The worlds first algae-powered building is now operating in Hamburg, Germany. The 15-unit apartment building uses 129 algae filled louvered tanks hanging over the exterior of the south-east and south-west sides of the building. The algae grows and shades the building and excess heat is harvested via heat transer into a saline solution and stored for later use. Algae is also harvested and the biomass is converted to biogas, which can be burned to provide heat in the winter. Coupled with the use of solar power and geothermal energy, no fossil fuels are used to heat or cool the building. Dubbed the Bio Intelligent Quotient (BIQ) House was designed by Arup, SSC Strategic Science Consultants and Splitterwerk Architects.
[via Phys.org]
[vimeo width=”600″ height=”450″]http://vimeo.com/63842280[/vimeo]
One of the big mysteries in predicting climate change is how ocean circulation factor into the equation. We know oceans drive carbon cycles and weather but how will this help up predict climate change? This amazing video tracks the circulation patters in the Southern Ocean. A harmless, inert chemical was poured over a mile of the sea floor and tracked. The video above shows how it spread in just one year.
[via IO9]
[vimeo width=”600″ height=”450″]http://vimeo.com/64777458[/vimeo]
This amazing video shows Orcas attacking a family of sperm whales 15 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. Watch as the Orcas work together trying to separate an individual from the group and take down their prey.
It’s not just size that matters, according to research done by scientists at the University of Exeter and Texas A&M University. When studying fish fighting over food, the team uncovered that it is personality not size, that determines who wins. The findings suggest that when resources are in short supply personality traits such as aggression could be more important than strength when it comes to survival.
[via Science Daily]
And now for something completely different…
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