New aquaculture technology can help ease the global food crisis: “Enriched seaweed” with extremely high nutritional value

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: LEFT TO RIGHT: PH.D. STUDENT DORON ASHKENAZI & PROF. AVIGDOR ABELSON. view more 

CREDIT: TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY

• Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute have developed an innovative method for growing seaweed enriched with nutrients, proteins, dietary fiber, and minerals for human and animal needs. The seaweed has the potential to be a natural superfood, and to help secure food for the future of humanity.

 

• The advanced technology promotes an environmentally-friendly approach of “sustainable integrated aquaculture.” As part the methodology, the seaweeds purify the water in which they grow and thus help maintain the ecological balance of the marine and coastal environment.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute in Haifa have developed an innovative technology that enables the growth of “enriched seaweed” infused with nutrients, proteins, dietary fiber, and minerals for human and animal needs.

 

According to the researchers, the state-of-the-art technology significantly increases the growth rate, protein levels, healthy carbohydrates, and minerals in the seaweed’s tissues – making the “enriched seaweed” a natural superfood with extremely high nutritional value, which can be used in the future for the health food industry and to secure an unlimited food source.

 

The research was led by Ph.D. student Doron Ashkenazi, under the guidance of Prof. Avigdor Abelson from the School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University and Prof. Alvaro Israel of the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute (IOLR) in Tel Shikmona, Haifa. The article was published in the scientific journal Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies.

 

Doron Ashkenazi explains that in the study, local species of the algae Ulva, Gracilaria and Hypnea were grown in close proximity to fish farming systems under different environmental conditions. The special conditions allowed the seaweed to flourish, and enabled a significant improvement in their nutritional value ​​to the point of their becoming “enriched seaweed,” which is a superfood. (The use of seaweed as a rich food source that meets all human nutritional needs is even reminiscent of the biblical manna that fed the Israelites in the desert). It will also be possible to use the enriched seaweed in an applied manner for other health industries, for example as nutritional supplements or as medicine, as well as in the cosmetics industry.

 

“Seaweed can be regarded as a natural superfood, more abundant in the necessary components of the human diet than other food sources,” Ashkenazi adds. “Through the technological approach we developed, a farm owner or entrepreneur will be able to plan in advance a production line of seaweed rich in the substances in which they are interested, which can be used as health foods or nutritional supplements; for example, seaweed with a particularly high level of protein, seaweed rich in minerals such as iron, iodine, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, or in special pigments or anti-oxidants. The enriched seaweed can be used to help populations suffering from malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, for example disadvantaged populations around the world, as well as supplements to a vegetarian or vegan diet.”

 

Moreover, unlike terrestrial agriculture, aquaculture, and in particular our proposed seaweed farming approach, does not require extensive land, fresh water or large amounts of fertilizer. It is environmentally friendly, and preserves nature and the ecological balance by reducing environmental risks. The new methodology in fact offers an ideal situation, of sustainable and clean agriculture. Today, integrated aquaculture is beginning to receive support from governments around the world due to its environmental benefits, which include the reduction of nutrient loads to coastal waters and of the emission of gases and carbon footprints. In this way, it contributes to combatting the climate crisis and global warming.

 

Doron Ashkenazi concludes: “Technologies of this type are undoubtedly a model for a better future for humanity, a future where humans live in idyll and in health in their environment.” The research was conducted in collaboration with other leading researchers from around the country, including Guy Paz and Dr. Yael Segal of the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute  (IOLR) in Haifa, Dr. Shoshana Ben-Valid, an expert in organic chemistry, Dr. Merav Nadav Tsubery of the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Exact Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, and Dr. Eitan Salomon from the National Center for Mariculture in Eilat.

 

Link to the article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1466856422001527

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DOI

10.1016/j.ifset.2022.103067 

ARTICLE TITLE

Enrichment of nutritional compounds in seaweeds via abiotic stressors in integrated aquaculture

CAPTION

Layout of the land-based, outdoor, aquaculture system as was stationed at the IOLR institute, Haifa, Israel.

CREDIT

Doron Ashkenazi.

CAPTION

Naturally growing intertidal seaweeds.

CREDIT

Doron Ashkenazi.

CAPTION

Underwater seaweed garden, Bat-Yam, Israel.

CREDIT

Doron Ashkenazi.

