Motorola's Green phone ~~~>> have a look

If recycled paper and plastic products were not enough, Motorola has now launched a cellphone made from recycled plastic water bottles.

Called the MOTO W233 Renew, the mobile phone not only boasts plastic exterior made from recycled material, but also the device is the first "carbon neutral" phone, said the company.

"Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation," All Headlines News quoted Motorola as saying in a press release.

In fact, the box that contains the phone is also made from recycled material, according to the media release.

Another postage-paid box comes inside the package, which is also made from recycled paper, and can be used by customers to mail their old phones back to Motorola for recycling.

With nine hours of talk time, the phone includes other features like ChrystalTalk technology and messaging capabilities.

MOTO W233 Renew will hit the shelves during the first quarter of 2009 at T-Mobile stores.

Motorola unveiled the phone at the 2009 International CES in Las Vegas.

A supercar that runs on wind energy ~~~>> buy one for yourself !!

Get ready for a supercar that could reach a top speed of 155mph without harming the environment, for it runs on wind energy.

Designed in California, the environmentally friendly Formula AE car will initially use a solar-powered battery to move, but later depend upon the airflow around it to power a turbine.

The high performance car will take less than four seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph.

The car is expected to cost around 100,000 pounds when it hits the market.

The two-seater's bodywork boasts paper-thin solar panelling that could fully charge the battery in just 1.5 hours.

However, this time will be reduced to just six minutes with a new prototype battery.

A full battery would enable the drivers to cover more than 200 miles or to race around a track for at least an hour.

An advanced alternating current induction motor with a power output of 212 kilowatts will propel the Formula AE.

In fact, the chassis will be constructed from lightweight aluminium and super strong steel in a Formula 1-style monocoque shell. Rory Handel and Maxx Bricklinas from Beverly Hills, California designed the sleek motor of the car, and they expect the prototype to be completed in August.

"The Formula AE car embraces a rarely thought of alternative source of energy," the Telegraph quoted a RORMaxx spokesman as saying.

He said: "The target market would be the sports car, track day, eco-concerned auto-enthusiast. In addition, those enthusiasts who support and would want to promote the future development of revolutionary green technologies."

Stanford sets up green energy centre ~~~> lets see!!!

Stanford University is launching a 100 million US dollar energy institute to fund research into batteries, solar cells and other aspects of green energy.

The California University has spawned technologies that led to the formation of companies like Hewlett Packard and Google, and the new institute is expected to boost the ability of Silicon Valley to become a world leader in green energy. The tech region already boasts a 500 million US dollar energy institute at the University of California at Berkeley.

"The biggest renewable resource is the sun," said Lynn Orr, who will direct the new institute, which was officially launched Monday night.

"But we need to lower the cost of converting sunlight into electricity and supplying it through a much improved electric grid. The new centre will allow us to expand significantly our effort to develop new nanostructure materials for solar energy and energy storage and to work on the host of social, market and policy issues involved in the needed transition to energy systems with significant fractions of renewable."

Venture capitalist John Doerr, who launched companies like Apple, Sun and Google, said the institute would help turn Silicon Valley into Solar Valley. Already there were 200 start-ups in the region concentrating on solar energy, he said.

"Batteries are the holy grail of renewable energy and the US isn't even in the battery race," said Doerr. "We are not doing enough research," he said. "The Internet is a trillion-dollar economy and energy is a $6-trillion economy - it could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century."

Water and methane together equal life on Mars? ~~~~>> see for urself !!!

New observations of the atmosphere on Mars show fairly large amounts of methane along with water vapor in the summertime— thestrongest suggestion yet that living organisms might be producing the gas.

 NASA scientists stressed that there is no direct evidence that anything living produced the methane, which could be produced by volcanic activity, could be made by live microbes, or could be left over from long-extinct life.

 A report to be carried in Friday's issue of the journal Science details the observations, made using three telescopes in Hawaii. "The most compelling question relates to the origin of methane on Mars. The methane we detected is of unknown age—its origin could be ancient or perhaps recent," Michael Mumma of NASA and colleagues wrote.

 The methane appears to have been produced in plumes from certain areas on Mars as temperatures warmed, they said. "Living systems produce more than 90 percent of Earth's atmospheric methane; the balance is of geochemical origin. On Mars, methane could be a signature of either origin," they added.

