Biotechnology: Can hydrogels solve our water problem?

Darkfrog submitted, created time 2 months 1 week (www.nature.com)

I remember reading BIll Bryson's description of a pre-blight American chestnut tree. When he came to the transpiration of water, he said, "imagine how much metal and noise humans would have to use to move that many gallons water."

Well artificial water transport just got a bit quieter, even if it can't match the chestnut just yet. A tiny microtree made from the same type of gel used to make contact lenses has mimicked water transport in plants. Scientists say that it could be used to extract water in dry places or make more efficient cooling systems

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Enough water to go around?

sumsung submitted, created time 8 months 10 hours (www.nature.com)

If our planet were perfectly flat and its water covered all the surface, it would create a layer 2.7 kilometers deep. While this seems like a lot, less than 3% of that is freshwater. Of that, nearly 70% is in ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow, and 30% sits in ground water. Rivers, lakes, and clouds carry less than 1% of the world's freshwater.

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: ice snow ground water economics ecology climate fresh water water