well it's time for look at the headlines now delayed comeback a technical glitch at the international space station i was supposed to return to earth for three high fliers until saturday. missile defense takes center stage at the u.n. general assembly iranian president becomes the hot topic of the prompting a walkout. he expects creation of the american dream india becomes the go to place for new opportunities as many in the u.s. on this illusion with their prospects at home. technology update is coming your way just a few minutes stay with us. this

is data data generated from an electrical grid from wires streets businesses. when you can harness data you can do things you couldn't do before. prepare for alternative energy sources celebrate the adoption of electric vehicles present blackouts see the data from energy usage as it happens and you can do to do it in places like california and build a smarter energy system that's going to support a claim. hello and welcome to technology update the environment around us is one of staggering biological diversity somehow all held together into the big ten of our planet's ecosystem and while much of the natural world has been here for thousands of years we're just starting a one walk many of its secrets how exactly did all of this get here how do bio

systems of all shapes and sizes interact and what's our influence on this process as humans what can we learn from our ecosystem to both help it and perhaps help ourselves these are questions as old as time now getting a fresh look in the twenty first century the institute of bio physics of the siberian division of the russian academy of sciences is well placed for new perspectives surrounded by some of the earth's most unique and unadulterated ecology and applying the lessons of physics to biological research. any of them i can with the methods of mathematical modeling monitoring an experimental methods of studying small isolated in care systems that helps us scientists to assess the current trends prevalent in the biosphere. but we have evidence that any shifts in the ecosystem and not accidental yet a full under common law the law of preservation and we can identify key fact is

that influence any specific ecosystem and by manipulating them way able to control the makeup of the system one of the key areas for it by a physicist or. searching the cycles has become a quest ecosystems. as these scientists know well this kind of research means getting where they're taking today's fine tuned technology to the water to find out about the conditions in creatures prevailing beneath its surface you might not get your kicks standing the sea or lakes for tiny plankton but they tell us what's happening in our aquatic systems now yesterday and what tomorrow may hold this team has developed a video laser detection instrument to make this work easier as the laser illuminates the critters to be counted in specific depths in the water column i got the chance to tag along on one of the team's trips to a unique siberian salt lake called shoot up from their base there they're taking measurements and collecting samples that might help us understand aquatic

ecosystems worldwide. is situated in the russian republic of. three hundred sixty kilometers to the southwest of the institute in krasnoyarsk. we have now reached the needed level about fourteen minutes this is where oxygen is replaced by hydrogen sulfide only specific species of bacteria are able to leave under such conditions. basically as a compact of the ancient biosphere out of. the first billion was no oxygen. and the water was saturated with carbon dioxide the hydrogen sulfide would we do the impact analysis for various trying to is. then apply the trends to there was a habit to. do similar lakes elsewhere but.

some of us saw it the underlying principles trends of the saying. that a small but perhaps even more peculiar body of water and another focus for the bio physicist study. half that of ocean water that can reach double average oceanic salinity and it's home to a very very simple spectrum of biological diversity a short chain with tiny stations at the top. meaning that while most lakes frequently undergo physical layers. to spend it in place leaving oxygen depleted. witness below the surface of. to study the make up of each of the lakes fine layers the crescent team developed their own patented hydraulic sampler with the ability

to collect specimens at intervals of just five centimeters. this strange contraption helped us to discover the thick purple. unit is unique in terms of the predominance and sheer numbers of purple sulfur bacteria . there's just one lake in canada with such a massive population of these types of bacteria. can be attributed to specific conditions to help the species thrive. by a physics institutes base camp after a day on the lakes we went inside the on site laboratory to make sense of what we pulled up from underwater they see that what we find in the multicolored layers sucked out of should net are important for more than just establishing down there. from the lake are almost like rings on a tree i detailed record of this isolated ecosystem over time and when these guys