Marine Protected Areas in Antarctica should include young emperor penguins, scientists say

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

 

IMAGE: TWO JUVENILE EMPEROR PENGUINS BEFORE THEIR FIRST SWIM IN ATKA BAY, ANTARCTICA. BOTH ARE EQUIPPED WITH AN ARGOS PLATFORM THAT WILL TRANSMIT THEIR LOCATIONS DAILY AND ALLOW SCIENTISTS TO TRACK THEIR MOVEMENT IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN DURING THEIR FIRST YEAR AT SEA. view more 

CREDIT: CREDIT: AYMERIC HOUSTIN/© AWI-CSM-CNRS-FAU-WHOI

Woods Hole, MA (August 31, 2022) - Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and European research institutions are calling for better protections for juvenile emperor penguins, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers listing the species under the Endangered Species Act and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) considers expanding the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean.

In one of the few long-term studies of juvenile emperor penguins–and the only study focused on a colony on the Weddell Sea–research published today in Royal Society Open Science found that the young birds spend about 90 percent of their time outside of current and proposed MPAs. The study, which tracked eight penguins with satellite tags over a year, also found that they commonly traveled over 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) beyond the species range defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is based on studies of adult emperor penguins from a few other colonies. Considered immature until about 4 years of age, juvenile emperor penguins are more vulnerable than adults because they have not fully developed foraging and predator avoidance skills. As climate change reduces sea-ice habitat and opens up new areas of the Southern Ocean to commercial fishing, the researchers conclude that greatly expanded MPAs are crucial to protect this iconic, yet threatened, penguin species at every life stage.

“While everyone is looking at the adult population, the juvenile population – which leaves the relative safety of its parents at about five months - is neither monitored nor protected,” said Dan Zitterbart, a WHOI associate scientist. “The current and proposed MPAs in the Southern Ocean only include the range of adult emperor penguins, which do not travel as far as juveniles. From a conservation perspective, it’s important to know where these juveniles go. It’s one more piece of the puzzle to protect their marine habitat.”

“Emperor penguins have such low fecundity, if you do not protect juveniles, they may not ever become breeding adults,” he continued. 

Zitterbart and colleagues at the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Strasbourg in France, and the Alfred-Wegener Institute (AWI) in Germany are conducting a long-term monitoring study of the Atka Bay emperor penguin colony near Neumayer Station III, on the Weddell Sea. The Weddell Sea area is home to one-third of established emperor penguin colonies, and research shows that colonies in the region, including the Ross Sea, are less vulnerable to climate-induced melting than other areas of the Antarctic.

“Some of the Weddell Sea colonies are expected to still be present 50 to 100 years from now,” said Aymeric Houstin, a WHOI post-doctoral investigator and the lead author of the study. “It’s important to preserve colonies that will be able to endure climate change, as they could become a refuge for the entire population of emperor penguins.”

According to studies, 12 percent of the area under CCAMLR jurisdiction is currently protected as an MPA, and less than 5 percent is considered a “no-take” area. For several years, the 26 members of CCAMLR have been considering three new MPAs in the region, including the Weddell Sea MPA, first developed by Germany, and submitted by the European Union in 2013. While this MPA would cover an area of 2.2 million square kilometers (0.85 million square miles), preserving one of the most pristine ecosystems in the world and a critical zone for global ocean circulation, the authors say that the boundaries are inadequate to protect juvenile emperor penguins.

“The Weddell Sea MPA design, as the other MPAs around Antarctica, should include the distribution at sea of all age-classes of the emperor penguin population—not only the adults from a few study colonies,” said Céline Le Bohec, of CNRS/Université de Strasbourg France and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco. “Juveniles are currently clearly lacking protection and their presence in the Northern waters needs to be considered in the future, especially regarding the development of fisheries in those regions.”

Over the next decades, the researchers plan to continue tagging both adult and juvenile penguins from the Atka Bay colony to track their movements and behavior as the environment changes. With more long-term data, Houstin suggests that a “dynamic MPA” could be developed with shifting boundaries, based on predictions of penguins’ movements throughout the year.

“This notion of a dynamic network of MPAs is really essential,” Le Bohec said. “It’s certainly the way to continue the dialogue with the fishing industry to ensure the resource is used in a sustainable manner, to ultimately preserve the unique biodiversity of these sensitive polar regions.”

CAPTION

A group of Juvenile emperor penguins at Atka Bay on the sea ice edge ready for their first swim. In four years, they will return to breed, spending much of their time in unprotected areas of the Southern Ocean.

CREDIT

Credit: Daniel P. Zitterbart/©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans’ role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.

