ANIMALS - Berlin Zoo wins polar bear copyright claim
BERLIN (AP) — A European court has upheld the Berlin Zoo's copyright claim against a British firm that had sought to market products under the name "Knut - Der Eisbaer" — German for "Knut - The Polar Bear."The General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg ruled Monday that British firm Knut IP Management Ltd.'s product-line name too closely resembled the Berlin Zoo's earlier trademarked brand "Knud," and could confuse consumers looking to pur ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/berlin_zoo_wins_knut_copyrig
ANIMALS - Dancing With Black Widows
A professional outdoorsman gets to know some of the black widow spiders near his home, first as a shy, retiring pet, then as a venomous threat .. ...
http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/science/dancing-with-bl
ANIMALS - Immune system study could help conserve endangered species
(Phys.org) —A study by University of Georgia ecologists has found that diversity in mammal immune system genes may have more to do with the opportunity to choose a mate than with exposure to parasites .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-immune-endangered-species.htm
ANIMALS - Observatory: Male Orangutans Found to Share Travel Plans
The males make plans up to 24 hours in advance and tell them to nearby orangutans through long, loud calls that can be heard more than a half-mile away .. ...
http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/science/male-orangutans
ANIMALS - Q&A: Why Are Lobsters Blue, and Why Does Cooking Turn Them Red?
The interactions between a protein and the red pigment astaxanthin account for the colors, experts say .. ...
http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/science/why-are-lobster
ANIMALS - Qs from Kids: Why Don't Fish Get Water In Their Eyes?
The function of a fish's eye evolved to suit its watery habitat. Continue reading .. ...
http://news.discovery.com/animals/sharks/qs-from-kids-why-do
ART - ArtsBeat: Jonathan Franzen Assails the Internet (Again)
In an essay in the Guardian, Mr. Franzen wrote about our “media-saturated, technology-crazed, apocalypse-haunted historical moment. .. ...
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/jonathan-franze
BIRDS - Birds appear to lack important anti-inflammatory protein
From bird flu to the West Nile virus, bird diseases can have a vast impact on humans. Thus, understanding bird immune systems can help people in a variety of ways, including protecting ourselves from disease and protecting our interests in birds as food animals. An important element in the immune system of many animals' immune systems—including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and most animals with a backbone—is a protein called tristetraprolin, or ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-birds-lack-important-anti-infla
BIRDS - Loner birds eavesdrop on others for survival
Eavesdropping in the wild – or the ability to gather information from other species – could influence the survival of some animal species .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-loner-birds-eavesdrop-survival.
BOOKS - 10 Things You Didn't Know About Sherlock Holmes
1) Sherlock Holmes was originally going to be called Sherrinford. The name was altered to Sherlock, possibly because of a cricketer who bore the name. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Holmes, was a fan of cricket and the name 'Sherlock' appears to have stuck in his memory. Doyle was also a keen cricketer himself, and between 1899 and 1907 he played ten first-class matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club -- quite fitting, since Baker Street is s ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-tearle/sherlock-holmes-
BOOKS - 18 Food Books Worth Reading
Four times a year, Food Tank handpicks a selection of books (mostly newer releases, but several oldies) that have recently educated, inspired, and informed the work of this organization.Below are Food Tank's "must read" Fall 2013 selections for those who are passionate about a more sustainable food system!From practical tips on sustainable agriculture on a warming planet to insight on how to make jam, these reads will provide plenty of food for t ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-nierenberg/18-food-bo
BOOKS - A Netflix for e-books arrives
The leveling off of the e-book market suggests that what once seemed like a boom destined to overwhelm and replace print publishing has in fact become a thriving submarket. (A recent survey of travelers at London's Heathrow Airport found that even in circumstances where you'd expect e-books to prevail, 71 percent of those polled said they preferred to hit the road toting print books.) All sorts of people read e-books, but a significant portion of ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/a_netflix_for_e_books_arrive
BOOKS - Booker Prize Panel Is Said to Consider Allowing Americans to Be Eligible
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, which has been a British award for more than 40 years, may add American authors to the pool, a newspaper reportedhttp://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/business/media/booker-p
BOOKS - Excerpts from The Mad Scientist's Handbook: The Human Recipe
If you wish to make a human being from scratch… Start with enough oxygen to fill a freight container. Then add an amount of hydrogen that fills 4,700 party balloons. Find enough carbon to...-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.co .. ...
