Issue 1247 - The Courier

32.science
thecourieronline.co.uk/science
c2.science@ncl.ac.uk
Tuesday 6 March
Th eCourier
5 things
you need to
know
The ocean
99% of livable space
While it’s commonly known that the
ocean covers something like 71% of our
planet’s surface, you may not realise it
contains within it 99% of the habitable
space on earth. Within this 99%, as much
as 95% of the life on earth is found.
4
90% of the ocean is considered “deep”
(over 2000 metres) and the average depth
of the ocean is around 3795 meters. The
deepest point (the Challenger Deep) is
10,916 metres. That’s as much as 1.23
Mount Everests. The pressure of the water
on top of you at this point is equivalent to
supporting 50 Jumbo Jets by yourself.
3
5
Deep as the ocean
Only 10% has been
mapped
Only 10% of the sea has been explored by
humans. In this 10%, around 200000 species
have been described; it is estimated
that as much as 30 million species may
remain undiscovered.
Space bugs in the River Wear
Joe Willet on the bacterial battery made from stratospheric organisms found in the River Wear
Bacteria found 30km above the surface
of the Earth have been identified
as extremely efficient generators
of electricity. Bacillus stratosphericus
and Bacillus altitudinis, which, as the
names suggest, are commonly found in
the stratosphere, are being utilised as
key components of a new ‘super’ biofilm
that has been engineered by a team of
scientists from Newcastle University.
75 different species of bacteria - including
stratosphericus - were isolated from
the bed of the Wear Estuary in County
Durham, and the power-generating
potential of each was tested in a Microbial
Fuel Cell (MFC). Selecting the best
of the electricity producing species, a
kind of ‘pick and mix’ was used to create
an artificial biofilm which doubled the
power output of the MFC. The fuel cell
produces about enough power to run an
electric light, and could be invaluable in
parts of the world without other sources
of electricity.
Grant Burgess, Professor of Marine
Biotechnology at Newcastle University,
said the research demonstrated the potential
power of the technique.“What we
have done is deliberately manipulate the
microbial mix to engineer a biofilm that is
more efficient at generating electricity,” he
explains.
“This is the first time individual microbes
have been studied and selected in
this way. Finding B. Stratosphericus was
quite a surprise but what it demonstrates
is the potential of this technique for the
future – there are billions of microbes
out there with the potential to generate
power.”
Picture this
ConCERNing
cables
Using microbes to produce power is
an idea already facilitated in the treatment
of waste water and sewage plants.
Portable MFCs work much like a battery,
relying on a biological process known as
bio-catalytic oxidation to convert organic
compounds into electricity. The source of
the power derives from the slime of bacteria,
or biofilm, which coats the electrodes
of the MFC; electricity is produced as the
bacteria feed.
Previous practice was to permit the
biofilm to grow unchecked, but this is the
first time manipulation of the speciation
on the cell has demonstrated a relative
increase in electrical output.
This is the
fi rst time
individual mi-
crobes have
been studied
and selected
in this way.
Photo dkodigital
Funded by the Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC),
the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC) and the
Natural Environment Research Council
(NERC), the study identified a number of
electricity-generating bacteria.
Led by Prof. Keith Scott of the University’s
school of Chemical Engineering and
Advanced Materials, the team are recognised
as world leaders in fuel cell technology,
having already played a key role in
the recent development of novel lithium/
air batteries. It is hoped this research can
take fuel cell research to a new level.
Last year, physicists at CERN published findings that neutrinos were apparently travelling
faster than light, a result that threatened the theory of relativity. Now it appears the results may
have been due to a loose cable in the clock mechanism. Clumsy, or cover-up? James Ricketts
Biggest animal ever
2
The largest animal ever to live on the
earth is the blue whale, measuring in at
30 metres long and weighing 180 tonnes
(although the bootlace worm can grow
longer than a blue whale, with some being
measured at 50 metres long and 10 cm
wide). It is also one of the fastest aquatic
animals, reaching speeds of 50 km/h
(the fastest are sailfish, clocking in at 110
km/h)
1
Alarming rate of
destruction
The ocean is being destroyed at an alarming
rate. More oil reaches the oceans as a
result of leaking cars every year than the
BP spill, and as much trash is dumped
in the oceans each year as fish are taken
out. Around 100 million sharks are killed
yearly, 30% of these for their fins and the
rest as by-catch.
Carl Jonsson