 I stumbled upon domestic-use in-vessel composters (on a lead from @harvestpower, of course).
I had heard of in-vessel composting, but never realized that at least two companies created machines that you plug in, feed with your organic waste (with addition of saw dust), and out comes compost.
As far as I can tell, the process is very fast, so it’s immature compost (composting has a final curing step). But I’m sure the raw stuff that comes out of these machines is pretty good. And to me, one could use this machine for the first step and have a larger separate bin for the curing step.
The two are:
- NatureMill Automatic Compost Bin is from San Francisco (it’s the silver box in the pic on right*)
- And GreenGood are the North American distributors of the Oklin (Korea) in-vessel composter. The interesting thing about the Oklin composters is that they use a special thermophile (called “acidulo” bacteria).
I am so tempted to buy one. Maybe the manufacturers could “lend” me a machine for review and comparisons (hint hint)?
Alas, my wife suggested I build one myself. Gah. Not happening soon.
Image from Nature Mill
“Health claims for probiotics are evaluated by the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies of the European Food Safety Authority. Despite a substantial amount of basic and clinical research on the beneficial effects of probiotics, all of the evaluated claim applications thus far have received a negative opinion. With the restrictions on the use of clinical endpoints, validated biomarkers for gut health and immune health in relation to reduction in disease risk are needed. Clear-cut criteria for design as well as evaluation of future studies are needed. An open dialogue between basic and clinical scientists, regulatory authorities, food and nutrition industry, and consumers could bridge the gap between science and marketing of probiotics.”
Not sure what to make of this other than the comment that ‘clear-cut criteria’ will be needed to actually turn claims into science.
Read this article…
“A team led by Jay Keasling, a bioengineer at the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, California, worked to extend the strategy to make more commonly used fuels. They used Escherichia coli, a bacterium into which it’s relatively easy to insert new genes. They started by creating two strains of E. coli, inserting genes for breaking down cellulose in one and genes for breaking down hemicellulose in the other. They then split each of these two strains into three groups and to each group added genes for one of three different metabolic pathways that allow the microbes to make chemical precursors for either gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel.”
Nice step towards making this happen.
Read this article…
“Molecular diagnostics and molecular biology in general are becoming more pervasive every day in a range of applications but are still seen by many as being an arcane science. Many undergraduate science curricula cover only the basics of theoretical components without exposure to laboratory practice, due to perceived cost and complexity of laboratory facilities needed. With this in mind, I recently set out on a quest to see whether a non-specialist, $500 complete molecular biology laboratory was possible.”
Hm. Quite interesting. Sure got me searching on eBay for some stuff. Quite amazing.
Read this article…
“But what happens next? Can Janelia Farm do ‘great science’ during the next 5 to 10 years? Will it pass Rubin’s deletion test? Can it rewrite the introductory biology texts (Cech’s favourite definition of great science), or foster “a couple of programmes that create a whole new direction” (Tjian’s favourite)? That is the great unanswerable question. As Simpson says, “you can’t engineer great science. You just have to create the conditions that make it possible, and see what happens.””
Great overview of the current state of HHMI’s experiment in cross-disciplinary collaboration. I say, step back and let it happen. Heck, it’s only been five years.
But also, 1) don’t measure it against traditional measures; 2) serve a an inspiration, if not model, for other privately (foundation) funded institutes. The government is at its limit and we’re all fretting. We need new funding models. The HHMI and Jenelia is one.
Read this article…
“In summary, the Tara Oceans project leverages powerful new technologies and analytical tools to develop the first planetary-scale data collection effort that links biogeography with ecology, genetics, and morphology. Guided by the cross-disciplinary philosophy the pay-offs can be immense, considering the massive number of samples and data that have been collected, archived, and interconnected for scientific study, only half-way through the expedition. A lesson from this project is that, when it comes to addressing broad and complex issues of general interest to mankind, competition between scientists may not be the best model. The Tara Oceans project is a pioneering enterprise towards a truly worldwide, systems-level characterization of the largest and most fundamental ecosystem on our planet.”
Cool. In my current job, we spend a lot of time talking to people who are combining huge and disparate sources of data and correlating, analyzing, and exploring the connections. Now, I see this happening everywhere. While the 80s-00s could be the Information Age, I’d like to call the new age we are entering the Age of Data (or something like that – it’s all about Data Analysis, innit?)
Read this article…
“Just as fortunes were made by the designers and manufacturers of the humble mouse mat after the launch of the Apple Macintosh, we are likely to see consumer products exponentially increasing. It is difficult for us now to fully appreciate the number of tiny ICT devices that populate our cars, kitchen goods and even children’s toys; but the time is ripe for a new generation of biotech entrepreneurs to look for novel ways to create consumer products using biological advancements.”
Nice thoughtful article on the future of making things with biology.
Read this article…
“What’s the news: If bacteria had blood, the predatory microbe Micavibrio aeruginosavorus would essentially be a vampire: it subsists by hunting down other bugs, attaching to them, and sucking their life out. For the first time, researchers have sequenced the genome of this strange microorganism, which was first identified decades ago in sewage water. The sequence will help better understand the unique bacterium, which has potential to be used as a “living antibiotic” due to its ability to attack drug-resistant biofilms and its apparent fondness for dining on pathogens.”
Absolutely awesome. And if there’s one bug that does this, there must be many many more.
Read this article…
“The traditional view of mRNA as a pure intermediate between DNA and protein has changed in the last decades since the discovery of numerous RNA processing pathways. A frequent RNA modification is A-to-I editing, or the conversion of adenosine (A) to inosine (I).”
Hah. One more inflection point in the complexity of molecular biology. I think the reality is that life doesn’t give a hoot about the individual organism, but is one gigantic randomization engine (or should I say, purposeful variation), sampling adjacent possibles, giving rise to genomic variants of all sorts, with some variants tending towards even greater complexity and randomization techniques. [Hm, that's a brain wave developing there...]
Read this article…
“The Microbial Home Probe consists of a domestic ecosystem that challenges conventional design solutions to energy, cleaning, food preservation, lighting, human waste and healthy lifestyle.”
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Microbial Home by Philips
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Paternoster plastic grinder and mushroom grower
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Bio light
Very cool. And mentions of a Post Electronic Age, too.
Read this article…
Images from Philips – more at Microbial Home
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I stumbled upon domestic-use in-vessel composters (on a lead from @harvestpower, of course).