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/2013/09/
BOOKS - FYI: Why Do Libraries Have That Smell?
Library Smell Greg Friedler/Getty Images Mmm, books The musty smell is most likely cellulose decay. Since the mid-19th century, when papermakers began using groundwood pulp in place of cotton or linen, most paper has contained an unstable compound called lignin, which breaks down into acids and makes paper very brittle. Since 2001, the Library of Congress has treated at least 250,000 books every year with magnesium oxide. The chemical deacidifies ...
BOOKS - National Book Awards Longlist 2013: Young People's Literature Nominees
NEW YORK — Kate DiCamillo and David Levithan were among the 10 authors who made the first-ever long-list of finalists for the National Book Awards, part of a new nominating process that prize organizers hope will lead to increased attention and sales.DiCamillo and Levithan were nominees in the Young People's Literature category, announced Monday by the National Book Foundation, which presents the awards. Over the next three days, 10 finalists wil ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/national-book-award
CLIMATE - 10 Things Congress MUST Consider On Climate Change
This Wednesday, September 18, the House Energy and Power Subcommittee will conduct a long-overdue hearing on climate change. It is unfortunately not to seek scientific facts from reputable institutions, such as the National Academy of Sciences, the American Meteorological Society, and similar experts, as requested 27 times by Ranking Committee and Subcommittee Members Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Bobby Rush (D-IL). Instead, the hearing is titled “The ...
CLIMATE - Fracking may not “significantly contribute” to global warming after all
A new study finds that the amount of methane released into the atmosphere by fracking does not contribute significantly to global warming, meaning, according to the Associated Press, that natural gas is "not as bad for global warming as coal."Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 90 percent of the study was funded by energy companies actively involved in drilling. The other 10 percent came from the Environmenta ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/fracking_may_not_significant
CLIMATE - World's most vulnerable areas to climate change mapped
Using data from the world’s ecosystems and predictions of how climate change will impact them, scientists have produced a roadmap that ID's the world’s most and least vulnerable areas in the Age of Climate Change .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130916131006.ht
EARTH - Birth of Earth's continents: New research points to crust stacking, rather than upwelling of hot material
New research provides strong evidence against continent formation above a hot mantle plume, similar to an environment that presently exists beneath the Hawaiian Islands .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130916122133.ht
EARTH - It's a shock: Life on Earth may have come from out of this world
A group of international scientists including a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher have confirmed that life really could have come from out of this world .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130916140453.ht
EARTH - The Human-Harp Project Turns the Brooklyn Bridge into a Giant Musical Instrument!
If you ever looked up at the Brooklyn Bridge’s rows of suspension cables and thought that it looked like a giant harp, you’re not the only one. Artist Di Mainstone recently made that very connection and decided to take the similarity a step further with her Human-Harp project. The music/art installation turned the historic bridge into a giant musical instrument, allowing it to be “played” by a performer strapped to a harness.READ MORE > |Add ...
ECONOMICS - 6 Things to Consider Before Expanding Your Business
When you've got a thriving business, one of the toughest decisions to make is when to open that second location. Do you open one close by? Do you try to break into a new market? When is the right time to expand, and how much preparation does it take? According to the Small Business Association, demand for small business loans, the employment size of startups and proprietors' income are all on the rise in 2013. These are all promising signs for th ...
ECONOMICS - 7 Fees That You Should Always Negotiate
Consumerism is an art, and with the right strategy, you can easily keep costs down. Beyond time-consuming activities like couponing, negotiating is a great place to start. (This gallery is based on information from the Investopedia story of the same name http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0711/7-Fees-That-You-Should-Always-Negotiate.aspx .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/emeh45jfjk/7-fees-that-you-sh
ECONOMICS - Analysis: CO2 Emissions at the World’s Largest Companies Are Rising
Ever since the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent economic malaise, corporate sustainability has lost a bit of its luster as companies strayed away from "green" messaging and more toward job creation and technological innovation. Even GE's Jeff Immelt, at one time the leader of corporate green converts, said in 2011 he regretted the company's green messaging: "If I had one thing to do over again, I would not have talked so much about green. [. ...
