Animal-rights activists may be pleased at a new development that should lead to fewer animals being sacrificed in the name of environmental monitoring — or, at least, will result in vastly smaller organisms being used in the guinea-pig role.

The new developments also could save people from becoming inadvertent guinea pigs when their water system becomes contaminated by detecting problems early.

It all involves taking science to micro levels.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University are among teams around the world working on “lab on a chip” systems that can shrink large amounts of analytic equipment down to a quarter-inch square, and produce results more quickly to boot. At the university’s School of Engineering, a group led by vice-dean Yosi Shacham-Diamand has made such a nanolab that can perform water-quality evaluations that previously might have been the job of test fish; or not come to light until people had already been sickened by stealth toxins.

The chip in question is covered with a layer of bacteria that have been genetically engineered to produce small amounts of light in the presence of certain water contaminants. When paired with sensors that can pick up on these tiny light levels, the device can register changes in water quality in real time instead of waiting for results. “Our system is based on a plastic chip,” Professor Shacham-Diamand says in this press release, “that is more humane, much faster, more sensitive and much cheaper” than conventional tests.

Micro-labs like this one aren’t only useful for testing, say, E. coli levels in a city’s water supply. Scientists are working on applications involving stem cells, various chemicals that could be used in biological warfare, and cancer research.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

The idea of training plants to grow into odd, useful forms isn’t a new one. It’s been done for ages, has been the subject of enthusiast-penned books, and in recent years has attracted the interest of fine artists and architects.

Photo: Dr. Mitchell Joachim, Terreform 1

Now two professors at Tel Aviv University hope to move eco-architecture into the commercial realm, designing products that can be sold and grown around the world.

As envisioned by Professors Yoav Waisel and Amram Eshel, the structures would emphasize the use of tree roots instead of branches: Manipulating “aerial root development,” they imagine using aeroponically grown (that is, without soil) tree roots that remain easily pliable for unique applications like tree-root dwellings that would be inherently earthquake-resistant in California.

Nothing like that is currently being offered by the professors’ commercial partner Plantware, which is showcasing more whimsical and decorative items like tree-shaded chairs and coat hangers that grow out of pots. The joint TAU/Plantware effort is starting modestly, with plans to “build” street lamps and park benches out of growing materials in locations around the United States, Australia and Israel.

But that hasn’t stopped the researchers and entrepreneurs from releasing some very fanciful drawings depicting whole homes that use trees for their skeletons. Plantware CEO Gordon Glazer admits such dwellings are further down the road, probably at least a decade. But they would have some nice green features – beyond being intrinsically green – such as built-in composting and rainwater capture systems. See the dissection below.

As a press release puts it: “While the method of ‘growing your own home’ can take years, the result is long lasting and desirable” — especially for prospective home-growers who don’t live in regions with heavy woodpecker populations.

Photo: Dr. Mitchell Joachim, Terreform 1

Copyright © 2008.Distributed by Noofangle Media