Using Carbon Dioxide for Good !

Cornell University is currently working on a technology that will capture carbon dioxide before it gets into the atmosphere. A group of scientists proposed making a call that would use aluminum as an anode and carbon dioxide paired with oxygen as a cathode. The reaction between the cathode and anode would create electricity while also making a oxalate byproduct.

The group reported that their electrochemical cell generated 13 ampere hours per gram of porous carbon (as the cathode) at a discharge potential of around 1.4 volts. The energy produced by the cell is comparable to that produced by the highest energy-density battery systems.

This technology could do great things, such as reducing the carbon footprint and increasing natural ways to make more electricity. These types of technologies are even attempted to be used in vehicles!

 http://www.worldcoal.org/reducing-co2-emissions/carbon-capture-use-storage

Ancient air bubbles and Earth's Oxygen levels

Researchers have discovered ancient air bubbles trapped in inclusions found with rock salt. The chemical makeup of the air bubbles revealed that Earth's atmosphere was made up of roughly 11% oxygen 815 million years ago. This discovery puts an oxygenated atmosphere 200 million years ahead of when animals first began to appear. Scientist had previously thought oxygen didn't reach such high levels until approximately 600 million years ago at a similar time as when animals began to emerge. The new finding also puts the evolution of animals into question. There is now the question of whether or not the high oxygen levels had excelled the evolution of animals. Some scientists and universities are already disputing the evidence found claiming there must have a form of outside contamination within the samples.