EARTH PORTATION curated News December 30th

ANIMALS - Museum bird DNA 'ready for use' in Naturalis Biodiversity Center

DNA barcoding is used as an effective tool for both the identification of known species and the discovery of new ones. The core idea of DNA barcoding is based on the fact that just a small portion of a single gene already can show that there is less variation between the individuals of one species than between those of several species .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-museum-bird-dna-ready-naturalis

BIRDS - Testosterone in male songbirds may enhance desire to sing but not song quality

For the male canary, the ability to sing a pitch-perfect song is critical to wooing female canaries. As the seasons change, so does song quality and frequency. The hormone testosterone plays a role in this changing song behavior .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-testosterone-male-songbirds-des

BOOKS - Book Excerpt: The Wisdom of Love

Jacob Needleman on the need for lovers to nourish each other's inner life and search for truth .. ...
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id

EARTH - Countdown to 2014:  Best places to ring in the new year

As the clock ticks down to midnight, a crowd gathers in Times Square, waiting for a glittering ball to descend and launch the New Year. But this isn’t New York, it’s Hong Kong, where a ball drop has also become an annual tradition .. ...
http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/countdown-2014-best-places-rin

ECONOMICS - An Unlikely Star of the Holiday-Shipping Season: The U.S. Postal Service

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-30/an-unlikely-

ECONOMICS - Online economy continues to bloom

Online shopping in Australia is enjoying a strong second wave of growth as more consumers build internet browsing, purchasing and financial transactions into their everyday lives .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-online-economy-bloom.htm

ECONOMICS - The world braces for retirement crisis

A global retirement crisis is bearing down on workers of all ages. It will play out for decades, and its consequences will be far-reaching .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-world-braces-crisis.htm

EDUCATION - 6 Innovative Programs Getting Children Back in School

It costs more to not educate a child than it does to educate a child. Around the world there are innovative programs working to get these children into school. Here are 6 featured on the CEI database .. ...
http://www.good.is/posts/6-innovative-programs-getting-child

ENVIRONMENT - Japan’s homeless hired for Fukushima clean up

The ongoing and potentially deadly work of cleaning up Japan's nuclear disaster zone has fallen on the country's neediest.According to a Reuters report, homeless Japanese people are being recruited (reportedly the work of Japanese gangsters) to work for under minimum wage to clean up radioactive fallout across an area of northern Japan, as the radiation clean up following the Fukushima meltdown runs heavily behind schedule.Via Reuters:In January, ...
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/30/japans_homeless_hired_for_fu

HOMES - MEKA reinvents shipping container housing

Their patented system takes the best of both worlds: the mobility of the shipping container with the flexibility of prefab .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/modular-design/meka-world-reinvent

MOVIES - DNews: The Top Sci-Fi Films of All Time

Anthony sits down with filmmaker & Film Riot host, Ryan Connolly to discuss the top 5 science fiction films of all time .. ...
http://news.discovery.com/human/videos/the-top-sci-fi-films-

MOVIES - Make a Movie

The White House is hosting a film festival for kids K-12 .. ...
http://www.good.is/posts/encourage-children-s-creativit

MOVIES - Why Matt Smith's Doctor "Deserved Better"

Matt Smith has been one of the most engaging actors ever to play that ageless time traveler on Doctor Who — but if he'd been given better, weightier material to work with, he might have been the best Doctor of all, argues a new article in The Atlantic.Read more...    .. ...

http://io9.com/why-matt-smiths-doctor-deserved-better-149182

PEOPLE - Gone in 2013: A Tribute to 10 Remarkable Women in Science

Pioneering scientists and engineers are often overlooked in popular retrospectives commemorating the year’s departed. In particular, women in such fields tend to be given short shrift. To counter this regrettable circumstance, I present here a selection of 10 notable women in science who left us in 2013. Each of these individuals contributed greatly to her field and should be remembered for her exceptional accomplishments. This, of course, is not ...
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/12/30/go