started connecting the dots things get even more interesting. models are real strong suit. help us do the retrospective analysis. to assess the climatic conditions including precipitation during a given historical period. of perspective on when we envisage what will happen in case it gets wet or dry but this is what the salt lake study is all about. to find out exactly what's going on in our planet's vast ecosystem you need a lot of people to do a lot of trekking sometimes in virtually inaccessible regions thankfully we have the ability to get a bird's eye view. observing massive forest habitats like those. bringing the bread to siberia often means exploding aerial photography satellites are also being used to keep tabs on the big picture whether that's checking for fires illegal logging or just changes in

natural biological patterns of course to get didio information about what's growing or dying and why we still do much of our fact checking on foot. changes in our biosphere can be split into two categories natural and unnatural natural ones that come with the shift of the seasons these are the trends we have observed over large number of years it's crucial to know the overall amount of by a result that they are growing old to. a distribution across the territory the status of crow the data collected from these combine methods offer something like micro macro and telescopic versions of our forest ecological situation and the results can also be used on a different scale down the street at the forestry institute tree specialists have noticed a troubling trend. amid the worsening environmental situation in russia's forces including signing period we're witnessing a decline in reproductivity it's

a problem that's facing all coniferous tree species found in siberia that we've introduced and he meant it to tackle it is something the nation of classical selections techniques and innovative knowledge means to an able to mass reproduction of improved genome and we sake cells of genetically improved tree. that is them on a nutrition substrate and put them into a b. cats newmont inside the chief the embryonic tissues start growing into using the formation of cooled kalus a massive undifferentiated cells beautiful this will be the breeding ground for the new cinematic embryo that is if we take the callous transfer it into another peek at. and within a full to five weeks we get out of this massive cells. that you can see here in the petri dish this is when the vegetation stage begins we put these

green embryo into another petri dish with a different substrate that's where the new generation of trees grow and three to four months of growth they are recognizable plants for example this is a genuine sleepier in launch you can plant it into soil any way you like. to do it that's exactly what the forestry institute is doing starting their genetically selected plants out in the deforested spot they set aside in the grass now just region it's too soon to tell but they're hoping it's a model that can be expanded in applied across the wide reaches of siberia experimental methods of exploring launch ecosystems our planet is a unique object and there's no alternative to experiment with and it's only piece by piece that we get assigned to the ecosystem if you're doing presents you need tools to integrate various data into a single possible scientists are also modeling the human body is an ecosystem and

like the plane we inhabit it can't always be subjected to risky experiments another group grown out of the bio physics institute wants to observe and test live animal organisms in a safe close setting starting with our constituent parts the key instrument. three m. . the. near this apparatus is ideal for the study of the various bio chemical reactions of a human organ. the message we use fall somewhere between research in vitro in a test tube and in vivo when the focus on the organs performing inside the body. of the. three m. is an artificial homeostasis device for maintaining organ. separated from their natural bio system here the rule of the lungs is played by an oxygen aid regulating the flow of oxygen in carbon dioxide through the organ the profusion pumps acts

like the organisms heart pushing the blood substitute through the isolated organ tubes running to the organ from the pump like margery's to take oxygen rich blood from the heart while the tubes that bring the fluid back from the organ are like our veins instruments on both the arterial and greenish sections allow researchers to monitor the blood substitutes consistency and the functioning of the ordered the machine also allows for additional solutions to be pumped into the system to alter the make up of the fluid and if she would desired result. to the first and set the appropriate temperature and while it's working we can proceed to the operation if you don't mind assisting. our organ donor for research is a typical lab here we're most interested in testing the animals liver it's a mirror of the process first human organ donor only we won't be putting the liver on ice as is still common in transplant practice the homeostatic could be

a genuine lifesaver if it could be incorporated into this process because it essentially tricks an organ into thinking it's in its natural bio system this liver will be kept alive in the machine almost exactly as if it were still filtering its owner's fluids. we extract the organic to study its physical and chemical capacity is the record so far has been five days the liver continued to perform its functions at virtually full tilt as long as it lives for at least twenty four hours it means we can study the organ as if it were inside the human body. is chosen here not simply because of the importance of liver transplants another area for interest in the study is pharmacology a field where despite organ is a focal point. as a key link in the chain of our metabolisms. detox and our systems deliver is always under scrutiny in. the homeostatic provides

