Subscription Center
This Web-only article is a special rich-media presentation of the feature, "Reinventing the Leaf," which appears in the October 2010 issue of Scientific American. The presentation was created by Zemi media. Find all our other interactive offerings here.
September 23, 2010 | 19
See what we're tweeting about
DrBondar RT @thescientistllc: Image of the Day: Hairy adhesive pads on some spiders' legs help them catch prey. #IOD http://t.co/miS3e2ghFv
BoraZ The #SciFund Challenge - Podcasting as a tool for science outreach http://t.co/KR3Gxm9wQY BoraZ The #SciFund Challenge - The importance of presenting your message http://t.co/VwZbOBacb9
Deadline: Jun 30 2013
Reward: $1,000,000 USD
This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge that requires written documentation and&
Deadline: Jul 25 2013
Reward: Varies
This challenge provides an opportunity for Solvers to build a web-based or mobile “app” to explore data relationships in scholarly conte
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
19 Comments
Add CommentCarbon dioxide is not causing climate change. It absorbs totally all 15-micron light but it is very transparent to other important infrared wavelengths. More carbon dioxide cannot absorb more light to make the Earth warmer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA carbon dioxide laser is very efficient and it can be powered by sunlight. The l0.7 micron laser output can be converted directly to electricity, which can then charge batteries or produce hydrogen or alcohol-type fuels. Work should be done on the laser and the cell that produces electricity from 10.7-micron light. A catalyst is useful but it is only one way to solve a problem that the CO2 laser already solves.
Wahoo!!! Here's the real deal http://photoengineering.org. Apparently Al Gore stole my pdf application when I applied for venture capital. I sent him a personal email with the data. The patents for this research is mine, if they continue with this research they and anyone else WILL be sued and everything taken away. That 135M grant and that venture capital should have gone to my company for R&D but you see what thieves MIT and CalTech are, you gotta wonder just how much intellectual property IS being stolen? I know just Google is stealing enough to employ 20,000 people to anayliss it, according to CNBC. Its amazing they don't have 1000 or 10000 lawsuits against them considering all that data that goes into their search box is the property of the person who puts it in, according to intellectual property law, and google simply steals it and makes billions from it. Everyone who uses it could pretty much sue for at least a million!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome interesting tech here. I don't know if it would scale, or if it would supply enough energy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are no numbers. There are no cost figures. A winning technology will have to work, and cost less than the current technology.
If we look around enough, we will find something. The search needs to go on.
Nate, what is the deal with the 'Mother' nature term? This is 2010, and even God isn't referred to as 'him' much any more.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would think the atmospheric scientists might refute or concur with Blakley.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou say, quote -- "Carbon dioxide is not causing climate change. It absorbs totally all 15-micron light but it is very transparent to other important infrared wavelengths. More carbon dioxide cannot absorb more light to make the Earth warmer" --
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven as you say CO2 absorbs only the 15 micron band, it still allows the rest, note that it is bi-directional -- both (from sun) into atmosphere as well as out (into space) from atmosphere -- and the net is what we are interested in. The net direction (of heat) has been observed to be positive (into the atmosphere) is increasing as CO2 levels are increasing. In fact, green-house effect is indeed that and can be easily illustrated and demonstrated, in a smaller scale.
Lasers use a very tiny amount of CO2, and so is its energy, and converting that into useful (electricity) ? Do you have a demo or an idea of how that can be done? Also, can CO2 levels be reduced by building CO2 lasers ?
are you serious about what you said about that research being yours?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is better to convert it to ELECTRIC energy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEvolution has spent billions of years perfecting leaves which capture sunlight all over the World. So Pyrolysing biomass produces carbon and hydrogen. Likewise, pyrolysing fossil hydrocarbons produce carbon and hydrogen. Put the carbon in landfill to avoid expensive CCS and use the hydrogen as an energy source. This technology can be miniaturised to power vehicles or scaled up to industrial levels. See www.eprida.com or look at Wikipedia 'Biomass Pyrolysis'. Cheap, clean, safe energy for the future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with Philopeantube it is true that human technology is not enough to improve the world and it is too late to do anything to help it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSugar cane is used in Brazil as fuel for cars and car producers have been working with cars powered by electricity. Man has to find ways to use and produce energy. Capturing sun rays to produce fuel seems could be an excellent idea. I agree with it since it is harmless to human beings.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisit's very intersting proposal about how some elements as carbon can be produces and how energy be created for industry, and as a result of these our planet could live much longer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEstoy de acuerdo con "yetanotherBob" podemos usar y Chean tecnología nueva y si miramos a nuestro alrededor nos encontraremos con algo, que puede ser útil y enaugh.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEstoy de acuerdo con "R. Blakely" puede preservar los recursos naturales de un laseris dióxido de carbono puede ser alimentado por la luz del sol y se puede convertir directos prestados al electrycity, que puede bateadores de energía o producción de hidrógeno o el alcohol. Tecnología Nueva y si miramos un algoritmo Nuestro nep alrededor encontraremos en contra, los servicios Que PUEDE Útil y enaugh.
Estoy Acuerdo de Madrid y en contra "R. Blakely" PUEDE Preservar los Recursos Naturales de las Naciones Unidas laseris dioxido de Carbono Puede Ser alimentado Por la luz del Sol y SE PUEDE Convertir Directos prestados al electrycity, Que PUEDE bateadores de Energía o Producción de Hidrógeno o el alcohol el.
I agree with " yetanotherBob" we can use and chean new technology,and if we look around we will find something, which can be helpful and enaugh.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with "R.Blakely" can preserve natural resources a carbon dioxide laseris can be powered by sun light and can be converted directy to electricity can then power batters or produce hydrogen or alcohol.
I agree with this technology because we have to make the best for our planet.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt´s very important for live on Earth.
This new technology is fast but it is more important to sate the word.
CARRILLO
i agree with this commental because think it's very interesting how the technology helps the planet
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with polaris, because, well, the person who proposed this project explain the things that cause the green-house effect like the gases given off by the earth and how that increases the CO2 and how with this lasers it is possible to reduce CO2 we can't stop all these changes and at the same time, convertig this into electric energy without having any idea about how you can carry out this project, it's completly absurd to pretend that you can do it, but, haven't got any idea about you could make it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with Eco-Steve.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBecause the world has taken the sun's energy. Pyrolosing formen carbon and hidrogen biomass it, also produces carbon sossil fuels that can be used as a source of energy for industry which is clean and safe for the future
Omar Chong
I agree with R. Blakely for his interesting idea: Carbon dioxide laser could be used to charge batteries & it doesn't need more but the sunlight to convert 10.7 micron light in electricity. Too I agree that the carbon dioxide does not cause the climate change.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this