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Toxic to aliens -- but key to health of planet
June 19, 2008Novel University of Leicester research uses ingredient found in dandruff shampoos to monitor oxygen levels in oceans
Scientists at the University of Leicester are using an ingredient found in common shampoos to investigate how the oxygen content of the oceans has changed over geologically recent time.
The same ingredient, which was also used to fight off alien invaders in the film "Evolution", is a widely available dietary supplement used by many people.
The ingredient, selenium, is an anti-oxidant and an essential trace nutrient in our diet. It belongs to a group of elements whose behaviour is controlled by the concentration of oxygen in the environment.
This study represents a first attempt by scientists to use selenium in this way and is part of research student, Andrew Shore's, PhD project. It involves measuring the isotopic ratios of selenium in sediments.
One possible outcome of the project is that the results could give scientists a global picture of the changing oxygen content of the oceans through time. Previous studies have tended to focus on local variations in ocean oxygen content.
The oxygen content of oceans can also be used as an indicator of the "overall health" of the oceans. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states changes in fish populations are "associated with changes in oceanic oxygen levels." Therefore an understanding of oxygen in the oceans is not only important for the past but also for the future.
"We are using samples from an ocean basin off the Venezuelan coast which previous studies have shown to have changed its oxygen content over the last 500,000 years," explained Andrew.
Without oxygen living things suffocate. Six hundred million years ago, the only life that could survive was tiny single-celled organisms. Then suddenly 540 million years ago complex life began to thrive, possibly as the "miracle molecule", oxygen, became abundant on Earth.
Andrew added: "Our understanding of the changes in atmospheric oxygen is good, but our planet is 70% covered by oceans. Determining the oceanic oxygen content is very difficult - it is linked to the atmosphere, plankton growth, and ocean circulation patterns."
University of Leicester
The ingredient, selenium, is an anti-oxidant and an essential trace nutrient in our diet. It belongs to a group of elements whose behaviour is controlled by the concentration of oxygen in the environment.
This study represents a first attempt by scientists to use selenium in this way and is part of research student, Andrew Shore's, PhD project. It involves measuring the isotopic ratios of selenium in sediments.
One possible outcome of the project is that the results could give scientists a global picture of the changing oxygen content of the oceans through time. Previous studies have tended to focus on local variations in ocean oxygen content.
The oxygen content of oceans can also be used as an indicator of the "overall health" of the oceans. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states changes in fish populations are "associated with changes in oceanic oxygen levels." Therefore an understanding of oxygen in the oceans is not only important for the past but also for the future.
"We are using samples from an ocean basin off the Venezuelan coast which previous studies have shown to have changed its oxygen content over the last 500,000 years," explained Andrew.
Without oxygen living things suffocate. Six hundred million years ago, the only life that could survive was tiny single-celled organisms. Then suddenly 540 million years ago complex life began to thrive, possibly as the "miracle molecule", oxygen, became abundant on Earth.
Andrew added: "Our understanding of the changes in atmospheric oxygen is good, but our planet is 70% covered by oceans. Determining the oceanic oxygen content is very difficult - it is linked to the atmosphere, plankton growth, and ocean circulation patterns."
University of Leicester
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Taking dexamathasone prophlyactically may improve exercise capacity in some mountaineers, according to Swiss researchers. Dexamathasone, known popularly to climbers as "dex," has been used for years to treat altitude-related symptoms in mountaineers, but has never been tested for its ability to improve exercise capacity at high altitude.
Oxygen treatment hastens memory loss in Alzheimer's mice
A 65-year-old women goes into the hospital for routine hip surgery. Six months later, she develops memory loss and is later diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
Extreme makeover chemistry style
In revisiting a chemical reaction that's been in the literature for several decades and adding a new wrinkle of their own, researchers with Berkeley Lab and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have discovered a mild and relatively inexpensive procedure for removing oxygen from biomass.
The Rise of Oxygen Caused Earth's Earliest Ice Age
Geologists may have uncovered the answer to an age-old question - an ice-age-old question, that is.
No oxygen in Eastern Mediterranean bottom-water
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Who is the arch-criminal in the development of hepatopulmonary syndrome?
The hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) develops when an arterial oxygenation deficiency occurs due to intra-pulmonary vascular dilatations that are often associated with severe hepatic disease. HPS occurs in 15-20% of patients with liver cirrhosis undergoing evaluation for orthotopic liver transplantation.
Elevated nitric oxide in blood is key to high altitude function for Tibetans
How can some people live at high altitudes and thrive while others struggle to obtain enough oxygen to function?
Researchers Setting Up Observatories to Examine Arctic Changes from Under the Ice
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are venturing this month to the North Pole to deploy instruments that will make year-round observations of the water beneath the Arctic ice cap.
