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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Break Water"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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READER SCRIPT
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THE NEXT-BEST THING TO BOTTLED SUNSHINE... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. OUR ENERGY FUTURE MAY HAVE JUST GOTTEN A MAJOR SURGE--WITH THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW, AMAZINGLY SIMPLE PROCESS OUT OF M-I-T. THE DISCOVERY IS BASED ON WHAT GOES ON WITH ALL THOSE LITTLE GREEN THINGS OUT THERE, CALLED LEAVES ON PLANTS; THEY STORE ENERGY ALL THE TIME--BECAUSE THEY NEED TO LIVE WHEN THE SUN'S NOT OUT. AND, THE WAY THAT THEY DO THEY DO IT IS THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS--WHICH WORKS DIRECTLY ON WATER; IT TAKES THE LIGHT, CONVERTS IT, THEN TAKES WATER, REARRANGES THE BONDS OF WATER, AND STORES IT IN HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN. THE BIGGEST PART OF ENERGY STORAGE IS IN WATER-SPLITTING--WHICH IS THE LESSON THAT M-I-T CHEMIST DANIEL NOCERA LEARNED. HIS DISCOVERY IS HOW TO SPLIT WATER INTO HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN; WHAT'S SPECIAL IS THAT YOU CAN DO IT IN A GLASS OF WATER, AT BOTH ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND ROOM TEMPERATURE. THIS DISCOVERY COULD RESULT IN A WORLD WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS YOUR POWER PLANT: YOU WOULD HAVE A SOLAR PANEL ON YOUR HOUSE--AND, WHEN THE SUN COMES IN, AND WITH THE NEWLY DISCOVERED CATALYST, YOU COULD MAKE HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, SO THAT WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN, YOU CAN THEN TAKE THE HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, RE-COMBINE THEM IN A FUEL CELL, AND THEN GET ELECTRICITY OUT OF IT. IN NOCERA'S OPINION, THAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO USE THE DISCOVERY. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
