Question Your World

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As technology advances our options for travel advance as well. By what means and where will we travel in the future? Well, Aerospace manufacturer, SpaceX, has just announced that it’ll be sending two individuals to orbit the Moon in 2018! Is space tourism possible in the near future?

Tourism has been a thriving industry on Earth for a long time now. When we have time off we tend to make plans to visit family, exotic destinations, theme parks and so on. Our travel has been limited, mainly because we’re shackled to the Earth by gravity...but what if you could escape gravity? Oh the places we could go! So, we need some impressive technology to make these trips, right? As technology moves along, our options for visiting places off Earth increase as well.

The Apollo programs landed twelve astronauts on the surface of the Moon in the 60′s and 70′s. Since then we’ve sent a myriad of people into space, but only in low orbit around our planet. We’ve had some folks travel into space for tourism as well. Seven people have taken vacation trips to the International Space Station. SpaceX however, is planning on sending two individuals back to Moon for recreation and adventure. If this is successfully done, then we’re going to see some pretty impressive things added to our history books.

As of now all we know is that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, announced that two private citizens will be sent around the Moon and back in the year 2018. Many of the details of this project are still not available, but the public announcement has been made and the work can now begin.

We don’t know who these people are, but Musk did say that these two adventurers have already paid a “significant deposit” on this project. If the launch and journey successfully happen, these individuals will become the first humans to return to the Moon since 1972. The planned journey would take these two space tourists past the Moon until its gravity would essentially turn the spacecraft around and return back to Earth. They’re going to travel somewhere in the neighborhood of 400,000 miles away from home. In comparison, the Apollo manned missions traveled about 225,000 miles away on their journey. If these tourists go on their trip, they will be the first humans to travel the furthest distance away from home.

The trip is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. This automated journey would take place in the Dragon V2 capsule which would ride on top of the Falcon Heavy rocket, neither of which has flown in space as of yet. Both are supposed to be tested later this year, but could potentially delay the planned 2018 trip if any issues arise. Regardless, this is going to be a story worth keeping up with. 

If humanity can sustain space tourism, then we’ll see some pretty remarkable upgrades in technology ranging from upgrades to communications, travel methods and perhaps even places to stay in space. For now this headline is getting space fans around the world excited at the potential of witnessing such an impressive journey. If Musk and his team at SpaceX can make this a reality then there’s hope that the space tourism industry will really take off!

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Vision is a pretty important aspect of life for many creatures on Earth. For thousands of years, we have been trying to better understand our own vision. Scientists are now looking into what causes some of us to develop nearsighted vision. Technology plays a big role in our life, but some of this technology is causing some big changes, especially for our children’s developing eyes. A recent study helps answer today’s big question: What causes kids to become nearsighted?

About 700 million years ago, something remarkable happened here on Earth - life developed the earliest form of eyes. As these primitive creatures evolved, so did their eyes. Fast forward to now and we see a planet whose inhabitants have many different types of incredible eyes. Evolution has created the pathways by which many creatures have developed their specialized eyesight based on their own environmental needs. Some animals can see in ultraviolet, some have many sets of eyes, there are some with incredible night vision, and so on. Also included in this list of creatures would be us humans!

Humanity evolved with eyes more or less as they are now, but that does not mean we are free from changes. As we developed a better understanding of who we were, we began to harness technology to help us accomplish our survival or life goals. Eventually our curiosity of the natural world and love for innovation helped create a myriad of technological advances including items that would impact our vision.

Over the span of history, we humans have created many new innovations that enhance our vision, like glasses and telescopes. On the same note, we have also created a few things that put strain on our eyes, like television and florescent bulbs. We’re all familiar with TV and screens that can create problems for our vision, but why? A recently published paper sheds a little light on this exact question.

Our artificially lighted world includes LED bulbs, TV screens, smartphone screens, decorative lights, and many other things that brighten our world. These sources of artificial light tend to have a higher red/green contrast. This particular part of the light spectrum actually impacts our eyes and their cellular goings-on. Frequent exposure to indoor lighting forces the eye to deal with this environmental factor and appears to be causing nearsightedness in a developing eye. The research was able to identify the reason why technology impacts our vision - it turns out to be a specific type of cell in the retina.

These researchers are calling this newly identified cell the “ON Delay” cell. When exposed to more red/green contrast than our eyes have evolved to handle, it forces these cells to grow longer. Clusters of these cells found in the retina grow beyond their regular size and shape when put into this new environmental situation. While being outdoors has been a large part of the evolution of the eye, being indoors with Netflix going is a pretty new thing. Evolutionarily speaking, of course. The big news here is that this cell has been identified. Consider for a moment that nearly one billion people on Earth have myopic vision, better known as nearsightedness. Now the next step would be to identify the genes responsible for allowing these cells to grow when put into a high red/green contrast light setting. Knowing this genetic information could lead scientists to understand the mechanisms of these cells and could yield an option in which we could enhance or reduce the impact of this part of the light spectrum. In other words, knowing the genetic information would help scientists know how to induce or reduce nearsightedness in a living animal.

Much more testing is needed, but simply knowing this relationship between artificial light and our eyes’ cellular functions is a big step forward. In the meantime, if you want to prevent the onset of myopia in your children or younger cohorts, scientists are encouraging them to simply spend more time in natural light and less time in our artificially illuminated lives. This could be a great way to reduce future generations of myopic eyes. Also, this could help prevent future generations of nerds!

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Can we create a new way to help power our world?

The global energy dialogue is easily one of the most important conversations happening right now. Our planet is home to over seven billion people and population growth shows no signs of slowing down. How will we provide power to all of these people without jeopardizing our environmental and economic landscapes? Can we create a new way to help power our world?

Discovering new methods of providing power will require some creative work by technology innovators. Humanity has often looked to nature as an inspiration for creative technology. Birds were the inspiration for our flying machines, the human eye helped design the camera, sticky plants were the muse for Velcro, and now scientists are looking at trees to help invent new ways of powering our world.

In the past, we’ve seen news headlines about using a light harvesting antenna attached to bio-engineered trees that harvest power for our daily needs using photosynthesis. There are also lots of examples of using turbines in rivers or spinning in the air to generate power too. A bold new idea was recently introduced that involves a few of these notions working together. The inspiration for this power source came from the leaves of cottonwood trees. A piezoelectric tree was introduced as a potential way of harnessing the wind to generate electricity.

When the wind blows, it would move specially created artificial leaves. This motion would allow for the specially designed strips in these leaves to release an electrical charge. Piezoelectric technology essentially turns the energy of motion into electric power. The structure itself loosely resembles a tree, a base stick with small branches extending outwards. Each branch holds a few of these piezoelectric leaves and would be able to take the energy created from the wind moving the leaves to produce usable electric energy, thanks to some well engineered nanotechnology in the artificial tree itself.

