Church windows painted with gold nanoparticles good for your health
in Physical Science, Structure of Matter, Chemical Reactions, and Energy Transformations
Stained-glass windows: Uplifting to look at, and good for your physical health, too.
Courtesy Mark RyanWhile Gene continues obsessing over the ways of the flesh (see below, and here), I shall take the high road and offer this post that involves both our corporeal and spiritual realms.
A recent study out of Australia's Queensland University of Technology shows that tiny particles of gold embedded in the paint of stained glass windows not only add to the beauty of church windows (which no doubt enhance the experience of being inside the church), but also have some health benefits.
It seems medieval glaziers, who could be considered the first nanotechnologists, used different sized gold particles to create a variety of colors. The windows produced over the centuries for churches across Europe are certainly uplifting to look at, but until now nobody realized the additional health benefits they carry for our physical beings.
What happens is when sunlight illuminates the stained glass, the gold nanoparticles resonate as they heat up. This resonance increases significantly the magnetic field across the element’s surface that in turn interacts with and destroys nasty pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are present in the air.
"These VOCs create that 'new' smell as they are slowly released from walls and furniture, but they, along with methanol and carbon monoxide, are not good for your health, even in small amounts," said associate professor Zhu Huai Yong, a member of the team that did the study.
The chemical reaction purifies the air with only small amounts of carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Yong is excited about the prospect of using gold nanoparticles in future research.
"Once this technology can be applied to produce specialty chemicals at ambient temperature, it heralds significant changes in the economy and environmental impact of the chemical production," he said.
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Proposed power grid for wind and solar: clipped from American Electric Power document
Courtesy U. S. Dept. of Energy
Is our power grid ready for wind and solar?
Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal show promise for breaking our addiction to oil. One big problem, though, is moving this new energy to energy users. According to a recent New York Times article,
many transmission lines, and the connections between them, are simply too small for the amount of power companies would like to squeeze through them.
The grid today is a system conceived 100 years ago to let utilities prop each other up, reducing blackouts and sharing power in small regions. It resembles a network of streets, avenues and country roads.
“We need an interstate transmission superhighway system,” said Suedeen G. Kelly, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Upgrading our power grid faces multiple obstacles
Our power grid, with about 200,000 miles of power lines, is divided among about 500 owners. Upgrading transmission lines often involves multiple companies, many state governments and numerous permits. Property owners often fight new power lines saying "not in my back yard".
"Modernizing the electric infrastructure is an urgent national problem, and one we all share,” said Kevin M. Kolevar, assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, in a speech last year.
Dept. of Energy recommendation
I recommend reading the Department of Energy report titled, "20% wind energy by 2030" (30 pg pdf). The United Sates plans to add 300 GW of wind power by 2030 (I figure that equals about 200,000 1.5 MW wind generators). They recommend an interstate power grid to carry electricity similar to how our interstate highway system carries cars and trucks.
American Electric Power also has recommendations
In an 8 page pdf document titled, "Interstate Transmission Vision for Wind Integration" American Electric Power, working at the request of, and in partnership with, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), presents a "high-level, conceptual interstate transmission plan that could provide a basis for discussion to expand industry infrastructure needs in the future".
Electricity from wind was cheaper: I saved 44 cents on my July electric bill because 100 per cent of my electricity is from wind power.
Courtesy ARTiFactor
I saved money because my electricity comes from wind
About two years ago I signed up for Windsource (click to see my Buzz writeup). Windsource is an Xcel Energy program that allows customers to have all or part of their electricity come from wind (click here for details about windsource charges).
Benefits of wind energy
I did not sign up for Windsource to save money. I was willing to pay extra for wind generated electricity because wind energy has multiple benefits.
- No carbon dioxide emissions
- No sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or mercury emissions
- No water consumption requirement
- Creates jobs
- Creates income for farmers
- Wind is forever (renewable)
- Wind energy reduces need for importing energy and exporting dollars
Want to help promote wind energy?
Renewable energy credits have provided incentives for investments in wind energy. A federal production tax credit (PTC) has an expiration date less than five months from now. If you agree that continuing incentives for renewable energy is wise,
Urge your Members of Congress to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC)
Click the link above for help on how to take action.
