How Plants Survived Chernobyl You might expect the scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster to be a barren wasteland. But trees, bushes, and vines overtake abandoned streets surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power facility in the Ukraine. Now, researchers say they've discovered changes in the proteins of soybeans grown near Chernobyl that could explain how plants survive despite chronic radiation exposure. The findings could one day help researchers engineer radiation-resistant crops. In April 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl plant exploded, sending clouds of radioactive material across the countryside. Hajduch and colleagues wanted to find out how these postnuclear plants survive. The radiation zone beans looked odd even before the protein analysis. So what do the researchers make of this molecular milieu?
Fossils Fuels vs. Renewable Energy Energy’s Future Today The sun is the ultimate source of energy for our planet. Its energy is found in fossil fuels as well as all living things. There is a great deal of information and enthusiasm today about the development and increased production of our global energy needs from alternative energy sources. Alternative energy is an interesting concept when you think about it. The problem is fossil fuels are non-renewable. In fact, the earliest known fossil fuel deposits are from the Cambrian Period about 500 million years ago, way before the dinosaurs emerged onto the scene. Despite the promise of alternative energy sources — more appropriately called renewable energy, collectively they provide only about 7 percent of the world’s energy needs (Source: Energy Information Agency). Dams are a major source of hydroelectric energy, such as the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River (pictured). The Fossil Fuel Dilemma Fossil fuels exist, and they provide a valuable service. Conclusions Did You Know?
'Radiation-eating' Fungi Finding Could Trigger Recalculation Of Earth's Energy Balance And Help Feed Astronauts Scientists have long assumed that fungi exist mainly to decompose matter into chemicals that other organisms can then use. But researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found evidence that fungi possess a previously undiscovered talent with profound implications: the ability to use radioactivity as an energy source for making food and spurring their growth. "The fungal kingdom comprises more species than any other plant or animal kingdom, so finding that they're making food in addition to breaking it down means that Earth's energetics--in particular, the amount of radiation energy being converted to biological energy--may need to be recalculated," says Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of microbiology & immunology at Einstein and senior author of the study, published May 23 in PLoS ONE. Those fungi able to "eat" radiation must possess melanin, the pigment found in many if not most fungal species. The research began five years ago when Dr. Dr.
26 years on: helping Chernobyl's children A botched reactor safety test set off the worst nuclear disaster in history in 1986About 5 million people remain in what have been termed 'contaminated territories'Kathy Ryan: "People are still being affected by the social and economic fallout."CCI helps children from contaminated areas who are negatively impacted (CNN) -- Twenty-six years ago this week, a botched reactor safety test in a corner of what was then the Soviet Union set off the worst nuclear accident in history. The radiation effects of the April 26, 1986, reactor explosion were about 400 times more potent than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II, and nearly 14 times greater than the disaster last year at the Fukushima plant in Japan. Fast forward to today, and even in the exclusion zone, plants have re-grown, animals are flourishing and Chernobyl has been opened to tourists. But Chernobyl refuses to be relegated to the past. 2011: Photographer documents Chernobyl Research funds were scarce. Reports by the U.N.
Photo confirms water leaks from Fukushima reactor containment vessel A camera installed on a remote-controlled device captured the first direct evidence that water is leaking from a containment vessel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, said Nov. 13 that the water was leaking from an unidentified source, possibly a broken part in the suppression chamber or elsewhere in the containment vessel that houses one of the three reactors that went into meltdowns as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. TEPCO used the compact floating device earlier in the day to survey conditions near the No. 1 reactor's suppression chamber that lies beneath the containment vessel. The suppression chamber, connected via vent pipes to the containment vessel, is designed to regulate pressure in the reactor in the event of an accident. TEPCO said it would continue the investigations on Nov. 14 with the remote-control device.
Solving the Energy Crisis | New Compass — It is our feeling that until we put the pieces together where the consumer of energy is a producer of energy, we are not going to create a truly sustainable future, says David Morris, vice president of the thirty-five year old US-based Institute for Local Self Reliance. Morris has been an advocate of a decentralized, renewable energy system and a fierce critic of centralized energy models. In this interview he provides the arguments for why the energy crisis will have to be solved at the local level and why energy generation should be democratized. You have been very critical of large-scale, centralized, renewable energy facilities. — In the United States, political, business and environmental leaders are aggressively promoting a centralized renewable energy path. From a national perspective of a nation, this makes sense. Many environmental leaders support this dynamic because the end result is replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy resources. — Yes it does.
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (福島第一原子力発電所事故, Fukushima Daiichi ( pronunciation) genshiryoku hatsudensho jiko?) was a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant that began on 11 March 2011 and resulted in a nuclear meltdown of three of the plant's six nuclear reactors.[6] The failure occurred when the plant was hit by a tsunami that had been triggered by the magnitude 9.0 Tōhoku earthquake.[7] The following day, 12 March, substantial amounts of radioactive material began to be released,[8] creating the largest nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986 and the only (after Chernobyl) to measure Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale[9] (initially releasing an estimated 10–30% of the earlier incident's radioactivity).[10] In August 2013, it was stated[by whom?] The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission found the nuclear disaster was "manmade" and that its direct causes were all foreseeable. Background[edit] A Mr.
Radioactive water “gushing” out of holes in Fukushima Nuclear Reactor 1 containment vessel NHK: Holes near bottom of containment vessel identified for first time at Fukushima plant — “Gushing out” of Reactor No. 1 — Similar damage suspected at Units 2 and 3 (VIDEO) NHK WORLD, , Nov. 13, 2013: A robot at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has for the first time identified exactly where highly radioactive water is leaking from a reactor [...] the lower part of the No.1 reactor’s containment vessel. [...] A camera on the robot captured images of water leaking from 2 holes in the containment vessel [...] Jiji Press, , Nov. 14, 2013: [...] Watch NHK’s broadcast here Like this: Like Loading... No comments yet. A Viable Plan for Emergency Containment at Fukushima: Support this Campaign
This is How we Fix Fukushima - by otb - Newsvine Calling all newsviners, who can improve my plan to develop some semblance of control and ultimately, remediation, of Fukushima?? They should also be speciating exactly the types of radionuclides in these waters. A respectable lab should be able to tell us exactly what’s in this water in a matter of days. It’s time to stop the denials, accept the problem for the colossal one that it is, and begin a comprehensive understanding that may lead to comprehensive solutions. The first thing that needs to happen is a shielding of the reactors. I propose a zeolite and borax sand matrix packed into he reactor buildings. Once the venting, cooling, and radiation sorption barrier is in place, we cap the site over with the surrounding landscape. For the groundwater itself, this ice wall is a ridiculously complicated idea that has very little upside versus more conventional, non-powered, and less experimental methods.