If this piece of technology gets implemented in the world, we could come up with a lot of places to hold these trees. Phone poles could have arms that extend outward letting these energy generating leaves create power using the wind. Cell towers, tall buildings, balconies, backyards, and several other places could host these structures. Perhaps the design itself could be reconfigured into artistic sculptures someday as well.

Regardless, for now this is a very welcome invention and yet another great conversation piece for the global energy dialogue. More testing will continue, but look for this technology to become more and more common in the news. Individuals working in the renewable energy field are working every day to branch out and bring more creative options to the table. This piezoelectric tree is a great new innovation and could lead to a lot of great changes in power production for our growing planet. After all, the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

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A long time ago, we humans looked up to the cosmos to get predictions on health and wellness. Comets, eclipses, and other celestial goings-on were thought to signify times of great health, plague and famine. As we progressed in our understanding of the world, we start to rely more on doctors and less on what was happening in the sky. So, where are we now? We now have a myriad of amazing technological assistance available to us virtually anywhere on Earth. How will we get medical updates in the near future? 

In a recent study, scientists looked at the potential of using smart watch technology to help us get early warnings for some illnesses. A group of individuals were given smart watches with biosensors capable of detecting heart rate and skin temperature changes. These two variables are often early warning indicators of a handful of common illnesses. 

The really cool thing here is that these smart watches are able to track basic daily activity like motion, downtime, elevation changes, and other factors that smart phones and smart watches already track. This helps establish a basic profile of the individual’s activity level. All of this factors into the other data that these watches are picking up, like temperature levels and heart rate. When we start to get sick our skin temperature and heart rate go up a little. Over the two year study, these watches recorded nearly 250,000 different daily readings. After gathering that much data, these watches were quickly able to tell when something was “out of the norm” in terms of daily measurements. 

One of the research coordinators took part in the study as well. There were a few days when the researcher felt fine, but the watch was telling him that his temperature and heart rate were changing. The changed readings prompted him to review his activities, and he remembered a recent bug bite which could have caused the elevated readings from the smart watch. Soon after, the researcher visited the doctor and was diagnosed with Lyme disease. 

These watches are currently able to detect changes that are a sign of illness ranging from the common cold to Lyme disease. This technology has the medical world excited because of the potential that lies ahead. Biosensors right now are non-invasive and are only able to pick up on 2 variables, however this type of technology could also be advanced to detect more symptoms and conditions. Perhaps in the future we’ll have smart watches that can detect diabetes early on, contact our physicians for us, and keep an archive of our medical history available at our fingertips. 

There are many health related applications to smart phone and smart watch technology, but they are still in their early stages. Once this technology becomes more common, we may be able to prevent days off from work simply by letting the watch alert our medical needs before we can feel the symptoms. Early detection is a big part of a speedy recovery and these smart watches may play a big role in this process. A smart watch that connects to the web and our bodies to keep us informed of our own health? It’s about time! 

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At some point in our lives, we’ve all been told that eating hot chili peppers will clear up your sinuses, right? Recently, scientists asked a different, but related question: Can eating hot chili peppers make you live longer?

Scientists recently concluded a long study - 16,000 Americans for 23 years! After studying the same participants for over 2 decades, they were able to see that some of the participants somehow avoided heart diseases and strokes. To see what variables factored in here, they looked at diet and narrowed it down to the consumption of hot red chili peppers.

This research does not show why these peppers were a variable in longevity, but it does show a correlation between those who ate the hot peppers and avoiding stroke and heart disease. Further research is needed, but now scientists have at least found something to dig into further, capsaicin.

Capsaicin is the part of the pepper responsible for the heat that we feel when we eat them. This is not the first time that capsaicin and health science have intersected. This hot red chili pepper ingredient is also associated with reducing joint pain when used in a cream. Other studies have also concluded that this element impacts the body’s ability to fight cancer cells. Clearly, this has been something that scientists have been interested in for some time now.

The place in our body where capsaicin seems to interact the most is the TRP Channels that line our cell membranes. These channels act somewhat like microscopic thermometers in our body and come in a variety of structural types. Now, after the 23 year of testing on 16,000 Americans, scientists are ready to dig in deeper to better understand how capsaicin and our TRP channels interact with one another.

As stated earlier, more testing is needed to figure out exactly what’s going on here, but this study builds further proof that eating red-hot chili peppers may be way better for your than listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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Why are bees an endangered species?

For the last few years, we’ve been hearing about the decline of bees. Now, in the first week of 2017, the rusty patched bumblebee has officially been designated as an endangered species. To dig a little deeper, let’s see what’s putting the sting on our bees. Why are bees an endangered species?

First of all, this is not a first-of-a-kind news headline. Unfortunately, seven other bee species have already been added to the endangered list, but all of them reside in Hawaii. The rusty patched bumblebee made news by being the first species of bee in the lower 48 states to be placed on the endangered list. So, what’s going on here? Why all the buzz over these bees?

Keep in mind that our planet’s ecosystem has evolved over millions of years to reach a natural state of balance. Every member of the ecosystem has a role in maintaining a somewhat ideal balance for life as we know it. Bees do their fair share of the work for the ecosystems, but also for our direct use. These bees are natural pollinators. In fact, they provide humanity with nearly $9 billion worth of ecosystem services. Native pollinators, like these bees, enable and support the production of at least 90 different commercial crops here in the United States. Globally, this means that 35% of the food that we produce is dependent on pollinators. In other words, if these pollinators were a country, they would rank among the top 100 economies on the planet! That’s a lot of work for an animal that does not get a pay raise or any insurance coverage.

This, of course, did not happen overnight. The designation of this mainland US bee onto the endangered list was a slow build over time. Many other species have felt the influence of human goings-on and have reacted by migrating to safer land. These bees however did not do such a thing. Instead they stuck around and just started to disappear. To better understand this change, scientists looked at over a century’s worth of bee activity. They studied our land use changes, the way we have added pesticides to our crops, and how burning fossil fuels have altered climate trends.

After the research was concluded, the answer seemed to become very clear. The only variable that has had a meaningful impact in drastically lessening the population was the rapidly changing climate. Our bees just can’t keep up with the warming taking place in their habitats.

Like many of the other issues facing our nation, this too will require collective action. Scientists are suggesting ways for us to get involved and help our bees in this time of urgency. They're suggesting ways for us to help, like building solitary bee colonies for your garden and planting native flowers at our homes and businesses.

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Can breathing impact the brain? 

Science has solved a lot of the mysteries of the universe, but there are still many things that we know very little about, like our brain. The brain is our cerebral powerhouse, and we humans have a pretty unique one compared to all the species that live here on Earth. Recently scientists did an experiment to answer a very big question: Can breathing impact the brain? 

For this study scientists tested subjects and captured data using EEG scans. First they got their test group to breathe in through their noses and then their mouths. After that the same tests were done asking test subjects to breathe out through the nose and mouth. The test subjects were shown images to see if they could react and how many they would remember.