This study was funded by the Centre Scientifique de Monaco with additional support from CNRS-University of Strasbourg, by The Penzance Endowed Fund and The Grayce B. Kerr Fund in Support of Assistant Scientists, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), with logistical support from Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (AWI).

'Diamond Factory' Discovered at Boundary of Earth's Core

A Quadrillion Tons Of Diamonds May Lie In Earth

The intense heat and pressure at the Earth's core, deep beneath the surface, is enough to make diamonds out of carbon, scientists say.

Researchers from Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration investigated the conditions at the boundary between the Earth's metal core and the magma in the mantle, and according to their paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, have found that the carbon in the core's liquid iron metal alloy can form diamonds.

"The stable form of carbon at the pressure-temperature conditions of the Earth's core-mantle boundary is diamond," Dan Shim, a professor at Arizona State University and a co-author on the paper, said in a statement.

Stock image of the layers inside the Earth. Scientists have found that diamonds are created at the core-mantle boundary.

ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

The find was dubbed a "diamond factory" by Arizona State University.

The interior of the Earth is divided into several segments, all composed of different ingredients and states of matter. Underneath the thin rocky crust comes the mantle, a slow-moving layer of molten rocks making up 84% of the planet's total volume, according to National Geographic. It sits at between 1,832 degrees F and 6,692 degrees F. Further in comes the Earth's outer and inner core: the outer core is liquid iron and nickel, among other elements, and is around 9,000 degrees F, while the inner core is mostly made of solid iron, due to the intense pressures, and is about as hot as the surface of the sun.

The authors of the paper have measured how carbon in the liquid outer core comes out of the liquid iron metal alloy, reacts with water, and forms diamonds.

"Temperature at the boundary between the silicate mantle and the metallic core at [around 1,800 miles] depth reaches to [about 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit], which is sufficiently high for most minerals to lose H2O captured in their atomic-scale structures," Shim said.

"At the pressures expected for the Earth's core-mantle boundary, hydrogen alloying with iron metal liquid appears to reduce solubility of other light elements in the core. Therefore, solubility of carbon, which likely exists in the Earth's core, decreases locally where hydrogen enters into the core from the mantle (through dehydration)."

"So the carbon escaping from the liquid outer core would become diamond when it enters into the mantle."

Diamonds are made entirely from carbon atoms in a uniquely strong arrangement of chemical bonds. They can be found in the crust across the planet, but are incredibly rare and therefore expensive. Diamonds are thought to have been transported from their origins in the mantle to the Earth's surface via deep-source volcanic eruptions.

Stock image of a diamond. Diamonds have been found to be created at the boundary between the Earth's core and the mantle.

ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

The hardest known substance, the diamond, is used in industry for cutting and abrasion, as well as being a revered and symbolic jewelry gemstone.

"Carbon is an essential element for life and plays an important role in many geological processes. The new discovery of a carbon transfer mechanism from the core to the mantle will shed light on the understanding of the carbon cycle in the Earth's deep interior," Byeongkwan Ko, a recent Arizona State University PhD graduate and co-author of the paper, said in a statement. "This is even more exciting given that the diamond formation at the core-mantle boundary might have been going on for billions of years since the initiation of subduction on the planet."

BY JESS THOMSON - NEWSWEEK- 8/31/22 

Diamonds and rust at the Earth's core-mantle boundary

Scientists in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration help discover that a potential “diamond factory” may have existed at Earth’s core-mantle boundary for billions of years

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Steel rusts by water and air on the Earth’s surface. But what about deep inside the Earth’s interior? 

The Earth’s core is the largest carbon storage on Earth – roughly 90% is buried there. Scientists have shown that the oceanic crust that sits on top of tectonic plates and falls into the interior, through subduction, contains hydrous minerals and can sometimes descend all the way to the core-mantle boundary. The temperature at the core-mantle boundary is at least twice as hot as lava, and high enough that water can be released from the hydrous minerals. Therefore, a chemical reaction similar to rusting steel could occur at Earth’s core-mantle boundary.

Byeongkwan Ko, a recent Arizona State University PhD graduate, and his collaborators published their findings on the core-mantle boundary in Geophysical Research Letters. They conducted experiments at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, where they compressed iron-carbon alloy and water together to the pressure and temperature expected at the Earth’s core-mantle boundary, melting the iron-carbon alloy. 

The researchers found that water and metal react and make iron oxides and iron hydroxides, just like what happens with rusting at Earth’s surface. However, they found that for the conditions of the core-mantle boundary carbon comes out of the liquid iron-metal alloy and forms diamond.

