GROW YOUR OWN GRUBS
Earlier this year, the UK’s first insect
restaurant opened its doors, and
soon you’ll be able to grow your own
mealworms in the first desktop hive
for edible bugs. Created by LIVIN
Farms, the hive is a miniature insect
ranch. Mealworm beetles in the top
section lay eggs which grow into
edible mealworm larvae that travel
down the hive as they mature. Once
they’re 3cm long, the insects are
ready to be harvested, and the hive
can produce up to 500g of nutritious
mealworms every week. Worm
wonton might not be everyone’s idea
of a treat, but if you’ve caught the
insect-eating bug, this will scratch
that itch.
Patent pending
DROP-IN DEPARTURES
Forget forking out extra money to
board the plane before everyone
else. Airbus wants to speed up
boarding times by fitting planes
with removable cabin modules.
Passengers would take their seats
and get comfy inside a cabin module
that’s located within the airport
terminal’s departure lounge. Once
all the passengers are in place and
the flight is ready for boarding, the
cabin module would be hoisted
out and slotted into the plane like
a Lego brick. This would cut down
on airport space and waiting times,
and – slightly less thrillingly – give
you more time to get to know your
in-flight neighbour.
Patent pendingDON’T SWEAT IT
It’s not just probiotic yoghurt that’s putting bacteria to good use.
A project at MIT’s Tangible Media Group is using moisture-sensitive
bacteria to create clothing with active vents that open to cool you down
when you get hot. The secret to the ‘Second Skin’ is a strain of the Bacillus
subtilis bacterium that expands in response to humidity. A biofilm made
from these bacteria is integrated into the fabric so that when the wearer
starts to sweat, vents on the garment open up, helping the sweat to
evaporate and cool your body.
Provisional patents issued
Inventions about to change your world
PATENTLY OBVIOUS
with James LloydWhen it comes to climate
change, there is no time to
breathe easy. Falling oxygen
levels caused by rising global
temperatures could result in the
suffocation of life on Earth.
A study by mathematicians
at the University of Leicester
has found that an increase in
the temperature of the world’s
oceans of just six degrees could
halt the production of oxygen
by phytoplankton by disrupting
the process of photosynthesis.
Alarmingly, some researchers
have predicted that this could
occur as soon as 2100.
“About two-thirds of the
planet’s total atmospheric
oxygen is produced by ocean
phytoplankton and therefore
cessation would result in the
depletion of atmospheric
oxygen on a global scale. This
would likely result in themass mortality of animals and
humans,” said lead researcher
Sergei Petrovskii.
The prediction is based
on a model that looks at the
production and consumption
of oxygen rather than carbon
dioxide, which is more
commonly used as an indicator
of global climate.
“A lot has been said about
the expected disastrous
consequences of global
warming since it became a
concern almost two decades
ago. Perhaps the most notorious
is the flooding that may result
from the melting of Antarctic
ice if the warming exceeds a
few degrees compared to the
pre-industrial level. However,
it now appears that flooding is
probably not the biggest danger
that global warming can pose to
humanity,” said Petrovskii.EARTHEAEAARTRTHHClimate change could
suffocate Earth and its
inhabitants by 2100
PHOTO: NASA/AQUA/MODIS, ROB CHRONPlankton in the oceans are
responsible for producing two
thirds of the Earth’s oxygenRather than just
making your top stink,
bacteria could help it
keep you cool