Remarkably, the EEG data showed a direct correlation between breathing in through the nose and brain activity. The images shown during breathing in through the nose were reacted to faster and were able to be recalled more after the test. Interesting, right? 

While this observation did not yield any in depth answers, it did begin the process of further understanding the evolution of the human brain. Now the question that they are asking is why does this correlation happen? We’ve known for a while that the human brain uses up about 25% of the oxygen we take in. After all, this is the hardest working part of our body. 

Consider for a moment all the things that the brain does in the background while we carry on our lives. When we walk and talk with someone, we may actively be thinking about what we will say, but walking happens almost as an “auto pilot” type of action. The brain is always working and thus requires a lot of fuel, oxygen in this case. 

The average rate of breathing is about 12 to 18 breaths per minute, but during alert moments like emergencies or tests we tend to do about 20 breaths per minute. Perhaps this fact hints towards the evolution of the brain and the history of our own species. Maybe some of our earliest ancestors would breathe more during alert moments like hunting or escaping predators. Perhaps this gave the brain more oxygen to work with when brain power was needed at a higher capacity. Regardless, the human brain seems to be linked to our breathing patterns as far as these test results are concerned. 

There is much more testing left to do in order to understand why there is a connection here, but at least now scientists have a slightly better understanding about one of the biggest mysteries in the universe, the human brain. 

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Happy New Year, science fans! Now that we are a solid few days into 2017, it’s time to stop thinking about last year’s goings-on and put our focus on all the cool things that are on the horizon for 2017! Experts in various industries have made their prediction for what the year is going to look like. So, let’s get right to the heart of the matter by asking WHAT will make science headlines in 2017?

A lot of existing industries will continue to work toward their goals as they have been for some time now. Various projects ranging from health to technology to space exploration are among the big plans for 2017. Keep in mind the process of science is ever changing and builds upon centuries of work. The science community is excited to get to work on some of these awesome ideas and keep the story of science moving forward.

Technologists will continue to work more and more on cyber security. In 2016 there was a lot of talk about hackers gaining access to many networks around the nation. Credit cards, retail stores, and even the election were all associated with cyber security related stories. In 2017, technologists plan on continuing to make the web safer for all of its users. This will include some bold new ideas like replacing some standard password applications with biometric options like fingerprints, retinal scans, and even using skull cavities!

In related news, artificial intelligence will continue to be worked on. As larger companies require more detailed analytical insights and more frequent data access, more funding and development will be needed. The current projection is that these companies are planning on investing over 300% of last year’s budget into enhancing AI research and development.

Artificial intelligence is one of the components needed for another major 2017 science prediction, self driving cars. As more safety milestones, computing abilities, and marketplace affordability align with consumer needs, self driving cars will continue to hit the roads all over Earth. Did you see the awesome Tesla dashboard camera footage of the car predicting a human caused accident? The idea is that those predictive abilities will continue to grow to enhance commuter safety and well being.

Speaking of well being, let’s not forget food. Meat alternatives like chickpeas, fungi, and jackfruit will continue to grow in popularity as more and more people enact a “flexitarian” diet for environmental, health, and local economic reasons.

All in all scientists will continue to work towards the research, innovations, and breakthroughs that have led us to where we are now. As mentioned earlier, this is a world in which we build upon the knowledge that we have been given. Stay tuned as we spend the entire year continuing to explore the uncharted territories of science with you. All things considered, 2017 is looking like it’ll be a great year for science!  

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As the year comes to a close we tend to look back at all the amazing things that took place in the last 12 months. 2016 is no exception to that rule. There were a myriad of awesome moments this year for the world of science. Let’s close out this year by asking the big wrap-up question: What science milestones took place in 2016?

Hands down the biggest science news stories this year would belong to NASA and climate change. NASA’s Juno mission arrived at Jupiter and is already sending back all kinds of awesome data. Back here on Earth, over 100 nations joined together to put the Paris Climate Agreement into action and take accountability on human impacts to climate change. While those may be biggest news stories, let’s not forget that there were interesting breakthroughs all year long. So, let’s explore the 2016 science deep cuts!

#5 - Cockroach Milk:

First of all, keep in mind that our planet is filled with all kinds of weird animals. We have a mammal that lays eggs. Weird. We have a bird that swims better than it can fly. Strange. We also have a specific species of cockroach, the Pacific beetle cockroach, that gives live birth and then produces milk. How bizarre! That cockroach is exactly what an international group of scientists have been studying because the milk crystals it produces could play a vital role in the future of nutrition on Earth.

This particular cockroach produces these milk crystals to feed its young. Remarkably, the “milk” here is about three times more dense than buffalo or cow milk. The cockroach milk is super dense with proteins, fats and sugars. Many scientists consider these milk crystals to be superfood, giving the living system everything it needs for upkeep and nutrition. The greater issue now is how do we get this milk in normal quantities? Keep in mind, tiny insects will produce tiny byproducts. A cow can easily produce up to eight gallons a day, but these little cockroaches will only create a minuscule fraction compared to larger animals.

Scientists took the initiative by sequencing the genetic information needed for this milk to be produced. The goal is to attempt to get a bacteria to produce these crystals in a lab. Once the production has begun, they can then find a way to put it in a form that can be consumed by the many people around the world who struggle to meet daily nutritional needs. Our daily lives in the United States is not the ideal testing ground for these milk crystals because we are not having issues finding nutrition. In fact, we consume more calories than we need here, but there are many places around the world where a daily source of nutrition is still very difficult to come by. These scientists hope to be able to take these milk crystals and reproduce them in a lab in order to deliver them around the world to the many people that are in need of a cheap, healthy and consistent form of nutrition.

Long term applications for this idea could also include remote production of this milk crystal in places far from home, like on board the International Space Station or Mars. For now the testing will continue in hopes to have some success with crystal production in the near future.

Sure, cockroaches are considered totally gross by most people, but this is a great reminder of the unbelievable potential that surrounds us in the natural world. Keeping all of our planet’s species safe and accounted for while also encouraging science programs that explore out-of-the-box options like this are vital to the future of the human species. Our day-to-day world may not involve a lot of nature, but we must keep in mind that we are absolutely a part of the natural world. Our decisions can create massive changes for other species. Our planet is a remarkable place with over 75 billion tons of living things. Everything from the cure for cancer to the cleanest way to provide energy for us could be laying right in front of us. 

Keeping species like this cockroach around is vital for future generations since they will face new issues that we can’t predict right now. Regardless, the amount of resources available to us on this planet is what we are limited to for the time being. Let’s make it a point to preserve the natural world because we are absolutely a part of that story too. Everything is on Earth is connected. The decisions we make will impact everything else, including cockroaches that make milk.