a closed proving ground to find out how different substances impact a liver function changes for better or for worse in the organs performances can be observed in isolation since the machine holds other simulated body functions at a constant. then you know for course this is just a rats and there will definitely be more research and tests before the device can be used in medical practice until we've been able to gather data on the elimination rate for some of the substances and observe the metabolic activity. the lab rats someone usual sea creatures are also waiting in our attempts to learn more about our own bodies in fact the seas are the richest resource we have seen bioluminescent organisms while many are tiny simple critters they're also bearers of precious photo proteins which could light the way an important medical research . one of the world's pharmaceutical giants they test millions of substances in the search for active ingredients to use in new medicines and

so-called bioluminescent reporters make this process far easier fortunately they found a formidable partner for developing this part of their project also at the bio physics institute in krasnoyarsk. in krasnoyarsk is the largest of its kind in the world today. it was a lucky coincidence for both parties. and. colleagues have kept up their end of the partnership by isolating and regenerating proteins they found in sea creatures from all over the world once they've identified exactly what's allowing the animals to illuminate the ocean they extract and focus on multiplying that protein. to then produce an essentially unlimited amount of the substance without having to go back for more trips having mastered this technique

they passed it on to go back to what they do best in the waters for new bioluminescent animals with new proteins with new properties. of new chemical compounds. in pharmaceuticals. need to be tested for the potential targets. expresses the bioluminescent protein. allow for a rapid screening of potential chemical compounds. perspective. only ten to twenty will be picked for further analysis. there's. significantly speed up the. techniques to test some one thousand five hundred similar.

which means that within less than a minute or so you test one thousand five hundred new chemical compounds. technically advanced stages. under control of. diagnostics. disease or other substance in the patient's blood. and with body didn't do a sample of the patients. take the place isotopes these can be measured and are equal to the. originally present in the sample. bioluminescent photo protein in place of the radioisotopes. in the addition of calcium ions to light for measuring the presence of

a given. protein is every bit as accurate but will be safe. able to modify the spectrum of. one protein. and a green. we can conduct. by separating the spectrum with. two substances for example two hormones in. contemporary methods of molecular biology. to cultivate a limited amount of this photo protein. no areas left in biotechnology that don't employ the potential of methods.

for. any field. that could mean taking these markers beyond the borders of medical testing in pharmacology to service a smoke signal for virtually any effect we wish testing our air for pollutants the soil for which nutrients for our children. toys for toxins pick the right protein and wait for the light much of the time we're using the natural properties of biological systems to our advantage without even thinking about it like when microbes in the soil help break down our trash but that's only effective for refuse we know it's biodegradable we're piling up ever more plastic it will pollute our planet for centuries consumption of plastics continues to skyrocket with estimated global use up to one hundred million tonnes each year meanwhile recycling rates remain low and the effectiveness of plastic recycling is highly debatable with innovations in bio plastics and

a laboratory of kemah water traffic biosynthesis in krasnoyarsk might help us break the habit. bacteria of their interesting and promising objects to by technological study the chemical reaction of oxidising hydrogen produces a wide range of various compounds the line includes anything crystallized then the pastika polymers the two rubbery material such as a lot we can adjust and customize their characteristics for a specific industry specific products it's even possible to set the exact time of by degradation which is a crucial achievement in difficult to reach balance that is proof we can. practice is been accumulated over the last two decades during which. the field of bio plastics research. that are the basis for any end product the first step is to facilitate the growth of more hydrogen oxidising bacteria then the task is to