 On Earth, methane is known as swamp gas and made by decaying plants or found in the burps, belches and other emissions of animals from termites to cattle and people. It is made up of carbon and hydrogen. "Using high-dispersion infrared spectrometers at three ground-based telescopes, we measured methane and water vapor simultaneously on Mars over several longitude intervals in (northern) early- and late-summer 2003 and near vernal equinox 2006," the scientists said.

 Spectrometers can measure gases from afar by the breakdown of signals in light. Mars is Earth's neighbor, orbiting outside our own orbit around the sun. It is slightly smaller than Earth and colder, with little atmosphere. The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, with a little nitrogen, carbon monoxide, trace amounts of oxygen and water vapor.

 WATER BELOW THE SURFACE

 Water exists on Mars, and robot rovers have sampled ice from the surface. Scientists are eager to know how much more water is below the surface and whether it could support life now or in the past. No known processes produce methane on the surface of Mars, and chemical reactions with compounds on the surface could break it down.

 "Thus, the presence of significant methane would require recent release from subsurface reservoirs; the ultimate origin of this methane is uncertain, but it could be either abiotic or biotic," the researchers wrote. They are not the first team to detect methane on Mars but their observations show the association both with warm temperatures and with water—which might suggest summer temperatures starts some process, either biological or geological.

 Bacteria have been found on Earth that use hydrogen as energy and can turn carbon dioxide into methane in a process known as radiolysis. "These communities thrive at 2-3 km (1.2 to 1.8 miles) depth in the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa and have been isolated from the surface (and photosynthesis) for millions of years," the researchers wrote. "It might be possible for analogous biota to survive for eons below the cryosphere boundary on Mars, where water is again liquid, radiolysis can supply energy, and carbon dioxide can provide carbon."

Coral reef recovery in Lakshadeep ~~~>> see the progress....

The year 1998 saw a large scale destruction of coral reefs all over the world. This was due to increased sea surface temperature.
Coral reefs are extremely sensitive to water temperature. Any change beyond 1 degree C for extended periods of time affects the corals.
Coral bleaching

Ten years ago saw a layer of warm water spreading from the south into the tropical water. The warm water conditions persisted for as long as one month in certain places.
The mean maximum summer sea surface temperature increased by 2 degree C. “About 40-50 per cent of corals were lost in most of the reefs,” said Dr. M. Wafar, Senior Scientist at the National Oceanography Institute (NIO), Goa. “80-90 per cent of corals in Lakshadeep were destroyed.” Dr. Wafar has been involved in coral research for nearly 25 years.
Scientists from NIO have recovered coral reef in Kavaratti island, Lakshadeep through coral transplantation.
“The recovery has been quite good. In some places the live coral cover has increased by nearly 50 per cent,” said Dr. Wafar. “The government now wants us to undertake similar initiative in all the islands at Lakshadeep.”
Scientists will soon start growing corals for transplantation work at Agatti and Kadmat islands.
Coral transplantation

Pieces of corals broken naturally or otherwise are tied to slabs and put in shallow water and allowed to grow. The coral are put in reefs once they have grown well.
“We started the pilot exercise in Nov-Dec 2005. We used 100 coral tips, most of them belonging to fast growing coral genera.
“In 2 years’ time the growth was up to 25 cm in the best of the cases,” Dr. Wafar said.
In all 4 fast growing coral species and 4-5 slow growing species were grown and transplanted in the coral reefs in Kavaratti in 2008.
“We grew fast and slow growing coral species to offset a bias in the natural species composition,” he said. “We will do the same now as well.” Since reefs support many fishes, increased coral coverage has a direct positive impact on fish population.

14 % drop in coral growth seen in the Great Barrier Reef

Increased sea surface temperature and acidity of sea water are the most likely causes

The effects of global warming have shown up in a definite way in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

A paper in the latest issue of the Science journal notes unprecedented effects of increased CO{-2} on the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists found the rate at which corals were able to build skeletons dropped by 14 per cent during the p eriod of study — 1990 to 2005.