#4 - Giraffe Species:

When we think of these awesome animals we usually think about the long neck, horns, a black tongue and some cute memes on the internet. While all this may be true, our understanding of these animals just became for more detailed. In a recent study scientists conducted a biopsy of many different giraffes and came to a very interesting conclusion: the genetic makeup of the animals they studied showed four distinct lineages of giraffes. This means there are four distinct genetic paths that the animals took over long periods of time, which lead to the evolution of the giraffe family. Not only did the giraffe family branch out into four species, but the individual species don’t mate with each other unless they are the same exact species.

The mystery now is to figure out what could have caused that evolution in the first place. When species become isolated from one another they adapt to various changes in the environment and evolve into the versions that we are familiar with ultimately. Charles Darwin’s famous trip to the Galapagos island is a great example of different organisms evolving due to being separated from one another. Giraffes however pose a very interesting mystery. These are animals that graze and wander around Africa. There’s no big ocean or massive mountain chain keeping them apart from one another. So, why did they end up the way they did?

This discovery, while surprising, makes perfect sense. We’ve known about giraffes for a long time, but that does not mean we have studied them enough. There are still a myriad of mysteries left here on Earth, we just need more resources and scientists that are ready to dig in and contribute to the knowledge about the natural world that is all around us. Clearly there’s more work to be done on this biological evolutionary mystery, but this study is a great example of how science can find itself rewriting text books every now and then even thought it’s a pain in the neck. Super long neck, that is.

#3 - Solar Impulse 2:

On December 17, 1903 the Wright Brothers ushered in a new era for how humans traveled. The initial plane designs were modest, slow and very limited in passenger space. Regardless, the first domino was knocked over and would quickly lead to a lot of breakthroughs in aviation. In fact, there are many people who lived to see both the first flight and the lunar landing. Through science and research, that’s how far we were able to take the concept of flight in just one person’s lifetime. Despite all of the remarkable growths in the aviation industry, there is still one place where we need to advance still: energy.

Right now, making just one cross country round trip is the equivalent of 10% of the average American’s annual carbon footprint. Now imagine how many people are traveling around the world every single day via airplanes. This adds up to a significant amount of heat trapping gasses being released into the atmosphere. So much so that it’s becoming a big issue for environmentalists around the world.

That’s where this amazing project comes into play. We’ve been following the progress of Solar Impulse 2 for quite some time now. If you wish to follow their journey try checking out some of our earlier articles on this year long journey. For now though, the big news is that this trip has been completed, going all the way around this planet, without using a single drop of fossil fuel.

There’s no true way to compare this plane to others, but we can at least look at modern fuel consumption to gauge the amount of work left to be done up ahead. Right now standard passenger jets use about one gallon for every five miles they travel. This five miles to the gallon fuel rate is just not going to cut it for future generations that are dealing with combating the vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere, the rising global temperatures and the general need for finding cleaner means of harvesting energy. Using modern jets to make this world wide trip would require over 13,000 gallons of fuel.

So, sure, this trip took a year, Solar Impulse 2 topped out at around 50 miles per hour, only has room to seat 2 people, and has no on-board entertainment, but it’s still sending a very powerful and hopeful message about the potentials that await the flight industry if they were to harness solar technology. Aviation and energy scientists are convinced that with proper funding and research the solar flight industry could really take off.

#2 - Medical Tattoos:

Currently, scientists are working on a medical tattoo that could make a pretty big impact down the road. This breakthrough in tatting-technology involves the worlds of both medicine and nano-science. The concept here is fascinating and one that could revolutionize how we approach autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, celiac and leukemia, among others.

For this procedure scientists took a creative new look at what all could be involved in making a special type of disease fighting ink. By taking the medication and fusing it with a carbon cluster nano-particle scientists were able to design a special medical ink. This ink would be administered to the skin much like a tattoo, or in this case, a temporary tattoo. As the skin absorbs the ink it slowly releases it into the body. This means the dose is able to be put into the body bit by bit over time as opposed to in and out of the blood stream like standard injected medication.

Once this special ink is in the system it does something very powerful. The medicine and nano-particle combination impact the T-cells in the body. These are considered to be the look outs for our body’s immune response. When they are alerted to foreign components they wave a flag for the immune system to get active and eradicate the intruders. Now, usually, this is a good thing and the exact purpose of the T-cell to immune system relationship. However, in cases of autoimmune diseases, this can lead to detriment when the immune system is actively killing off healthy cells in the body.

The goal of this new procedure is to prevent the immune system from being active when it need not be. Shutting down the T-cells ability to activate the immune system would prevent the killing off of healthy cells while infected ones are addressed by the doctors. Once the full dosage is used up the tattoo will have disappeared from the skin as well. This temporary medical tattoo is still in trial stages, but shows great promise at dealing with diseases that impact such a large portion of the population.

Currently, there are 45 million people in the United States that have at least one tattoo. Oddly enough there are about 50 million people in the United States that are affected by auto immune diseases. These two numbers have nothing to do with one another, but it is interesting to consider how popular tattoos are and could potentially address some of the future procedures in addressing auto immune diseases. Regardless, more testing is needed before this becomes standard practice, but maybe one day the medical field and the tattoo worlds could overlap. For now this is a temporary tattoo, but it’s proving to be both more effective and carries less regrets than that sweet tribal tat you picked up in college.

#1 - Coffee Roads:

First of all, there are a lot of roads in the United States. We have a little over 2,300,000 miles of paved roads, enough to circle the Earth almost a hundred times. That’s a lot of asphalt. While paved traditionally paved asphalt roads are ideal for driving to grandma’s house, they are also some of the frequent contributors to CO2 in the atmosphere. Here’s where the first question pops up, how do we make more eco-friendly roads?

Creative solutions don’t always show themselves immediately. Sometimes it takes years, decades, and even centuries to reach the right answers. In this case scientists considering a more sustainable road construction practice needed to find something that was abundant, going to waste, and something affordable. Perhaps after a few cups of coffee the idea finally jumped into the minds of these big thinkers. Coffee grounds, of course!

Right now, coffee grounds are discarded once we’ve made our delicious morning drinks. More often than not they end up in landfills, rivers and oceans. This does no good for anyone and is considered a common pollutant in our natural water systems. Once these coffee grounds are approached as engineering materials instead of an environmental problem, the big picture started to become more clear to researchers working on this project.

A city of about four million people produces a lot of coffee grounds. By taking these grounds, mixing them with slag (left overs from steel production) and baking them in an oven for a few days scientists were able to create robust and study slabs to act as road ways. The mix is 70% coffee and 30% slag, not bad! According to these researchers a city about the size of LA (four million population) could easily produce up to three miles of roadways a year using this technique.

While this study is still in early stages, it could be a big game changer for the road construction industry. Perhaps our daily morning caffeine source could one day pave the way for a more sustainable construction practice. Also, the remarkable part is it’ll prevent the congestion on I-95 as well! Just kidding about that last part...it seems like not even science can help there!

That about wraps it up for us for the year, but we’re looking forward to bringing you all of the science breakthroughs of 2017 very soon! Keep in mind that the story of science is always “to be continued” because as a discovery is made, new questions can be asked. This is why science will always encourage you to Question Your World! 

