Researchers are starting to sound the alarm again about the dangers of nuclear winter: imagine no sun and frigid temperatures.
An all-out nuclear war scenario could shrink harvests around the world, but an international team of researchers has found that vast seaweed farms could help save the lives of up to 1.2 billion people.
The team estimates that 33.63 tons of dry kelp, or seaweed, could be grown each year, on a modest ocean surface area and on a reasonable budget.
“If you use the most productive areas, you would need about 416,000 square kilometers of ocean,” said the study's lead author, ecologist Dr. Florian-Ulrich Gehn.
Dr. Jin, data science lead at the Colorado-based Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disaster (ALLFED), collaborated with Louisiana State University's Department of Ocean and Coastal Science, a German astrophysicist, and scientists from both Texas and the Philippines on the research project.
Jin said that the economic cost of this intensive program to provide food for billions during the harsh nuclear winter will be lower than previous successful American programs.
Their study, published in the journal Earth's Future, took advantage of ocean climate models of the dramatic changes that are set to occur amid a real nuclear winter.
“When the ocean surface cools, the water becomes denser, so it sinks, leading to vertical circulation,” said study co-author Dr. Cheryl Harrison.
The result would be a convection-like process that would push nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean to the surface, effectively fertilizing the areas needed for this massive aquaponics program.
Harrison explained that this process has been well documented during the winter months at high latitudes, but nuclear winter would bring the cycle closer to the equator.
"In nuclear winter, it stays cold for years, so it keeps moving, stirring up the deeper water and nutrients there," she said. "Because it's dark and cold, those nutrients aren't consumed as quickly by phytoplankton, which are the algae that form the base of the food web." In the ocean."
More human-friendly ocean vegetables, such as seaweed, do well in these conditions, making them a great alternative food source.
Researchers estimate that seaweed farms will replace only 15% of the food humans currently eat, but it will mostly be redirected to animal feed and biofuel production.
Harrison said the project also has less risky and worst-case scenario uses, noting that it could also serve as humanitarian aid in the wake of potential disruptions to the global food supply chain.
Developing a very effective mechanism to kill viruses without any chemicals
A team of researchers has designed and manufactured a surface that uses mechanical means to mitigate the infectious ability of viruses.
The artificial surface made of silicone consists of a series of small protrusions that destroy the structure of viruses when they come into contact with them.
Research has revealed how these operations work and that they are 96% effective. Using this technology in environments where potentially hazardous biological materials are present would make laboratories easier to control and safer for those working there.
Viruses are known to be responsible for a wide range of diseases, from the common cold to serious diseases such as AIDS and SARS.
There are about two hundred different viruses that are highly contagious and can make or kill people. However, some viruses are important because they can contribute to keeping humans alive in the long term.
Viruses form part of the body's microbiome and can be used to create vaccines, diagnose infections and treat many diseases. Scientists also use it for research purposes, to develop new medicines, and to shed light on biology.
These viruses remain a problem but cannot be considered harmful as they can be crucial in all aspects of life. However, the research team from the Universidade Rubera I Virgili (URV) in Spain and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia may have just solved the fear surrounding the potential harm viruses can cause to humans by eliminating their infectious ability.
“In this case, we used silicon because it is technically less complex than other metals,” said Vladimir Paulin, a researcher from the Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry at Rubera I Bergeli University.
This surface consists of a smooth metal plate which is then loaded with ions to remove material. This results in a surface filled with needles about 2 nanometers thick and 290 nanometers high.
The team analyzed the processes by which viruses lose their infectious abilities after coming into contact with the nanostructured surface, both theoretically and practically.
Researchers from Rubera I Bergeli University used a finite element method to simulate interactions between viruses and needles.
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology team used a practical analysis by exposing the virus to a nanostructured surface and observing the results.
The researchers' findings show that this method effectively inactivated 96% of viruses that were in contact with the nanostructured surface within six hours. It is also an excellent way to achieve this goal because it does not require the use of chemicals. This makes it safe to use in environments containing potentially hazardous biological materials. Of course, this method requires excellent technical expertise.
This study published by Diari Digital URV found that the nanostructured surface is virucidal, taking into account the ability of the needles to incapacitate viruses by destroying their external structure.