Fuel from CO₂

A method has been developed that would help convert carbon dioxide (CO2 ) into gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The process developed by the Osaka National Research Institute, Japan, involves reaction of CO2 with hydrogen in presence of a catalyst made from iron, zinc and a zeolite. Then CO2 and hydrogen are pressurised to 50 atmosphere and heated to a temperature of 350 C.

Smooth drive

Researchers are developing smart shock absorbers that would smooth out bumps experienced by moving vehicles. Bayer, a chemicals company in Leverkusen, Germany, has developed an electro-rheological fluid for the shock absorbers. The fluid allows shocks to adjust when a car passes over bumps. The product developed by Schenck, a Darmstadt based company would be available in the market by the year 2000. It would be fitted with an array of sensors to constantly monitor road surface and vertical movement of the vehicle's wheels.

Ozone friendly, but toxic

two refrigerants being used to help protect the Earth's ozone layer may lead to liver damage in people, reveals a study. A team of researchers led by Perrine Hoet at the Catholic University of Lounin, Brussels, has confirmed cases of toxic effects in workers exposed to halogenated hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hcfc -123 and hcfc -124.

Artificial rain

A technique to produce unnatural rain is being worked out in Mexico by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, USA and several universities in Mexico. They are using pyrotechnic flares mounted on aircraft to seed clouds. The craft flies along the surface of cloud so that the moisture-retaining particles released by the flares could rise into the cloud. When the water vapours in cloud come into connection with the particles, these are formed into droplets that fall as rain ( Popular Science , Vol 251, No 2).

Hostile germs

a dangerous bacterium that can pose serious threats to human life has developed resistance to antibiotics. The bacteria, called staphylococcus, can drain through intravenous lines or get into surgical wounds and destroy skin and bones, poison blood and lead to other complications. Earlier, penicillin, an antibiotic, was able to prevent the infection.

Free falling to safety

a wingless spacecraft, the x -38 is being developed at National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( nasa ), usa, that would work as a rescue vehicle for a space station. The spacecraft can fly back to the Earth from space and land like an aircraft on a runway. Engineers at nasa 's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, say the craft would be of immense use for the upcoming international space station.

Tumour Tamer

researchers have found a gene that may help combat cancer and degenerative diseases linked to ageing. The gene has been cloned by two teams of researchers separately - one led by Thomas Cech, a biochemist at the University of Colorado and the other by Robert Weinberg, a biochemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, usa. The gene would control the activity of the telomerase enzyme in human cells ( Time , Vol 150, No 9).

For a cleaner drive

an electronic nose fitted with air-conditioning of a car would prevent toxic gases from entering the cabin.

Attacking the heart

A recent study has confirmed the link between pollution and heart attacks. Researchers at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, say one in 50 heart attacks reported at hospitals in London may be caused by outdoor pollution. Nearly 6,000 heart attacks can be avoided every year in the UK if emissions are controlled, say the researchers who examined admissions for circula-tory diseases in London hospitals between 1987 and 1994. High levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dio-xide, carbon monoxide and soot in the patients' lungs and blood were strongly associated with heart attacks.

Digging in the dirt

the horizontal wells can be effectively used to clear up heavily polluted industrial sites. The method pioneered by the oil industry is cheaper and quicker than conventional methods. Drilling vertical holes or excavation are the usual methods of clearing heavily polluted sites. But horizontal drilling causes less disturbance on the surface and could be quicker than vertical wells.