PEOPLE - U.S. Population Rises Just 0.72 Percent, Census Bureau Finds

An outside demographer says last year’s growth rate was the lowest in more than seven decades.    .. ...
http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/us/us-population-rises-

PLANTS - How smoker's breath saved this caterpillar's life

Meet the tobacco hornworm, a caterpillar that regularly eats tobacco leaves loaded with nicotine. Research now shows this little bugger has a strange and unique defense against hungry spiders: It "puffs out" nicotine, creating a kind of toxic bad breath. This serves as a potent warning that says, "Eat me and you'll die!"Read more...    .. ...

http://io9.com/how-smokers-breath-saved-this-caterpillars-li

SCIENCE - The Biodiversity Bubble: How What We Don't Know Could Get Us Killed

Ask most scientists and they’ll tell you that the current crisis that scares them most is the biodiversity crisis. What current biodiversity crisis? My point, exactly .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler/2013/12/30/the-biod

SPACE - When Did Galaxies Get Their Spirals?

What makes a spiral galaxy, well, spiral? And how long does it take them to get in a spin? Continue reading .. ...
http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/when-did-galaxies-g

SUSTAINABILITY - 9 Simple and Effective Green New Year’s Resolutions

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions every year, to help us achieve our financial goals or to improve our health, but not too many of us make those New Year’s resolutions for environmental reasons.However, if you’re concerned about having a smaller environmental footprint, and saving money while you’re at it, here are 9 simple and effective green New Year’s resolutions that you can put into practice in 2014:Some of these are really basic, such ...

http://ecopreneurist.com/2013/12/30/9-simple-effective-green

URBAN - The 2013 Shipping Container News: Our 15 favorite boxes

Shipping containers do a lot more than ship stuff. See them used as everything from bridges to stores to housing to baths .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/modular-design/2013-shi

WIND - Siemens Puts Weight Behind US Offshore Wind

Image Credit: Siemens There were new signs on Monday that the Cape Wind offshore wind power plant in Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts will become a reality. The developer and Siemens finalized a deal under which Siemens will supply turbines for the project, and Siemens said it would likely become an equity investor. Cape Wind and Siemens said they signed a contract for 130 3.6-megawatt turbines, adding up to 46 ...

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/siemens-puts-wei

WORK - How to make job sharing work

Bringing job sharing to senior roles will create businesses which are more agile, innovative, profitable and socially responsibleIn my work helping organisations to become more sustainable and socially responsible, I've become obsessed by the lack of senior level job sharing opportunities in UK companies. I believe that greater job flexibility is a viable way to create more social sustainability alongside agility, profit and innovation.More senio ...

http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/dec/30/h
Enclosure: image/jpeg http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/20

ANIMALS - Museum bird DNA 'ready for use' in Naturalis Biodiversity Center

DNA barcoding is used as an effective tool for both the identification of known species and the discovery of new ones. The core idea of DNA barcoding is based on the fact that just a small portion of a single gene already can show that there is less variation between the individuals of one species than between those of several species ...

http://phys.org/news/2013-12-museum-bird-dna-ready-naturalis.htm

BIRDS - Testosterone in male songbirds may enhance desire to sing but not song quality

For the male canary, the ability to sing a pitch-perfect song is critical to wooing female canaries. As the seasons change, so does song quality and frequency. The hormone testosterone plays a role in this changing song behavior ...

http://phys.org/news/2013-12-testosterone-male-songbirds-desire-song.h

BOOKS - Book Excerpt: The Wisdom of Love

Jacob Needleman on the need for lovers to nourish each other's inner life and search for truth ...