ECONOMICS - Global Partners CIO Helps Company Go From $6 Billion In Revenues To $18 Billion In Four Years
When Ken Piddington joined Global Partners as the firm's first-ever chief information officer four years ago, the Waltham, MA-based energy supply business was already a major corporation with revenues of roughly $6 billion, yet the company had thrived without the benefit of a CIO. Leadership realized that it had reached a tipping point in its business where information technology needed to be managed much more strategically than it had been previ ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2013/09/16/a-6-billion
ECONOMICS - How World Bank Plans To Eliminate Extreme Poverty, Boost Incomes Of Poorest By 2030
By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The World Bank, faced with a tight budget and greater competition for development funds, aims to become more selective in its lending, focusing on fragile states, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and other areas where it can have the greatest impact, according to a draft strategy paper obtained by Reuters. The 42-page paper, presented to the bank's executive board ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/world-bank-poverty_
EDUCATION - Choosing a school: how do teachers pick one for their own child?
We ask teachers what they really look for in a school for their childrenEmma Payne, head of St Mary Redcliffe church of England primary, BristolThe most important thing, as far as I was concerned, was seeing the school in action during the daytime. Open evenings are all well and good, but they don't show a school functioning normally, and that's really what you want to be able to see. More than anything, what you're trying to get is a picture of ...
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/sep/16/multiple-ch
EDUCATION - Education Reform: There's NOT An App For That
I’m an edTech guy. I celebrate game-based learning. As a result, probably twice a day, people ask me, “which apps should I download for my kid?” Parents are excited about the possibilities of digital learning technology. They see that a game-based approach makes learning fun. It promises a personalized experience, complete with adaptive feedback and positive reinforcement. When it comes to what our kids learn, however, most parents’ thinking (and ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2013/09/16/educati
EDUCATION - Enrollment in Harvard’s computer science course skyrocketed
If Mark can do it, why can't others? Perhaps inspired by The Social Network, enrollment at Harvard's Introduction to Computer Science course has skyrocketed 580% in the last decade.Preliminary data from the college shows 771 students enrolled in CS50 in the current semester, up from 112 in 2004, Quartz reports. This makes the class one of the most popular on campus, second to an introductory economics course. A partnership with the education nonp ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/enrollment_in_harvards_compu
EDUCATION - No more debt!: The new plan to destroy tuition and loans
If states are the laboratories of democracy, then what’s happening in Oregon's lab seems destined to become one of the most controversial higher education experiments of all. Championed by the local branch of the Working Families Party and called Pay It Forward, the plan that came out of Oregon's legislature this year directs the state government to develop a program that allows students to attend the state’s public universities without paying tu ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/no_more_debt_the_new_plan_to
ENERGY - BNetzA Launches Consultation on Draft Electricity NEP 2013 and Offshore NEP 2013
Last Friday, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) launched its consultation on the drafts of the Electricity Grid Development Plan (NEP 2013) and the first Offshore Grid Development Plan (O-NEP 2013). The agency also presented drafts of its approving decisions and a draft of the environment report 2013. Interested parties have eight weeks to comment.NEP 2013 and O-NEP 2013 have been prepared by the four German transmission operators and were prese ...http://www.germanenergyblog.de/?p=1432
ENERGY - German Green Energy Woes Don’t Discourage Optimistic Taxpayers
As the global economy struggles and more electronic devices are finding their way into modern homes, Europe’s ties to wind and solar generated energy are beginning to fray, causing concern among America’s green energy advocates. Yet the Germans themselves remain stubbornly optimistic about the whole thing.Right now just 3.5% of America’s electricity is being generated by wind and solar arrays. Projects like the long-delayed Cape Wind have highlig ...
ENERGY - Japan nuclear-free as last reactor switched off
Japan went nuclear-free on Monday as it switched off its last operating reactor for an inspection, with no date scheduled for a restart amid strong public hostility to atomic power .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-japan-nuclear-free-reactor_1.ht
ENERGY - Levelized Clean Energy Costs Continue To Drop
We all know that renewable energy sources are becoming more cost-competitive with fossil fuels as time progresses. The economic and environmental benefits that clean energy offers provides a constant incentive to drive technological innovation and utility-scale deployment around the world.The recently released Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis 7.0 from the financial advisor and asset management firm Lazard Freres & Co., shows that the leveliz ...
