7th Grader mimics Nature 13 year old copies Nature to Improve Solar Performance Thirteen year old Aidan Dwyer was walking in the woods in Upstate New York in the winter and noticed a spiral pattern to tree branches. Aidan realized the tree branches and leaves had a mathematical spiral pattern that could be shown as a fraction. After some research he also realized the mathematical fractions were the same numbers as the Fibonacci sequence. Aidan's backyard in Northport, NY. The 7th grader next wondered why nature used such a pattern? Aidan discovered that the Fibonacci pattern helps deciduous trees, in higher latitudes, efficiently track the Sun and collect the most sunlight even in the thickest forest, on the cloudiest days. The American Museum of Natural History has awarded Aidan a Young Naturalist Award for 2011. See the detailed description of his discoveries on the Museum's website: *www.amnh.org In late 2012, early 2013, Aidan builds a larger model: Share this page... Become a Fan of Inspiration Green Got water?
Nobel Prize Watch | Tracking the stories and reactions behind the 2011 Nobel Prizes Good coffee threatened by disease outbreak A disease called coffee rust has reached epidemic proportions in Central America, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers and the morning pick-me-up of millions of coffee drinkers. Caused by a leaf-blighting fungus, possibly exacerbated by growing practices and climate change, the disease leaves coffee plants spindly and barren, their precious fruits unripened. "Where people have been using heirloom varietals for a century, you just have trees without leaves," said David Griswold, president of Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers. The effects haven't been felt yet among coffee drinkers in developed countries, but history gives a sense of the problem's potential magnitude. Coffee rust first occurred in Central America in the mid-70s, but outbreaks didn't reach industry-threatening levels. Regional production fell by 15 percent last year, putting nearly 400,000 people out of work, and that's just a taste of what's to come. Fighting coffee rust won't be easy.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Nobel Lecture: A Voice for Freedom! Nobel Lecture by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Oslo, 10 December 2011. A Voice for Freedom! Your Majesties, Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Nobel Laureates, my brothers and sisters: On behalf of all the women of Liberia, the women of Africa, and women everywhere in the world who have struggled for peace, justice and equality, I accept with great humility the 2011 Nobel Prize for Peace. I am particularly honored to be a successor to the several sons and one daughter of Africa who have stood on this stage – Chief Albert John Lutuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, Kofi Annan, Anwar el-Sadat, Wangari Muta Maathai, Mohamed ElBaradei, as well as Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Bunche, Americans of African descent. Your Majesties: I begin with a message to you and, through you, to the people of Norway. With such a distinction comes great responsibility. Leymah, you are a peacemaker. Thank you. Recommended:
18 of Nature’s Most Powerful Medicinal Plants (Part of an Exclusive WebEcoist Series on Amazing Trees, Plants, Forests and Flowers) From marijuana to catnip, there are hundreds of remarkably common herbs, flowers, berries and plants that serve all kinds of important medicinal and health purposes that might surprise you: anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, insect repellent, antiseptic, expectorant, antibacterial, detoxification, fever reduction, antihistamine and pain relief. Here are eighteen potent medical plants you're likely to find in the wild – or even someone's backyard – that can help with minor injuries, scrapes, bites and pains Marijuana Images via Current and Street Knowledge Seriously. Lady Ferns Image via US Forest Service If you grew up in the Pacific Northwest you likely know what ferns are good for: treating stinging nettles. California Poppy Images via Netstate and Mountain Meadow Seeds The brilliant blooms of the poppy make this opioid plant an iconic one. Blood Flower Tansy Image via Earth Heart Farm Korean Mint (hyssop) Alfalfa
Nobel Lecture by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="720" height="405" id="AkamaiMediaPlayer"><param name="movie" value="AkamaiMediaPlayer.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="bgcolor" value="#111111"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><!--[if !IE]>--><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="AkamaiMediaPlayer.swf" width="720" height="405"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="bgcolor" value="#111111"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><!--<![endif]--><! Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivered her Nobel Lecture on 10 December 2011 at the Oslo City Hall, Norway. To cite this pageMLA style: "Video Player". On 27 November 1895 Alfred Nobel signed his last will in Paris. Try to save some patients and learn about human blood types! Discover the 2012 awarded research on stem cells and cell signalling.
Natural Revolution » Farmers vs. Monsanto: Court Case Update Many of you likely recall the OSGATA vs. Monsanto case from last year. The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), comprised of some 300,000 individuals and non-GMO farming alliances, filed suit against the biotech behemoth Monsanto in 2011 in order to protect themselves against Monsanto’s suing for incidental GMO seed drift onto their non-GMO fields. To the world’s outrage, OSGATA’s case was denied last year by judge Naomi Buchwald on insufficient grounds for bringing a preemptive case against Monsanto. In other words, they were denied the right to protect themselves against Monsanto’s frivolous lawsuits. OSGATA vowed to appeal, which they did, and that appeal was finally heard by a three-judge panel today, June 10, 2013. Unfortunately, Judge Buchwald’s decision was again upheld. Dan Ravicher, the attorney for OSGATA, understands the recent decision as a partial victory. Source: www.osgata.org Comments
Leymah Gbowee - Mighty Be Our Powers In a time of death and terror, Leymah Gbowee brought Liberia’s women together—and together they led a nation to peace. As a young woman, Leymah Gbowee was broken by the Liberian civil war, a brutal conflict that tore apart her life and claimed the lives of countless relatives and friends. Years of fighting destroyed her country—and shattered Gbowee’s girlhood hopes and dreams. As a young mother trapped in a nightmare of domestic abuse, she found the courage to turn her bitterness into action, propelled by her realization that it is women who suffer most during conflicts—and that the power of women working together can create an unstoppable force. Leymah Gbowee on her memoir: Leymah Gbowee on how her family reacted to her book: Carol Mithers is a journalist and book author. "a beautifully written narrative." — Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women "One of the most inspirational and powerful books I've ever read.
Ten Great Reasons to Kill America's Absurd Ban on Growing Hemp By Scott Thill - alternet.org America’s industrial ban on hemp is “a poster child for dumb regulation,” argues lazy ass pothead! Wait, sorry, scratch that. Make that Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, introducing an amendment last week to the densely contested 2012 Farm Bill, which is either a subsidies and sustainability savior or callous food austerity, depending on who you ask. But if you ask Wyden, “the best possible Farm Bill” is one that repeals a ban on industrial hemp the United States is already quite busy, and expensively, importing from the few feet it takes to cross the Canadian border. “I will be urging my colleagues to support this amendment,” Wyden announced last week on the Senate floor, reminding the assembled elected that his plan won’t cost American taxpayers a dime. That’s some stacked opposition. 1. Maybe we should just burn money, too? 2. Besides Canada, Australia is enjoying an agricultural rebound because of hemp production. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Nobel Peace Prize winners Sirleaf and Gbowee reflect Liberian women's strength I went for a walk in Liberia two years ago. It started "upcountry" where the forest is thick and the air still, on the border with Sierra Leone, the West African country twinned with Liberia through common turbulent recent history. And it finished a month or so later on a giddying day when the jungle lifted and I stepped on to buttermilk sands rinsed by the horizon-less Atlantic. Skip to next paragraph Recent posts Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS ofThe Christian Science MonitorWeekly Digital Edition For 350 miles I had followed jungle trails snaking over mountains, their rocky outline softened by a coating of primary rainforest, and crossed rivers on "hammock bridges" made from knotted vines. Blisters, hunger, thirst had all come and gone on a hike that had tested me to the limit physically and psychologically. The memory of this came back with the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to three women. All along the trail I met women such as Etta.
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