“Temperature at the boundary between the silicate mantle and the metallic core at 3,000 km depth reaches to roughly 7,000 F, which is sufficiently high for most minerals to lose H2O captured in their atomic scale structures,” said Dan Shim, professor at ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration. “In fact, the temperature is high enough that some minerals should melt at such conditions.”

Because carbon is an iron loving element, significant carbon is expected to exist in the core, while the mantle is thought to have relatively low carbon. However, scientists have found that much more carbon exists in the mantle than expected. 

“At the pressures expected for the Earth's core-mantle boundary, hydrogen alloying with iron metal liquid appears to reduce solubility of other light elements in the core,” said Shim. “Therefore, solubility of carbon, which likely exists in the Earth's core, decreases locally where hydrogen enters into the core from the mantle (through dehydration). The stable form of carbon at the pressure-temperature conditions of Earth's core-mantle boundary is diamond. So the carbon escaping from the liquid outer core would become diamond when it enters into the mantle.”

“Carbon is an essential element for life and plays an important role in many geological processes,” said Ko. “The new discovery of a carbon transfer mechanism from the core to the mantle will shed light on the understanding of the carbon cycle in the Earth’s deep interior. This is even more exciting given that the diamond formation at the core-mantle boundary might have been going on for billions of years since the initiation of subduction on the planet.”

Ko's new study shows that carbon leaking from the core into the mantle by this diamond formation process may supply enough carbon to explain the elevated carbon amounts in the mantle. Ko and his collaborators also predicted that diamond rich structures can exist at the core-mantle boundary and that seismic studies might detect the structures because seismic waves should travel unusually fast for the structures.

“The reason that seismic waves should propagate exceptionally fast through diamond-rich structures at the core-mantle boundary is because diamond is extremely incompressible and less dense than other materials at the core-mantle boundary,” said Shim.

Ko and team will continue investigating how the reaction can also change the concentration of other light elements in the core, such as silicon, sulfur and oxygen, and how such changes can impact the mineralogy of the deep mantle.

###

Author: Andrea Chatwood, Communications Specialist, ASU The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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JOURNAL

Geophysical Research Letters

DOI

10.1029/2022GL098271 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Water-induced diamond formation at Earth's core-mantle boundary

Green Hydrogen Breakthrough Sees Water Turned to Energy at Room Temperature

Ed Browne - Yesterday - NEWSWEEK

Scientists say they have found a new way to generate hydrogen gas from water at room temperature in what could be a step toward a clean and renewable energy source.


A stock illustration depicts an industrial pipe of hydrogen running through the countryside. Hydrogen can be used in fuel cells to produce power, but the element is often made via non-renewable processes.© Petmal/Getty

Hydrogen has been researched as a type of fuel or energy source for years. The modern hydrogen fuel cell, which can power anything from laptop computers to car batteries and power stations, works by combining hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a process that creates water, electricity and a small amount of heat.

As of the end of October 2021, hydrogen fuel cell power generators produced about 260 megawatts of electricity capacity across the United States. By comparison, the average wind turbine produced about 2.75 megawatts in 2020.

Despite its relatively low uptake, hydrogen has been hailed as a green solution to energy woes. But that's not the case today.

While hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, we still need to produce it for use in fuel cells. The problem is that about 95 percent of hydrogen is produced from a process involving natural gas, according to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and that process is not renewable.

There may be a solution to this particular problem, however. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) have found a way to produce hydrogen by developing a special type of aluminum composite that reacts with water at room temperature.

On its own, aluminum is a reactive material that splits oxygen away from water molecules, leaving hydrogen gas behind.

Aluminum won't necessarily do this on its own, however. That's because at room temperature the metal forms a layer of aluminum oxide, which essentially protects it from reacting with water.

What scientists have discovered is that by using an easily produced composite of gallium and aluminum, it is possible to get this material to react with water at room temperature, producing hydrogen.

"We don't need any energy input, and it bubbles hydrogen like crazy," said UCSC chemistry professor Scott Oliver in a university press release. "I've never seen anything like it."

The fact that this aluminum-gallium mixture produces hydrogen has been known for decades. But what the UCSC team found was that increasing the concentration of gallium in the composite also increased the production of hydrogen.

"Our method uses a small amount of aluminum, which ensures it all dissolves into the majority gallium as discrete nanoparticles," Oliver said.

What's more, the composite can be made with easily accessible aluminum sources like foil or cans.

The downside is that gallium is relatively expensive, although it can be recovered in this process and reused multiple times. Another downside is that there is still no widespread uptake of hydrogen fuel cells. While it is possible to burn hydrogen directly as a fuel, it can be hazardous, and tanks often must be highly pressurized to contain useful amounts of it.