separate the polymer from the bacteria and test its purity. approach it is unique in that we're able to use almost any industrial sources of language and like so cooled gas synthetic gas extracted during the processing of brown coal natural gas hydrolyzed lignin and even. hydrogen on. bacteria how much the betsy yields results for polymers with a level up to ninety percent. with that high polymer harvested from the bacterial mix scientists continue the careful process of refining it it's a recurring cycle of reduction in precipitation requiring a lot of hands on. method makes sense in limited quantities for testing properties or small scale prototypes but the scale of potential applications for bioplastics is far bigger requiring production of an altogether more ambitious order. to

traffic biosynthesis team. setting up the first ever production facility for biopolymers in russia. the pilot production house where the conservation stage begin the next stage is to increase the quantity of the active substance that happens here and this a cool shade. of material is transferred via sterile to. the first fermentation tank. then channeled into this container and it's here that the via polymer growing in the cell with. the material is fed into a vacuum evaporates which is responsible for the biomass concentration. that is now ready for the actual production of the planet it can be done in that

big struction vessel all in this one we mix the buy amounts with the chemical agents and after a few operations we get the results by a polymer we trade marketed as be a pass to town with not only do they have a product the lab also has its rising star dust or you could. seize a vital role for bio plastics in the twenty first century in dismay breakthroughs in applying to turn to products in the field of medicine work they've got to recognize with the presidential young scientists award in the halls of the kremlin in february of two thousand and ten with a boost from the national attention to her work is right back in the lab she essentially conducts subsidiary of the bioplastics project with a focus on medical applications it may not be getting rid of all those water bottles but the impact is just as important like our planet poisoned by piles of trash the human organism is incredibly sensitive to the influence of harmful substances and to keep making life saving advances in medical treatment we have to

find benign ways to operate in medicaid inside the human body. can you make from this polymer that the put it almost nothing there are lots of potential products and biomedicine we study this material for various applications and surgery it could be helpful for example as retention suture or as reticular implants that are used to treat ruptures it is an ideal material for stones implanted to restore bile passages or bone tissue we can regulate the size of the implants make it bigger or smaller we can also tailor their geometry to fit specific requirements we can adjust their density and per our city hammock and another promising field is drug delivery and controlled release here also size and shape could vary here you can see a macro implant carrying the drug but it could be micro and nano particles that will do. over the substance to its destination we've made it to clinical trials for to killer and. and tubular stands for passages and initial tests are under way.

and the rest the others are still in various stages of development doctors are constantly faced with tradeoffs between fixing the existing problems and risking new ones the shining prospect of biomedical products like these points to maybe one where the conflict is minimized by using instruments that interact naturally with our bio systems. we have good potential our material is on par with similar products developed in the west and some aspects even better there are vast prospects for use in biomedicine. we will be able to reconstruct various types of tissue in organs it will be ideal for tissue engineering that is the reconstruction of something that's been lost. theoretically we think it would be possible to use our material to synthesize a whole organ and give it to those who need it. biomedicine

focus complement each other quite well forming a complete technological cycle from the idea to a concrete implementation with respectable production capacity because researchers have already extended offers of ideas expertise and even their patented biopolymers to colleagues in russia and abroad who are on the same track it's a model that's ready to be picked up an expanded applied across the broader spectrum of fields where our planet needs us to switch from petroleum based polluting plastic to the something from nothing eco friendly future of bio plastic . we inhabit demands this attitude of given take technology we've developed has helped us find more abuse in the world that surrounds us and if we're savvy enough it's also helping us get the right things back. so it is. in from the tiniest micro biological systems the problems of our global ecology are all under the scope of today's top scientists and with the

assistance of innovative new equipment we have more than ever information about our planet right at our fingertips that's all for the show join us for more next month on technology update until then enjoy the ride this is data data generated from an electrical grid from wires streets businesses homes. when you can on a state you can do things you couldn't do before. prepare for alternative energy sources celery deduction of electric vehicles so pretty and black outs see the data from energy usage as it happens and you can do to do it in places like california and build a smarter energy system that's cool to support a claim.