After Six Decades Michigan State University Scientist Still Has Enthusiasm For Chemistry. How is that? He Has Discovered a New Energy Source.

This week, SiGNa Chemistry Inc. unveiled its new hydrogen cartridges, which provides energy to fuel cells designed to recharge cell phones, laptops and GPS units. This a green energy source so it’s good for the atmosphere. It is also geared toward outdoor enthusiasts as well as residents of the Third World, where electricity in homes is considered a luxury.

James Dye, SiGNa's co-founder and University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at MSU created the spark for this project. His work with alkali metals led to a green process to harness the power of sodium silicide, which is the source for SiGNa's new product (Michigan State University, 2011).

"In our lab, we were able to produce alkali metal silicides, which basically are made from sodium and silicon, which, in turn, are produced from salt and sand," Dye said. "By adding water to sodium silicide, we're able to produce hydrogen, which creates energy for fuel cells. The byproduct, sodium silicate, is also green. It's the same stuff found in toothpaste", (Michigan State University, 2011).

SiGNa was built on Dye's research and develop a power platform that produces low-pressure hydrogen gas on demand, convert it to electricity via a low-cost fuel cell and emit simple water vapor (Michigan State University, 2011).

Using a similar process, Dye was able to use this power in electric bicycles. The fuel cell, developed by SiGNa's partners, ranges in size from 1 watt to 3 kilowatts and is capable of pushing a bicycle up to 25 mph for approximately 100 miles (Michigan State University, 2011).

During the last couple of weeks our class discussed: work, energy, and power. We learned that coal is the number one fossil fuel in use today. This is destroying the ozone layer and causing the greenhouse effect. If researchers continue to work hard to come up with innovate power platforms there is no telling where this research may take us. I think that going green is a great intuitive and thank the scientist wholeheartedly. So thanks again to all who are hard at work, bringing us new technology in the year 2011 and beyond. This is what science is all about! And that's exactly why science rocks!

Bibliography
Michigan State University. (2011, February 17). Hydrogen cartridges fuel laptops and phones for outdoor enthusiasts. Retrieved February 18, 2011, from Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2011/02/110217151455.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_m

Less Dark Matter and More Star Formations found by Herschel.

The European Space Agency's Herschel space observatory discovered galaxies with less dark matter and gas as previously thought to erupt into star creation. What is the Herschel space observatory? “The Herschel Observatory is capable of seeing the coldest and dustiest objects in space; for example, cool cocoons where stars form and dusty galaxies just starting to bulk up with new stars…”, (Nasa, 2009).

“Most of the mass of any galaxy is expected to be dark matter, a hypothetical substance that has yet to be detected but which astronomers believe must exist to provide sufficient gravity to prevent galaxies ripping themselves apart as they rotate,” (ScienceDaily, 2011).

Wow that’s a mouth full. That’s interesting let’s learn more about it and dig a little deeper. What is dark matter? Another definition states that “Most of the mass of the universe is believed to exist in this form. Determining the nature of dark matter is also known as the dark matter problem or the missing mass problem, and is one of the most important problems in modern astrology (Wordiq, 2010). We have discussed the law of conservation mass in class and in most situations the law of conservation of mass can be assumed valid. However, when referring to dark matter a different set of laws apply.

"With its very high sensitivity to the far-infrared light emitted by these young, enshrouded starburst galaxies, Herschel allows us to peer deep into the Universe and to understand how galaxies form and evolve," says Göran Pilbratt, the ESA Herschel project scientist, (ScienceDaily, 2011). This telescope has provided some spectacular photos. I can’t wait to see what else the Herschel space observatory will find next.I am always amazed at how science can find new uses for things that have been right in front of us ages. This is what science is all about! And that's exactly why science rocks!




Works Cited
(2009, August 26). Retrieved February 17, 2011, from Nasa: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/herschel/overview.html
(2010). Retrieved February 17, 2011, from Wordiq: http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Dark_matter
ScienceDaily. (2011, February 16). European Space Agency. Retrieved February 17, 2011, from ScienceDaily: http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2011/02/110216152345.htm

More Veggies Please! New Discovery Finds That Broccoli May Help The Fight Against Cancer.

Scientist recently discovered that broccoli and its veggie cousins may possess cancer fighting abilities. They found for the first time that certain substances in the vegetables appear to target and block a defective gene associated with cancer. This ground breaking discovery may lead to new developments in the fight against cancer, as reported in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Fung-Lung Chung and colleagues found that broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, and other cruciferous vegetables appear to halt the growth of cancer. The substance that theses scientist found is called isothiocyanates (or ITCs) which in precious experiments have shown to stop cancer growth. The only problem is that more research is necessary because the scientists have yet to discover exactly how the ITC's work, which is key in developing medicine that helps to fight cancer in humans.

