There is absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind at this point that the Middle East is the sand box for eco-architects and designers who wish to incorporate green designs with fluid forms, creating structures of beauty, utility and majesty. Since there’s a demand for unique, astonishing and eco-friendly buildings, the Helix Hotel is just one of those.

Designed by Leeser Architects and forming a captivating corkscrew from top to bottom with no clear breaks, the entire structure garners green energy from both the sun and the wind, and flows from retail and residential to hotel suites and saunas. All set to take shape in Abu Dhabi, the specially designed GROW panels made from 100% recyclable polyethylene on the exterior of the Helix Hotel will harness both solar and wind energy for the power needs inside.

And all these are being put together, while a spectacular ocean-fed waterfall in the atrium  will help maintain interior climate and humidity levels! Add to this the fact that no two rooms of this 280-roomed building will be alike and you have a one-of-a-kind hotel that merges green function with sizzling form…

Another jewel in the crown of Dubai, eh? [via Inhabitat]

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Deep-sea corals about 400 meters off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands are believed to be much older than once thought.  They might even be the oldest living sea organism. “Researchers from Lawrence Livermore, Stanford University and the University of California at Santa Cruz have determined that two groups of Hawaiian deep-sea corals are far older than previously recorded.”

Geradia (gold) coral

Using the Stanford’s Lab’s Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine the ages of Geradia sp., or gold coral, and specimens of the deep-water black coral, Leiopathes sp.

The longest lived in both species – 2,740 years and 4,270 years, respectively.

Leiopathes (deep water black) coral

Over 4,000 years old makes the deep-water black coral the oldest living skeletal-accreting marine organism known. The research can be seen in the March 23 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Until now the oldest colonies from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans had life spans of 1,800 to 2,740 years. Nevertheless the results remain contentious with some biologists.

Here’s the real problem -

“Hawaiian deep sea corals face direct threats from harvesting for jewelry and from commercial fisheries that trawl the ocean bottoms.”

“The close relationship between deep sea corals (and the mid-water ecosystems) and ocean’s surface means they can be affected by natural and man-made changes in surface ocean conditions including ocean acidification, warming and altered stratification.”

In other words, we can really screw this up if we are not careful. What I want to know is how did the researchers get the coral into Stanford’s lab without messing with the ecosystem?

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was founded in 1952. It is a national security laboratory -to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. It is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

That Lab Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, is right up the street from my house.

A team of scientists led by Dr. Bruce Logan of Penn State University are seriously engaged in using a microbe that could provide a solution for most of our environmental woes. A single arrow that shoots down two major eco-problems, this new species of bacteria known as Methanobacterium palustre apparently has the potential to turn CO2 into CH4. That means that you could soon store the carbon emissions of the world in a giant container and transform them into Methane— which is then used to generate energy.

Demonstration of a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)

As incredulous as it sounds, the new process is based on the already known (and used) technique of water electrolysis, which converts water into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). In a similar fashion, the new method dubbed electromethanogensis will create methane out of carbon dioxide by using microbes.

While the process is still getting shape, many believe that bio-energy of this kind is just not economically and practically feasible. but we think that the magic of genetic engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology could combine to change the perception for the next half of the century.

What will a large scale MFC system of the future look like?

For now, microbe-powered CO2 fuel cell canisters are still some way away. [Green Car Congress via Ecogeek]

A monster predator with a circular jaw and a pair of claws on its head has been discovered in old collections of the Smithsonian museum in Washington.

Monster predator with a circular jaw

Fragments of the monster were unearthed in 1912 somewhere in Canada’s 505 million-year-old Burgess Shale site. Researchers are first thought they were part of a crustacean-like animal.

When researchers discovered more complete specimens in the 1990’s they realized fossils that were previously classified as jellyfish, sea cucumbers and other anthropods were more likely an entirely new beast.

The new monster – Hurdia victoria – has a segmented body covered with gills and a huge three-part carapace, or shell, that projects out from the front of its head, according to the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science.

Allison Daley has been studying the fossils for three years as part of her doctoral thesis.

“The use of the large carapace extending from the front of its head is a mystery. In many animals, a shell or carapace is used to protect the soft-parts of the body, as you would see in a crab or lobster, but this structure in Hurdia is empty and does not cover or protect the rest of the body. We can only guess at what its function might have been.”

A team of researchers from Canada, Britain and the United States reclassified the fossils after studying several hundred specimens found in the Burgess Shale.

Hurdia and Anomalocaris are believed to both be early offshoots of the evolutionary lineage that led to arthropods -spiders, crustaceans, insects, millipedes and centipedes.

The things scientists can determine from looking at rocks continues to amaze me.

Really.

I’ve tried doing that. I look at the backs of people and wonder what their fronts look like. I NEVER get it right. How can these folks determine what the skin on a rock looked like? I don’t get it.

Really.

There are many people who are trying to break the land speed record for a two wheeler or a four wheeler, but it’s not very often that someone tries to set a land speed record for wind-powered vehicles. However, that’s exactly what Richard Jenkins and his team, have been looking for.

Greenbird, wind powered vehicle breaks speed record

With a uber-cool looking carrier dubbed the Greenbird (completely wind-powered and uses absolutely nothing else to speed it up), after a few unsuccessful attempts down under in Australia, Richard managed to achieve this rare feet at Ivenpah Lake in Nevada.

Dare to venture a guess on the mark he set? It’s a stunning 126.1 mph and yes that is all just wind power!

The Greenbird is much like a sail boat on land, but has totally different challenges to overcome. Powered by wind at such a high pace, the entire vehicle experiences a lift much like a flight on runway. And to counter this Richard used F1-styled wings to keep it firmly on ground!

While the new speed record gives a great ad for wind energy and illustrates its potential, Richard is looking forward to breaking his own record and setting a new land speed record for wind-powered vehicle, all over again. [BBC via Inhabitat]