#AncientEgyptian ‘#AirConditioning’ could help cool modern buildings

One research team hopes to harness 5,000-year-old ideas to battle rising temperatures.

by Andrew Paul
Published Aug 22, 2023

"By retrofitting their shipping container test chamber with off-the-grid, solar powered battery storage, AL-Hassawi’s team can heat their chamber to upwards of 130 degrees Fahrenheit to test out their solutions while measuring factors such as air velocity, temperature, and humidity. The team is particularly focused on optimizing a passive cooling method involving large towers and evaporative cooling that dates as far back as 2,500 BCE in ancient Egypt. In these designs, moisture evaporates at the tower’s top, which turns into cool, heavier air that then sinks down to the habitable space below. In the team’s version, moisture could be generated via misting nozzles, shower heads, or simply water-soaked pads.

" 'It’s an older technology, but there’s been an attempt to innovate and use a mix of new and existing technologies to improve performance and the cooling capacity of these systems,' explained Al-Hassawi, who also envisions retrofitting smokestacks in older buildings to work as new cooling towers."

Full article:
https://www.popsci.com/technology/shipping-container-test-cooler/

#SolarPunkSunday #AncientTechnology #ModernTechnology #KeepingCool

From #yogurt to yield: Potential applications of #LacticAcidBacteria in plant production

by John R. Lamont, Olivia Wilkins, Margaret Bywater-Ekegärd, Donald L. Smith
Published August, 2017

Highlights
• Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used for decades to improve plant growth.
• The plant - LAB relationship has yet to be fully characterized.
• LAB can serve as biofertilizers, biocontrols, biostimulants, and bioelicitors.

Abstract:
"Ferments containing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used for decades in agricultural systems to improve soils, control disease and promote plant growth, however, the functional roles of LAB in the phytomicrobiome have yet to be discovered. An understanding of the symbiotic relationship between plants and LAB could be exploited to improve agricultural plant production.

"Scientific investigations to validate plant growth promoting properties of LAB are increasing in number and scope. LAB isolated from diverse sources have been shown to be effective biofertilizers, biocontrol agents, biostimulants. As biofertilizers, LAB can improve nutrient availability from compost and other organic material. In fermented food, LAB has served as an effective biocontrol agent; recently LAB have been shown to be effective in the control of a wide variety of fungal and bacterial phytopathogens. As biostimulants, LAB can directly promote plant growth or seed germination, as well as alleviating various abiotic stresses.

"In this review, we discuss the history and ecology of plants and LAB, appraise the available information on the use of LAB in improving plant production, and consider the limitations and potential new directions for the use of LAB in plant agriculture."

Source [includes intro, rest is behind a paywall]:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038071716304151

#SolarPunkSunday #Biostimulants #Composting #PlantHealth #AncientTechnology #ModernTechnology #Biofertilizers #SoilEnhancement

File under things I never thought I'd see:

I wanted to get my caffeinated beverage for the day. I walked up to the vending machine and it wouldn't take my credit card because it wasn't properly connected to the internet. Yes, I know this is pitiful, but still.

#AmIOld #ModernTechnology #VendingMachines #Alani

This seems appropriate for today. Not my OC.

#cloudflare #technology #tech #ModernTechnology

Testing Shows Automotive Glassbreakers Can't Break Modern Automotive Glass

https://www.core77.com/posts/138925/Testing-Shows-Automotive-Glassbreakers-Cant-Break-Modern-Automotive-Glass

#HackerNews #AutomotiveSafety #Glassbreakers #ModernTechnology #TestingInnovation