as much as it seems we need oil to survive, it is conceivable that we can actually do without it. but many feel that our real need in the coming years will be fresh water as we cannot live without it and in many places fresh water is becoming very very scarce. this makes this article very very interesting Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a carbon-nanotube membrane that could one day be used to desalinate water inexpensively. Common methods for removing salt from water rely on reverse osmosis, or moving freshwater through a semipermeable membrane by applying pressure; but it can be expensive because of the energy needed to produce large amounts of pressure. According to the national security lab, more-permeable nanotube membranes could offset energy costs of desalination by as much as 75 percent, comparatively. http://news.com.com/2100-11395_3-6075309.html?part=rss&tag=6075309&subj=news
I think that this is one of many explorations in the new field of biomimicry. Really cool stuff. Nature is way ahead of us in so many areas but now we're just starting to develope the chemistry and physics to explore much more advanced ways of doing certain things.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ May 22 2006, 11:48 PM) [snapback]259601[/snapback]</div> There was a science fiction book by Asimov or someone that featured a world where most of the labor saving devices were organic rather than mechanical ... water pumps were a muscle from a type of mollusk that drew nutrients out of water (they were grown into a sleeve). Its been 30 years or more since I read it, but it came to mind when I read the post above.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ May 23 2006, 09:28 PM) [snapback]260155[/snapback]</div> one of many examples where science fiction writers either "predicted" a future invention or perhaps "inspired" a youngster to higher goals of innovation.