It remains to be seen if the UCSC process can be scaled up for the commercial production of hydrogen.

The findings were reported in a study published February 14 in the journal ACS Applied Nano Materials and writtenby Oliver, Bakthan Singaram and their colleagues.

New 'hydrogen alliance' offers Canada an opportunity to export ammonia to Europe

Barry E. Prentice, Professor of Supply Chain Management, University of Manitoba - Yesterday  
The Conversation

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, German vice-chancellor Robert Habeck and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a hydrogen energy deal signing ceremony on August 23, 2022 in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A recently announced export agreement between Canada and Germany offers Canada an opportunity to export hydrogen to Europe.

The Hydrogen Alliance proposes a “transatlantic Canada-Germany supply corridor” to start exporting hydrogen by 2025. This target could be reached sooner with the export of hydrogen from Western Canada.

The transportation of hydrogen is more problematic than its production. Hydrogen can be transported as a compressed gas or as liquid hydrogen, but it is most economic to convert it into anhydrous ammonia — which liquefies at much lower pressures — for shipping.

The supply chain proposal is to ship ammonia from Alberta to Europe in specially-designed ammonia freight containers via the Port of Churchill in Manitoba. Ammonia containers shipped from Alberta would connect with the Hudson Bay Railway for delivery to a container terminal at Churchill.


It’s most economic to convert hydrogen into anhydrous ammonia for transportation.© (Shutterstock)

From Churchill, the ammonia could be delivered directly in a container ship to Europe, or proceed via a feeder service to Halifax to be loaded onto larger container ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

While a few regulatory barriers need to be addressed, like cabotage — the movement of domestic freight by foreign shippers or trucks — restrictions on feeder transport routes, the project has minimal financial and market risk.
Blue vs. green hydrogen

At the heart of the alliance is a disagreement about the kind of hydrogen that should be produced. Germany wants to import green hydrogen, but Canada wants to keep producing blue hydrogen. Just last year, the Alberta and federal governments agreed to a $1.3 billion blue hydrogen production investment that could result in a hydrogen plant being built in Edmonton.

Blue hydrogen is hydrogen produced from the removal of carbon from methane (natural gas). Instead of the carbon being released into the atmosphere, it is captured and stored permanently underground.

Read more: Blue hydrogen – what is it, and should it replace natural gas?

Green hydrogen is produced with renewable or zero-carbon energy, but it is expensive and is expected to remain so until at least 2030. In 2020, the cost of producing blue hydrogen was $1.50 to $2.0 per kg, versus the cost of green hydrogen at $2.5 to $5 per kg.

The agreement does not guarantee that the hydrogen Canada produces has to be green. However, if Germany does end up resisting the export of blue hydrogen from Canada, other EU countries will undoubtedly step in and take its place.

Revitalizing the Port of Churchill

For decades, the Churchill corridor has been starved of sufficient traffic to maintain the costs of their infrastructure. When grain handling was the Port’s mainstay, annual volumes never exceeded 650,000 tons.

The Hudson Bay Railway requires approximately two million tons of traffic each year to be economically self-sufficient. In 2022, the Manitoba and Canada governments pledged $147 million to upgrade and maintain the railway, which is prone to service disruptions.


The Hydrogen Alliance proposal includes the creation of a supply corridor to ship ammonia from Alberta to Europe via the Port of Churchill in Manitoba.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Ammonia exports could provide the volume needed to make the railway sustainable. One 20-foot container (TEU) of liquid ammonia equals 13.7 tons. Two million tons would equal 146,000 TEUs, or about 365 double-stacked train movements per year. As production increases, Western Canada could supply one 3,500 TEU ship per week.

Container cranes would enable Churchill to attract other exports too. The Hudson Bay Railway would be a lower cost route for the export of grains and legumes to Europe and the Middle East. Opening a container terminal at Churchill could lower transport costs to Nunavut and replace diesel generators with hydrogen fuel cells.

Most of the assets required to develop an ammonia supply chain through the Port of Churchill already exist, with the exception of a container crane and a port terminal to handle ships of 3,500 TEU and larger. The guarantee of long-term traffic flows should help offset any public investment needed to build additional infrastructure.
Fighting the ‘energy war’

The potential market for hydrogen is huge and the risk is minute. Regardless of how the invasion of Ukraine ends, the EU will never allow the Russians to have such a large share of their energy market again.

