Wednesday, February 8, 2012

COCKROACHES: A SOLUTION TO OUR ENERGY PROBLEM?

There aren’t many things I’m scared about in this world, be it a job interview, ghost or going deep in the woods in the middle of the night. But just the sight of one of these creepy little pests and I’m the first to squirm. That’s right; I’m talking about cockroaches. Most of us kill it when we see it, some people eat it as food, but only a few have considered using it as a source of electricity. In an article posted on February 8 2012 on Discovery News website, a group of scientists have done just that, and this is by far the best idea I’ve heard. (I mean, these cockroaches better do something useful or else they’ll just spend their days living in your basement; or even use your clam chowder as a public pool.)

A group of researchers at Case Western Reserve University, led by Michelle Rasmussen and Daniel Scherson, have come up with this creative idea. By sticking a wire into one of these bugs, researchers are able to draw electricity from their electrons. But before you go down to your basement and catch some of these cockroaches to power your Prius, researchers have stated that very little amounts of electricity can be produced- only an estimated 50 to 60 microamperes at 0.2 volts per cm2 is produced (maybe your toothbrush?). In case you’re wondering how cockroaches are able to produce electricity, here’s the explanation. A sugar, trehalose, is manufactured whenever the cockroaches eat. This sugar is then broken down into haemolymph by enzymes in the blood. After a few more steps involving other enzymes, the breaking down and conversion of sugars into food, electrons are released. And this is where researchers are looking to harness the electricity from.

Why, you might ask, is the cockroach used for experimentation instead of other creatures such as the butterfly? The reason being, cockroaches have a higher concentration of trehalose than most creatures do (researchers have also tried mushrooms). At this point if you’re a little worried about the well being of the cockroach, don’t be. The cockroach apparently doesn’t feel pain, and this is due to the insect’s lack of blood vessels. As a result, there’s no pressure; meaning sticking an electrode into a cockroach isn’t that big of a deal.

To end, I’ll like to say that I’m deeply encouraged by researchers that are coming up with new ways and finding new sources for greener energy. In this present time we’re living in, alternative sources of energy is a huge and important matter that I feel needs to be tackled. This is to ensure that our environment, our planet, our home doesn’t become further ruined. This article has been a fascinating read and it shows, that no matter how small or how disgusting something is, it should not be overlooked. This is an approach I feel most scientist should adopt in their experiments.

http://news.discovery.com/tech/cockroach-fuel-cell-120208.html


Posted by Hermann Kam(1)

11 comments:

  1. Of all the alternative energy possibilities out there that are in need of research and development, is spending time and money on electricity from cockroaches really a worth cost? Don't get me wrong, I think this is quite interesting and definitely a noteworthy discovery, but as you mentioned - the amount of electricity gained is miniscule. To power all the appliances in someone's home, or even just one, what would you need? A pile of cockroaches as large as the house itself? Suppose (albeit farfetched) that this did become a commonly used alternative energy source, I think that the negative effect this would have on the ecosystems involving cockroaches would far surpass any positive effect it would have on our energy crisis. I think the renewable resources - wind, water, and wave energy - are the only areas of alternative energy that our money should be going into.

    Posted by Laura Moro

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    1. I agree that using cockroaches as a source of electricity wouldn't be worth it. Neither did I imply anywhere in my blog post that cockroaches will be a resource we should consider strongly in our search for sustainable energy. I'm simply giving an example of why I'm encouraged by scientist because of their creativity and resourcefulness. This example of the cockroach shows that there might be many resources out there that might potentially be our answer for renewable energy; we just haven't discovered it yet.


      -Hermann Kam

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  2. Hooray for cockroaches! Sure you would have to have billions of these little suckers for any useable amount of energy to be produced but they technology is amazing. Imagine if we develop a less invasive way to capture excess electrons from biological sources! Star Trek, here we come!

    I think that is research is well worth the money and energy to follow through. We should probably focus on wind and solar as actual solutions but whats the harm in a little fringe R&D every now and again? There may be situations we have not thought of yet where this will be very useful...

    They say one of the only organisms to survive a nuclear holocaust would be cockroaches. Well, it looks like the human survivors will be able to charge their iPods once they emerge from their shelters after all.

    Posted by William Mohn

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  3. Yet another source of energy! It seems like humans are coming up with alternative source of energy and new resources we can use every week. Although it is hard to see a future with factories full of cockroaches, i don't see any problems with using them. They don't feel pain and we can breed them easily. The questions i have are how will scientist store the energy and even though the article says the bug doesn't feel pain, i bet animal right's groups will try to stop this. Over all, the blog was very upbeat and interesting to read.

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  4. Yet another source of energy! It seems like humans are coming up with alternative source of energy and new resources we can use every week. Although it is hard to see a future with factories full of cockroaches, i don't see any problems with using them. They don't feel pain and we can breed them easily. The questions i have are how will scientist store the energy and even though the article says the bug doesn't feel pain, i bet animal right's groups will try to stop this. Over all, the blog was very upbeat and interesting to read.

    Posted by Jennifer Silva

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  5. I was very surprised to hear about this, yet found it to be a very interesting idea. I also believe it is very important to constantly search for more efficent and environmental friendly sources of energy. Although it seems like a great idea especially because the coackroaches do not feel pain, I do not see this kind of energy making a major contribution to our world. Very interesting article though!

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    1. yes i was absolutely surprised too. I don't think many scientist would like to spend a whole day in a lab experimenting with cockroaches as well! I also agree, cockroaches will not sustain our energy need. However if we continue looking for new sources to power our needs, we will succeed!

      -Hermann Kam

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  6. It seems like almost any living thing can be used as a source of electricity. Just look at potato batteries! I never realized we could harness animals in the same way. This discovery brings the potential of huge cockroach farms, rows and columns of roaches hooked up to electrodes powering our lights and heat. Just like the machines using humans for power in the Matrix, only slightly less horrifying.

    Rhys Ursuliak

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    1. that is true. We have to find something that will give us enough energy that can sustain us for a long time. A cockroach farm might be too impractical,because one of these bugs can give out very little energy, so we probably need a really big farm just to power one country. But we just have to keep on searching to find a suitable source.

      -Hermann Kam

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  7. My first reaction was definitely disgust, eww...cockroaches! But it is amazing how many species can offer the human race with a lot of benefits, and understanding that cockroaches harness energy could be extremely useful in the future in the event of nuclear warfare since cockroaches and Twinkies are supposedly able to survive!

    Jokes aside, it also seems important to address that not everything can be exploited, and I would hope that millions of cockroaches wouldn't be used to generate a household with energy. Imagine if they escaped!

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