Arctic Warming is Altering Weather Patterns, Study Shows EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published April 3. Given recent news that Arctic sea ice set a record low, it's a reminder that changes in the Arctic can affect the U.S. and Europe. By showing that Arctic climate change is no longer just a problem for the polar bear, a new study may finally dispel the view that what happens in the Arctic, stays in the Arctic. The study, by Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University and Stephen Vavrus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ties rapid Arctic climate change to high-impact, extreme weather events in the U.S. and Europe. The study shows that by changing the temperature balance between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, rapid Arctic warming is altering the course of the jet stream, which steers weather systems from west to east around the hemisphere. The jet stream, the study says, is becoming “wavier,” with steeper troughs and higher ridges. The strong area of high pressure shunted the jet stream far north into Canada.
Carbon Bubble Unburnable Carbon – Are the world’s financial markets carrying a carbon bubble? In March 2012, Carbon Tracker’s seminal report ‘Unburnable Carbon’ was Highly Commended in the City of London’s Sustainability Awards. This award-winning analysis by Carbon Tracker discovers that: Already in 2011, the world has used over a third of its 50-year carbon budget of 886GtCO2, leaving 565GtCO2 All of the proven reserves owned by private and public companies and governments are equivalent to 2,795 GtCO2Fossil fuel reserves owned by the top 100 listed coal and top 100 listed oil and gas companies represent total emissions of 745GtCO2Only 20% of the total reserves can be burned unabated, leaving up to 80% of assets technically unburnable (click image for larger version of map) Distribution of reserves across exchanges By allocating reserves to exchanges, it is possible to build up a picture of where reserves are listed. Focus on the UK: Relevance for investors Regulation needed Read the pdf
Essener EnergieForum | Essener EnergieForum Haushalt: - PRODANA - Produkte aus der Natur Haushalt und Küche nehmen in der Regel einen großen Teil unseres Alltags in Anspruch, und zum Glück gibt es viele Produkte, die uns diese Arbeit erleichtern. Wir haben Ihnen ein großes Sortiment an Produkten zusammengestellt, das es ihnen ermöglicht... Haushalt und Küche nehmen in der Regel einen großen Teil unseres Alltags in Anspruch, und zum Glück gibt es viele Produkte, die uns diese Arbeit erleichtern. Wir haben Ihnen ein großes Sortiment an Produkten zusammengestellt, das es ihnen ermöglicht umweltschonend und nicht auf Kosten der Natur ihren Alltag zu gestalten. Unsere Produktvielfalt wird Sie begeistern! In dieser Kategorie finden Sie Produkte von Öko-Waschmitteln über nachhaltige Verpackungs- und Aufbewahrungsbehälter, bis hin zu schlautürlichen Elektrogeräten. Unser Nachhaltigkeitsversprechen Unsere Produkte sind nicht nur außergewöhnlich und von höchster Qualität, sondern werden auch aus nachwachsenden Rohstoffen produziert.
See-through caterpillar This jewel caterpillar (acraga coa) is dressed to perfection. Gerardo Aizpuru spotted it in a mangrove area on the Yucatán peninsula. Photo take in a mangrove area, found this Stoning translucent caterpillar lay on a Red Mangrove tree leaf this morning early. Just can believe there is some species like this around the world. Looks like made of glass whit small red mushroom inside every pic. about 3 cm long. Jewel-like or see-through caterpillars are amazing gifts from mother nature Here's photos of the Jewel Caterpillar (Acraga coa), snapped by photographer Gerardo Aizpuru near Cancun, and submitted to Project Noah. "Photo take in a mangrove area , found this Stoning translucent caterpillar lay on a Red Mangrove tree leaf this morning early. Just can believe there is some species like this around the world. looks like made of glass whit small red mushroom inside every pic. about 3 cm long." The jewel-like caterpillar transforms into this brightly coloured furry moth Via Geekologie Loading comments...
