Author: aazheng

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From robotic bees to bacteria, the tech that is making for a greener tomorrow

Lacoma, Tyler. “From Robotic Bees to Bacteria, the Tech That Is Making for a Greener Tomorrow.” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 20 Apr. 2018, www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/coolest-eco-friendly-technology/.

If the current rate of environmental destruction continues, future generations may not have the same opportunities to view the beautiful landscapes we are able to view today. Some of the actions that are being taken now is advancing technology so that we are able to maintain and reduce the level of ecological footprint humans have on Earth. Some of these technologies include a sea net to clean up the GPGP, a graphene filter to produce drinkable salt water, biodegradable bullets, anti-pollution chimney, and much more.

Some of these technologies are extremely impactful, such as the graphene filter to convert salt water into fresh water. Many other third world countries have citizens which are in desperate need for a clean and sustainable water source. In the past, similar technology has been extremely expensive and not sustainable. This technology could revolutionize the drinking system by using the graphene layer made out of carbon atoms to filter out salts. Another type of technology are biodegradable bullets which can prevent the toxicity from normal bullets in entering into the environment to kill plants. Furthermore, the new technology has special seeds supposedly which are able to sprout into environmentally beneficial plants. As militaries from all around the world increase in quantity, the number of bullets fired will surely increase, so having this technology can be influential.

 

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Why you can smell rain—even though it’s odorless

Logan, Tim. “Why You Can Smell Rain-Even Though It’s Odorless.” Popular Science, Popular Science, 30 Aug. 2018, www.popsci.com/rain-smell.

One of mother nature’s biggest gift to humanity may be rain, out of the many other environmental processes. Because rain contributes to the survival of many species and is critical in providing humans water, agricultural laborers depend on rain to aid in their tending of crops. And if ever you are in an environment where thunderstorms and rain occur frequently together, knowing the indication of rain may help you avoid being soaking wet or dying by thunder.

Although the process in noticing when rain may occur is quite complex, there is a simple explanation, an organic compound called geosmin releases a strong scent when raindrops fall onto the ground. The scent can supposedly be detected by humans with only a few parts per trillion of air molecules. After the rainstorm, the scent should retract and after some time be ready to indicate the next storm.

 

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What it really takes to power your home for a day

Verger, Rob. “What It Really Takes to Power Your Home for a Day.” Popular Science, Popular Science, 8 June 2018, www.popsci.com/what-it-takes-to-power-home-for-day.

Energy is crucial in our daily lives, from brushing teeth in the morning to making lunch around noon. Without energy as power, many of us would not be able to complete tasks necessary to be productive. As a matter of fact, writing this abstract requires energy produced from the environment. As grateful as we all are, there are many sources which could power houses in different areas.

Arguably the most sustainable energy source we may use in our homes are solar panels. In the recent laws made in California on mandating sustainable energy sources, Solar panels were required at least in our household. If ever your household is interested in installing solar panels, researchers have found that 450 square feet of solar panel generates about a day’s worth of energy. The other sources of power that daily households use are natural gases, wind, water, coal, enriched uranium, and oil. Surprisingly some sources of energy seem very sustainable such as only needing 54 seconds of strong wind through a turbine, 3 gallons of oil, or 0.02 ounces of enriched uranium to power a day’s worth of energy.

 

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Contact lenses don’t belong in your toilet

Eschner, Kat. “Contact Lenses Don’t Belong in Your Toilet.” Popular Science, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2018, www.popsci.com/contact-lens-microplastic-waste.

The transparent vision aid, contacts, in people’s daily lives may have posed to be a problem environmentally as many are thrown down a toilet. The final destination for the contacts are directly into the environment. While many items which are flushed down the toilet are eco-friendly and easily decomposable such as feces and toilet paper through a waste water tank, plastics aren’t. So, while they may seem small and friendly they are hard to detect.

In their journey through a waste water tank, there are several routes they may take. One possible route are the lenses sinking into the bottom of the tank and being processed through the effluent, ending up being considered as treated wastewater. The second possible route are the lenses becoming part of the sewage sludge and entering into the waters in the environment. These paths are vast with possibilities from agricultural fields in fertilizer or in a local river. From there wildlife tries to decompose some of the contacts by eating them, however the process may result in their death too. Contact lenses accumulate altogether to an estimated 44,000 pounds in U.S. waste water each year. That’s a lot of waste even for an estimate which could be detrimental to the health of the environment.

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Yellowstone thrived after its 1988 fires, but dry summers threaten all progress

Turner, Monica G. “Yellowstone Thrived after Its 1988 Fires, but Dry Summers Threaten All Progress.” Popular Science, Popular Science, 29 Aug. 2018, www.popsci.com/forests-rebounded-yellowstone-1988-fires#page-6.

A beautiful and majestic view and a cornerstone for any visit of nature, Yellowstone is slowly dying beneath its vast natural resources and wildlife. A 1988 Yellowstone fire had devasted about 1.2 million acres leaving behind ashes and remain from the once beautiful landscape. However, Yellowstone has bounced back developing into what it was once known: that majestic landscape. In the recent years, because of human caused climate change, Yellowstone has become hotter and thus drier. While on the surface a dry environment may not seem a problem, the trees that coexist with the environment may be susceptible to forest fires even more than before.

The outcome could be devastating, even to the extent of another 1988 forest fire which may turn Yellowstone, a once wonderland for animals and humans, to a deadly nightmare. Evidence has already shown that recent fires have burned in other national parks such as Bandelier, Rocky Mountain, and our neighbor national park Yosemite. In 1988, scientists determined that post-fire tree seedling were able to develop into their predecessors in the uncompetitive environment. Although the situation may seem to be the same, the post-fire tree seedling may have a harder time now because of climate change.