Russia has been leveraging its power over global energy markets to sustain its economy, which has been largely cut off from the rest of the world through sanctions. In solidarity with Ukraine, Europe and many other countries have been desperately seeking alternatives to Russian oil and gas.

Canada could help Europe combat this “energy war” with Russia by offering an alternative to Russian energy sources. By exporting blue hydrogen from Alberta via the Churchill corridor, Canada would be able to add to the volume of Newfoundland and Labrador exports.
Combating climate change

Movements of oil through the Port of Churchill would likely raise objections of environmentalists because of the risk of spills, but ammonia is a different story. While anhydrous ammonia needs to be handled with care, any accidental release is likely to be limited to a single container and would dissipate quickly.


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a deal on Aug. 23, 2022, to kickstart a transatlantic hydrogen supply chain, with the first deliveries expected in just three years.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The export of hydrogen through the Port of Churchill is also consistent with the Government of Canada’s environment policy. Blue hydrogen, which has a relatively low carbon intensity score, has the potential to help Canada meet its 2050 greenhouse gas reduction goal.

A low-carbon economy will require hydrogen production with lower carbon intensity, and blue hydrogen is a step in the right direction. Providing blue hydrogen to export markets will reduce carbon emissions globally as well.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

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These 3 energy storage technologies can help solve the challenge of moving to 100% renewable electricity

MAVEN and EMM make first observations of patchy proton aurora at Mars

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NASA/GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

 

IMAGE: PATCHY PROTON AURORA ON MARS FORM WHEN TURBULENT CONDITIONS AROUND THE PLANET ALLOW CHARGED HYDROGEN PARTICLES FROM THE SUN TO STREAM INTO THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE. IMAGES FROM AUGUST 5 SHOW THE TYPICAL ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, IN WHICH THE EMM INSTRUMENT EMUS DETECTS NO UNUSUAL ACTIVITY AT TWO WAVELENGTHS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HYDROGEN ATOM. BUT ON AUGUST 11 AND AUGUST 30, THE INSTRUMENT OBSERVED PATCHY AURORA AT BOTH WAVELENGTHS, INDICATING TURBULENT INTERACTIONS WITH THE SOLAR WIND. view more 

CREDIT: EMM/EMUS

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission and the United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) have released joint observations of dynamic proton aurora events at Mars. Remote auroral observations by EMM paired with in-situ plasma observations made by MAVEN open new avenues for understanding the Martian atmosphere. This collaboration was made possible by recent data-sharing between the two missions and highlights the value of multi-point observations in space. A study of these findings appears in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

In the new study, EMM discovered fine-scale structures in proton aurora that spanned the full day side of Mars. Proton aurora, discovered by MAVEN in 2018, are a type of Martian aurora that form as the solar wind, made up of charged particles from the Sun, interacts with the upper atmosphere. Typical proton aurora observations made by MAVEN and ESA’s (the European Space Agency) Mars Express mission show these aurora appearing smooth and evenly distributed across the hemisphere. By contrast, EMM observed proton aurora that appeared highly dynamic and variable. These “patchy proton aurora” form when turbulent conditions around Mars allow the charged particles to flood directly into the atmosphere and glow as they slow down.

“EMM’s observations suggested that the aurora was so widespread and disorganized that the plasma environment around Mars must have been truly disturbed, to the point that the solar wind was directly impacting the upper atmosphere wherever we observed auroral emission,” said Mike Chaffin, a MAVEN and EMM scientist based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder and lead author of the study. “By combining EMM auroral observations with MAVEN measurements of the auroral plasma environment, we can confirm this hypothesis and determine that what we were seeing was essentially a map of where the solar wind was raining down onto the planet.”

Normally it is difficult for the solar wind to reach Mars’ upper atmosphere because it is redirected by the bow shock and magnetic fields surrounding the planet. The patchy proton aurora observations are therefore a window into rare circumstances – ones during which the Mars-solar wind interaction is chaotic. “The full impact of these conditions on the Martian atmosphere is unknown, but EMM and MAVEN observations will play a key role in understanding these enigmatic events,” said Chaffin.

The data-sharing between MAVEN and EMM has enabled scientists to determine the drivers behind the patchy proton aurora. EMM carries the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrograph (EMUS) instrument, which observes the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere and exosphere, scanning for variability in atmospheric composition and atmospheric escape to space. MAVEN carries a full suite of plasma instruments, including the Magnetometer (MAG), the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA), and the SupraThermal And Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC) instrument used in this study.