I guess that eating broccoli is not so bad after all. I love broccoli it's one of my favorite veggies but, it took a little persuasion to get me there, (Thanks Mom!) Like they say "mother knows best." Cancer is a major issue in America, which I believe has a lot to do with our diets. With that said hopefully, you won't pass on those vegetables next time you're at the super market. I am always amazed at how science can find new uses for things that have been right in front of us ages. This is what science is all about! And that's exactly why science rocks!

Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110126131906.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

American Chemical Society (2011, January 26). Discovery of a biochemical basis for broccoli's cancer-fighting ability. ScienceDaily. Retrieved

The First-Duration Human 520 Day Flight Simulation the Mars-500: Day Number 233

It has been 233 days since the all-male crew of astronauts which includes: three Russians, a Chinese, a Frenchman and an Italian-Colombian; have been locked in a steel capsule at a Moscow research center.

Their mission is to study and help improve how real space crews can manage the real world stress of interplanetary travel. They communicate with the outside world via the internet, using emails and video messages; which are sometimes delayed as they would be in real world situations. Their diets consist of canned meals just like the ones that are currently eaten at the International Space Station; also required for intergalactic travel is a once-a-week shower.

The giant windowless capsule named Mars-500 was intended to reproduce the conditions of space travel minus the weightlessness. The living quarters are about the size of a school bus which has several other units connected so they can conduct their experiments and exercise. To simulate Mars and the mock landing, a separate building is attached to the capsule which models the Red Planet's surface.

So far, crew seems to be in high spirits yet, certainly have experienced some level of fatigue. They are scheduled to land on Mars (500) on Febuary 12th and spend a couple of days in exploration before making the months-long return home. The return flight is expected to one of the most challenging parts of the mission.

Mission director and former cosmonaut Boris Morukov told reporters, "It will be very tough on the boys because of the monotony." "The fatigue and the thought that the mission is over can be fraught with negative consequences," Morukov said.

Talk about being out-of-your comfort zone, wow. The Mars-500 crew really has their work cut out for them. I wonder if they may experience the cabin fever phenomenon*. Either way it takes a special type of person who is mentally and physically fit to undergo the stress in an alien environment. Hopefully the crew will stick it out and shed some light on how real missions can deal with space travel and the stressors that accompany it. I commend the crew for the efforts and dedication, which will help scientist discover better ways to take us, "Where no man has gone before". Which is what science is all about! And that's exactly why science rocks!

*Cabin Fever: symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside.

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-day-flight-simulation-nears-mars.html

For More on This Check Out: http://www.physorg.com/news194015442.html

Researchers combine two different technologies and sunlight to purify waste water.

According to an article in the journal Biomicrofluidics, published by the American Institute of Physics, these technologies use sunlight to break down contaminates in the water using the sun as its energy source. This breakthrough process uses Microfluidics -- transporting water through tiny channels -- and photocatalysis -- using light to break down impurities – this combination is referred to as the science of optofluidics (ScienceDaily, 2011).

"These two technologies have been developed in parallel but there have been few efforts to employ the natural synergy between them," says author Xuming Zhang of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (ScienceDaily, 2011).

Currently, researchers are conducting experiments using a microreactor. According to researchers, this microreactor is contains a rectangular chamber made of two glass plates coated with titanium dioxide, the active ingredient in many sunscreen lotions, when exposed to sunlight the coating releases electrons that react with contaminants in the water and break them down to harmless substances (ScienceDaily, 2011). This technology is in early development, and is being used in concept, on a relatively small scale.

What type of an effect would this have on the environment? How much will this next technology costs? What happens to the impurities that are broken down? These are all the questions that need to be answered during research and testing. More testing and research will be necessary in order to provide any type practical application of this technology. Zhang plans to advance the reactor up to two square meters, which in concept may produce 1000 liters of water an hour. If these tests prove to be successful the next step will be to provide waste water treatment for industrial use.

 

 

References

American Institute of Physics (2011, January 11). Trapped sunlight cleans water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 14, 2011, from

One Team, One Dream!

Hello again! I just wanted to give a great big welcome to my new team/group mates. The quartet includes myself, Melindia Williams, Sean Ezekiel, & Ruth Swift. We are going to rock! Group 4..."One Team, One Dream."

Welcome

Hello and a big welcome to all you all you physical science lovers out there! My name is Jason but you can call me Dr.Jay pleasure to meet you! (Ok I'm not a real Doctor but it just sounds really cool!) This blog is going to be fun and informative. Physical science is really cool, in fact it rocks! Science is my favorite subject because it applies to almost everything, its always happening and its all around us all of the time! That's why I'm so excited to share my experiences and what I learn as we go along on this journey of scientific exploration. So get ready to blow some stuff up...well not exactly but we will have a lot of fun and we can learn a lot along the way. So get your thinking caps on and get ready to discover why I believe that physical science rocks!