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As we begin to wrap up the year a lot of people start making resolutions for the upcoming new year. One of the most popular new year’s resolutions is to get in shape by running more. We already know that running has noticeable impacts on the cardio and muscular functions of our body, but how does running impact the brain?

Jogging and running often get ranked high atop the list of new year’s resolutions made here in the United States every year. Nearly 64 million runners have hit the streets and gyms of our nation this year, perhaps because this activity is associated with lowering weight, enhancing circulation, and a myriad of other benefits to the body. While the physical benefits of running have been studied for some time now, scientists have just recently looked into the mental benefits of running and arrived at some pretty interesting conclusions.

Scientists recently studied the brains of cross country runners and compared them to individuals who had not participated in activities like jogging in over a year. Remarkably the scans of these runners in their resting state showed that they had a noticeably higher amount of connectivity between the various parts of the brain than the individuals that had not run or jogged. The frontal cortex areas were especially different between the two groups. It appears as though a runner’s brain has improved functions in things like planning, making decisions, and multitasking.

While running may seem like a repetitive task, there are many variables involved in doing this activity. We’re not just moving our legs for a few miles, there’s a lot more to it than that. As you are running, your brain is processing information on things like setting a pace, observing traffic, reacting to traffic, planning a route, adjusting gait for uneven pavement, monitoring stride, and a lot of other cognitive functions.

This research also concluded that a runner’s repetitive actions are somewhat similar to practicing a musical instrument. After all, practice makes perfect, right? Piano, flute, guitar, or any other instrument require repetitive steps to build muscle memory and a better understanding of that instrument. Similarly, a runner’s brain also has to process comparable input while pounding the pavement.  

For a long time now, we’ve known that the impacts of running are very beneficial in helping keep the aging body in shape, but this study opens up the possibility that running could also have a profound impact on an aging mind.

"This question of what's occurring in the brain at younger ages hasn't really been explored in much depth, and it's important. Not only are we interested in what's going on in the brains of young adults, but we know that there are things that you do across your lifespan that can impact what happens as you age, so it's important to understand what's happening in the brain at these younger ages." - David Raichlen, one of the study’s co-authors and professor of Anthropology at University of Arizona.

The study sheds new light on the benefits of running as the body ages. As of now, music is what mostly gets attached to the notion of enhancing neural activity and preventing the onset of neurological diseases. Perhaps running fits in there quite well too. After all, it was a famous musician who told us that for a species like us, baby, we were born to run!

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2016 was truly a banner year for climate-related Earth science news and scientific discoveries. Here we’ll explore just a few of the top Earth science news stories from 2016.

#5- Renewable energy surpasses coal as world’s leading source of energy capacity.

Based on data collected during 2015, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report in October 2016 that significantly increased their previous five-year growth forecast for renewable energy worldwide, in part due to ongoing policy support in key countries like China, the US, India, and Mexico, and significant reductions in cost. By 2021, the IEA sees renewables growing at least 13% faster worldwide and their share of the world’s energy generation increasing to nearly 30%. This remarkable growth is echoed by the fact that renewables are currently beating fossil fuels 2 to 1 in new investments in power capacity worldwide, and the solar and wind industries have septupled and quadrupled in size since 2000, respectively.

According to the report, 2015 marked a major turning point for renewables – they officially surpassed coal to become the largest source of global electricity capacity. In 2015, about 500,000 solar panels were being installed every day around the world, and China alone was installing nearly 2 wind turbines every hour. Given these trajectories, the IEA estimates that over the next five years, 2.5 wind turbines and 30,000 solar panels will be installed every hour. While these figures are encouraging, the share of renewables in heat and transport energy is markedly lagging, only expected to make up around 10% of heat and 4% of transportation energy generation by 2021, respectively.

This accelerated growth of the renewable industry is certainly promising news for putting the world’s nations on a clear path toward meeting long-term climate change and resiliency goals.

Read more:

https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2016/october/iea-raises-its-five-year-renewable-growth-forecast-as-2015-marks-record-year.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-06/wind-and-solar-are-crushing-fossil-fuels

#4 - Human activities outpace natural emissions of heat-trapping gases over the last 66 million years.

Zeebe et al., Nature Geoscience 9, 325–329 (2016) doi:10.1038/ngeo2681A study published in March 2016 in the journal Nature Geoscience found that humans are currently releasing heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide and methane around 10 times faster than the Earth did naturally over the last 66 millon years. Yes, you read that right: 66 MILLION years.

Using ancient sediments collected from off of the coast of Millville, New Jersey, researchers examined the changing chemistry of the sedimentary layers to understand large-scale changes in the Earth’s carbon cycle and climate during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), or a period of Earth’s history about 56 million years ago.

The PETM was a time of intense global warming that increased global temperatures by ~7-14°F, and was accompanied by a mass extinction of marine life throughout the global ocean. For many years, scientists have been able to link the PETM’s substantial global warming to a massive release of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. However, scientists have been puzzled by just how quickly heat-trapping gases were released during the PETM and how that might compare to present human emissions of heat-trapping gases, until now.

By measuring incremental deviations in the carbon and oxygen isotope signatures of these sedimentary layers heading into and during the PETM, the team of researchers then used sophisticated computer technology to estimate the rate at which heat-trapping gases were released during the PETM. Because sedimentary carbon and oxygen isotope signatures are sensitive to changes in the heat-trapping gas concentration of the atmosphere and the temperature of the ocean, respectively, the team of researchers were able to fingerprint the rate of heat-trapping gas release during the PETM for the first time.

Their findings pinned down the maximum rate of heat-trapping gas release during the PETM to be at most ~1.1 Petagrams of carbon per year (PgC/year). In a sense, this estimates Earth’s natural heat-trapping gas “speed limit” that has endured over the last 66 million years. However, anthropogenic (that is, human-caused) emissions of heat-trapping gases reached ~10 PgC/year in 2014, exceeding Earth’s natural heat-trapping gas emission “speed limit” by a factor of ten. In other words, the Earth naturally released heat-trapping gases during the PETM at a rate comparable to an interstate speed limit (~76mph) while humans are now releasing heat-trapping gases at the speed of sound (~760mph).

See the article published in Nature Geoscience:

http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v9/n4/full/ngeo2681.html

#3 - Paris Climate Agreement reaches landmark threshold for entry October 2016, goes into force Nov 2016.

On October 5th, 2016, a global threshold was passed. 73 countries constituting at least 55% of the world’s heat-trapping gas emissions submitted plans for implementing the landmark United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement. One month later, the Paris Agreement became international law.

The Paris Agreement, the world’s first international policy agreement aimed at mitigating the effects of human-caused climate change, was formally adopted by all 196 countries (called “Parties”) in the UNFCCC at the COP21 meeting in Paris on December 12th, 2015. The Paris Agreement states that all countries that adopted the Agreement will work to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, with the more ambitious goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Paris Agreement thus requires substantial and increasingly ambitious reductions in the emissions of heat-trapping gases worldwide, along with plans to keep future development sustainable, carbon low-to-neutral, and energy-efficient.

