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Oil Spill Cleanup: Smart Filter Can Strain Oil Out of Water

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A smart filter with a shape-shifting surface can separate oil and water using gravity alone, an advancement that could be useful in cleaning up environmental oil spills, among other applications, say its University of Michigan developers.

The system could provide a more efficient way to remove crude oil from waterways without using additional chemical detergents, or even after detergents have been added, said Anish Tuteja, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Tuteja is the corresponding author of a paper on the research published in the Aug. 28 issue of Nature Communications.

The researchers created a filter coating that repels oil but attracts water, bucking conventional materials’ properties. Most natural substances soak up oil, and the few that repel it also repel water because water has a higher surface tension. (more…)

Cosmetic Chemical Hinders Brain Development in Tadpoles

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2012Scienceariana spawn, behavioral effects, biocide methylisothiazolinone, brain development, brown researchers, brown university, carlos aizenman, concentration, cosmetics industry, david orenstein, electrophysiological analysis, growth of animal neurons, immature tadpole, low concentrations, MIT, neural circuits, neurological development, optic tectum, parts per million, patterns of light, physiological difference, ppm, shampoos, signal, tadpole tanks, tadpoles, visual information, whitehall foundation

*A new study finds that low concentrations of the chemical methylisothiazolinone has subtle but measurable negative effects on the neural development of tadpoles. The chemical is found in some cosmetics, although the study does not provide any evidence that cosmetics are unsafe for humans.*

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Scientists, health officials, and manufacturers already know that a chemical preservative found in some products, including cosmetics, is harmful to people and animals in high concentrations, but a new Brown University study in tadpoles reports that it can also interrupt neurological development even in very low concentrations.

In the cosmetics industry, the biocide methylisothiazolinone or MIT, is considered safe at concentrations of less than 100 parts per million. Lab studies, however, have found that lower concentrations affected the growth of animal neurons. Picking up from there, the Brown researchers performed a series of experiments to investigate how 10 days of exposure at concentrations as low as 1.5 ppm would affect whole, living tadpoles as they develop. Their results appear in advance online in the journal Neuroscience. (more…)

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Oil Spill Cleanup: Smart Filter Can Strain Oil Out of Water

Cosmetic Chemical Hinders Brain Development in Tadpoles