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id=1482

EARTH - Countdown to 2014: Best places to ring in the new year

As the clock ticks down to midnight, a crowd gathers in Times Square, waiting for a glittering ball to descend and launch the New Year. But this isn’t New York, it’s Hong Kong, where a ball drop has also become an annual tradition ...

http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/countdown-2014-best-places-ring-new-year

ECONOMICS - An Unlikely Star of the Holiday-Shipping Season: The U.S. Postal Service

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-30/an-unlikely-star-of-th

ECONOMICS - Online economy continues to bloom

Online shopping in Australia is enjoying a strong second wave of growth as more consumers build internet browsing, purchasing and financial transactions into their everyday lives ...

http://phys.org/news/2013-12-online-economy-bloom.htm

ECONOMICS - The world braces for retirement crisis

A global retirement crisis is bearing down on workers of all ages. It will play out for decades, and its consequences will be far-reaching ...

http://phys.org/news/2013-12-world-braces-crisis.htm

EDUCATION - 6 Innovative Programs Getting Children Back in School

It costs more to not educate a child than it does to educate a child. Around the world there are innovative programs working to get these children into school. Here are 6 featured on the CEI database ...

http://www.good.is/posts/6-innovative-programs-getting-children-back-i

ENVIRONMENT - Japan’s homeless hired for Fukushima clean up

The ongoing and potentially deadly work of cleaning up Japan's nuclear disaster zone has fallen on the country's neediest.According to a Reuters report, homeless Japanese people are being recruited (reportedly the work of Japanese gangsters) to work for under minimum wage to clean up radioactive fallout across an area of northern Japan, as the radiation clean up following the Fukushima meltdown runs heavily behind schedule.Via Reuters:In January, ...

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/30/japans_homeless_hired_for_fukushima_cl

HOMES - MEKA reinvents shipping container housing

Their patented system takes the best of both worlds: the mobility of the shipping container with the flexibility of prefab ...

http://www.treehugger.com/modular-design/meka-world-reinvents-shipping

MOVIES - DNews: The Top Sci-Fi Films of All Time

Anthony sits down with filmmaker & Film Riot host, Ryan Connolly to discuss the top 5 science fiction films of all time ...

http://news.discovery.com/human/videos/the-top-sci-fi-films-of-all-tim

MOVIES - Make a Movie

The White House is hosting a film festival for kids K-12 ...

http://www.good.is/posts/encourage-children-s-creativit

MOVIES - Why Matt Smith's Doctor "Deserved Better"

Matt Smith has been one of the most engaging actors ever to play that ageless time traveler on Doctor Who — but if he'd been given better, weightier material to work with, he might have been the best Doctor of all, argues a new article in The Atlantic.Read more...    ...

http://io9.com/why-matt-smiths-doctor-deserved-better-149182125

PEOPLE - Gone in 2013: A Tribute to 10 Remarkable Women in Science

Pioneering scientists and engineers are often overlooked in popular retrospectives commemorating the year’s departed. In particular, women in such fields tend to be given short shrift. To counter this regrettable circumstance, I present here a selection of 10 notable women in science who left us in 2013. Each of these individuals contributed greatly to her field and should be remembered for her exceptional accomplishments. This, of course, is not ...

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/12/30/gone-in-2013

PEOPLE - U.S. Population Rises Just 0.72 Percent, Census Bureau Finds

An outside demographer says last year’s growth rate was the lowest in more than seven decades.    ...

http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/us/us-population-rises-just-0-72-

PLANTS - How smoker's breath saved this caterpillar's life

Meet the tobacco hornworm, a caterpillar that regularly eats tobacco leaves loaded with nicotine. Research now shows this little bugger has a strange and unique defense against hungry spiders: It "puffs out" nicotine, creating a kind of toxic bad breath. This serves as a potent warning that says, "Eat me and you'll die!"Read more...    ...

http://io9.com/how-smokers-breath-saved-this-caterpillars-life-1490653

SCIENCE - The Biodiversity Bubble: How What We Don't Know Could Get Us Killed

Ask most scientists and they’ll tell you that the current crisis that scares them most is the biodiversity crisis. What current biodiversity crisis? My point, exactly ...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler/2013/12/30/the-biodiversity-b

SPACE - When Did Galaxies Get Their Spirals?

