ANIMALS - Large mammals were the architects in prehistoric ecosystems
Elephants, rhinoceroses and aurochs once roamed around freely in the forests of Europe, while hippopotamuses lived in rivers such as the Thames and the Rhine. New research shows how we can use knowledge about the past to restore a varied landscape with a high level of biodiversity .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-large-mammals-architects-prehis
ANIMALS - Snake eats crocodile in Queensland lake
Reptile takes on reptile in epic duel captured by onlookers at Lake Moondarra, near Mount Is .. ...
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/03/snake-eat
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BOOKS - Book Excerpt: Your Daily Life Is Your Temple
Anne Rowthorn on seeking the spirit of God in our lives .. ...
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id
CLIMATE - Low-Lying Islands Are Going To Drown, so Should we Even Bother Trying To Save Their Ecosystems?
A new study raises this troubling question.Petrus LJ van Veldhoven/ThinkstockIslands are hot spots of biodiversity, often home to rich and unique ecosystems. Despite covering just 5 percent of the Earth’s land, the planet’s 180,000-odd islands contain a fifth of its plant and animal species. Around half of recorded extinctions have occurred on islands.Unfortunately, many islands have been infested in recent centuries with ecosystem-wrecking rats ...
EDUCATION - How I Built a Platform For Movie Studios To Support Education
I found my diary from when I was 10. I turned it into a script. Then, I made a movie. John Cusack narrated. Our soundtrack was 80s gold. We won Audience Awards and Best Feature Film—at over a dozen amazing festivals. We played at PIXAR. Played at Harvard. Played around the world. And then, we were orphaned. Independent film distribution collapsed. Blockbuster Video went bankrupt. Releasing arms shuttered. No films were bought our festival year. . ...-cropped.jpg){kind=logo}
EDUCATION - How States Are Shifting College Costs to Students
While public colleges have kept their costs flat, state support has falle .. ...
http://nybw.businessweek.com/articles/2014-03-03/how-states-
EDUCATION - See Why This Teacher is Replacing Bellringer Tasks with Meditation in His Classroom
High school teacher and CTQ blogger Paul Barnwell decided to switch up the long-held tradition of diving straight into content as the bell was ringing: "Instead, my students and I take 4-5 minutes at the start of every class to practice mindfulness with a simple breathing meditation. And so far, I’m happy with the results of replacing instant work demands with the expectations that students simply be." Photo Credit: Mitchell Joyce via Flick .. ...
http://www.good.is/posts/see-why-this-teacher-is-replacing-b
ENERGY - IEA Report: Wind and Solar Can Carry Bulk of Energy Transformation
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report concluding that integration of large amounts of renewable energy can be achieved by any country at only a small increase on whole-system costs, compared with the current fossil-fuel-heavy electricity systems. Making the conclusion even more startling is the fact that the IEA used present-day costs for solar PV and wind, with the two most widely deployed renewable energy technologies set ...
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/iea-says-wind-an
ENERGY - Low-Cost Methanol From Carbon Dioxide — Relatively Cheap Conversion Method Developed
A relatively low-cost means of converting carbon dioxide into methanol has been developed by researchers from Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Technical University of Denmark. Methanol is used as a fuel, in the production of many important adhesives and solvents, and in the production of plastics — it’s been suggested by researchers Low-Cost Methanol From Carbon Dioxide — Relatively Cheap Conversion Method Develop ...
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/04/low-cost-methanol-carbon
ENVIRONMENT - The alternatives to salt for battling ice: cheese, beets and ash
As some cities face shortages for fighting off cold weather companies are creating innovative deicers made from quirky alternativesAs snow, ice and frigid temperatures continue to pound large portions of the US this winter, salt shortages and strained local budgets have sent states and municipalities scrambling for deicing alternatives. The US uses millions of tons of rock salt each winter to keep roads and walkways safe, resulting in salty run-o ...
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/alternatives
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FASHION - These transforming sandals send women to college
Sseko makes versatile accessories with a big dose of social consciousness .. ...