Coral reefs are considered as the rain forests of the ocean as they support great biodiversity. Any drop in growth of the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef is hence worrying.
Unprecedented

What makes the study significant is that scientists studied 328 colonies from 69 reefs, and the duration of study was 15 years. “…This study shows that the effects are probably large-scale in extent and that the observed changes are unprecedented within the past 400 years.”

The growth of coral reefs depends on their ability to build skeletons. Skeletons are built by calcification of calcium carbonate (CaCO{-3}). There are a few things that may affect the calcification process.

Though the scientists note that the precise “causes of decline” in calcification are not known, their study suggests that increased temperature stress and increased acidity of sea water are the most likely causes.

Coral reefs are extremely sensitive to sea surface temperature. Any changes beyond 1 degree C for extended periods of time affect the corals. Increase in sea surface temperature affects and destroys the symbiotic zooxanthellae algae that live on the corals. Any damage to the algae leads to a loss of the symbionts and a rapid whitening of the coral host (thus the term "bleaching").

Mass coral bleaching was not documented in the scientific literature before 1979. 1998 saw a large scale destruction of coral reefs all over the world.
Effect of salinity

Since the oceans act as sinks for carbon dioxide, increased uptake of CO{-2} by ocean water will make them acidic. Supersaturation of tropical sea water with calcium carbonate is crucial for reef calcification process. Hence acidic water will compromise supersaturation.

The pH of the ocean has decreased by 0.1 unit (become acidic) since the beginning of the industrial revolution. And this has affected the calcification process.The researchers studied the Porites corals using X-rays and a technique called gamma densitometry to measure annual growth and skeletal density.

Studying the skeletal density allowed them to calculate the amount of calcification annually. They found that the calcification rate rose 5.4 per cent between 1900 and 1970. It dropped by 14.2 per cent between 1990 and 2005. The drop was mainly due to a growth slowdown from 1.43 cm a year to 1.24 cm.
Long term effects

How the sea surface temperature and lower pH would affect the reefs and marine organisms in the long run cannot be accurately predicted since living organisms and ocean are dynamic.

“We may not see drastic changes in a short period. And how the increased temperature, acidity and reduced skeletal strength due to calcite erosion would affect marine life are not known,” said Dr. M. Wafar, Senior Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa. “So this only calls for a more cautious approach.”

Magma discovered in its ‘natural habitat’

Magma discovered in its ‘natural habitat’

A crew drilling on the Big Island of Hawaii has discovered magma — never before found in its natural habitat underground — that is the central ingredient in the evolution of planets and the lifeblood of all volcanoes.

Now, cars made of coconut husks ~~~>> buy one for urself !!!

Baylor University researchers now have a technology to use coconut fibre as a replacement for synthetic polyester fibres in compression moulded composites. Their goal is to use the fibres to make car parts. 

Researchers at Baylor University have developed a new way to transform coconut husks into automotive interiors.

They say that it is possible to make trunk liners, floorboards and car-door interior covers using fibres from the outer husks of coconuts, replacing the synthetic polyester fibres typically used in composite materials.

“Why coconuts? That’s the first thing people ask,” the Washington Times quoted engineering professor Walter Bradley, who is leading the research, as saying.

“We knew coconuts were abundant — about 50 billion grown a year. But 96% of those coconuts are grown by poor farmers, not big plantations. We wanted to figure out a way to make things better for them, to create a viable new market for them,” Bradley added.

Bradley said that the farmers, an estimated 11 million around the world, make about $500 a year. If the coconut car interiors gain traction, their incomes would triple, he added.

The “mechanical properties” of coconut fibres are as good as or better than synthetic or polyester fibres. They also are less expensive and the stuff of the greenest dreams. “They’re better for the environment because the coconut husks would have otherwise been thrown away. Coconuts also do not burn well or emit toxic fumes, which are crucial in passing 10 safety-performance tests required for commercial applications,” Bradley was quoted as saying.

Various organisations in the United States are giving perks to hybrid and green cars that include parking benefits.

An increasing number of offices, hotels and others are giving drivers of hybrids free or reduced-cost parking or reserved spots closer to entrances, similar to those for the disabled or for pregnant women. They are following at least a dozen cities, which introduced such perks in 2004.

Umari keerai and global warming ~~> reducing global warming !!

Green plants and algae absorb carbon dioxide

Green remedy: Salicornia, also known as umari keerai, grows on coastal areas and mudflats near the sea. It is a better photosynthesiser than wheat and some other grains.