The Paris Agreement fulfills just one of 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – Climate Action – which seeks to strengthen community and national resilience to climate-related hazards and disasters, provide sustainable options for countries that will be developing in the near future, and integrating climate change preparedness and measures into national strategic planning.With more than 6,000 cities already on pace to surpass their emissions targets by 2020, there’s plenty of momentum worldwide to suggest that the Paris Agreement’s unifying message has resonated around the world.

Read more here:

http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9444.php

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/04/paris-climate-change-agreement-enters-into-force

#2 -  Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels exceed 400 ppm for the first time in at least 800,000 years, and permanently for at least our lifetimes.

At the famous Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii September 2016, when the level of the heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide usually dips to its lowest value during the year, carbon dioxide levels didn’t go below 400 ppm for the first time in at least 800,000 years…and probably won’t go below 400 ppm again within our lifetimes.

The heat-trapping gas, carbon dioxide, gets pulled out of the atmosphere when plants in the Northern Hemisphere grow throughout the spring and summer. When they die and decompose in the fall and winter, that carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere. Think of this natural process like the Earth’s seasonal breathing.

However, because of human combustion of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, the background level of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide has steadily increased since the industrial revolution and has now reached levels the Earth has not experienced in at least the last 800,000 years, and very likely millions of years.

Because carbon dioxide remains in our atmosphere for decades to centuries, and its impacts on our climate system such as global warming and global sea-level rise will continue to play out for hundreds to thousands of years, humankind may well remember September 2016 as one of the most significant milestones in Earth’s climate history.  

Ralph Keeling, program director of the Scripps CO2 Program and son of the late visionary scientist Charles David Keeling who started the carbon dioxide observatory on Mauna Loa in 1958, put passing this planetary threshold into perspective on Sept. 23, 2016: “Brief excursions towards lower values [of carbon dioxide] are still possible [in the coming months] but it already seems safe to conclude that we won’t be seeing a monthly value [of carbon dioxide] below 400 ppm this year –  or ever again for the indefinite future.”

Read more here:

https://scripps.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/2016/09/23/note-on-reaching-the-annual-low-point/

#1 - The Big Story: Global Temperatures & Arctic Sea Ice

In 2016, Earth experienced the strongest El Niño event of the last 18 years, likely extending the string of record warmth we experienced in 2015 into a 16-month run of record high monthly global average temperatures. This streak of anomalously warm global temperatures was finally broken in September 2016, which was only the 2nd warmest September since we began measuring the Earth’s temperature about 137 years ago. So far, 2016 is clearly the warmest year-to-date in the 137 years of NOAA observational data. And, many climatologists expect 2016 to smash the current yearly global average temperature record set in 2015, even with the advent of a weak La Nina arriving this winter.

In related news, Arctic sea ice set a number of records this year. This winter saw Arctic sea ice grow to a record low maximum extent since satellite records began in 1979, defeating the previous low maximum extent record set in 2015. Arctic sea ice then reached its 2nd lowest extent at the end of the summer in September 2016, and has since exhibited extreme low extents throughout November 2016. This is partially due to abnormal warmth in the Arctic circle, with average temperatures reaching close to 30°F above normal for this time of year, when Arctic sea ice is usually rapidly expanding.

Read more here:

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/

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Occasionally science gets to experience some pretty bizarre discoveries. In the past we’ve made strange discoveries in medicine like finding penicillin in caves, for example. Similarly, medical scientists recently found a very interesting new lead on fighting type 2 diabetes from the land down under. No, it does not involve a cave this time, but instead an animal. Can the duck-billed platypus help fight diabetes?

Usually, when one thinks about medical breakthroughs, the notion of a new process, creative chemistry, or groundbreaking tech innovations pop to mind. However, our Earth is a beautiful place and still filled with mysteries for us to solve. A great example of this is the recent discovery from Australia that has experts in the field of diabetes paying close attention.

Let’s start with the basics. We all have a hormone in us called Glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP1. The function of this hormone is to help regulate our body’s blood sugar. We can find GLP1 in our guts and also in the guts of most mammals. As the body changes over time so do the impacts of blood sugar levels on our vitality. GLP1 is used to regulate these changes. The problem though is that this hormone degrades very quickly. It’s produced, does its work, and then deteriorates rapidly. For some of us this translates to needing supplemental help like insulin shots.

Now, what does all of this have to do with the duck-billed platypus? Well, all the way over in Australia, some medical scientists just stumbled upon the most interesting discovery. The duck-billed platypus also makes GLP1 for its gut like most other mammals. This version is short-lived and acts just like the ones we are used to seeing. However, it makes an alternative version of this hormone as well. The alternative GLP1 for the platypus won’t be found in its gut, but instead you’ll find this version in the spurs. The spurs are where this strange creature makes and stores its venom, and the GLP1 hormone there is very stable!

Now, this is a brand new discovery and still has many steps to go through before even being considered a safe option for patients with type 2 diabetes. Regardless, this is the first step in the journey of exploring a new discovery. This would not be the first time that something seemingly dangerous has been converted into a positive use for us humans. Rattlesnake venom has a component called Crotoxin. This is a toxin that scientists have used to track down and destroy specific tumor cells in cancer patients. There have been many examples of how using spider venom can help patients dealing with chronic pain as well by suppressing the nerves involved with sending pain signals to the brain. There are even cases in which scientists have worked with tarantula venom to help open up cell membranes to deliver medicine in patients. Mother Nature plays a role as a secret medical practitioner, apparently. 

This discovery about platypus venom hormones is still brand new and needs to undergo a lot more testing before any practical application can be used. However, for those dealing with type 2 diabetes, this is a very interesting story to keep a track of and see how it unfolds in the near future. This is an excellent example of how our natural world still holds many profound processes that we have yet to find. The duck-billed platypus is one of the many animals in Australia that could be in jeopardy if humans alter the balance between nature and our human-made world. A loss of this species would be a big set back for those exploring the many uses of its natural hormone capabilities. These discoveries are very important and often expensive, but worth the price and effort when you consider the millions of people worldwide that are dealing with the daily struggles of type 2 diabetes.

For right now more testing is underway to hone in on the many details involved with this procedure. From WebMD to Web-footed MD, today’s science landscape is truly amazing!

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Is climate change impacting extreme weather? 

Anytime there’s a hurricane, heat wave, or any other extreme weather event you’ll hear people ask, “Is this because of climate change?” While natural occurrences and extreme storms have been happening for quite some time now, new scientific processes are allowing us to see how much human caused climate change factors into these weather events. A recent storm in Louisiana helped climate scientists begin to answer a pretty big question: Is climate change impacting extreme weather? 