Aurora mystery comes to light
in Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Energy Transformations, and Forces of Nature
Northern Lights over Minneapolis: Aurora borealis dance over Lake Harriet, November 6, 2004
Courtesy Mark RyanMany years ago, three friends and I were heading home from a road trip to western Canada. It was about 2:30 in the morning, and I was driving while everyone else was sleeping. I was probably half-asleep myself. But as we chugged along Highway 2 near the outskirts of Bemidji, Minnesota, something in the upper corner of the windshield caught my eye. When I looked up, the sight was so spectacular I immediately pulled over and woke everyone up to see it. My friends were none too happy as I coaxed them out of the van into the cold northern Minnesota night.
Above us, the night sky was alive with the most incredible display of the Northern Lights I have ever witnessed. Bright, vibrant fingers of yellow, blue, red, and green light spread out from a point overhead, like a brilliant hand reaching down from the black sky. I’ve never seen colors like that since. The display was something I’ll never forget and it’s hard to convey how beautiful it actually was, but let me just say my friends soon discarded any thoughts of pummeling me with their fists.
Now, scientists have figured out the mystery behind the phenomenon. According to a new study published in the journal Science, the catalyst of the aurora borealis (and their southern counterpart aurora australis) takes place way out in space about 80,000 miles from Earth during an event called magnetic reconnection.
"Our data show clearly and for the first time that magnetic reconnection is the trigger," said Vassilis Angelopoulos, the project’s principal investigator. "Reconnection results in a slingshot acceleration of waves and plasma along magnetic field lines, lighting up the aurora underneath even before the near-Earth space has had a chance to respond."
The data was gathered by five strategically positioned satellites (a NASA mission known as THEMIS) and compared with that from ground-based detectors.
The process actually begins on the Sun. Turbulent activity on its surface sends out massive energy bursts via the solar wind that interact with the Earth’s magnetic fields and cause all sorts of havoc with our power grids and communication networks. They also create wonderful auroras. But these massive solar outbursts are only occasional, occurring maybe 10 times a year. More frequently – about every three or four hours - the geomagnetic fields are bombarded by substorms; smaller energy bursts that also create auroras. But don’t let the diminutive name deceive you. The energy generated by each substorm is huge, anywhere between one million to two million amps over one or two hours. The THEMIS project determined that, during substorms, the Earth’s magnetic field lines are stretched out like rubber bands building up tremendous amounts of energy before suddenly snapping and flinging charged particles back toward the Earth’s poles. The results are the dancing auroras seen in the northern and southern regions.
Magnetic reconnection is common throughout the known Universe and has been suspected by many as the trigger of auroras. For three decades, though, a competing theory argued the auroras were triggered much closer to Earth, by the disruption (or short-circuit) of charged ions interacting with the magnetic field.
But the new data seems to show otherwise. During a substorm studied in February, the satellites’ data showed the magnetic reconnection occurred first, followed soon after by an aurora display. Only after the display was the short-circuit observed.
Looks like the 30-year debate may be over.
LINKS
Can this be converted to energy savings?
Courtesy size8jeansEager to help the environment? Want to reduce fuel consumption? Well, according to a new study published in the journal Human Ecology, you can do your part by not stuffing so many calories into your face.
On average we Americans just eat too much. We consume about 1200-1500 more calories per day than is recommended. Not only that but most of the 3700 calories we do take in each day comes from junk and processed foods, and animal products, which use up a lot more fuel and resources to produce than simpler foods like potatoes, fruits and vegetables.
Conventional meat and dairy farming require large amounts of energy what with processing, packaging and long-distant distribution, so the study suggests a return to more organic, localized farming methods to help reduce energy usage. Of course, this means the end users – us – will have to reduce our intake of animal fat and processed foods, and shift to simpler, healthier diets, but the impact on fuel consumption would be tremendous.
But wait, there’s more.
The current health trend in the United State is in a rather dismal state. Many of us are overweight , diabetes is on the rise, and now we’ve got doctors recommending cholesterol-lowering drugs for children . A radical shift in our food production methods, and a reduction in our caloric intake such as the study suggests would not only solve some of our current energy woes, but the general health of the US population would benefit, too.
SOURCES AND INFO
ScienceDaily story
NY Times story: Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler
Standing wave on 2D surface
Courtesy Oleg_AlexandrovThe mixture of corn starch and water literally stands up in the video below because of standing waves. If you want to try this, place a mixture of corn starch and water on cookie sheet. Hold the cookie sheet down over a bass speaker with some of your fingers. The speaker should be playing music with low frequencies. By varying the distance an position of your fingers you can alter the standing wave patterns within the cookie sheet.