Some novel solutions are suggested to cope with the twin problem of global warming and increasing energy needs. Global warming has arisen due to climate change, which, in turn, has come about due to the increase in greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide. These gases trap incoming solar radiation and heat up the earth and its atmosphere.

One direct result of this is the melting of polar ice and glaciers, leading to a slow and steady rise in sea level. At this rate of rise, it is apprehended that low-lying coastal areas and islands might be flooded and swamped off.

How has this happened? Not because of natural causes (as some would fondly assert), but due to our burning more and more organic fuel — coal, wood, oil and petroleum.

The way humanity has been guzzling energy during the last century has led to significant rise in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The gas would not go away from the earth, since (unlike hydrogen or helium) it is too heavy to be pulled out of the earth’s gravity. Hence the greenhouse effect, global warming and sea level rise.

Some look to ways of ‘fixing’ or using up the carbon dioxide. One great way is provided by Mother Nature herself — photosynthesis. Green plants and algae absorb carbon dioxide and water, and convert them, using sunlight, into carbohydrates.

Hence the suggestion: plant more trees, create more efficient algae and spread them all over. They should sponge off the man-manufactured carbon dioxide and reduce global warming.

Scale humongous

Not a bad idea, but the scale involved is humongous. The amount of land that can be used for this is not much, since we cannot usurp areas growing food grains, or where people live in dense groups.

Deserts and arid zones are one possibility. Hence the attraction to certain desert plants such as jatropha and jojoba. They not only help siphon off carbon dioxide but also produce oil that can be used as what has come to be called as ‘biodiesel.’

Indeed, many governments and companies promote such biofarming a bit too eagerly; we need to stop and think of what areas are being taken up (or over), addition to the greenhouse gas burden through biodiesel burning, viability of the oil as an all-purpose fuel and so forth.

There is a spirited and informed debate on this issue, on the Internet.

Focus has also turned to coastal areas and mudflats near the sea, where the salinity does not allow farming of the usual food crops.

Salicornia magic

But there are plants that grow and flourish here. One such plant is salicornia, also called sea asparagus, or umari keerai.

In the U.S., one Dr. Carl Hughes of the Environmental Research Lab of the University of Arizona (and head of the non-profit Seawater Foundation) has keenly advocated propagating it. He has suggested diverting seawater inland into coastal lakes where salicornia can be farmed.

Why salicornia? First of all, its tips are edible, not just by animals but also by us. The plant yields oil that is edible (rich in polyunsaturates), and usable as biodiesel. The September 5, 2003 issue of The Hindu carries an informed report, by its Agriculture Correspondent, on salicornia.

Better photosynthesizer

And salicornia is a better photosynthesizer than wheat and some other grains. It uses what botanists call the C-4 pathway, converting the captured carbon dioxide first into compound containing four carbons (oxaloacetate), using the enzyme PEPCase.

Wheat can only convert the same gas into a one carbon less, C-3 molecule (phosphoglycerate), using the enzyme RUBISCase.

Salicornia (like sugarcane) laps up carbon dioxide better, does so in saline water, and gives oil (or biodiesel, if you wish).

The Central salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) at Bhavnagar, Gujarat, has been working on salicornia (and jatropha too) for some time now. Its Director, Dr. Pushpito Ghosh, points out that apart from the oil, the plant produces several other valuable products.

Indeed, he suggests using salicornia oil, not neat, but as a blend with others, since this way it keeps better and also it suits our tastes better.

Byproduct salt

One other interesting product that comes out of the plant is its salt, which contains a small but nutritionally adequate amount of potassium.

CSMCRI has also found a nitrogen- fixing microbe that is symbiotic with salicornia, which is salt-tolerant; a double whammy of carbon and nitrogen fixing set up in one. And they have taken a patent on a molecule that the plant produces which is antibacterial.

This is all well, but would it not be very useful if we could grow food grains that are salt-tolerant? That would be a boon to tsunami-hit and brackish areas. Professor HY Mohan Ram of Delhi reminds us of such a rice variety that used to be grown in Kerala.

The Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has a stock of 40 strains of rice, which can tolerate salty growing conditions. Some of these varieties are currently being evaluated at Karnal in Haryana.