LAY OF THE LAND

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BOLD STROKES

Wave of the Future Ocean breakers along Scotland's coast have just been harnessed to provide a breakthrough technology for generating electricity. The world's first commercial wave-power plant, on the island of Islay, produces electricity for 400 homes and is already being studied by other EU countries. Ironically, wave power is produced not by water but by the air currents that are trapped and then pushed around by the turbulent waters. The Scottish generating facility is 25 yards wide, and though it's not overly beautiful (it looks like a bunker), it's not hideous or polluting, either. The facility cost $1.6 million to build, but representatives from its developer, Wavegen, say they learned a lot-the next one should cost half as much.

Suck It Up Scientists at the University of Florida recently discovered that a common fern found in the southeastern United States and California has the capacity to soak up arsenic from soil without keeling over dead. Pteris vittata, or brake fern, could potentially be used to clean up the poison, which is both naturally occurring in soil and unnaturally present in farm chemicals, wood preservatives, and other products. Once the plant pulls the arsenic from the ground and into its leaves, it can be harvested and safely disposed of. Arsenic, which often leaches into groundwater, threatens many communities in the United States and worldwide. Studies show that people who drink arsenic-contaminated water over long periods run a higher risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer.

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