Trains are efficient
Courtesy Sean Lamb When it comes to moving tons of freight, freight trains are very efficient (barges or ships might be even better). Someone asked FactCheck.org
"Can a freight train really move a ton of freight 436 miles on a gallon of fuel?" (click link to read)
The facts
Seven major railroad companies reported the following for 2007:
- 1,770,545,245,000 ton-miles of freight were moved
- 4,062,025,082 gallons of diesel fuel were consumed
- That works out to be almost 436 ton-miles per gallon (435.88)
Trains today 85% more efficient than in 1980
The Association of American Railroads is boasting an 85.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency for their trains since 1980.
“In fact, if just 10 percent of the freight currently moving by truck went instead by rail, the nation could save one billion gallons of fuel per year."
This information probably sounds like an advertisement for the railroad industry. I did use the Association of American Railroads website as a source.
The shrinking radio: Courtesy Zettl Research Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California at Berkeley.
Courtesy Zettl Research Group
Tiniest radio yet
A fully integrated radio receiver, orders-of-magnitude smaller than any previous radio, was made from a single carbon nanotube (CNT).
When a radio wave of a specific frequency impinges on the nanotube it begins to vibrate vigorously. An electric field applied to the nanotube forces electrons to be emitted from its tip.
This nanotube radio is over 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 times smaller than the Philco vacuum tube radio from the 1930s.
The single nanotube serves, at once, as all major components of a radio: antenna, tuner, amplifier, and demodulator. (Berkely physics research)
See and hear a nano radio
Videos from an electron microscope view of the nanotube radio playing two different songs are linked below.
- Good Vibrations (Quicktime, 8.06 MB)
- Star Wars (Quicktime, 8.68 MB)
ipods huddle for comfort after learning the fate of their siblings
Courtesy nic0As I was innocently searching for images of fire, I came across pictures of...an ipod!? I do not normally associate spontaneous combustion with devices that I use on a regular basis outside of perhaps my stove or car. Thus I would expect flames to appear when I turn on the stove burner, not when I charge my computer. The culprit appears to be lithium-ion batteries .
Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous in today’s technology market. They are by far the most efficient and long lasting battery available. And for the most part, they are non-flame producing. The problem seems to be their sensitivity to heat. Most of us have experienced the warmth that a battery can produce. I have been known to use my old computer battery pack on sore muscles in a pinch. When the battery gets too warm it can become unstable and the normally separated positive and negative charges combine to create the exploding electronics phenomenon.
If you are concerned about unwanted domestic fireworks displays, you are not without recourse. Lithium-ion batteries have a relatively short life span (about 3 years) so check the manufactured on date on the package and do not save the batteries for a rainy day, use ‘em right away! Keep them out of hot cars and don’t set up shop on top of a radiator. But before you add a fire extinguisher as your next ipod accessory, remember the chances of your ipod jumping off its charger and igniting your carpet are relatively low. But hey, who can resist the headline Exploding Electronics? Its not only catchy but alliterative to boot.
My Geo Metro: 47 miles per gallon
Courtesy Art OglesbyGuess the answer to this word problem before doing the math.
- Car A (a compact) gets 34 mpg
- Car B (a hybrid) gets 54 mpg
- Car C (an S.U.V.) gets 18 mpg
- Car D (a sedan) gets 28 mpg
Which would save more gasoline?
- (a)replacing Car A with Car B
- (b)replacing Car C with Car D
- (c)both would save the same
Can you do the math?
I drive my car about 10,000 miles each year. One way to look at this problem would be to calculate how many gallons of gas each of the four cars would use to go 10,000 miles. Can you do the math? If gas costs $4 per gallon what is the cost for each car to go the 10,000 miles?
Show me your answers in the comments
I will do the math for my Geo Metro as an example. It now has over 100,000 miles on it. Until recently it got 50 miles per gallon. Two gallons would take me 100 miles, 20 gallons would take 1000 miles. 100,000 miles would take 2000 gallons. With $4 gas that 2000 gallons would cost $8000.
Save the world's gas
I once owned a Ford pickup truck. If it got 20 mpg and if I drove it 100,000 miles I would need 5000 gallons which would cost me $20,000. By replacing my pickup with the Metro I use less than half the gas and save over $1000 a year. I used to commute to work and put on 30,000 miles per year. That figures out to a $36,000 saving over 10 years.
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