What makes a spiral galaxy, well, spiral? And how long does it take them to get in a spin? Continue reading ...

http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/when-did-galaxies-get-their-s

SUSTAINABILITY - 9 Simple and Effective Green New Year’s Resolutions

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions every year, to help us achieve our financial goals or to improve our health, but not too many of us make those New Year’s resolutions for environmental reasons.However, if you’re concerned about having a smaller environmental footprint, and saving money while you’re at it, here are 9 simple and effective green New Year’s resolutions that you can put into practice in 2014:Some of these are really basic, such ...

http://ecopreneurist.com/2013/12/30/9-simple-effective-green-new-years

URBAN - The 2013 Shipping Container News: Our 15 favorite boxes

Shipping containers do a lot more than ship stuff. See them used as everything from bridges to stores to housing to baths ...

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/modular-design/2013-shipping-cont

WIND - Siemens Puts Weight Behind US Offshore Wind

Image Credit: Siemens There were new signs on Monday that the Cape Wind offshore wind power plant in Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts will become a reality. The developer and Siemens finalized a deal under which Siemens will supply turbines for the project, and Siemens said it would likely become an equity investor. Cape Wind and Siemens said they signed a contract for 130 3.6-megawatt turbines, adding up to 46 ...

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/siemens-puts-weight-behind

WORK - How to make job sharing work

Bringing job sharing to senior roles will create businesses which are more agile, innovative, profitable and socially responsibleIn my work helping organisations to become more sustainable and socially responsible, I've become obsessed by the lack of senior level job sharing opportunities in UK companies. I believe that greater job flexibility is a viable way to create more social sustainability alongside agility, profit and innovation.More senio ...

http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/dec/30/how-to-make

EARTH PORTATION curated News December 27th

ANIMALS - LOOK: Weather-Predicting Crab Says It'll Be A Warm Fall

This is Baltimore Bill. According to some reports, this crab can predict the weather. And he predicted a warm fall.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/baltimore-bill-crab

ANIMALS - Meet the Deadliest Venomous Animals in the World

Venom can turn a seemingly weak and tiny creature into a feared killer. But what, exactly, does it mean for an animal to be "venomous"? And which venomous species are the most deadly to humans? Here's what we know.

http://io9.com/meet-the-deadliest-venomous-animals-in-the-wo

ANIMALS - Missouri ponds provide clue to killer frog disease

The skin fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), also known as amphibian chytrid, first made its presence felt in 1993 when dead and dying frogs began turning up in Queensland, Australia. Since then it has sickened and killed frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians worldwide, driving hundreds of species to extinction .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-missouri-ponds-clue-killer-frog

BOOKS - Book Excerpt: Strength in The Storm

Eknath Easwaran on calming the mind and coping with the storms of life .. ...
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id

CLIMATE - How climate change contributed to Colorado flood

It has become a familiar pattern. A natural disaster occurs and we can't help but wonder how it may have been influenced by climate change. Here's a look at how the Colorado rains and flood were connected to global warming .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/how-climate-change-

CLIMATE - UN Climate Panel Finds Growing Evidence Of Warming

Growing evidence of warming: UN panel (via AFP)The UN’s climate panel warned on Monday that evidence was mounting each year of changes to Earth’s weather system as it began talks on a new global warming report. The world’s paramount authority on the greenhouse effect, the Intergovernmental Panel… .. ...

http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/09/un-climate-panel-finds-

EARTH - Alpine archaeology reveals high life through the ages

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of human activity in the high slopes of the French Alps dating back over 8000 years .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130925112400.ht

EARTH - Ancient soils reveal clues to early life on Earth

Oxygen appeared in the atmosphere up to 700 million years earlier than we previously thought, according to new research, raising new questions about the evolution of early life .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130925132317.ht

ECONOMICS - Do Entrepreneurs Who Exit At $100MM+ Go On To Found Another Startup Vs. Doing Venture Or Retiring?

