Lofty Matters

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Hope you’re kicking back a bit to start your weekend! Enjoy this GOOD news and have a great one!

The Search for Renewable Energy Takes Researchers to Some Unexpected Sources

Scientists have been scouring the Earth for new sources of clean, renewable energy. In their efforts, they have explored some unusual nooks and crannies. Kites, waves, tides, ocean currents, geysers, garbage, cow manure, old utility poles, algae and bacteria are all being utilized in the effort to lower the world’s reliance on coal and oil.

WAVES:

The power of waves is amazing. Now there are efforts to try to harness some of that energy to generate electricity.

A “wave swing” hanging below the sea’s surface generates electricity from the rising and falling pressure of waves as they pass by overhead. The up-and-down or back-and-forth motion of these experimental devices produces energy to drive electrical generators as long as they can be scaled up to work at a high volume and a reasonable cost.

TIDES:

Even more dependable than waves (but more scarce) are the tides.

There is an ambitious plan being developed at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The goal is to anchor a fleet of turbines to the seafloor under the Gulf Stream approximately 13 to 15 miles off the east coast of Florida.

The power of the Gulf Stream would spin the turbines as it flows north at a steady 5 mph. Underwater cables would carry electricity to shore.

WIND:

A California company (Makani Power) has received a $10 million grant from Google to construct a system of extremely high-flying kites to take advantage of the fact that winds are much stronger and steadier thousands of feet above the ground. Earthbound wind turbines only reach about 300 feet.

ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

Solar power’s major drawback is the problem of how to store the sun’s energy at night or on cloudy days.

Daniel Nocera, a chemist at MIT, has found to way to imitate the sun. He is using plants to turn sunlight into water and carbohydrates, and then this can be turned into energy. The invention uses solar power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The chemicals are stored in fuel cells, which generate electricity when necessary.

Researchers Say That Living With Humans Has Taught Dogs Morals

Dogs are becoming more intelligent and researchers claim that they are even learning morals from human contact.

One observation being made is that dogs’ play rarely escalates into a fight. This is said to show that the animals abide by social rules.

One study involved dogs holding up a paw. Those that did were rewarded with a food treat. When one dog was asked to raise its paw but then received no treat, the researchers found that it begged for the treat it felt it had earned for up to 30 minutes.

When they tested two dogs together and rewarded only one, the dog that was not rewarded stopped playing the game.

Dogs have shown a strong aversion to inequity.

Mexico has announced that it will invest 163 million pesos ($16 million) to save a highly endangered species of porpoise that lives in the upper Gulf of California. It is asking fishermen to adopt safer methods or give up their trade entirely.

Scientists say the population of the vaquita marina (Spanish for “little sea cow”) has decreased to 150 or fewer from more than 500 just ten years ago.

Plans are to pay fishermen to either avoid the porpoise’s habitat or to give up drag nets that drown dozens of the porpoises each year. Some fishermen will even be paid to stop fishing entirely.

Approximately US$13 million of the funds will go directly to families along the upper gulf. Working fishermen will be paid US$4,500 each to stay out of the nature preserve that covers most of the porpoise’s habitat.