Sea fireflies synchronize their sparkle to seek soulmates
From Cornell University 06/12/23 In sea fireflies’ underwater ballet, the males sway together in perfect, illuminated synchronization, basking in the glow of their secreted iridescent mucus. “It’s extreme,” said Nicholai M. Hensley, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s an illustration of convergent evolution […]
Device ‘smells’ seawater to discover, detect novel molecules
From American Chemical Society 21/11/23 Under the ocean’s surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as medications. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science report a proof-of-concept device that “sniffs” seawater, trapping dissolved compounds for analyses. The team showed […]
Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water
From Massachusetts Institute of Technology 10/10/23 Engineers at MIT and in China are aiming to turn seawater into drinking water with a completely passive device that is inspired by the ocean, and powered by the sun. In a paper appearing today in the journal Joule, the team outlines the design for a new solar desalination […]
New low-energy method for purifying drinking water could be used in disaster zones
From University of Bath 02/10/23 Scientists have developed a new method that converts seawater into drinking water that could be useful in disaster zones where there is limited electrical power. The most popular method for removing salt (sodium chloride) from sea water is reverse osmosis, which uses a porous membrane that allows water molecules through […]
A new way to generate sustainable energy where the rivers meet the ocean
From University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering 26/09/23 There is a largely untapped energy source along the world’s coastlines: the difference in salinity between seawater and freshwater. A new nanodevice can harness this difference to generate power. A team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has reported a design for a nanofluidic […]
New find: Glitter makeup toxic to aquatic organisms
From Estado de São Paulo 23/08/23 A study conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil concluded that particles of glitter can hinder the growth of organisms at the base of aquatic ecosystems, such as cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), which play a key role in the biogeochemical cycles of water and […]