What percentage of entrepreneurs who exit at $100MM+ go on to found another startup vs. doing venture or retiring?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/09/25/do-entrepreneur

ECONOMICS - How The Maker Movement Is Reinventing Retail

The jury is still out on whether the maker movement could bring about a new American industrial revolution. But anecdotal evidence suggests it's well on its way to reinventing retail. Consider the craft maker whose merchandise got so much exposure through a recent Etsy-Nordstrom partnership that she and her husband both quit their day jobs to handle production and sales.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2013/09/25/how-the-mak

ENERGY - Executive Perspectives: The Most Important Trends in Energy Efficiency

Was 2013 the year efficiency got cool, sexy and cheap? Not quite. But it did become cooler, sexier and cheaper than ever before -- driven by largely by innovations in intelligent efficiency such as energy management software, virtual audits and better data crunching abilities. Scaling the efficiency market will come through better IT deployment, as well as the less exciting work of educating customers
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-will-2014-b

ENERGY - Germany’S RWE Fails To Renew Two Long-Term Coal Power Contracts

 Originally published on ClimateProgressby Jeff SprossImage Credit: Shutterstock RWE, Germany’s largest electrical utility, will not renew two long-term contracts for coal-fired power, according to Bloomberg News.In Germany, long-term contracts like this work by allowing utilities to buy power from a producer for a fixed rate over the contracted period of time.

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/24/germanys-rwe-fails-renew

ENERGY - New York Green Bank Gets $210 Million In Start-Up Funding

While most Americans wait around to see what’s waiting for them under the Christmas tree, it looks like New York State’s clean energy industry got to open its present a few days early.Governor Andrew Cuomo announced $210 million in initial capitalization for the New York Green Bank, a new initiative created to leverage public funds into private investment to boost clean energy projects, create green jobs, and improve community climate

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/24/new-york-green-bank-gets

ENERGY - Puerto Rico Mandates Energy Storage in Green Power Mix

Grid-scale energy storage could play an important role in helping unstable island grids integrate more intermittent wind and solar power. On islands where electricity is generated from expensive, imported fossil fuels, storage plus green power also makes good economic sense. But creating the right technical, economic and regulatory frameworks to marry these two resources together isn’t easy.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/puerto-rico-mand

ENERGY - The $100 Million Green Bond From Hannon Armstrong

Infrastructure investor Hannon Armstrong took a big step toward a new clean energy investor pool with the launch of its $100 million green bond offering. “This is securitization of assets that were on our balance sheet,” explained Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (NYSE:HASI) CEO-President Jeff Eckel. The bonds will mature in December 2019 and are backed by 100 individual wind, solar, and energy efficiency infrastructure installations ...

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/The-100-Million-

ENERGY - Why so many energy saving tips are so bad

Martin Holladay produces a sobering list. No wonder TreeHugger's best energy saving idea remains: put on a sweater .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/why-so-many-ene

ENERGY - WSJ Busts The Right’s Renewable Energy Myths!

Those heads exploding all over the country on Monday? That was Wall Street Journal readers – including, maybe, Rupert Murdoch – after reading what was, on balance, a thoughtful, fact-laden article in the paper on the state of renewable energy in the United States.Reporter Keith Johnson’s piece, “Six Myths About Renewable Energy,” is hardly a work of renewable energy advocacy; in fact, it pokes holes in two claims that greenies love to make

http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/09/wsj-busts-the-rights-re

ENERGY - Green electricity now undercuts major utilities in Britain

Ecotricity, known for its aggressive attitude toward fossil fuels, just announced that it will undercut standard tariffs for electricity .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/green-electricity

ENERGY - Morocco Aims Billions Towards Clean Energy Leadership

Morocco eyes 10 bln euro investments in power sector (via AFP)Morocco will invest 10 billion euros ($13.5 billion) over the next four years to boost power generation and meet rising demand, with renewables providing nearly half of the increase, newspapers reported Wednesday.

http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/09/morocco-aims-billions-t

