Jan. 05, 2012

Light Production from Marine Organisms

The often spectacular luminescent displays of marine organisms have always triggered our curiosity. Now, these ecological wonders are providing a wealth of medical and research applications.
moreNov. 11, 2011

SequesTech: Direct Capture and Mineralization of Flue Gas Carbon Dioxide

Simultaneous capture and mineralization of flue gas CO2 at point sources is invaluable in addressing green house gas problems. We have developed a novel accelerated mineral carbonation (AMC) process for point source flue gas CO2 (US Patent Number: 7,879,305 B2, 2011). moreOct. 15, 2011

LC-ELISA Uncovers Cetirizine

A large number of pharmacologically active compounds has been detected in the aquatic environment during the last decade [1] and this gives rise to many concerns [2]. The substances have been disclosed by accident, clever search or elaborate mass spectrometry. Nowadays a broad spectrum of drug parent compounds can be screened for [3], yet the knowledge about the presence of isomers and transformation products (metabolites, conjugates, degradates) is still limited. moreSep. 01, 2011

How Mutational and Epigenetic Changes Enable Adaptive Evolution

After two long centuries of evolutionary debate, it seems that we need to resurrect the ideas first put forward by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck in 1809. The new genetics is providing us with extant evidence suggesting that nature has evolved a number of mechanisms to enable all organisms to evolve as they adapt to their environment: pondering the genesis of the epigenetic and mutational changes involved gives rise to a new theory of evolution based on the inheritance of acquired characters. moreOct. 27, 2010

Microalgae in Waste Water Treatment

There is a significant increase in the global use of renewable energies due to the impending shortage of fossil resources and noticeable effects of global warming. They are one of the key issues in the energy strategies of the future. However, there is also an increasing need to re-evaluate the existing strategies for renewable energies under the aspect of fuel or food production. The use of microalgae might provide a helpful alternative in a developing field of research. moreAug. 16, 2010

The Power of Grass

Switchgrass grown for biofuel production produced 540% more energy than needed to grow, harvest and process it into cellulosic ethanol, according to estimates from a large on-farm study by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Results from the five-year study involving fields on farms in three states highlights the prairie grass‘ potential as a biomass fuel source that yields significantly more energy than is consumed in production and conversion into cellulosic ethanol. moreJul. 23, 2010

Methane Hydrate, “Fire in the Ice”

First found locked in the Siberian ice, methane hydrate has recently emerged as a naturally occurring energy resource of potentially great significance. It is estimated that resources of methane in natural hydrate reservoirs exceed 10 quadrillion m3, even by the most conservative estimates, indicating that more carbon is contained in methane hydrate than in all other organic carbon reservoirs on earth combined. moreJul. 23, 2010

Limit of Detection and Determination in Real Samples

Limit of detection and limit of determination are often used as quality criteria for analytical methods. The values are calculated from S/N-ratios or calibration functions and are not obtained in real samples. Therefore they are not useful as criteria in routine analysis. Calculations from standard addition can be a helpful tool. more