First of all we must keep in mind that some of our knowledge about the atmosphere dates back to the early 1800′s. In fact, since the 1830′s, scientists have known that a warmer atmosphere holds more water. This is best explained through the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship. Naturally, both meteorology and climatology were impacted by this equation. Since then this knowledge has been a staple in the two disciplines. The application of this equation comes in very handy when considering today’s atmospheric landscape.

Modern scientists have known that human emissions of heat trapping gases have been making global temperatures rise. So, does the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship hold here as well? Does our warming atmosphere hold more water? Does this mean that our warmer atmosphere would impact extreme rains?

In August of 2016, scientists had a chance to study this for themselves. A large rainfall and subsequent flooding took place in coastal Louisiana. Using historical weather data and state-of-the-art-computer technology, scientists were able to look further into this extreme weather and warmer atmospheric relationship. The data showed that the devastating floods of coastal Louisiana were made 40% more likely and 20% more intense than they would have been in the past century. The human impact on the atmosphere has altered the balance that once existed. Along with that comes a bevy of natural consequences, such as extreme storms and flooding.

The damage has been done and restoration work is now under way, but the knowledge learned from this study is going to be of much help. Understanding more about human impacts on the climate now will help cities better plan for these weather events in the future. Scientists have been collecting information like this for years to help cities and citizens become more resilient to these extreme weather events.

Resiliency as an immediate response to an extreme weather event could include making sure that the city has infrastructure to help mitigate the damage, provide citizens with services to ensure safety and sanitation, and also encourage communities to plan for how to react to these events. A long term approach to resiliency is important as well. Long term approaches could include planning where to buy property, deciding which vehicles you purchase, encouraging community dialogue about climate change, supporting more locally sourced food items, and beyond. There is a large set of options for those seeking ways to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

From the 1830′s to 2016, scientists have been studying our world to better understand how the system works, where we fit into it, and how we can learn more about nature. Remember folks, knowledge is power and it’s most certainly renewable!

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Happy holidays, science fans! As you know, between now and the end of the year, we Americans will be doing a lot of festive feasting. From holiday parties to dinner outings with old friends or eating those traditional family meals, we’ll be doing a lot of consuming. Similar to literally everything else in the universe, traditional meals are subject to change as well. How are we changing how we eat?

While traditional meals are a very valuable part of our cultural fabric, the ingredients in those meals are starting to change a little. Humans have loved altering traditions to make them more reflective of our own creativity for quite some time now. For example, the traditional ingredients for fruitcakes were replaced with more modern versions. So, it makes sense that our traditional holiday meals are starting to see some new ingredients and side dishes, thanks to health and environmentally conscientious shoppers.

A survey conducted by Datassential showed that 84% of grocery consumers want the big chain stores to carry and promote more locally sourced items and organic produce. This is a big sign that the individuals buying groceries are also concerned with the health of their bodies and their surrounding ecosystems. Locally sourced foods have many health benefits, like higher nutrition levels, fewer items chemically treated to withstand long deliveries, and developing a personal relationship with food sources for further questions and accountability. At the same time, reducing the transportation of these foods will lower the carbon footprint of your food and the impact it has on the environment. As it stands right now, most of our foods and ingredients for meals travel nearly 1500 miles before reaching our tables. That is a lot of transportation stress that we’re putting on the food industry at a financial capacity and an environmental stress from the heat trapping gases that are released by the delivery vehicles.

In addition, there’s another huge movement that is starting to happen across the nation. Nearly a quarter of the nation is using fewer and fewer meat options. While nearly 25% of the consumers drastically reduced their meat consumption in the last few years, the economic impact has also been felt by meat-substitute industries. The meat alternatives industry has actually almost doubled in the past five years and expects to see a much larger growth as future generations start to embrace meat-free diets. The economic impact here is also partnered with a big environmental one. It can take anywhere from 400 to 800 gallons of water to produce just one pound of ground beef. Information like this has been spreading quickly through eco-friendly foodie circles and is starting to make its way into decisions for meal planning at schools across the nation.

Locally sourced food is finding more avenues by which to market their availability to local consumers as well. Websites and social media groups are quickly popping up all over the nation to help consumers understand the many benefits and options in buying local. Here in Virginia, we have a myriad of locally grown foods that are consumed year round in homes, restaurants, and schools. If you’re interested in seeing what is available near you check out this website as a fun place to start, https://www.buylocalvirginia.org/.

As these locally sourced foods continue to make their way into the center stage of our culinary minds, the more economic, health, and environmental impacts will be felt. Locally sourced foods also create a decent defense from massive national economic trends. Here’s what David Boyle from the New Economics Foundation had to say about areas that participate in local foods as a part of their economy.

"For communities, this is a hopeful message in a recession because it's not about how much money you've got, but how much you can keep circulating without letting it leak out."

So, while traditional meals are a part of our cultural fabric, the ingredients changing to meet modern needs is not a terrible thing. This allows for more creative recipes, new traditions to hand down through out generations, getting into the spirit of supporting your immediate community, and helping promote environmental advocacy.

But, what about the king of holiday foods? What about fruitcake? Well, most people still don’t like fruitcake. Some things just never change.

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Every November, our nation takes an evening off from the regular run of things to gather with friends, family and loved ones to reflect on all the things that we are thankful for. Thanksgiving is one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States of America and like everything else, it too can be viewed through the lens of science. Let’s take a moment to dig into the numbers behind this autumnal holiday.

3.1 billion

One of the best parts of the Thanksgiving meal is sweet potatoes! In the United States, we harvest nearly 3.1 billion pounds of sweet potatoes every year. Many of which get turned into pies and sides for the feast at the end of the month.

48.7 million

Not everyone lives close to family, right? Many people make quite a trek to be reunited with their loved ones for the big feast. In fact, 48.7 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more for this holiday.

46 million

Gobble gobble, it’s turkey time. The nation sells about 46 million turkeys for Thanksgiving. This adds up to over 644 million pounds of turkey being served in homes across the nation during Thanksgiving.

65,975

In order to feed all those family members we’ll clearly need a lot of food distribution. In the United States, we have 65,975 grocery stores and specialty food stores - most of which use Thanksgiving as an excellent opportunity to ramp up marketing, specialty items and sales. No wonder we have over $600 billion in grocery store revenue throughout the nation.

1,500

Did you know that the ingredients in your holiday dinner probably traveled at least 1,500 miles to arrive at your table? Because the US winter is generally inhospitable to certain foods that we like to have in our holiday dinners, we tend to use ingredients from at least five different countries outside of the states. If you source your food more locally, your meal’s “food mileage” can get down to around 45 miles.

859

Sure, this holiday is mainly known for turkey, but there are a lot of other components involved in this festive meal. Cranberries are one of the most popular dishes for Thanksgiving, with the United States producing about 859 million pounds of cranberries every year. Special shout out to Wisconsin for supplying a bulk of that. Wisconsin alone yields nearly 521 million pounds of cranberries annually!

