Chemists work to desalinate the ocean for drinking water, one nanoliter at a time By creating a small electrical field that removes salts from seawater, chemists at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Marburg in Germany have introduced a new method for the desalination of seawater that consumes less energy and is dramatically simpler than conventional techniques. The new method requires so little energy that it can run on a store-bought battery. The process evades the problems confronting current desalination methods by eliminating the need for a membrane and by separating salt from water at a microscale. The technique, called electrochemically mediated seawater desalination, was described last week in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The research team was led by Richard Crooks of The University of Texas at Austin and Ulrich Tallarek of the University of Marburg. "The availability of water for drinking and crop irrigation is one of the most basic requirements for maintaining and improving human health," said Crooks, the Robert A.
A Graphic Biography of Darwin by Maria Popova The evolution of the father of evolution, illustrated. Charles Darwin — father of evolution, decoder of human emotion, hopeless romantic, occasional grump — was born on February 12, 1809. From Smithsonian Books comes Darwin: A Graphic Biography (public library; UK) — a fine addition to outstanding graphic nonfiction, joining other famous graphic biographies of cultural icons like Richard Feynman, Hunter S. Thompson, The Carter Family, and Steve Jobs. Written by journalist Eugene Byrne and illustrated by cartoonist Simon Gurr, the story takes us into the life and times of Darwin — from a curious child on a “beeting” expedition to a patient young man persevering through the ups and downs of battling creationist oppression to a worldwide legend — tracing his intellectual adventures amidst the fascinating scientific world of the 1800s. Images courtesy Smithsonian Books Donating = Loving Bringing you (ad-free) Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. Share on Tumblr
Google launches Timelapse | Getaway Gear All those years of Google Earth has resulted in some of the most incredible time lapses you’re likely to see. Timelapse powered by Google shows how the Earth’s surface has changed by collecting footage from 1984 until today and sped up the process for us to enjoy. According to the authorities, NASA created the Landsat program, a series of satellites to eternally orbit our planet, looking down on the progress of the Earth. Landsat was built for the public to monitor how the human species was altering the surface of the planet. Two generations, eight satellites and millions of pictures later we have a vast accumulation of images that create one of the most intriguing movies ever shown. Google gives us a variety of time lapses that show processes such as the development of Dubai, growing from sparse desert to modern city and the high-speed retreat of Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska and the waning forests of the Amazon. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Watch the timelapses captured by Google here
Evolutionary theory gone wrong Evolution? It is only a theory, many creationists will tell you. "Only a theory" is meant to be dismissive, yet much of science is based on things that are only a theory. Theories are important; they are how science works. Theories are not facts – theories are explanations of the world that we observe. Trying to use "only a theory" as a dismissal of real science is a huge misinterpretation of how a scientific theory works in general, and evolutionary theory more specifically. Evolutionary theory misused as a misplaced morality all started with the coining of the phrase "survival of the fittest" by Victorian economist and philosopher Herbert Spencer. Even though most people would balk at Galton today, evolutionary theory misused as a moral judgment still happens all the time to justify all manner of ridiculous stuff – from the humorous to the dangerous. "The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it …"
Do-Gooder Turns Ferns Into Arsenic-Filtering Super System | Wired Design More than 70 million people in Bangladesh drink polluted water every day and one in five water wells have dangerous levels of arsenic, a metalloid that leads to high rates of infant mortality and cancer. Photo: Stephen Goodwin Honan U.S. Navy officer Stephen Goodwin Honan has developed a plant-based solution that can remove arsenic from drinking water using $10 worth of ferns. Photo: Stephen Goodwin Honan If the project continues to scale, Honan hopes the arsenic sequestered in the leaves of the plants can be extracted and sold to manufacturers. The arsenic in the plants is worth about $85 and would represent a life-changing income source to people who subsist on less than a dollar a day. There are two traditional ways to reduce arsenic in water supplies. More than 70 million people in Bangladesh drink polluted water every day and one in five water wells have dangerous levels of arsenic, a metalloid that leads to high rates of infant mortality and cancer.