“EMM’s global observations of the upper atmosphere provide a unique perspective on a region critical to MAVEN science," said MAVEN Principal Investigator Shannon Curry, of UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. “These types of simultaneous observations probe the fundamental physics of atmospheric dynamics and evolution and highlight the benefits of international scientific collaboration.”

EMM Science Lead Hessa Al Matroushi agreed. “Access to MAVEN data has been essential for placing these new EMM observations into a wider context,” she said. “Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of our existing knowledge not only of Mars, but of planetary interactions with the solar wind.”

Multi-vantage-point measurements have already proven to be an asset in Earth and heliophysics research. At Mars, over half a dozen orbiters are now taking science observations and with Mars’ southern hemisphere currently experiencing summer, when proton aurora is known to be most active, multi-vantage-point observations will be critical to understanding how these events form. The collaboration between EMM and MAVEN demonstrates the value of discovery-level science about the Martian atmosphere with two spacecraft simultaneously observing the same region.

MAVEN’s principal investigator is based at the University of California, Berkeley, while NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN mission. Lockheed Martin Space built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provides navigation and Deep Space Network support. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder is responsible for managing science operations and public outreach and communication.

  

Top image shows the normal proton aurora formation mechanism first discovered in 2018. White lines show that solar wind protons traveling away from the Sun are normally swept around the planet by the Mars magnetosphere, and don't directly interact with the atmosphere. When proton aurora occur, a small fraction of the solar wind collides with Mars hydrogen in the extended corona of the planet (shown in blue), and charge exchanges into neutral H atoms. These newly created H atoms are still travelling at the same speed, and are no longer sensitive to the magnetospheric forces that redirect protons around the planet. Instead, the energetic H atoms slam directly into the upper atmosphere of Mars and collide multiple times with the neutral atmosphere, resulting in auroral emission by the incident H atoms (purple). Because the solar wind and Mars corona are uniform across the planet, the aurora occurs everywhere on the planet's day side with a uniform brightness. Bottom image shows the newly discovered formation mechanism for patchy proton aurora. Green lines in the top image show that under normal conditions the solar wind magnetic field drapes nicely around the planet. By contrast, patchy proton aurora form during unusual circumstances when the solar wind magnetic field is aligned with the proton flow. Under such conditions the typical draped magnetic field configuration is replaced by a highly variable patchwork of plasma structures, and the solar wind is able to directly impact the planet's upper atmosphere in specific locations that depend on the structure of the turbulence. When incoming solar wind protons collide with the neutral atmosphere, they can be neutralized and emit aurora in localized patches. During such times patchy proton aurora forms a map of the locations where solar wind plasma is directly impacting the planet.

CREDIT

Emirates Mars Mission/UAE Space Agency

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JOURNAL

Geophysical Research Letters

DOI

10.1029/2022GL099881 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

ARTICLE TITLE

Patchy Proton Aurora at Mars: A Global View of Solar Wind Precipitation Across the Martian Dayside From EMM/EMUS

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

31-Aug-2022

Researchers find spaceflight may be associated with DNA mutations and increased risk of developing heart disease and cancer

Peer-Reviewed Publication

THE MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL / MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

 

IMAGE: : A) WE IDENTIFIED SOMATIC MUTATIONS IN KNOWN CLONAL HEMATOPOIESIS OF INDETERMINATE POTENTIAL (CHIP) DRIVER GENES USING PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS ISOLATED FROM 14 ASTRONAUTS WHO FLEW SHORT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS LASTING A MEDIAN OF 12 DAYS BETWEEN 1998–2001. CREATED WITH BIORENDER.COM. B) NUMBER OF SOMATIC NONSYNONYMOUS SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE VARIANTS (SNVS) IN CHIP-DRIVER GENES HARBORED PER SUBJECT. C) RATES OF DIFFERENT SUBSTITUTION TYPES OBSERVED IN CLONAL SNVS. ONLY ONE GUANINE TO THYMINE TRANSITION WAS OBSERVED. D) DENSITY OF MUTATIONS BY VAF FOR EACH MUTATION TYPE. view more 

CREDIT: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY / MOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM

Astronauts are at higher risk for developing mutations—possibly linked to spaceflight—that can increase the risk of developing cancer and heart disease during their lifetimes, according to a first-of-its kind study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 

A team of researchers collected blood samples from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts who flew space shuttle missions between 1998 and 2001. They discovered DNA mutations, known as somatic mutations, in the blood-forming system (hematopoietic stem cells) in all 14 astronauts studied. Their findings, published in the August issue of Nature Communications Biology, suggest that spaceflight could be associated with these mutations and emphasize the importance of ongoing blood screening of astronauts throughout their careers and during their retirement to monitor their health.

