Himansh Verma

Earth’s magnetic field has always been a matter of interest for scientists all over the world. However, unlike the field of a bar magnet, Earth's field changes over time because it is generated by the motion of molten iron alloys in the Earth's outer core. Earth's polarity is not constant. Unlike a classic bar magnet or the decorative magnets on your refrigerator, the matter governing Earth's magnetic field moves around. Geophysicists are pretty sure that the reason Earth has a magnetic field is because of its solid iron core is surrounded by a fluid ocean of hot, liquid metal. This process can also be modeled with supercomputers. Ours is, without hyperbole, a dynamic planet. The flow of liquid iron in Earth's core creates electric currents, which in turn create the magnetic field. So while parts of Earth's outer core are too deep for scientists to measure directly, we can infer movement in the core by observing changes in the magnetic field. The m...

Way back in 1912, Dr. Rudolf Diesel remarked “The use of vegetable oil as fuel might seem of no importance in our times. However, such products can gain importance in the course of time and reach an equal status compared with today's petroleum and these coal-tar products”, which stands true today. In the wake to look for alternative energy, researches all over the world are trying their hands hard at creating more and more energy alternatives. Algae is one of them. Today, algae are being used at a wide scale to produce oil from it. Microalgalroute to biodiesel is a potential alternative to vegetable oil and overall economics of the process needs improvement to be a competitive substitute to petrodiesel. In the beginning, there were algae, but there was no oil. Then, from algae came oil. Now, the algae are still there, but oil is fast depleting. In the future, there will be no oil, but there will still be algae. So it makes complete sense to explore if we can again g...

Portland cement is the most common type of cement used worldwide and   is the biggest target for reducing the CO 2 footprint of building materials. According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, cement manufacturing is alone responsible for 5% of global CO 2 emissions. To make cemen t, manufacturers heat limestone in a kiln to 2,650 °F. The process eliminates chemically bound water molecules, releases CO 2 , and produces a marble-sized material called clinker, which is then ground to a fine powder. Gypsum is added, and the resulting cement is mixed with water, sand, and aggregates to produce concrete. The rehydration causes an exothermic chemical reaction that hardens the mix. Builders all over the world have recently become aware of the significant carbon footprint of their most basic building supplies. Experts estimate that the manufacture of traditional building materials is responsible for 10–12% of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S., mainl...