Gizmorama - October 14, 2013

Good Morning,

We have smartphones and smartcars, what about a smart smoke alarm? Well, thanks to Nest Labs, the smoke alarm of the future is coming to homes very soon. This new and improved alarm system not only warns you of smoke and carbon monoxide, but it can speak too!

Learn about this and other interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- Toxic metal selenium said a risk to honeybees critical to agriculture --*
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The pollutant metal selenium, which can accumulate in plants, can kill honeybees or delay their development, a study led by researchers in California found. The anthropogenic pollutant joins other honeybee stressors including pesticides, pathogens and diseases, the researchers said. "Metal pollutants like selenium contaminate soil, water, can be accumulated in plants, and can even be atmospherically deposited on the hive itself," lead study author Kristen Hladun, an entomologist at the University of California, Riverside, said. "Our study examined the toxic effects of selenium at multiple life stages of the honey bee in order to mimic the chronic exposure this insect may face when foraging in a contaminated area." Honeybees, an important agricultural pollinator in the United States and throughout the world, may be at risk in areas of selenium contamination because of the biotransfer of the metal from selenium-accumulating plants, the researchers said. Anthropogenic sources of selenium include mining and industrial activities such as petroleum refining and coal-power production, as well as where agricultural runoff is collected and can concentrate selenium from the surrounding soils, they said. While low concentrations of selenium are beneficial to many animals, in higher concentrations it is toxic. The toxic element can enter a honeybee's body through ingestion of contaminated pollen and nectar, the scientists said. "It is not clear how selenium damages the insect's internal organs, or if the bee has the ability to detoxify these compounds at all," Hladun said. "Further research is necessary to examine the cellular and physiological effects of selenium." In the United States, the known toxicity of selenium to wildlife and humans has resulted in the element being regulated by the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Clean Water Act. The study has been published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.


*-- Smart smoke alarm can speak, warn of smoke, carbon monoxide --*
PALO ALTO, Calif. - U.S. company Nest Labs, makers of a so-called "smart home thermostat," says its latest product -- a smoke alarm -- has similar smarts. The Nest Protect alarm can also warn of toxic carbon monoxide, the company said in a release. It is intended to mitigate some of the annoyances of current detectors -- false alarms from cooking smoke, middle-of-the-night chirps from low batteries -- that have caused some frustrated homeowners to simply disable alarms. Almost two-thirds of U.S. home fire deaths happened in homes with no smoke alarm or no working smoke alarm, a report from the National Fire Protect Association said. Although talking smoke detectors are not new, several Nest detectors around a house can be programmed to communicate with each other and give specific warnings such as "Heads up: There's smoke in the living room." If it detects levels of smoke considered below emergency levels -- from burning toast in the kitchen, say -- it can be shut off with a simple wave of the hand, Nest Labs said. The alarm can connect to Nest's cloud service via WiFi and can also be monitored and configured with an iOS application. The device will be available in battery-powered or wired versions.

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