Somatic mutations are mutations that occur after a person is conceived and in cells other than sperm or egg cells, meaning they cannot be passed on to offspring. The mutations identified in this study were characterized by the overrepresentation of blood cells derived from a single clone, a process called clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Such mutations are frequently caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation or certain chemicals, and may be a result of cancer chemo- or radiotherapy. There are few signs or symptoms associated with CH; most patients are identified after genetic testing of their blood for other diseases. Although CH is not necessarily an indicator of disease, it is associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and blood cancer.

“Astronauts work in an extreme environment where many factors can result in somatic mutations, most importantly space radiation, which means there is a risk that these mutations could develop into clonal hematopoiesis. Given the growing interest in both commercial spaceflights and deep space exploration, and the potential health risks of exposure to various harmful factors that are associated with repeated or long-duration exploration space missions, such as a trip to Mars, we decided to explore, retrospectively, somatic mutation in the cohort of 14 astronauts,” said the study’s lead author David Goukassian, MD, Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) with the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai.

The study subjects were astronauts who flew relatively short (median 12 days) space shuttle missions between 1998 and 2001. Their median age was approximately 42 years old; roughly 85 percent were male, and six of the 14 were on their first mission. The researchers collected whole blood samples from the astronauts 10 days before their flight and on the day of landing, and white blood cells only three days after landing. The samples were stored at -80ºC for approximately 20 years.

Using DNA sequencing followed by extensive bioinformatics analyses, researchers identified 34 mutations in 17 CH-driver genes. The most frequent mutations occurred in TP53, a gene that produces a tumor-suppressing protein, and DNMT3A, one of the most frequently mutated genes in acute myeloid leukemia. However, the frequency of the somatic mutations in the genes that the researchers assessed was less than two percent, the technical threshold for somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem cells to be considered clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). CHIP is more common in older individuals and is associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and both hematologic and solid cancer.

“Although the clonal hematopoiesis we observed was of a relatively small size, the fact that we observed these mutations was surprising given the relatively young age and health of these astronauts. The presence of these mutations does not necessarily mean that the astronauts will develop cardiovascular disease or cancer, but there is the risk that, over time, this could happen through ongoing and prolonged exposure to the extreme environment of deep space,” Dr. Goukassian said. “Through this study, we have shown that we can determine the individual susceptibility of astronauts to develop disease related to their work without any implications that can affect their ability to do their work. Indeed, our studies demonstrate the importance of early and ongoing screening to assess that susceptibility. Our recommendation is that NASA, and its medical team, screen astronauts for somatic mutations and possible clonal expansion, or regression, every three to five years, and, not less importantly, well into their retirement years when somatic mutations may expand clonally and become CHIP.”

The team’s research follows previous studies that used the same samples to identify predictive biomarkers in exosomes—small lipid-layered microscopic vesicles of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and metabolites that form within the cells of the human body and are subsequently released into the blood circulation, hence carrying the information from their cells of origin that reflects their intercellular condition. This feature of exosomes may qualify them as great biomarkers of health and/or disease, as well as transfer information from one cell to another at great distance in the body. When they treated human heart cells with exosomes derived from astronauts, the researchers found that the exosomes affected the biology of the vitamin D receptor, which plays a key role in bone, heart, and skeletal muscle health. They also assessed the impact of space flight on mitochondrial DNA—the genome of small organelles that supply energy to cells. In that study, the team found that the amount of cell-free mitochondrial DNA circulating in the blood of astronauts was two to 350 times higher than normal, which may lead to oxidative damage and inflammation elsewhere in the body.

“Through these studies, we have demonstrated the potential to assess the health risk of space flight among astronauts. What is important now is to conduct longitudinal retrospective and well-controlled prospective studies involving a large number of astronauts to see how that risk evolves based on continued exposure and then compare that data against their clinical symptoms, imaging, and lab results. That will enable us to make informed predictions as to which individuals are more likely to develop disease based on the phenomena we are seeing and open the door to individualized precision medicine approaches to early intervention and prevention,” said Dr. Goukassian.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: It is consistently ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools," aligned with a U.S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" Hospital, and top 20 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding and top 5 in the nation for numerous basic and clinical research areas. Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

 

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JOURNAL

Communications Biology

ARTICLE TITLE

Retrospective analysis of somatic mutations and clonal hematopoiesis in astronauts