396

Some people love turkey so much that they end up living in a place named after their favorite meal. 396 people are residents of Turkey City, Texas. Cities are of course usually considered bigger than towns, so it’s no surprise that the smaller (only slightly smaller) population of 296 people live in Turkey Town, North Carolina.

12

Preparing and eating just one serving of your typical holiday meal generates about the same heat-trapping gas footprint as driving your car for 12 miles. Consider this when you’re sourcing your ingredients and food options this year!

$0.26

You’ll save on your energy bill by cooking enough turkey for a family of four in your dishwasher instead of your oven (no, seriously). Just put the turkey in Tupperware and run it on the the pots & pans cycle about three times (hold the soap). Throw the steamed turkey into the broiler for 10 minutes before serving and voila!

Keep in mind there’s a lot more science involved this season than just the numbers behind Thanksgiving. For those interested in raking falling leaves, pumpkins, and the impacts of tryptophan, there is plenty of cool science out there. This would also provide some great reading material for the big feast as you gather around with your loved ones.

From all of us to all of you, Happy Thanksgiving!

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The challenge of providing energy for a growing population while simultaneously not contributing to human caused climate change can seem like a tricky proposition. Clean energy traditionally has been associated with solar, wind, hydro, and other such green energy methods. As the planet's energy needs grow, we'll need more creative approaches to meeting our energy needs. Some scientists have been thinking outside the box by using human commuters’ feet to generate power that is not only renewable, but does not rely on external variables like sunlight, wind, or water. This all started by scientists asking themselves a very interesting question: Can we power the world by using our feet?

The average human will walk the circumference of the Earth 5 times in one lifetime. That's a lot of walking! All around the world people wake up and walk to their jobs, walk to the store, walk around in malls, stroll through gardens, and so on. Our walking time is taken to the next level when you consider how many steps we take at work, at home, while shopping, at a sports event, or the myriad of other occasions for us to walk around. While a few steps here and there may not seem like a substantial amount, we must keep in mind that our human family's walking time, when combined, would add up to a whole lot of steps every second of the day.

Some scientists recently had an exceptional idea to harvest human foot traffic to help generate electricity. Thanks to the lovely people in the field of nanotechnology, a huge issue may be in for a massive overhaul thanks to some very very small things. By taking very fine wood pulp created with special materials, they are able to harness a slight electrical charge when someone steps on the surface. Basically as feet press down on this special floor, it forces tiny particles to interact with one another causing the electrons to interact in a way that outputs a small electrical charge. This charge is then gathered, thanks to TENGs, triboelectric nanogenerators which run through the floor, and output into functional electricity. But, does it work? Actually, yes. The University of Wisconsin - Madison is where this work is being done and the prototype there has now lab-tested successfully for millions of cycles without any problems.

While the rest of renewable energy options need to be further explored, these scientists feel that this is an idea that could compliment all the other efforts happening around the world. They simply needed to literally look beneath their feet to think of this option. Considering that our evolutionary branch is based on bipedalism, this type of energy harvesting is pretty fitting for our species. Public areas have floors that have constant access to people, so this idea could really take off if the testing continues to show successful results.

Would this idea catch on around the world though? Sure, it sort of already has. The St. Omer station in France has been using a similar technology for a little while now. They use the pathways for commuters as floors that generate electricity for the station. Another example of creative energy harvesting is happening in Sweden. At the train station in Stockholm, scientists have been using human body heat to generate electricity. In fact, they generate so much energy that not only are they powering the station, but also sharing the surplus energy with neighboring buildings. The potential uses of this kinetic design is pretty impressive and shows great promise to be used in tandem with various other energy-generating methods.

For now more testing is needed on these special floors, but the University of Wisconsin is ready to march ahead with this technology. The electrons' relationships in these special materials provide a clean way to create electricity that does not put any heat trapping gases into the atmosphere. Also, this concept works regardless of whether the sun is shining or not, if the wind is blowing or not, and it does not need to rely on the speed of flowing water. Basically, as long as people want to walk around, there is a use for this technology. Imagine going to a mall or an arena and generating the electricity needed for that location simply by walking around. Yet another excellent example of how scientists are coming up with creative ways to create the energy landscape of the future. This is a great way to lower your carbon footprint simply by using your own feet. How meta!

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How can we see the human impact on our atmosphere?

On December 7, 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts took a photo of the Earth that would come to be known as the Blue Marble. This is one of the most famous photos taken of the entire planet from space. Soon after this photo was released, the conservation movement took off at top speed. We were finally given a visual of the home that all humans, regardless of nationality or political affiliation, commonly share. The photo was not only an image, but it finally allowed us to see the big picture. Now we seek new photos to get new data in a time when climate change and its impacts are happening faster than ever. A view from space could help us further understand exactly what we humans are contributing to our planet’s climate. But, how can we see just the human impact on our atmosphere?

Since the Blue Marble, many other photos and data from space have gone on to help us understand more about the big picture. We’re living in a time where our technological pace is getting faster and so is our need for more accurate data on the things that matter the most. Climate change and technology still have a pretty long road ahead. So, when big breakthroughs happen in the overlap of climate and technology, we simply must pay attention.

Recently a NASA satellite made some pretty big news regarding the accuracy of measuring the human impact on our atmosphere. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite’s news is causing a lot of excitement for the science community at large. Better understanding the many changes that are happening on our planet right now will give us a more focused direction on how to interpret data, begin resiliency efforts, and enhance the accountability of our efforts worldwide.

Why do we need to know the human impact on the atmosphere? Well, we currently share the planet with well over 3 trillion trees and a seemingly uncountable amount of other vegetation (plants, flowers, grains, etc). That vegetation is responsible for a large part of our planet’s oxygen and carbon dioxide. As plants grow, they absorb carbon dioxide; as they die, they release carbon dioxide. The seasonal transformation is easily visible here in Virginia, but to see how it works in the big picture we have to look at it from space. This annual cycle, the planet’s natural goings-on, happens like clockwork. While humans have had a dramatic impact on the atmosphere, we must keep in mind the vegetation has as well. That’s where this new satellite from NASA comes in, to help us get a sharper focus on the big picture.

By observing the seasonal ebbs and flow of gases, scientists were able to find an interesting way to see just our human impact. Subtracting the natural vegetation’s gas intake and release cycles from this satellite’s eye view gives us a very clear look at the heat trapping gases that are being factored in here. The human impact can now be seen in the most accurate way yet. Thanks to this orbiting satellite, we can see exactly where we are putting our portion of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

While this news may not have anything to do with directly removing our impact or lessening the damage, it does something truly wonderful for the entire climate change dialogue. This will give us a new level of accuracy that is needed to make decisions as we move forward on this topic. To be able to see exactly what humans are doing, where it is happening the most, and the rate of change over the years will all be valuable aspects of becoming more resilient to human-caused climate change.