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Most Michigan and Pennsylvania residents say that hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as fracking) is good for the economy, but have concerns about chemicals used and other environmental risks, according to a recent survey done by the University of Michigan. Read more »
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By Tom Vanderbilt
No revolution is deserving of the label if it doesn't provoke resistance from a threatened establishment. That’s why the backlash against Citi Bike -- the new bike-sharing program scheduled to put 6,000 bikes and 330 stations on New York City’s streets by the end of the month -- is a positive development. Let us first qualify. As far as backlashes go, the anti-Citi Bike outcry is fairly tame stuff: a smattering of lawsuits, some very
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By Dustin Renwick People often invoke the Rubik’s cube as a metaphor for deep, multifaceted ideas. Although math supports the premise, the cube is still a toy with colored squares. Human diseases, on the other hand, represent more intricate puzzles. Take asthma, for example. May is asthma awareness month, and the disease affects an estimated [...]
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But the main backing for government intervention in STEM education has come from the business lobby. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a businessman stand up and bemoan the alleged failure of the education system to … Continue reading →
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I’m very pleased to announce that my post, “Exploring the Mind of the Mountain Gorilla” was a Finalist for the 2013 Science Seeker Awards in the category of Best Post in Neuroscience & Psychology. There were many extraordinary posts among the 75 nominees in the category and the 350 nominees in all, so I’m honored [...]
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The Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience is hosting a unique forum for postgraduate researchers interested in learning more about fieldwork from a variety of perspectives. Friday 24 May 201310.15-12.30 (followed by lunch) Joachim Room, Hild Bede College, Durham University The forum is an opportunity to mix with Postgraduate Students from around the University and […]
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I have three jobs—lecturer, facilitator of academic research, and mother of two nature-engaged kids. My three experiences lead me to think we have a core problem in urban social-ecology: that we let our fealty to discipline-specific methods get in the … Continue reading →
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A group of physicists from the New York University have uncovered how energy is released and dispersed in magnetic materials in a process similar to the spread of forest fires. This finding not only has the potential to deepen our understanding of self-sustained chemical reactions, but also could open new exciting possibilities for energy storage. Read more »
Subedi, P., Vélez, S., Macià, F., Li, S., Sarachik, M., Tejada, J., Mukherjee, S., Christou, G. & Kent, A. (2013). Onset of a Propagating Self-Sustained Spin Reversal Front in a Magnetic System, Physical Review Letters, 110 (20) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.207203
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By The Editors
Not exactly the wind beneath our wings: Large wind farms are threatening many birds of prey, an investigation says, including the iconic golden eagle. “Flying eagles behave like drivers texting on their cellphones; they don't look up. As they scan for food, they don't notice the industrial turbine blades until it's too late.” (See “In-Flight Safety Information,” Spring 2012, for possible fixes to the problem.) Although fossil fuel
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Weddell seals are born with brains which are 70% the size of their parents, but a body mass of only 6-7%.
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As we have written earlier this week, universal access to modern energy could be achieved with an investment of between 65 and 86 billion US dollars per year up until 2030. However, as millions of people around the world still do not have electricity in their homes, a new solar-powered lantern developed by Panasonic might come in handy. Read more »
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The stinging nettle Urtica dioica is one of the easiest plants to identify – a quick brush past it and you’ll certainly know that you’ve found one! This tough perennial that can reproduce by seeds and by spreading roots is hard to eradicate from the garden, but in times past its virtues were far more valued than they are today.
With the resurgence in interest in wild foods (cheap, nutritious and easy to come by), the nettle is once again on the menu. Harvest the fresh growth
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Today was a successful day at the Placerias Quarry! The weather was perfect, the company pleasurable, and the bones plentiful. We arrived on site and began work around 7:30 AM, working through the morning until lunch at noon. We returned to work and finished out the day, packing up the van to head back into […]
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Contemporary collections of sponges in the Indo-west Pacific have escalated substantially due to pharmaceutical discovery, national bioregional planning, and compliance with international conventions on the seabed and its marine genetic resources beyond national jurisdictions. These partially processed operational taxonomic unit (OTU) collections now vastly outweigh the expertise available to make them better 'known' via complete taxonomy, yet for for many bioregions they represent the most
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