Study: Chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth better for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
A study published March 17, 2007 in The Lancet, one of the world's foremost medical journals, finds that the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting are almost twice as high if bystanders perform chest-compression-only resuscitation instead of traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with mouth-to-mouth breathing.
Researchers find link between food odors and lifespan in fruit flies
Researchers hoping to learn why organisms tend to live longer if their intake of calories is restricted have made a startling discovery - in fruit flies, just the smell of food can have a negative effect on longevity.
More Oxygen Content Current Events and Oxygen Content News Articles
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ISO 7725:1991, Rubber and rubber products - Determination of bromine and chlorine content - Oxygen flask combustion technique by ISO TC 45/WG 1 (Author) Describes the principle, the reagents and materials, the apparatus, the selection and preparation of intermediate test portion, the test procedure, the expression of results, and the contents of the test report. Annex A is for information only. |
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The effect of reaction temperature on retaining oxirane oxygen contents in the synthesis of Epoxidized diethanolamides.(Report): An article from: American Journal of Applied Sciences by C.S. Lee (Author), T.L. Ooi (Author), C.H. Chuah (Author) This digital document is an article from American Journal of Applied Sciences, published by Science Publications on January 1, 2009. The length of the article is 3204 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. From the author: Key words: Amine value, epoxidized diethanolamides, FTIR, hydroxyl value, oxirane oxygen contents Citation Details Title: The effect of reaction temperature on retaining oxirane oxygen contents in the synthesis of Epoxidized diethanolamides.(Report) Author: C.S. Lee Publication: American Journal of Applied Sciences (Magazine/Journal) Date: January 1, 2009 Publisher: Science... | |
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ISO 4321:1977, Washing powders -- Determination of active oxygen content -- Titrimetric method by ISO TC 91 (Author) The determination consists in co-reduction, with liberation of oxygen, of the peroxyhydrate and potassium permanganate in an acid solution. Because of the specifity of washing powders and the relative stability of peroxyhydrates, the dissolution of washing powders is likely to be incomplete and may result in a loss of oxygen; these disadvantages have been avoited by adoption of a particular method of dissolution appropriate to the determination of active oxygen content. This method may be used for determing peroxyhydrates, for example sodium perborate. This title may contain less than 24 pages of technical content. |
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ISO 312:1986, Manganese ores -- Determination of active oxygen content, expressed as manganese dioxide -- Titrimetric method by ISO TC 65 (Author) This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 312-1980), of which it constitutes a minor revision. Specifies principle, reagents, apparatus, sample, procedure and expression of results. A figure gives an example of apparatus. This title may contain less than 24 pages of technical content. |
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Laboratory simulated aging and the effect on the oxygen content in rubber.: An article from: Rubber World by Dave L. Schwarz (Author), Donald W. Askea (Author), Bruce D. Lambillotte (Author) This digital document is an article from Rubber World, published by Lippincott & Peto, Inc. on September 1, 2004. The length of the article is 4459 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Laboratory simulated aging and the effect on the oxygen content in rubber. Author: Dave L. Schwarz Publication: Rubber World (Magazine/Journal) Date: September 1, 2004 Publisher: Lippincott & Peto, Inc. Volume: 230 Issue: 6 Page: 26(7) Distributed by Thomson... | |
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ISO 4491-4:1989, Metallic powders - Determination of oxygen content by reduction methods - Part 4: Total oxygen by reduction-extraction by ISO TC 119/SC 2 (Author) The test method is applicable to all powders of metals, alloys, carbides and mixtures thereof which are non-volatile under the test conditions. The sample may be in powder or compact form. The test is not applicable if the powder contains a lubricant or binder. This part of ISO 4491 shall be read in conjunction with ISO 4491-1. This title may contain less than 24 pages of technical content. |
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Atlas Dissolved Oxygen Content by Hermann Wattenberg (Author) | |
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The Oxygen Content of Air-Saturated Fresh Waters Over Ranges of Temperatures and Atmospheric Pressure of Limnological Interest by C. H. Mortimer (Author) | |
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Variations in the dissolved oxygen content of intragravel water in four spawning streams of southeastern Alaska (Special scientific report: fisheries) by William J McNeil (Author) | |
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ISO 15038:1999, Plastics -- Organic-perester crosslinking agents for unsaturated-polyester thermosetting materials -- Determination of active-oxygen content by ISO TC 61/SC 12/WG 5 (Author) This International Standard specifies a method of determining the total active-oxygen content of organic peresters.It applies to those peresters used to initiate crosslinking of unsaturated-polyester thermosets.The peresters most widely used in the crosslinking of unsaturated-polyester resins are given in Table 1.Butyl peresters may contain traces of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), the active oxygen in which can be determined separately from that in the perester itself (see annex A). The active-oxygen content of the perester alone can then be obtained by subtraction. This title may contain less than 24 pages of technical content. |
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