When the largest volcanic eruption in the last 70,000 years spewed giant clouds of ash and debris into the air, millions of tiny microorganisms got caught up in the blast and hitchhiked hundreds of miles to new locations, researchers have found. The first record of microbes being distributed by volcano, these diatoms can help scientists figure out the volcanic source of ancient ash deposits, which offers a new, more reliable way to unlock the mysteries of Earth’s past.

The most common way to identify layers of volcanic material has been carbon-14 dating, which estimates the age of non-living substances using the decay rate of radioactive carbon atoms, but that measurement is notoriously finicky, according to Alexa Van Eaton of the U.S Geological Survey. “It’s much easier to identify a diatom than volcanic matter,” Van Eaton says, adding, that this approach “is something people haven’t thought about before.” Full Article »

A new non-toxic material that turns wasted heat into electricity may be a positive step in an emerging field of power generation.

All metals can generate power from heat using what scientists call the thermoelectric effect. The few metals that do it efficiently have been used to power electronics on spacecraft and to cool down car seats, but scientists hope that expanding the range of metals that can perform well, lowering costs and making further improvements to their efficiencies could make them useful in many more applications like generating electricity from the tail pipes of cars or the smoke stacks of power plants.

Tin telluride was written off in the past for its low efficiency, but researchers at the University of Houston, MIT and Boston College recently announced in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that adding a touch of indium to the material brought its efficiency, known as its ZT value, from about 0.7 to 1.1. Experts say any efficiency greater than one is noteworthy.

The way thermoelectrics work is simple. When they get hot on one side and cold on the other, the hotter and more energetic electrons rush onto the cold side, creating a buildup of charge that can power an electric current.

Scientists hoping to make these materials efficient enough for power generation want to increase their electrical conductivities to make the electrons move faster while making the flow of heat as slow as possible. Full Article »

Grandma’s house could one day have smart walls that detect her falls, making it safer for the elderly to live longer in their own homes.

Falls are the primary cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among adults over age 65 and they produced $30 billion in direct medical costs in 2010, according to the CDC. The fear of falling and its consequences drives a $1.5 billion market in wristwatch or pendant personal emergency response systems (PERS). The average user for such devices: an 81-year-old woman living alone, reports Laurie Orlov, an industry analyst for technology designed for seniors and founder of Aging In Place Technology Watch.

Full Article »

It’s not heavenly creatures, but a sooty black fungus that thrives on pollution produced in alcohol distilling processes. Now, Louisville distillers face growing pressure to curb the ethanol emissions that drive the spread of this “whiskey fungus.”

The fungus Baudoinia compniacensis grows in what is known amongst distillers as the angel’s share: ethanol vapors that escape the oak barrels during the aging process. The vapors allow this stubborn fungus to grow everywhere: sidings, plants, outdoor furniture, even toys left outside.

Each bourbon barrel loses about 2% of its liquid per year of aging, adding up to 2000 tons of ethanol released into the air by each of three large distilleries with maturation warehouses in Louisville: Heaven Hill, Brown-Forman, and Diageo—who market such brands as Elijah Craig, Jack Daniel’s, and Bushmills. Full Article »

Like Toucan Sam following his nose to Froot Loops, birds may use scent to find mates.

Though scientists have traditionally deemed odor insignificant in comparison to the wide array of colors, ornamentations, and calls of many avian mating displays, a team of researchers studying whether odor can predict reproductive success in birds discovered a striking correlation between smell and mate choice in dark-eyed juncos.

This new data could have potential implications for bird conservation research; “a junco is a basic songbird, which I never would have thought depended on smell in any way,” said Kim Peters, the Chief Scientist and Director of Bird Conservation at Mass Audubon, who was not involved with the study.

It could also influence studies on the olfactory systems of other species in which smell has not been considered noteworthy, and it may even suggest approaches for breeding programs and enrichment for birds in captivity as well, the researcher said.

The results were “surprisingly strong,” said Danielle Whittaker, the primary researcher and Managing Director of BEACON, the Center for the Study of Evolution in Action at Michigan State University. Full Article »

Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, your fat may be working against you. Researchers have found that in healthy and moderately overweight people, fat cells can lose their ability to break down and release fat molecules normally.

When this process, called “triglyceride turnover,” is disrupted, triglycerides (the building block molecules of fat) can stay in the body longer — which may contribute to weight gain. While this research does not pin down exactly what causes some people to gain weight while others stay thin, identifying this process gives scientists a new potential target for weight loss research. Full Article »

The Connecticut River, among the most extensively dammed rivers in the United States, may soon be flowing at a more natural pace again.

A recently developed computer model could help dam managers coordinate the holding and releasing of water between the river’s 54 largest dams in an effort to balance human and natural needs.

It is the latest development in the emerging field of data-driven natural resource management, work made possible by recent advances in computing power.

Historically, the Connecticut River roared freely through New England’s wooded valleys. Teeming with fish, the river’s waters often overflowed its winding banks when snowmelt and rainfall combined during spring months.

Colonists began taming the 410-mile-long river soon after arriving from England. First, the forested valleys alongside the riverbanks were clearcut and converted into farmland. Starting in the 19th century, dams were added to prevent seasonal flooding, and to provide drinking water and hydropower to nearby towns.

Today there are over one thousand dams on the Connecticut and its tributaries. Full Article »