Professor invents microbe fuel cell

A Harvard professor has invented a method for generating electricity from seafloor microbes and garbage, which could provide a cheap way for developing countries to power themselves. Peter Girguis, a assistant professor of organismic and evolutionary biology, developed a fuel cell with a grant from the Lindebergh Foundation. These microbes produce extra electrons when they respire anaerobically. Girguis’ invention contains electrodes which gather these up, producing enough power to charge an LED lightbulb. One bucket costs about $15 and is estimated to last 15 years.

Disconnected links in brain may cause dyslexia

A Harvard study has suggested a physical basis for dyslexia. The team mapped the brains of six sufferers of the genetic disorder periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH), who show many of the symptoms of dyslexia. A normal brain has grey matter or nerve cells near its surface and white matter which connects the grey matter deeper inside. The team found that the brains they imaged were more disordered. They posited that this was the cause of reduced fluent reading skills.The study was led by Harvard Medical School professor Christopher A. Walsh, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center neurologist Bernard S. Chang, and Tami Katzir.

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