Believe it or not, in the middle ages, drinking beer was a far safer endeavor than drinking water. The reason is rather simple: beer is sanitary. For a Colorado sixth grader Michal Bodzianowski, this simple fact was the launching pad for perhaps the coolest science experiment in years: Brewing Beer – In Space!
As shared in the video above from Space.com, what may sound like a rather frivolous endeavor has a powerful benefit that ties directly back to the inherent properties of beer.
“Let’s say it’s a long-duration spaceflight and the water supply is contaminated,” Jeff Goldstein, center director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and founder of SSEP explains. “There’s no way to refresh that water by simply going back to Earth and getting some more. If we can create a fermentation process and water supply, that would create some level of alcohol content that could sterilize the water supply.”
Bodzianowski’s experiment will actually be tested later this year by astronauts in the International Space Station, under the careful direction of eleven-year-old Bodzianowski himself.
Learn more about this fascinating experiment in the video above.
In Other Drinking Water News:
Algae Bloom In Lake Erie Threatens Ohio
Last month, an algae bloom in Lake Erie got so bad that more than 2,000 residents were told to not drink the water coming from their taps. And a $1 million dollar fix is, unfortunately, only a Band-Aid. In the USA Today article picked up by the Green Bay Gazette above, learn how farm fertilizer and run-off is supporting massive algae blooms in our great lakes that are pushing water filtration plants to their breaking points.
Plant Mats Help Combat Algae Blooms Further South
On the other side of the coin, officials in Martin County Florida are testing an innovative new way to combat algae blooms with 11 floating mats of more than 8,000 plants. Costing a relatively mere 22K, these reusable and recyclable mats will soak up and prevent nutrients from feeding the dangerous algae. Read more about some of the initial positive results being experienced in the article above by WPTV in West Palm Beach.
Pacific Northwest’s Increasingly Acidic Water Leads to Lawsuits
How can carbon emissions that are turning seawater in the Pacific Northwest increasingly acidic be within EPA guidelines? This is the question behind a lawsuit filed against the agency by The Center For Biological Diversity. Grist has some of the troubling facts driving this legal action in the story above.
College Student Named Top Innovator by Popular Mechanics After Developing New Water Filter
Combining household items with seeds from the moringa tree has helped a West Chester college student develop a new water filter that could have massively positive global impact. In naming 18-year old Meghan Shea a top innovator for 2013, Popular Mechanics described her new water filter as an innovation with the very real potential to “save lives in the world’s poorest regions.” See what inspired Shea to develop this new water filter in the profile above.
Water Drive Collects Clean Drinking Water For Families Impacted by Fracking
Since WPX Energy began fracking in their area, three families in Franklin Forks, PA have been living with well water contaminated with methane. And since a ruling by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection suggesting that the methane is naturally occurring rather than resulting from fracking, WPX Energy has stopped supplying these families with the clean water they need. As such, this story above, sharing how fracking protestors recently held a water drive to provide these families with the water they so desperately need, may qualify as our feel-good story of the week.
Birthday Donations Helps Provide Clean Drinking Water For Ugandan Villagers
On her 31st birthday, Lovelyn Palm reached out on social media asking for donations of $31, to be contributed towards efforts to provide clean drinking water for those in need. Within two weeks, the $5,000 raised was put to use by charity: water in Ethiopia. On her 32nd birthday, Palm reached out again, collecting $6,000 worth of $32 donations, helping to bring clean drinking water wells to the village of Busoga in Uganda. You can see this well in the photo above. The article above, our second candidate for feel good story of the week, shares more of Palm’s ongoing work in Uganda and for the impoverished throughout the world. I also encourage you to learn more about WaterFilters.NET’s work with charity: water, supported with profit from all sales on our site.
Water Filtration Product of the Week: Faucet Filters
With the holidays on the way, your water filters are about to get a workout. More cooking, more cleaning and more hurried drinks of water straight from the tap will begin to feel commonplace all too soon. Getting set-up now with a good faucet filter is one small way to get just a bit in front of the insanity.
Models like the Instapure faucet filter above, are an affordable way to keep your kitchen water odor free, clean and fresh when you need it most.
If you are considering a faucet filter and have any questions, I would encourage you to give our customer service team a call at 1-888-801-7873 so they can help find the right products for your needs.
I invite you to subscribe to this blog or our YouTube channel, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest drinking water news and hydration tips. I also invite you to +1 us on Google+ to be the first to learn about exclusive deals and new products.