sans titre Spiders can be found on every continent of the planet except Antarctica. They are both hunters and hunted. They capture their prey in a variety of ways, either by spinning a web and waiting for their unsuspecting prey to fall into the trap, or jumping out of a hiding place onto a passing meal. Except for the plant-eating Bagheera kiplingi, these eight-legged invertebrates are serial carnivores: most love to snack on insects while others are tempted by lizards, birds, frogs, fish and the occasional snake. There are spiders that eat other spiders, and some female widow spiders eat their mates, even while they are mating. Spider venom is present in most species and serves the purpose of stunning or killing their prey rather than attacking humans. Despite having adapted to a range of habitats and temperatures, spiders rarely stray far from their home environment. Spiders can produce several different types of silk from their silk glands and nozzles, otherwise known as spinnerets.
Why Seaweed, Not Solar, May Be the Energy of Tomorrow In brief: The US Department of Energy has invested nearly $1.5 million in projects that will help establish large-scale seaweed farms for the purpose of making biofuel. The renewable energy sector is rapidly increasing in the diversity of clean energy sources. The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in a novel source of future renewable energy in the form of seaweed. Seaweed, in all its slimy glory, can be processed into a biofuel that could be used to power our homes and vehicles. Of the two latest projects funded, $995,978 went to Makai Ocean Engineering of Honolulu to help build an ocean simulating model that the will aid researchers in designing offshore seaweed farms, and $500,000 went to Kampachi Farms of Kailua-Kona to test harvesting methods for seaweed grown on these farms.
We've Set a Climate Change Record for 2016, and It's Awful The Numbers Are In Usually, setting a world record is a positive achievement. Not this time, though – we have set another world record for the warmest temperatures ever on the planet. According to separate reports by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA, 2016 is the hottest year ever recorded. Humans have been consistently setting record-breaking temperature levels since 2005, but last year’s is now the worst of them all. The NOAA’s annual State of the Climate Report was prepared by scientists from its National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). During 2016, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.69°F (0.94°C) above the 20th century average. NASA’s separate analysis, made by its Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, supports these figures: “Globally-averaged temperatures in 2016 were 1.78 degrees Fahrenheit (0.99 degrees Celsius) warmer than the mid-20th century mean. It Keeps Getting Hotter
Solar Power Information and Facts Solar energy is the technology used to harness the sun's energy and make it useable. As of 2011, the technology produced less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand. Many are familiar with so-called photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, found on things like spacecraft, rooftops, and handheld calculators. The cells are made of semiconductor materials like those found in computer chips. When sunlight hits the cells, it knocks electrons loose from their atoms. As the electrons flow through the cell, they generate electricity. On a much larger scale, solar-thermal power plants employ various techniques to concentrate the sun's energy as a heat source. How to Harness Solar Power In one technique, long troughs of U-shaped mirrors focus sunlight on a pipe of oil that runs through the middle. Other solar technologies are passive. Solar energy is lauded as an inexhaustible fuel source that is pollution- and often noise-free. Pitfalls
sans titre Keeping an eye on the health of our seas You might be forgiven for thinking that Lewis Pugh is somewhat out of his mind, particularly since he once swam in water so cold at the North Pole that the cells in his fingers burst. The extreme swimmer then went on to almost drown while swimming in a glacial lake on Mount Everest because of the thin air, and more recently has become the first person to swim long distances across seven seas including the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Black Sea. His motive is crystal clear: to draw the attention of politicians and leaders to the degradation of the environment, particularly our oceans, before it is too late. Hula-hooping for human rights Wasfia Nazreen first came across a hula hoop as a young girl, when she saw a foreign child who was visiting her native Bangladesh playing with one.
Solar Energy China Takes Serious Anti-Coal Stance, Cancelling 104 New Coal Plants In Brief China is shutting down 104 coal-fired projects across 13 provinces, which were expected to deliver a total of 120 gigawatts of power.With this change, it might be possible for the world’s biggest industrial nation to meet its target of limiting coal-fired power generation to 1,100 gigawatts by 2020. War Against Coal Almost three years ago, China declared their intentions to wage a war against pollution – a move in direct response to the dire state of the country’s air quality and worldwide efforts to address climate change. Even now, as the country announces plans to shut down the construction of more than one hundred coal-fired power plants, some of its major cities are still reeling from the toxic smog that blanketed the nation at the beginning of 2017. Around the globe, the very real consequences brought on by climate change continue to be felt. Impending Victory
Solar Energy Basics | NREL Solar is the Latin word for sun—a powerful source of energy that can be used to heat, cool, and light our homes and businesses. That's because more energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year. A variety of technologies convert sunlight to usable energy for buildings. The most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses are solar water heating, passive solar design for space heating and cooling, and solar photovoltaics for electricity. Solar panels installed on a home in Colorado. Businesses and industry also use these technologies to diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money. Solar Photovoltaic Technology These technologies convert sunlight directly into electricity to power homes and businesses. Concentrating Solar Power These technologies harness heat from the sun to provide electricity for large power stations. Solar Process Heat Passive Solar Technology From the U.S. Solar Water Heating U.S.
Super-recognisers 1Hundreds of angry people took to the streets in London and at least ten other English cities in 2011. Petrol bombs were thrown, buildings and vehicles destroyed and shops looted. Many of the rioters were caught on CCTV cameras, but most of the images were poor and the perpetrators had covered their faces. 2Gary Collins, an off-duty policeman, was watching the London riots on TV. 3Collins is no ordinary police officer. 4London’s Metropolitan Police set up a unit of super-recognisers in 2015 after Collins’ success proved it could be useful. 5Neville’s unit has changed all that. 6This winning combination of human skill and technology has helped convict criminals from shoplifters and pickpockets to sex offenders and murderers. 7Super-recognisers could be useful in many jobs such as security and passport control.