New Advances in No-Pulse Heart

The front cover of Popular Science magazine for March 2012 featured a no-pulse heart. The article (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-02/no-pulse-how-doctors-reinvented-human-heart) begins with tell of Meeko the calf who had a no pulse heart recently put in and how he seemed unaffected despite having no pulse. However there have been many problems with this no-pulse heart. The energy it takes to keep the heart beating will only last about 18 months. Also plastic and metal hearts require an air compressor that is outside the body. This means that the person would not have much mobility since they would have to be by a big air compressor all day. However Scientist have decide to think outside the box, past nature. Now the no-pulse heart works more like a propeller and pushes blood through the body creating the continuous flow heart . The new artificial heart is made up of "turbines, each the size and shape of a saltshaker—connected to each other by white tubing. Also attached to each was a white cone made of a spongy rubberized cloth." There is a very long history about how the idea for the continuous flow heart began. Much of the research began with aide just one part of the heart until research could be farther expanded.Like many scientific discoveries having a fully function no pulse heart was one.  The idea of having full continuous flow heart was discovered on accident. In 2003 a man who had a HeartMate II  put in, to help his heart not take over, had no heartbeat and his heart had shut down. However he was still living and his HeartMate II was doing the work his heart had done before. The FDA has not approved this artificial heart yet but it is in the works. This is a huge step forward for the medical field. Soon there may be little to not heart failure. Also the amount of transplanted need is rising but donor are decreasing. This long-lasting artificial heart like the continuous flow heart would allow surgeons to put in a heart full-time with out a transplant. Thousand and possible millions of lives can be saved from this technology. It is an exciting time to live and watch the medical advances to continue to grow that may help me or people I know in the near future. 

Cleaning CO2 out of the Air

Rising CO2 levels have been a problem for many years. It hurt ourselves and the environment. A article in popular science (http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-01/new-material-can-pull-carbon-dioxide-right-out-air-unprecedented-rates) says that we may be able to "scrub" CO2 out of the air. This new polymeric material is inexpensive and captures CO2 at the source. This material can also be reused. It will give up the carbon as easily as it collects it. It is then possible to recycle the carbon and use it for the good of the planet. This material could potently solve many environmental issues. CO2 would no longer be polluting the air but used in an effective way. 

The Man Who Fed the World Chapter 2

Well I liked this chapter a lot better then the first one. Since I got accepted to the University of Minnesota it was interesting to see how the college worked back then. Norman Borlaug made a huge impact on the University through wrestling and his future. Also Norman and Margaret's love story is really cute. Meeting in the University coffee shop and then knowing 2 years later that they would be married is just amazing. It seems like love at first sight for both of them. A more modern day fairy-tale. Once they did get married they didn't have a honeymoon; not that it really mattered since they loved each other so much. Norman's side jobs are rather fascinating at well. Working out in the forest and surveying everything. It's very interesting how he talks about that he became 'in balance with nature' like many poets I've learned about in English talk about from the Transcendentalists to the Romantics. This chapter embodies universal themes of love, perseverance, and nature. A reminder that love , nature, and all that are involved in more than art and literature they can also be involved in science. :)

Thoughts on The Man Who Fed The World

I found it really interesting that Norman Borlaug didn't believe that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize and then went back to work. His high school education may have been "worse" by today's standard but , for him, he made use of it to solve a global issue. Norman was a family person and did everything for them. Also thanks to him and his family there is still a market for farming in the U.S. since they preserved through the depression. I'm really excited to see how his past effect him later on and helps him fed the world.

Solar Power From Space

National Geographic reported that it may be possible to collect solar power from space (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/12/111205-solar-power-from-space/?source=hp_dl3_news_solar20111208 ). Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans on launching demo satellites "scheduled to be up by the end of the next decade". According to National Geographic "The most frequently cited barrier to deploying—or even testing—many of the existing space-based solar platforms is the cost of launching the necessary equipment into orbit.". This Technology could be a great solution for the energy crisis. Since the power would be collected in space there would not be problems, such as cloud cover. Also no solar energy would be lost to the atmosphere , since space acts like a vacuum. One downside of this is how to get the power to earth. Stephen Sweeney's team belives a narrow beam would be the best solution. However he also stated "which means you have a particular point on Earth where you can target energy delivery." which may be hard to do for such a distance. Some people believe it wll be great for disasters. The energy could be "rolled up" and sent to disaster sites a lot faster then generators and other equipment. The same could be done for the energy , which would most likely become cheaper in the long run.

While many flaws still exist with this technology the future for it looks very bright. Solar power from space may be costly to start but I believe the benefits would be worth it. Fossil fuels will not be around forever and this is a very plausible and efficient alternative. There is so much that can be done with this technology that would help save our environment.

Transpiration Lab Essay

I would predict that group 2 would have less transpiration. This is because water travels from areas of high water potential to low water potential. If it was humid the air would have a high water potential than the leaf so very little water would leave. The same idea applies to group 3 but reversed. If there was more air movement within the room the water would be constantly moving away from the leaf. The air would have a lower water potential causing the water to leave the leaf. In group four the plant would release more water because of photosynthesis  Stomata must be open during photosynthesis to allow oxygen to leave and CO2 to be let in. Since the stomata is open the water inside the cell can freely leave into , what is most likely, an area of lower water potential.

Angiosperm Adaptation (1990 prompt)

With the planet always changing angiosperms, or flowering plants,  have had to adapt from aquatic environments to terrestrial ones. Flowering plants have had to adapt in many way including reproduction, support, and dehydration.
  The most important adaptation angiosperms is reproduction. If i plant could not reproduce it would die out. Flowering plants have many ways the pollinate. With many angiosperms they create flowers to attract pollinators such as bees or other insects. This allows the pollen to get spread out very far and gives more diversity in the gene pool of the plant. A few angiosperms can self pollinate , so that if need be they can reproduce, but it does not allow much diversity. Plants now rely on pollinators and themselves for reproduction instead of water as the would have to in an aquatic environment.
 The structural adaptations go hand in hand with the adaptations for water intake and loss. Plants gained xylems to help support the plants. The also gained lignin.