Friday, Nov 21

Dear Reader,

Record-high water temperatures have wreaked havoc on reefs around the world. And once degraded, the reefs are abandoned by much of the marine life that depends on them. But creative scientists hit upon an idea that seems to be working — specifically, they broadcast the sounds of healthy reefs via underwater speakers — and the sounds (a so-called “acoustic signature”) lure coral larvae back to the reefs. “In their first days of life, coral larvae make a permanent decision of where they will settle and metamorphose into adults — swimming or drifting with the currents in an effort to seek the right conditions to settle,” the scientists noted. “The sounds of the reef are important settlement cues.”

Next, here’s an idea that might sound a bit nuts. Some brainiac students at the University of Waterloo have tapped the power in walnut shells to produce energy — so far, enough to power a calculator. The idea sprang up innocuously enough. “I was eating a hazelnut once in my home, and I saw the nut’s structure,” Nazmul Hossain, a PhD student in mechanical and mechatronics engineering, told a reporter, who noted “where most people might only see dips and divots inside a nut’s shell, he saw the complex network of pores as a potential travel system for electricity.”

One reason the discovery holds such promise is that it makes use of agricultural waste, and labs around the world are working to find ways to create green energy sources. 

And speaking of energy, Australia is just … giving it away! The aim of the Solar Share program is to encourage people to access their daily three hours of free energy at a time when there’s excess energy from solar being fed into the grid. The country’s Climate Change Minister said that, “We want to see the benefits of renewable energy flow to all.” 

Scientifically,

Dot