Category: Sustainability

Bacteria with Nanowires can Electrocute Metals Instead of Breathe Recycling Expensive and Toxic Metals with Bacteria

Hunter Dulay

All life on Earth has to respire. For us this means inhaling oxygen to fuel our metabolism and exhaling waste gases like carbon dioxide. When we do this, we move the energy  from the food we eat to the oxygen READ MORE

Did Humans Really Kill Most of the Animals and Plants? We may be the most successful land mammal, but pound for pound, plants and bacteria still have us beat.

Gina Riggio

We may be the most successful land mammal, but pound for pound, plants and bacteria still have us beat.

Detecting Toxins Produced by Algae A portable tool for detecting the cyanobacteria toxin responsible for harmful algal blooms in drinking water sources may be soon on its way

Mary Sabuda

Harmful algal blooms are becoming an increasing problem in areas around the world, including the Great Lakes, where drinking water is obtained from surface water sources, such as lakes and rivers. When agricultural nutrients and urban waste runoff enters these READ MORE

Three For The Price of One: Testing Sustainable Aquaculture Systems Growing multiple species in one system saves water, reduces effluent waste, and produces more food

Erica Curles

Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) may be the future of aquaculture. Compared to traditional farms that only grow one species, IMTA farms produce multiple edible products and provide increased sustainability. These integrated systems use the waste products from one species to READ MORE

One Man’s Waste Soot is Another Man’s Rechargeable Battery Unwanted marine vessel engine soot may be an ideal ingredient for rechargeable lithium ion battery anodes

Mary Sabuda

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are important in our lives as we use them frequently in our smartphones, laptops, tablets, power tools, and electric vehicles. They are even used to help power the Mars Curiosity rover! Typically, graphite, the form of carbon READ MORE

Are Pink Salmon the Key to Better Fish Farming? Pink salmon experience less intestinal damage from eating soy than other salmon species

Erica Curles

In the aquaculture industry, one of the most important and most costly parts of raising fish, especially carnivorous fish, is providing them with the ideal feed for growth and health. Fish meal, which is essentially ground up smaller fish, is READ MORE

Smart Farms Should Clean Their Greens No foodborne illness outbreaks have yet been associated with microgreens, but recent research suggests that there is still a risk.

Gina Riggio

Microgreens are a specialty crop that is growing in popularity. It is most often served as a garnish, flavoring, or embellishment on dishes at upscale and gourmet restaurants. Microgreens are primarily grown by small climate controlled operations run by just READ MORE

Edible Food Packaging May Cut Down on Waste Edible films made from fruits and vegetables are making the future of preserving food look delicious and nutritious

Erica Curles

Have you ever been pre-occupied and taken a bite out of something, only to get a mouthful of plastic wrap or paper lining? Well in the future, that bite could be as edible and maybe as delicious as the food READ MORE

Compostable Flower Pots Made From Pineapple Waste This new material reduces the need for plastics and adds nutrients to soil, while adding economic value to what was previously thrown away!

Namrata Dave

When life gives you lemons, sell them and buy a pineapple. Davin Turney couldn’t have put it any better. The versatile pineapple is a powerhouse of nutrients, and even its rugged skin and leaves have found applications ranging from renewable READ MORE