Welcome to The Deep science and technology column where we cover topics from the deep sea to deep space and beyond.

WHAT YOU DON”T KNOW . . . .
The premise of The Deep Radio Show, website and this column is that we take you from the depths of the ocean to the depths of space.  Of course, the problem is that we still, even after years and years of research, don’t know much about the depths of the ocean.  Mama Ocean covers 70% of Earth and we still know more about the surfaces of Mars and Venus than we do about our own planet.  The land at the bottom of the world ocean is still “terra incognito”.

But we are learning more every day and we’ve recently uncovered an amazing secret at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  Endless TV programs about the ocean have us convinced that the deep seafloor is totally changeless with no current or violent water movement.  But recent research by an international collaboration of scientists from the United States and France shows that roughly halfway between New York and Portugal, more than a mile below the water’s surface, seawater rushing through the narrow gullies of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an underwater mountain range, is generating one of the most turbulent areas ever observed in the deep ocean.  In fact, the turbulence packs an energy wallop equal to about five million watts -- comparable to output from a small nuclear reactor. 

The study provides never-before-seen evidence that deep water turbulence swirling in the small passageways of such mountains is generating much of the mixing of warm and cold waters in the Atlantic Ocean.

Better understanding of the mechanisms of mixing is crucial, because mixing produces the overall balance of water temperatures that helps control the strength of the Gulf Stream -- the strong, warm ocean current that starts in the Gulf of Mexico, flows along the U.S. east coast to Canada and on to Europe, and plays a crucial climate role.

KEEPING YOUR HOUSE INTACT
Here on Guam, most of us live in concrete bunkers.  That’s because we are routinely menaced by the largest storms on Earth.  (One does have to wonder if underwater turbulence has anything to do with typhoon and hurricane formation!)  But we all know there’s a downside to building with concrete. 
Concrete blocks have to be held together and just mortar isn’t enough.  So although we say that we live in concrete bunkers, we actually live in rebar cages that are surrounded by concrete.  And there is one inescapable fact.  Rebar rusts.

So . . . encasing the rebar in concrete should stop that problem, right?  Well, here’s another inescapable fact.  Concrete is so porous that water soaks in, corroding the rebar and meshes that strengthen concrete roads and buildings.  In temperate zones the water expands and contracts during freeze-thaw cycles and causes cracks.  That’s not a problem here, we just have to wait for the earthquakes to crack the concrete.

Researchers in Jordan have come up with a unique solution.  Do you like salt and vinegar potato chips? 
Salt and vinegar potato chips get their tangy snap from sodium acetate in studies done using freshly made concrete, the researchers showed that sodium acetate seeps into pores in concrete and then hardens and crystallizes upon exposure to water.  The resultant swelling blocks entry of additional moisture, they said.  When the concrete dries out, the sodium acetate crystals shrink back to their original size and allow moisture to evaporate.  The net result is a significant reduction in water permeability that can be expected to increase the service life of the concrete.

Hmmmm.  Better buildings through chemistry!

YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?
Chemistry can not only make your buildings better it can make you beautiful as well.  Although make-up may not have the nearly universal appeal here that it has in the mainland US (all that moisture that causes the rebar to rust also causes the mascara to run) women will wear the stuff.  And scientists have recently discovered that it can be dangerous.

It turns out that food isn’t the only thing that can harbor deadly bacteria.  Is your mascara clumpy?  Your liquid foundation thickening?  Can’t remember what year you bought your half-used lipstick? Dermatologists say your old makeup may be causing you blemishes or even worse—it could lead to a dangerous infection.

Those old makeup containers may be full of more than just powder, they could be harboring dangerous bacteria.  So how do you know when to throw them out?

Experts say you should go by when you first opened the makeup.  Powders and foundations opened more than a year ago can cause problems and eye makeup and liquid foundations last the least amount of time and should be tossed out after just three months.  Makeup applicators should be replaced regularly as well. If you use sponges to apply makeup, you should replace those at least once a week.
Excuse me?  Do you have any idea just how much that stuff COSTS?

Well, bacterial infection of your eye makeup can cause conjunctivitis or ‘pink-eye’ and some women develop dermatitis from using old, expired makeup that irritate the skin and cause little red bumps that look like acne.

Saving money by using the old stuff is negated if you end up in the doctor’s office with an infection.  If makeup looks old or changes texture is it a good idea to throw it out?  Yes, experts even advise to smell your makeup. An unusual odor usually means that it contains bacteria.

So prepare to get radical on your makeup.  It could save you money & pain in the end!

MY STOMACH HURTS AND I’M STUPID
Recent research has uncovered a surprising and disturbing link between some of the most popular medications prescribed in the US and cognitive impairment in older adults.
H2A acid blockers, prescribed for over 16 million people in 2005 are sold under brand names such as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet and Zantac, and are used to treat ulcers, acid reflux and other gastrointestinal disorders.

The five-year observational study included 1,558 cognitively normal African-Americans aged 65 and older.  After controlling for other possible factors, nearly 18 percent of H2A users studied exhibited signs of cognitive impairment.

Dr. Malaz Boustani, the lead researcher on this study says "We need to study this further to determine how acid blockers might be causing or creating this effect and if it occurs only in African-Americans." 
Boy, Dr. Boustani, truer words were never spoken!  If you are having trouble remembering your Internet password after taking that Tagamet, there may be a reason!

YOU GIVE ME FEVER?
And in our last little health tidbit, researchers have recently discovered that fever is caused by the action of a hormone on a specific area of the brain.

During periods of inflammation, such as when the body is fighting an infection or illness, the body produces hormones known as cytokines.  The cytokines, in turn, act on blood vessels in the brain to produce a compound called PGE2.

PGE2 then enters the brain's hypothalamus, causing fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and general feelings of sickness and achiness.  These common symptoms of illness function as an adaptive response to help the body fight infection.

When your body temperature is elevated by a few degrees, white blood cells fight infections more effectively.  When you are achy and lethargic you tend to take it easy, thereby conserving your energy so you can better fight the infection. T hat is why so many different types of illness result in more or less the same sickness behaviors.

For the very first time, researchers have identified the single spot in the hypothalamus (about the size of a pin) where prostaglandins work to cause the fever response.  They think that other aspects of sickness behavior, such as the achiness caused by increased sensitivity to pain, also come from specific sites in the brain and they plan to investigate the brain's response to inflammation, and find out why people feel the way they do when they are ill.

THEY EAT WHAT? And now for your cutesy baby picture of the month.  This little guy is unnamed, probably because veterinarians won’t be able to determine its sex for several months.  Its mother Maripi lives at the National Zoo and it is the first giant anteater born there in the zoo’s 118-year history. According to keepers, Maripi is showing excellent maternal instinct in caring for her baby and is very patient as the baby negotiates its various techniques of climbing up onto her back. Giant anteaters live in grassland savannahs, swamps, humid forests and wetlands, and their habitat spans most of Latin America—from Belize to Argentina.  Anteaters use their keen sense of smell to detect termite mounds and tear them open with strong claws to suck up insects with their long noses.  Yes, alas, anteaters don’t eat many ants; their diet is mostly termites and their sticky tongues can extend up to two feet long.  Their tongues help them collect the termites—they can eat up to 30,000 a day. Having had to shell out big bucks for termite protection at my house, I think we could use some ‘ant’eaters here!

Look at the size of THAT tongue!  (Credit: Copyright Smithsonian's National Zoo)