News - Magnetic bacteria may help build future bio-computers 7 May 2012Last updated at 05:40 ET Tiny magnets form inside magnetic bacteria Magnet-making bacteria may be building biological computers of the future, researchers have said. A team from the UK's University of Leeds and Japan's Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have used microbes that eat iron. As they ingest the iron, the microbes create tiny magnets inside themselves, similar to those in PC hard drives. The research may lead to the creation of much faster hard drives, the team of scientists say. The study appears in the journal Small. As technology progresses and computer components get smaller and smaller, it becomes harder to produce electronics on a nano-scale. So researchers are now turning to nature - and getting microbes involved. Magnetic bacteria In the current study, the scientists used the bacterium Magnetospirilllum magneticum. These naturally magnetic microorganisms usually live in aquatic environments such as ponds and lakes, below the surface where oxygen is scarce.
Tooth decay to be a thing of the past? Enzyme responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth deciphered The Groningen professors Bauke Dijkstra and Lubbert Dijkhuizen have deciphered the structure and functional mechanism of the glucansucrase enzyme that is responsible for dental plaque sticking to teeth. This knowledge will stimulate the identification of substances that inhibit the enzyme. Just add that substance to toothpaste, or even sweets, and caries will be a thing of the past. The results of the research have been published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The University of Groningen researchers analysed glucansucrase from the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri, which is present in the human mouth and digestive tract. Three dimensional structure Using protein crystallography, the researchers were able to elucidate the three dimensional (3D) structure of the enzyme. Functional mechanism The unravelling of the 3D structure provided the researchers with detailed insight into the functional mechanism of the enzyme. Inhibitors
Bees Solve Hard Computing Problems Faster Than Supercomputers We already know bees are pretty good at facial recognition, and researchers have shown they can also be effective air-quality monitors. Here's one more reason to keep them around: They're smarter than computers. Bumblebees can solve the classic "traveling salesman" problem, which keeps supercomputers busy for days. They learn to fly the shortest possible route between flowers even if they find the flowers in a different order, according to a new British study. The traveling salesman problem is an (read: very hard) problem in computer science; it involves finding the shortest possible route between cities, visiting each city only once. Bees need lots of energy to fly, so they seek the most efficient route among networks of hundreds of flowers. To test bee problem-solving, researchers Lars Chittka and Mathieu Lihoreau tested bees' response to computer-controlled artificial flowers.
Métamorphoses de l’évolution. Le récit d’une image | L'Atelier d Illustration de couverture de la traduction hollandaise de l'ouvrage de Stephen Jay Gould, Ever Since Darwin (Honderd jaar na Darwin, 1979). Dans La Vie est belle, le paléontologue Stephen Jay Gould note que “l’iconographie au service de la persuasion frappe (…) au plus profond de notre être”. Pour introduire à une réflexion d’envergure sur l’histoire de la vie, le savant s’en prend à une illustration: la fameuse “marche du progrès”, dont il reproduit plusieurs parodies. La succession des hominidés en file indienne, “représentation archétypale de l’évolution – son image même, immédiatement saisie et instinctivement comprise par tout le monde”, propose une vision faussée d’un processus complexe. “L’évolution de la vie à la surface de la planète est conforme au modèle du buisson touffu doté d’innombrables branches (…). Mais au contraire des nombreuses références que mobilise habituellement le savant, celle-ci n’est ni datée ni attribuée. Exemples d'iconographie de la collection Time-Life.
Behavioural biologist Frans de Waal to give Freedom Lecture - News - News & Events Behavioural biologist Frans de Waal is to give this year's Freedom Lecture on 4 June in the Pieterskerk in Leiden. De Waal has many years of experience researching the behaviour of the species of anthropoid apes. Moral behaviour in animals The title of De Waal's lecture will be From Ape to to Angel:Bosch, Bonobos and Morality without God. Innate morality Based to some extent on his own research with anthropoids and elephants, De Waal demonstrates that empathy and a sense of fairness are not the prerogative of humans. Great Mind of Science Frans de Waal has written a number of pioneering books about his research: iin 1982, Chimpanzee Politics appeared, and in 2009 The Age of Empathy. Register If you would like to attend the lecture, please refer to the website of the Freedom Lecture About the Freedom Lecture The annual Freedom Lecture is a collaborative project of the Municipality of Leiden, Leiden University and the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC).
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