Wave Energy Device Deployed Off Oregon Coast

The worlds first commercial scale wave energy converter has been deployed off the coast of Oregon. Wave power is a renewable resource that uses energy generated by the ocean's waves. Unlike solar and wind power, wave power is just beginning to be utilized because the technology is currently not cost-effective. There is hope that with more research and improvements this new technology could a major source of energy - especially for coastal cities.

Finavera Renewables CEO Jason Bak said, "The mooring and successful commissioning of the AquaBuOY 2.0 is a momentous achievement for Finavera Renewables and the ocean energy industry as a whole."

"The capture of renewable wave energy will play a significant part in the emerging new energy economy and has the potential to power millions of homes in the United States alone," said Bak.

The company is developing wave energy projects for AquaBuOY use in the United States, Portugal, South Africa and Canada.

A cluster of AquaBuOYs would have a low silhouette in the water the company says. Located several miles offshore, the power plant arrays would be visible to allow for safe navigation yet no more noticeable than a small fleet of fishing boats.

Source: ens-newswire.com

Alien-like Eels Use a Deadly Second Jaw

Researchers in California have discovered that Moray Eels have a unique way of capturing their prey and its sparking comparisons to Ridley Scott's Alien. Dr Mehta first decided to investigate when she noticed that unlike other fish, morays don't use suction to catch their prey. That's because, morays have an additional inner jaw called pharyngeal jaws. Most other fish also have pharyngeal jaws but what's unusual about the morays is that their second jaws are much longer and can shoot out of their throat to grab and pull their prey in. Dr. Mehta used a high speed video camera to capture the pharyngeal jaws in action:

The movies showed that when morays lunge for prey, they first grab it with the teeth on their front jaws. The pharyngeal jaws then shoot forward out of the eel’s throat, into the mouth, and snap down on the prey.

The eel can then open its front jaws, releasing the prey, while the pharyngeal jaws move back down into the throat, dragging the food with them.

“It seems that almost everyone we showed the movie to said ‘My God, it’s like ‘Alien,’ ” Dr. Wainwright said. “It really does have this monster-from-outer-space feel to it.”

Dr. Mehta and Dr. Wainwright published their results in the current issue of Nature.

Source: nytimes.com

Boy Finds Ancient Fossil on the Way Home from School

Jared Post, a 10 year old boy in Fairbanks Alaska, was walking home from school when something caught his eye. The boy realized his find was too odd shaped to be a rock so he rushed home to show to show it to is father.

"I thought rocks don't normally look like this so I picked it up. I flipped it around and said ‘hmmm,' and I ran home and said, ‘Dad, dad, I found a fossil,'" Post said.

When Jared got home, he and his dad got on the internet and learned just what it was he found.

"Me and my dad did some research on it and then me and him found out it was a Wooly Mammoth tooth," he said.

Source: ktuu.com

Prince in Lawsuit over Online Clips

The ever enigmatic Prince is suing YouTube. According to wikipedia YouTube policy does not give permission for anyone to upload content not permitted by United States copyright law, but has no system in place to check for illegal content. It will be interesting to see how this case plays out since past cases have resulted both for and against online video-sharing sites.

Pop star Prince is taking on YouTube over unauthorised use of his music.

The singer is launching legal action in a bid to "reclaim his art on the internet". He wants to ban any unauthorised video clips taken of his performances.

He is believed to be the first major artist to do battle with the online giant.

Source:
ukpress.google.com

Fish Meets Bikini in the Fishkini

Designer Anchali Chatrakul Na Ayudhaya has taken fish skins and turned them into a fashion statement. The skins, from the tilapia fish, are dried and died turning them into a leathery fabric which can be used for purses and handbags. It takes 15 of these skins to make one bikini. These much sought after waterproof bikinis retail for $75 (US).

The fashion market has a new addition, a bikini made from the skin of the tilapia fish.

A Thai designer has thought of a new way to use the skin of a fish that is usually thrown away, by making it into a bikini.

The Tilapia fish is often eaten by street vendors with noodle soup. But the skin has been discovered as being durable and water proof, making it a perfect material for handbags, wallets and bikinis.

Source: reuters.com

Top Ten most Polluted Places

According to Blacksmith Institute these are the top ten most polluted places in the world:

1. Chernobyl, Ukraine


2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia


3. Haina, Dominican Republic


4. Kabwe, Zambia


5. La Oroya, Peru


6. Linfen, China


7. Maiuu Suu, Kyrgyzstan


8. Norilsk, Russia


9. Ranipet, India


10. Rudnaya Pristan/ Dalnegorsk, Russia

Sumqayit in Azerbaijan gained the dubious distinction this week of being added to Blacksmith Institute's top 10 list of the world's most polluted sites. Yet another heir to the toxic legacy of Soviet industry, the city of 275,000 souls bears heavy metal, oil and chemical contamination from its days as a center of chemical production. As a result, local Azeris suffer cancer rates 22 to 51 percent higher than their countrymen and their children suffer from a host of genetic defects ranging from mental retardation to bone diseases.

"As much as 120,000 tons of harmful emissions were released on an annual basis, including mercury," says Richard Fuller, founder of Blacksmith, an environmental health organization based in New York City. "There are huge untreated dumps of industrial sludge."

Source: sciam.com