GARDENS - Man fires flower seeded shotgun shells for guerilla gardening (Video)

After much trial and error, this Swedish studio is offering "a 12 gauge shotgun shell that lets you fire flower seeds with a shotgun. A personal project between art, gardening and gun smoke. .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/flower-shells-shotgun-

HOMES - Building a better malaria vaccine: Mixing the right cocktail

A safe and effective malaria vaccine is high on the wish list of most people concerned with global health. New results suggest how a leading vaccine candidate could be vastly improved .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131227100409.ht

HOMES - Heliotrope: The World’s First Energy Positive Solar Home

Look, up in the sky — it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Heliotrope! The brainchild of Architect Ralph Disch, this rotating solar home was the seed for the extraordinary Sonnenschiff Solar Development and the modern solar movement in Germany. The home takes full advantage of the sun by rotating with it, allowing daylight to course though its triple-pane windows and energize its large roof-mounted solar array and solar thermal pipes.

http://inhabitat.com/heliotrope-the-worlds-first-energy-posi

HOMES - Modern tiny house rental sits like a U.F.O. in the Austrian Alps

Built out of wood and featuring stunning panoramic views of the mountains, this compact cabin hides a contemporary yet comfortable interior .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/ufogel-austrian

HOMES - New Year’s Tech: What to Expect in 2014

Smart watches and Google glasses?
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/new-years-te

HOMES - Pop-Up Shelter Unfolds For Disaster Aid

The LifeBox is small and light enough to be delivered fast and easily to where it's needed most.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/pop-up-shelt

MOVIES - 2014 in film preview: romance

Continuing our 10-part preview, we're donning the rose-tinted specs to gaze into the crystal ball and predict the big romances of next year• 2014 movie preview:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/dec/27/2014-fi
Enclosure: image/jpeg http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2013/1

PEOPLE - Couple celebrates 61 years of marriage in 'Up'-inspired shoot

61 years ago, Donald and Dorothy Lutz's wedding photographer stood them up, leaving the lovebirds with only a single picture to remember their big day. But six decades later, they got a very special belated wedding gift — a beautiful anniversary photo shoot
http://www.today.com/news/couple-celebrates-61-years-marriag

PEOPLE - Women coders break new ground, and stereotypes

http://www.today.com/video/today/5392411

SCIENCE - Dragonfly-Like Lenses Grown With Liquid Crystals

Scientists grew flower-like lenses using sand and liquid crystal.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/dragonfly-like-lenses-grown-w

SCIENCE - Lowell Observatory's Clark Telescope closes for renovation on January 1

Lowell Observatory's iconic Clark Telescope is about to undergo a much-needed facelift. After 117 years of constant use, the instrument will be closed for more than a year as engineers and technicians carefully remove telescope components and repair or replace poorly operating parts .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-lowell-observatory-clark-telesc

SCIENCE - The Cubli: amazing cube that can jump up, balance, and ‘walk’

http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/12/27/the-cubli-amazing-cub

SOCIAL - If you don't like Facebook, you can leave – it's easier than you think

Breaking up is hard to do, especially with social media. But thousands of people are doing just that, and with the new year and its inevitable resolutions just around the corner, it might be a good time to examine the ethics of using software and platforms .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-dont-facebook-easier.htm

SPACE - Nearby Failed Star Binary May Hide Alien World

Astronomers have spotted signs of a possible exoplanet in a nearby system of twin failed stars. If confirmed, the alien world would be one of the closest to our sun ever found .. ...
http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/nearby

URBAN - 2013: The year in urbanism

A whole lot of very long posts about the design of our cities, the role of the car, the size of your fridge .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/2013-year-urban-desig

URBAN - Collins and Turner’s Lush Green Canopy Crowns a Refurbished Community Center in Sydney

