Increasing phytoremediation with bacteria

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments2 December 2011

champignons-petroleA multidisciplinary team of researchers from Canada is looking for ways to improve phytoremediation – a process where plant matter is used for decontamination. They use bacteria to stimulate faster growth capacity of certain plants and microscopic mushrooms which act as decontamination units. The researchers expect that these decontamination units will be used at various… »

Significant biomass increase of genetically altered algae

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments2 December 2011

spalding-algae-biofuelOne of the efforts to become fossil fuel independent is to use biofuel generated by crops, but it stirred a big debate due to lack of food and fertile ground around the world. Using algae as biofuel can be up to 300 times more efficient than conventional crops, and researcher from the Iowa State University… »

Biocompatible graphene transistor array reads cellular signals

By Damir Beciri
One Comment2 December 2011

tum-bioelectronics-graphene-based-transistor-arrayResearch that could lead to compensation for some sort of neural damage, or monitor how our bodies function, may seem like something you see in science fiction. However, bioelectronic applications could get a step closer because a team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich and the Juelich Research Center developed a graphene-based transistor… »

Pyrite could be used to generate solar power after all

By Damir Beciri
One Comment29 November 2011

pyriteAlthough it has been referred as “fool’s gold” throughout the history, dating to times of ancient Rome and tricking prospectors for centuries, yellow-toned mineral pyrite found its use as an inexpensive and promising option for solar energy. Oregon State University (OSU) researchers discovered related compounds that use the advantages of the material without the downsides… »

Green architecture – House of Vestas in Denmark

By Damir Beciri
3 Comments28 November 2011

house-of-vestas-1Vestas, a global wind turbine company from Denmark, has recently completed their new headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark. Named House of Vestas, the new office building exhibits various sustainable features and it is built to meet the to the low-energy class 1 building according to the Danish building code and expected to become the first LEED… »

Insect silk research could lead to improved fiber production

By Damir Beciri
4 Comments27 November 2011

silkworm-cocoonA combined team of researchers from the Oxford University and University of Sheffield used a novel method to analyze the energy used in the formation of fibers in natural silk and synthetic materials in order to demonstrate that natural unspun silks taken from a silkworm are a thousand times more efficient than common plastics when… »

Chemists developed a liquid storage material for hydrogen

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments23 November 2011

hydrogen-ironAside developing more efficient methods in hydrogen production, researchers around the world are developing ways to store hydrogen for subsequent use. University of Oregon (UO) chemists developed a boron-nitrogen-based liquid-phase storage material for hydrogen which is more suitable than currently known ways to store hydrogen because it can perform safely at room temperature and is… »

Robojelly – a robot inspired by moon jellyfish

By Damir Beciri
One Comment23 November 2011

aurelia-auritaEngineers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VirginiaTech) have used inspiration from nature and developed a robot whose design and motion patterns resemble moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita). Named Robotjelly, the robot was developed for the U.S. Office of Naval Research back in 2009, and its latest improved iteration was presented at the 2011 meeting… »