Archive for October 30, 2012

Erkin | October 30, 2012
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Discovery Improves Understanding of How Body Maintains Water Balance

Scientists at Aston University (UK) have identified a new mechanism responsible for regulating the flow of water into and out of cells. This discovery will improve understanding of how the body maintains its water balance in health and disease.

A model for the direct regulation of rapid cellular water flow. (Credit: Image courtesy of Aston University)

Proteins called aquaporins (AQPs), which allow water flow into and out of cells were discovered by scientists in California, twenty years ago. These proteins, embedded in cell membranes, constitute the cellular ‘plumbing system’. However, the mechanism which regulates their function under different conditions has remained unclear for many years, such as the control of water flow in the kidney. Read more

Category: Article |
Erkin | October 25, 2012
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Our Great Sin Against Water

The priestly accounts of the creation have fallen into discredit. So mysticism has to take refuge in the atom. The atom is a safe place not because it is small, but because you have to do complicated measurements and use underground channels to find your way there. These underground channels are concealed from the eye of the people because the plain man has not been taught to read and write size language. — Lancelot Hogben in Mathematics, the Mirror of Civilization. 

It’s obvious that we have met and exceeded Mr. Lebow’s expectation. We are world record holders in virtually all categories of consumption. It is equally obvious that massive consumption translates to massive squandering of resources and massive pollution. Read more

Category: Article |
Erkin | October 23, 2012
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Water Desalination: Freshwater from the Sea

Did You Know?

  • Ocean water contains about 35,000 parts per million of salt. Fresh water contains less than 1,000 parts per million.
  • The first scientific paper on desalting was published by Arab chemists in the eighth century.
  • Desalination/distillation is one of mankind’s earliest forms of water treatment. In ancient times, many civilizations used this process on their ships to convert sea water into drinking water.
  • Today, desalination plants are used to convert sea water to drinking water on ships and in many arid regions of the world, and to treat water in other areas that is fouled by natural and unnatural contaminants. Read more
Category: Article |
Erkin | October 19, 2012
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Water: The Measure of America

A subtle death-process played a godfather role in the conception and designing of the refrigerator, the vacuum cleaner, the automobile, and the turbine. Natural laws were stripped of wisdom and projected into matter. — Theodor Schwenk.

Thelma and Harold Grochocki (the couple in the cartoon, in case you didn’t recognize them) not only sprayed a heavy dose of some pretty deadly roachicides yesterday; they also fertilized, mowed, and watered their lawn, ate their fill of burgers, steak, bacon. and eggs, drove their van 63 miles, poured half a can of paint thinner and a jar of pickle juice down the drain, watched TV most of the afternoon, washed their clothes, their dishes, and their dog, bathed, perfumed, and deodorized their bodies, vacuumed the carpet, and urinated and defecated repeatedly. It is interesting that although they spent most of their day at activities that directly or indirectly contaminate water, they seem surprised that the stuff that flows on demand from the kitchen tap isn’t pristine mountain spring water. Read more

Category: Nursery |
Erkin | October 16, 2012
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Drinking Recycled Water? Study Establishes Methods to Assess Recycled Aquifer Water

The Australian Government National Water Commission funded a study to establish an approach to assess the quality of water treated using managed aquifer recharge. Researchers at Australia’s CSIRO Land and Water set out to determine if the en product would meet standard drinking water guidelines.

 

At the Parafield Aquifer Storage, Transfer and Recovery research project in South Australia, the team of scientists harvested storm water from an urban environment, treated it in a constructed wetland, stored it in an aquifer, and then recovered the treated water via a well. Read more

Category: Article |