs, actually manufactures a car that gets 65 miles the gallon. It's the Fiesta ECOnetic but we can't have it. Ford sells this little gas miser only in Europe. Why? Because it runs on diesel and, the common wisdom holds, Americans won't buy diesel cars even though diesel technology is now as clean, or cleaner, than gasoline-powered engines. Question: If the price of diesel fuel were equivalent to that of gasoline, would you purchase a diesel vehicle? Why or why not?
Rusty shovels and wheelbarrows, old oil drums and car parts – any disreputable, likely-to-be-discarded steel objects – are turned into lacy-looking, decorative art with an oxyacetylene torch and the keen eye of artist/welder Cal Lane. These "industrial doilies," as Ms. Lane calls them, mirror the yin yang forces of delicate and strong, industrial and domestic, and masculine and feminine. Who knew a welding torch could do all that?
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force Museum
First (and only) man to reach the speed of sound without an aircraft
On August 16, 1960, Air Force Captain Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr., jumped from an open balloon gondola at 102,800 feet, breaking the sound barrier with his body as he descended. The jump, which lasted 13 minutes, 45 seconds and included a four-minute, 37-second freefall, set a world high-altitude parachute-jump record that stands to this day.
The jump was undertaken to help the Air Force determine whether crew members could parachute safely from disabled aircraft flying in the stratosphere. And yes, even at that early date, the jump was captured on film. To see amazing footage of this remarkable achievement visit Google Video.
The interior of a masonry stove is usually made of brick. The exterior tiles can be brick, stone, stucco, or a combination of these materials. Many vintage masonry stoves, like this one in Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg, are works of art. Wikipedia
Homeowners trying to cut their heating bills may be better off looking to the past for the most efficient heating technology. The tile stove (sometimes called a Hungarian, German, or masonry stove), based on a fourteenth-century design, can cut home heating bills up to 75 percent.
Unlike conventional stoves and fireplaces that send gases (and heat) directly up a chimney, the exhaust in a tile stove takes a circuitous route to the outside, traveling through interior channels that absorb its heat and transfer it to the surrounding masonry walls of the stove, which slowly radiate the heat back into the house at a lower, more comfortable temperature than a metal stove does. And, because the inside of the stove is masonry and not metal, the fire burns much hotter, which significantly reduces harmful emissions.
A tile stove warms an average size house for 12 hours on just one small bundle of wood. Hay and straw can also be used.
Peter Breuer, who lives in Essex, England, was able to turn off his central heating unit entirely after installing a tile stove. He says, “With most stoves, you put some wood in and you get a nice little fire, but as soon as the flame's gone down, the heat disappears. But a tile stove works as a storage heater because there is a great mass of masonry inside which heats up and radiates heat through the tiles.”
It’s time to phone a friend for a little math fun. Get your calculator – this works!
Is the answer your phone number? Weird, eh?
Mindarus harringtoni Photo: Rothansted Research Visual Communications Unit
A previously unknown insect has been discovered – on eBay. The bug, trapped in amber, was offered for sale on the auction site and purchased by entomologist Dr. Richard Harrington who could not identify it. An expert in Denmark confirmed that the insect was a previously unknown species of aphid. It has been named Mindarus harringtoni after Dr. Harrington.
The Wildflower Center monitors temperatures inside insulated metal boxes topped with three different roofs – green, white, and blacktop. Visit the Wildlife Center to see what the temperatures are now.
Native plants improve performance
Green roofs can keep buildings cooler in the summer and reduce rain runoff into streets and storm drains, but a great deal of variation exists among the types of green roofs available for installation today, according to researchers at The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
The researchers installed green roofs from 24 different manufacturers atop insulated metal boxes, an experiment designed to simulate today’s popular, if ugly and spiritually demoralizing, corrugated metal buildings. They found that a green roof could reduce a structure’s air conditioning bills about 21 percent compared to traditional tar-based, blacktop roofs. But they also discovered a great deal of variation among the different types of green roofs tested – a variation they attribute largely to the types of plants used.
During one 91-degree day, a blacktopped box without air conditioning reached 129°F inside while the green roof boxes reached only 97° to 100°. “That’s a huge difference to have a 20-or-so degree temperature drop,” says Dr. Mark Simmons, the lead investigator on the study.
