Sheep Clean Up Explosive Residue in Soils

Researchers from Oregon State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently did a study with sheep feeding them TNT for over three weeks and found the bacteria that breaks down cellulose also breaks down TNT completely leaving no traces in the feces!

TNT and contaminated soils can be found in over 1 million acres of U.S. soil and can pose environmental and health problems through water contamination. Furthermore, conventional clean up methods are costly in monetary and time values.

The solution involves planting grasses in contaminated soils that will draw in the TNT and the sheep would eat the contaminated grasses. Then, the bacteria in the sheep would do away with any explosive material or residue.

Researchers indicate that a flock of twenty sheep could rid an acre of explosive residue completely in three years.

Evaluate, will this work? Why or why not? Are sheep the only animal with this capability? Research and discuss your answers in your wiki groups.

Several small earthquakes have rattled the north-central Arkansas area this week puzzling many scientists as to their cause. The USGS has reported around 30 small earthquakes since this last Sunday and over 700 earthquakes in the last six months (over three per day). Most are ranging in magnitude around 1 to 3. Humans don't feel the quaking from the movement in the Earth's crust until around 2.5 to 3. Geologists have recorded earthquakes as high as a 4.0 in this region and predict some could occur as high as a 5 in magnitude.

Two basic theories have the attention of local authorities, the USGS and the gas exploration industry, yes the natural gas exploration industry! These two theories are centered around what is called a "swarm" of earthquakes and the other theory involves the use of water injection wells that literally fracture parts of the earth's rock interior to release natural gas. Some locals in Arkansas argue that the wells have had an increase in use and correlate with the increase in the number of earthquakes. A "swarm" is a short-term continuous series of small earthquakes in a region all ranging similar in magnitude. This is different from an usual larger earthquake with smaller aftershocks. The cause may be unknown.

Personally, the central states of the U.S. historically have been known to be struck with large earthquakes from the nearby New Madrid Fault as well but no one seems to be talking about this in reference to the swarm of earthquakes in Arkansas. Is it possible that swarms of earthquakes are not known to be caused by a large fault and therefore these in Arkansas are due to the natural gas exploration? Or, is this swarm related to the New Madrid Fault and political activists are using this opportunity to add a "strike" against the fossil fuel industry?

To argue your theory, consider the following:

1. Have swarms occurred in Arkansas before? If so, were these related to increases in well drilling?

2. How active is the New Madrid Fault? Are these swarms and this fault related?

3. Could there possibly be any other cause?

4. What evidence might link the cause to these small earthquakes?

Fishing Net in Space?

A growing concern among scientists is the amount of space junk outside our atmosphere. Space junk can include any man-made object such as abandoned space equipment, broken or unused satellites, astronaut materials to small items like gloves and toothbrushes. Space junk usually burns up in our atmosphere before ever reaching the surface of the earth. And, the space junk is found in a portion of space around the earth that also houses meteors, asteroids and stellar dust. However, space junk can create some problems for space travel.

For example, a satellite was destroyed over Siberia in 2009 and sometimes space junk can collide with each other creating more debris and more possible collisions. What makes these collisions concerning are really two factors. One, any satellite or space ship exiting our atmosphere will face possible collisions. Secondly, the speed of the space junk is several thousands of miles per hour!

Recently, a Japanese company who built its business on creating knotless, massive fishing nets is teaming up with Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency to construct massive nets to capture the space junk littering Earth's orbit.

Questions to consider for discussion:

1. Will these nets work? How would you go about making sure something like this will work?

2. Should we be concerned about the space junk if it never reaches the earth? Why or why not?

3. Are these nets a waste of time? Why or why not?

http://news.discovery.com/space/casting-a-net-for-space-debris.html

Oysters Vanishing from Oceans

A recent wide-ranging study done by researchers from the Natural Conservancy and the University of California have compared past and present populations of oysters and concluded that nearly 90% of the oyster population has decreased from many locations around the world. The study published in BioScience magazine, also noted that even the remaining reefs of these mollusks are not healthy.

Oyster reefs were studied in 144 bays and 44 ecoregions as well as comparing historical records as well as yearly catch statistics to conclude that nearly 85% to 90% of the oysters have depleted in regions were they used to thrive. Researchers conclude that overharvesting and disease are the main two causes of the decline.

Oysters while providing food for people also serve as a natural water filter for many of the world's ecosystems.

Discuss in your groups what solutions could be implemented to allow these populations to recover (if they can) and WHY these solutions would work.

Article can be read in full at http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/03/oysters-vanishing-oceans-worldwide-report-says/