ENERGY - Net Metering Grows Some Muscles in California
The renewable energy field is like a floppy Labrador pup growing into its adult frame. Renewables like solar and wind are becoming a significant player in energy markets, but there are still some growing pains and a lack of coordination. Landowners with agricultural or farming operations can now really take advantage of renewables, thanks in part to some important changes on the near horizon. Specifically, landowners can now devote the part of t ...
ENERGY - New York putting $1 billion towards clean energy
New York State’s Governor Cuomo has launched a U$1 billion Green Bank initiative to mobilize private sector financing for clean energy projects, which will help generate jobs and boost the state’s economy.The first step of the initiative was launched yesterday, with a petition to use around US$165 million of uncommitted funds for the Green Bank. Once this initial funding is approved, the project will help grow New York State’s clean energy econom ...
ENVIRONMENT - Remote traffic pollution detection system created
A group of research centers and companies in which the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid participates has created the first infrared and remote system able to detect pollutants from cars on highways up to three lanes. Their goal is to be able to conduct a global test of automobile emissions .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-remote-traffic-pollution.htm
ENVIRONMENT - Superbugs offer solvent solution
A world-first superbug is to undergo field trials to clean up two of Australia's most polluted industrial sites at Port Botany in NSW and Altona in Melbourne in the coming year .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-superbugs-solvent-solution.htm
FASHION - Brands To Watch At New York Fashion Week
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http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mkm45gjegj/delpozo-runway-mer
GARDENS - Flame cultivation promising as weed control method for cranberry
Cranberries are important agricultural commodities in states such as Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Washington, and Oregon. But cranberry-growing operations are challenged by weeds, which compete for precious resources and often decrease fruit yields and revenues. Producers currently rely on weed management strategies such as flooding and sanding cranberry beds, hand-weeding, or applications of pre- and postemergence herbicides. Recent int ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-flame-cultivation-weed-method-c
GARDENS - Sensors allow for efficient irrigation, more control over plant growth
In a recently published study, increased irrigation volume led to increased growth; plant height also increased with increasing water content threshold in all studies. Results of the experiments indicated that sensor-controlled irrigation is feasible, and that water content thresholds can be adjusted to control plant growth .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130916122129.ht
MOVIES - "The Scarecrow" - Lots of Heart, But It Could Use More Brain
Have you seen the Chipotle Grill animated video “ The Scarecrow “? More than four million people have, since it was first published last week. It’s a cry against unsustainable...-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.co .. ...
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/09/16/ch
PEOPLE - America's Richest Hedge Fund Managers
Twenty-eight members of the 2013 Forbes 400 built their fortunes through the management of hedge funds. Now making up 7% of America's wealthiest individuals, their number decreased over the past twelve months from the 31 managers that made the list in 2012, as several legendary investors failed to keep pace with the rising tide of the world's most exclusive club. The cost of entry to the Forbes 400 now stands at a staggering $1.3 billion, up $200 ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwindurgy/2013/09/16/americas-r
PEOPLE - The Top 25 Most Narcissistic CEOs In Tech
Who are the most narcissistic CEOs in tech and is that necessarily a bad thing? Using a modified methodology of the pre-eminent scholar of CEO narcissism, I conducted a study to take a look - with some surprising results .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2013/09/16/the-top-2
PLANTS - 'Stealthy' pest damages inside of stems, not outside
The presence of a new Bermuda grass pest has been confirmed in Van Zandt County, and producers are advised to be on the lookout, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-stealthy-pest-stems.htm
PLANTS - Why do some plants eat flesh?
Certain plants have gone from helpfully purifying the air to devouring the flesh of animals. But how? Find out why some plants went rogue and began capturing living prey. More importantly, can we stop them from one day eating us?Read more.. .. ...
