Recycling astronaut urine for energy and drinking water

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140409103409.htm

Ew! That sounds disgusting. It did to me once I read the title of this article. Instead of just releasing the astronaut pee in the unknown space, why not reuse it for a better need? Scientists are trying to develop a way to reuse space urine for drinking water. Collecting urine, and shower waste water and process it using forward osmosis. This filters the the garbage in the urine. Their new Urea Bioreactor Electrochemical system (UBE) efficiently converted the urea into ammonia in its bioreactor, and then turned the ammonia into energy

 with its fuel cell. The system was designed with space missions 

in mind, but "the results showed that the 

UBE system could be used in any wastewater treatment systems containing urea and/or ammonia,"

Thermoelectric generator on glass fabric for wearable electronic devices

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140410131458.htm

Wearing computers sounds pretty amazing. This is the next generation thinking. This goes from smart watches, to smart glasses, to smart pacemakers. Lightweight, and flexibility make this capable for a person to wear an electronic gadget. The type of battery affects buyers, is it one battery that needs replacement? Is it a rechargeable battery, or a battery that runs on sunlight, or even one that does not even need a battery.  Scientists have now proposed a solution to this problem by developing a glass fabric-based thermometric (TE) generator that is extremely light and flexible and produces electricity from the heat of the human body.

Genetically modified tobacco plants as an alternative for producing bioethanol

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140414092002.htm

Instead of chewing tobacco using it as an alternative for producing bioethanol is way more productive. Tobacco, as seen below is mowed seven times in the cycle. It is suitable for producing bioethonal. It produces 160 tons per hectare. Some tobacco plants were genetically engineered to produce more starch and sugar.As Jon Veramendi, head of the plant Agrobiotechnology research group, explained, "tobacco plants as a source of biomass for producing bioethanol could be an alternative to traditional tobacco growing which is in decline in the USA and in Europe because it cannot compete with emerging countries like China."

Engineers develop new materials for hydrogen storage

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140415094401.htm

At the University of California, engineers created ceramic materials to increase and ensure hydrogen storage safely. This was part of a 1.2 million dollar project.Mixtures of calcium hexaboride, barium hexaboride, and strontium were used to make this. Combustion synthesis was the cheap process involved. Combustion synthesis is an attractive technique to synthesize a wide variety of advanced materials including powders and near-net shape products of ceramics, intermetallics, composites, and functionally graded materials.
They were looking solid materials that can store and release hydrogen easily.

Pizza that last for years?!

Pizza that lasts for years?!


Source: http://phys.org/news/2014-02-military-awaits-pizza-years.html

Military members have been asking for pizza to be sent. Scientists have created this pizza that lasts up to 3 years!!! This pizza doesn't even need refrigerating! The tomato sauce has a new moisture, cheese and the toppings, too. This moisture will also help from soggy pizza dough to be created. This pizza is said to be delicious. The downside is the pizza is not hot but at room temperature. Moisture should not be migrating. The toppings are also packaged in packings so they can be preserved. For example the pepperoni is in crumble pieces. This is a large innovation creating food that can last for long, so people in the world do not have to throw out food that expires.

New theory may lead to more efficient solar cells

source:http://phys.org/news/2014-01-theory-efficient-solar-cells.html

Scientists do not still understand what goes on in the material that makes up solar cells. But scientists did happen to make this discovery. Solar cells are made from organic semi-conductors. Solar cells are blended with materials. 

But these solar cells only have a whopping 3 percent efficiency rate. This model created by these scientists will increase efficiency. It is a mathematical model, and will help in chemistry a lot.

Bananas are Chemicals, Too

source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/bananas-are-chemicals-too/?ref=chemistry

Those ingredients listed of an all-natural banana make it a chemical. Chemicals are filled with a lot of chemicals. You may think gross next time u see a banana, but so are a lot of other things people eat. These chemicals are proven to be 100% safe and edible. Bananas are pure, simple, and all natural. DNA is also in bananas. If u pick a few foods, and you use these ingredients in a banana, you may find out that there a a ton of foods you eat everyday 

New quantum dots herald a new era of electronics operating on a single-atom level

source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140127112723.htm
These world's first quantum dots containing single cobalt ions. This creation will help scientists in solotronics. Solotronics are a field of experimental electronics and spintronics of the future, based on operations occurring on a single-atom level. 

This is a cross-section of the quantum dots made by the Institute of Experimental Physics at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw. The color red marks an ion  with magnetic properties ( Yellow represents a quantum dot. Blue shows the layer securing the quantum dot

First plastic cell with working organelle

First plastic cell with working organelle

source:http://phys.org/news/2014-01-plastic-cell-organelle.html

This is the first time ever that chemists have been able to make a cell that consists of organelles that can process chemical reactions!!!!! 

This was created at the Institute for Molecules and Materials (IMM) at Radboud University Nijmegen.This was actually a very complex creation since it is very difficult. This discovery was essential because now the scientists can duplicate this cell and learn more on the origins of life from chemistry and biology. These types of creations are really popular in chemistry today, and everyone wants to find them out. They are making cells and polymers, also. Next, chemists might find a way to make cells produce its own energy!!!!!

A Far-Flung Possibility for the Origin of Life

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/science/space/a-far-flung-possibility-for-the-origin-of-life.html?ref=chemistry&_r=0
Scientists say that us humans are all martians. A man argued that Mars was a more probable place for life rather than earth. Certain shared chemicals are on both Mars and Earth. There are strands of RNA combined into two double strands which are encoded in human's genes. Contreversies have been brought up because this chemistry experiment may not have been possible in the Early Earth or Mars. Mars has a high level oxygen