An even greater temperature difference was found on the roofs’ surfaces. Blacktop roofs reached 154 degrees on that 91-degree day while the soil on green roofs was between 88 and 100 degrees.
Runoff
The greatest variation was found in the amount of rainfall absorbed by the roofs. Some captured all the water during a 1/2" rainfall and a little less than half the water when two inches of rain fell. Other roofs, however, retained only about a quarter of the water in a 1/2" shower and as little as eight percent during deluges.
In both cases, researches attribute the difference in performance to the types of plants used on the roofs. Native plants outperformed sedums, a type of succulent traditionally used on most green roofs, as they were able to take in more water and release more of it into the atmosphere.
Instead of going to a landfill, wood chips like those pictured above will be used to produce electricity in Kirkwood, MO. Photo: Wikipedia
A patented new technology that turns trash into electricity without creating air pollution will power homes and businesses in Kirkwood, Missouri by the end of the year. At that time, wood chips that may have been destined for the landfill will go instead to a local biomass gasification facility operated by renewable energy company Kirkwood Green, LLC where it will be converted into electricity for the town. Kirkwood Green's process for harvesting energy from wood chips involves a patented gasification technology that, unlike incineration, produces electricity without conventional high levels of air emissions. No new carbon is added to the atmosphere, and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions are so low they are comparable to emissions coming from standard household appliances. The only byproduct of the process is ash, a much sought-after plant fertilizer rich in minerals. While the Kirkwood project will use only wood chips as its fuel source, future projects will include carbon based materials such as corrugated paper, waste cooking oils, and other rubbish. Kirkwood, population 27,000, has agreed to purchase up to five megawatts of green power from Kirkwood Green – 17% of the town's total usage. It is the first municipality to take advantage of the new technology.
The ReWalk suit is put on in the morning and worn all day. Photo: Argo Medical Technologies
A wearable, motorized robotic suit that mimics the exoskeleton of a crab gives those paralyzed from the waist down the ability to walk, climb stairs, rise from a chair, and sit down again The device, called ReWalk, uses motion sensors, robotic control algorithms, on-board computers, software, actuation motors, and rechargeable batteries to restore the user's control over his or her mobility. Walking with the assistance of crutches, the wearer initiates movement through subtle changes in his or her center of gravity and upper-body movements.
ReWalk alleviates the myriad of health problems associated with being wheelchair bound and can significantly reduce health care costs, according to its developer Argo Medical Technologies.
Visit http://www.argomedtec.com/ to see a video of the suit in use.
A close-up the Energy Ball at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Credit: Home Energy
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. That’s the constant, rhythmic, monotonous sound of a typical wind turbine and it drives some people living nearby absolutely crazy. The noise results from the huge blades on standard wind turbines that generate most of their turning force at the tips. Those tips slice perpendicularly through the air and create the characteristic whooshing sound.
A smaller, quieter turbine is on the way. Designed for residential applications by Netherlands-based company Home Energy, the Energy Ball moves primarily parallel to the wind because the rotors are bent around in a circular shape. Although it looks similar to the Darrieus wind turbine, which has been around for about 80 years, the Energy Ball operates on a horizontal axis, not a vertical one as the Darrieus does, and employs the Venturi effect to constrict the wind. As the rotors turn, pressure drops inside the ball and air rushes in to fill the void and helps keep the rotor blades spinning.
Energy Balls can be mounted on rooftops, as TV antennas or satellite dishes are, or placed atop poles that run along streets and roads as electric power lines currently do. Each ball can supply up to 1,750 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and are 40 percent more efficient than a propeller-style turbine of the same diameter.
The Energy Balls will be manufactured in McKinney, Texas, by VAWT Manufacturing, Inc. and should cost from $3,500 to $7,000, excluding installation. The company hopes to begin production by the end of this year.
The Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle appears to stride purposefully over icy terrain. Autoblog
For your next trip to McMurdo Bay, consider traveling in style with Lotus's Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV). Reportedly developed for the Moon-Regan TransAntarctic Expedition, the biofuel-powered, propeller-driven CIV is equipped with ice-penetrating radar to detect dangerous crevasses and a spiked "foot" that acts as a brake. Independent suspension helps stabilize the ride as the single passenger skims over rugged terrain on the vehicle’s giant snowshoe-like skis. See the CIV in action on You Tube