SCIENCE - 'Science Selfies' Spotlight Scientists, Geeks Doing What They Love Best (PHOTOS)
Science is all around us, and nearly everyone can get involved -- from conducting a critical lab experiment to strolling through a natural history museum to simply browsing through a book on the Big Bang. Whether you're a science nerd or a Nobel-prize winning scientist, we wanted to highlight YOU doing or simply enjoying science. So we asked readers to share their "science selfies" -- and here are our favorites. Click through and see if you can s ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/science-selfies-huf
SCIENCE - Concrete which can heal its own cracks
Cardiff University researcher Dr Diane Gardner has won the 'You Heard It Here First' event at the British Science Festival for her work on self-healing concrete. The award considers the UK's brightest early career researchers to find out the next big thing in science and technology .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-concrete.htm
SCIENCE - Environmentally friendly cement is stronger than ordinary cement
Cement made with waste ash from sugar production is stronger than ordinary cement. The research shows that the ash helps to bind water in the cement so that it is stronger, can withstand higher pressure and crumbles less. At the same time, energy is saved and pollution from cement production is reduced .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130916111002.ht
SCIENCE - Ig Nobel Prizes: Why onions make you cry and Enya is bad in the operating room
Let's face it: The Nobel Prizes aren't for everyone. That's why we celebrate the Ig Nobel Prizes, which were handed out Thursday night at Harvard's Sanders Theater .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-ig-nobel-prizes-onions-enya.htm
SCIENCE - Researchers steer light in new directions
A team of researchers led by San Francisco State University's Weining Man is the first to build and demonstrate the ability of two-dimensional disordered photonic band gap material, designed to be a platform to control light in unprecedented ways .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-researchers-steer-light-in-new.
SPACE - Big Pic: The Sun Like You've Never Seen It Before
Colorized Coronal Mass Ejections from the Sun Courtesy of SOHO consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA Scientists colorized this image to show the intensity of coronal mass ejections. In this image, the sun reaches out into space with long, super-intense flares of magnetized plasma called coronal mass ejections. When they're directed toward Earth, such ejections may trigger auroras. Especially powerful ejec ...
SPACE - Chocolate coming on next space station delivery
A Virginia company makes its debut this week as a space station delivery service. And the lone American aboard the orbiting lab is counting on a fresh stash of chocolate .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-chocolate-space-station-deliver
SPACE - Harvest Full Moon Rises This Week: How to See It
This Thursday's full moon carries the title of "Harvest Moon" for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. But what gives the special moon its name? [More]-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.co .. ...
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=harvest-ful
TREES - More money, more forest-planting
The environmental version of the Kuznets curveECONOMIC growth is generally assumed to be bad for biodiversity. That is right—but only up to a point. In the early stages of a country's growth, the human population increases sharply, natural habitat is lost and pollution rises. But when countries approach middle-income level, that starts to change, for several reasons: some of the effects of growth (such as sewage systems and restrictions on ...
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/09/daily-c
URBAN - Apartment Blockers
Alan Durning is the executive director and founder of Sightline Institute, a think tank on sustainability issues in the Pacific Northwest. This article, originally posted on Sightline’s blog, is #9 in their series, “Parking? Lots!”Have you ever watched the excavation that precedes a tall building? It seems to take forever. Then, when the digging is finally done, construction rockets upward in no time. For the past few months, I’ve been watching a ...
URBAN - Volkswagen’s Autostadt Gets a Suspended Leaf-Shaped Roof
Read the rest of Volkswagen’s Autostadt Gets a Suspended Leaf-Shaped Roof |Add todel.icio.usdiggPost tags: eco design, floating pavilion, GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architeken, green design, suspended pavilion, sustainable design, Volkswagen Autostadt, WES & Partner Landschaftsarchitekte .. ...
http://inhabitat.com/volkswagens-autostadt-gets-a-suspended-
WIND - Wind turbines are either making people sick or driving them crazy
Wind-turbine syndrome is the disease you've never heard of, and many will tell you it doesn't exist. The diagnosis was only first named in 2006, but it's become more common as its suspected cause proliferates: wind power is America's fastest-growing energy source, and some people insist it's making them sick.Kristen French investigated the phenomenon for New York Magazine. Plenty of people, she found, were eager to testify to an array of symptoms ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/wind_turbines_are_either_mak
WRITE - 7 ways to write well from home
Many of us freelance writers work from home, and as you know, that can be a double-edged sword … with many advantages, and an almost equal number of disadvantages.Here are some tips that have helped me to make the most of my home office, and I hope you find them helpful too.1. Network online, both for business and socially. It helps you keep things in perspective even if you don’t have an active F2F social life out of working hours. I’ve made som ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/7_ways_to_write_well_from_ho
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