Read the rest of Collins and Turner’s Lush Green Canopy Crowns a Refurbished Community Center in SydneyPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Cedric Price, climbing plants canopy, Collins and Turner, exposed thermal mass, green building in Australia, green canopy, green community center in Sydney, green roof, John Krubsack, London zoo aviary, natural cross ventilation, refurbished community center Australia

http://inhabitat.com/collins-and-turners-lush-green-canopy-c

URBAN - Didier Faustino’s Big Bang House is Shaped Like a Starburst

Architect Didier Faustino‘s imaginative “Big Bang” house is a dynamic building that appears to explode outwards from a central point. Designed for French developer Christian Bourdais’ Solo Houses project, the dream house is made up of a cluster of rectilinear volumes that are capped with glazed glass skylights. The fantastical Casa Faustino home is scheduled to be constructed in Matarrana, Spain along with 11 other architect-designed vacation homes ...

http://inhabitat.com/didier-faustinos-big-bang-house-is-shap

URBAN - INFOGRAPHIC: How Future Cities Will Succeed

What will the smart city of tomorrow look like? Industry Perspectives: Creating Smart and Sustainable Cities is a new report and infographic published by the McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute and Autodesk that summarizes the insights of two generations of agriculture, engineering, and construction industry executives regarding the most important challenges and opportunities facing cities.

http://inhabitat.com/infographic-how-future-cities-will-succ

URBAN - Inhabitat’s Top 10 Most Inspiring Stories of 2013

The media tends to feed on negativity – but if you dig a little deeper you’ll find a wealth of uplifting and inspiring stories just below the surface. Sometimes they’re about brilliant teenagers who came up with innovative solutions to the world’s problems – like this 16-year-old who created bioplastic from bananas and the student who developed a phone charger that can fill your cell in 20 seconds.

http://inhabitat.com/inhabitats-top-10-most-inspiring-storie

URBAN - Modular natural dam design protects communities from rising sea levels (Video)

Integrating architecture and ecology, this proposal for a modular natural dam design could help defend coastal communities from climate change-induced natural disasters .. ...

http://www.treehugger.com/resilience/caltrope-modular-natura

URBAN - Tiny Norwegian Prefab Bathhouse is Clad in Sustainable Kebony Wood

Read the rest of Tiny Norwegian Prefab Bathhouse is Clad in Sustainable Kebony WoodPermalink

http://inhabitat.com/tiny-norwegian-prefab-bathhouse-is-clad

URBAN - Top 6 Architecture Stories of 2013 – Vote for Your Favorite!

2013 has been an amazing year for architecture but our most popular posts among readers definitely seem to be those that defy the status quo. We’ve seen a lot of stories about people moving into unconventional spaces that cost less than new buildings, like the Brooklyn couple who moved into a stacked shipping container in Williamsburg and the couple who left their jobs to move into a recycled windows love nest.

http://inhabitat.com/top-6-architecture-stories-of-2013-vote

URBAN - e2a Architects Renovate Old School into Aluminum-Clad Centre of Hearing and Language

Read the rest of e2a Architects Renovate Old School into Aluminum-Clad Centre of Hearing and LanguagePermalink

http://inhabitat.com/e2a-architects-transform-an-old-school-

WORK - With New Nuclear Plants Underway, Workforce Shortage Looms

Nuclear faces a somewhat uncertain future in the U.S., owing to questions about costs -- especially in an era of cheap natural gas -- as well as safety concerns and public acceptance issues in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. But another pressing concern for the industry is how to fill rapidly rising job vacancies at existing plants, as well as the needs of plants under construction. “Almost 50 percent of the current nuclear workforce ...
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/with-new-nuclear

WRITE - Autoblog's Most Popular Stories of 2013

Filed under: Etc.Oh, Internet - you crazy. We throw dozens of stories out into the great unknown each and every day, and while some just sink to the bottom of the ocean, others become hugely popular. Sure, we know that things like the reveal of the new Ford Mustang will be big hits (spoiler alert!), but other times, the popularity of a story absolutely baffles us.So, in keeping with tradition, we bring you a Top 10 list of the most popular stories ...

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/27/autoblogs-most-popular-st