GARDENS - Growing food without soil: feeding the world with aquaponics
Most people are prepared to admit that there are a lot of serious problems facing the world today.How we manage these issues, and the resulting effects on our planet, has a huge impact not only on the economy but also our own wellbeing. As a society, we are resource hungry. But a lot of people are just hungry.Aquaponics is a new way of growing food which lets us grow food in the desert and produce protein as well as plants. Intrigued? Read on.. . ...
http://www.good.is/posts/growing-food-without-soil-feeding-t
MOVIES - Feature Film Review: His Wife (Son epouse)
A complex spiritual and psychological drama set in France and India where two married couples struggle with mysteries they cannot comprehend or control .. ...
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=25
MOVIES - Feature Film Review: School of Babel
An enlightening documentary about classes in France offered to immigrant children before they enter regular schools .. ...
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=25
MUSIC - Greater music dynamics in shoebox-shaped concert halls
Researchers in Finland have found that music is perceived to have greater dynamic range in rectangular, shoebox shaped concert halls than in other types of halls .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140303143407.ht
MUSIC - World-class orchestras judged by sight not sound
World-class orchestras can be accurately identified by silent video footage of performances, but not through sound recordings, a new study has found .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140303083917.ht
PEOPLE - Travel Destinations for Science Buffs
Vacations don't just have to be about eating and sleeping and relaxing; they can be about learning, too .. ...
http://news.discovery.com/adventure/travel/travel-destinatio
PLANTS - Plants convert energy at lightning speed
A new way of measuring how much light a plant can tolerate could be useful in growing crops resilient to a changing climate, according to scientists .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140302195423.ht
SCIENCE - Fire prevention: Water-mist may prevent rain of sparks
Fire researchers have shown that sparks from a burning house can be prevented from spreading if the loft is fitted with an extinguishing system based on water-mist, i.e. tiny water droplets that turn into steam. Shortly after the catastrophic fire in Lærdal in Western Norway, which destroyed 40 buildings, an eleven-year-old report from the Norwegian Fire Research Laboratory, has once again become highly relevant .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140303084304.ht
SCIENCE - Novel quantum dot laser paves the way for lower-cost photonics
With the explosive growth of bandwidth demand in telecommunications networks, experts are continually seeking new ways to transmit increasingly large amounts of data in the quickest and cheapest ways possible. Photonic devices—which convert light to electricity and vice versa—offer an energy-efficient alternative to traditional copper network links for information transmission. Unfortunately, these devices are also almost always prohibitively pri ...
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-quantum-dot-laser-paves-lower-c
SCIENCE - Physicists propose a device to capture energy from Earth's infrared emissions to outer space
(Phys.org) —When the sun sets on a remote desert outpost and solar panels shut down, what energy source will provide power through the night? A battery, perhaps, or an old diesel generator? Perhaps something strange and new .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-physicists-device-capture-energ
SCIENCE - Relativity shakes a magnet: New principle for magnetic recording
Scientists have predicted and discovered a new physical phenomenon that allows to manipulate the state of a magnet by electric signals. Current technologies for writing, storing, and reading information are either charge-based or spin-based. Semiconductor flash or random access memories are prime examples among the large variety of charge-based devices. They utilize the possibility offered by semiconductors to easily electrically manipulate and d ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140303083557.ht
TREES - Glorious photographs of trees surviving in urban areas
It's hard to be a tree in an urban area; these photos celebrate their tenuous existence .. ...
URBAN - Abandoned German Nuclear Plant Transformed Into Wunderland Kalkar Amusement Park!
Read the rest of Abandoned German Nuclear Plant Transformed Into Wunderland Kalkar Amusement Park!Permalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: amusement park kalkar, amusment park formaer power plant, former power plant, german power station, germany nuclear power, innovative architecture, nuclear power station, readapted power plant, repurposed power station, wunderland kalka .. ...
URBAN - Could These Artificial Composting Islands Be the Future of NYC Sanitation?
No one wants a landfill in their backyard, but the alternative – trucking garbage to other states – is an obvious drain on funds, fuel and energy. Present Architecture recently proposed a plan that they think could alleviate some of New York City’s current waste management issues by creating artificial islands off of each of the five boroughs. The floating stations would serve as composting facilities where a portion of NYC’s organic waste could ...
WIND - America’s 1st Offshore Wind Farm May Be Commissioned By 2016
Originally published on ThinkProgress. By Katie Valentine. Cape Cod is one step closer to getting its first offshore wind farm, a project that’s been trying to get off the ground for more than a decade. The Danish export credit agency EKF has approved a $600 million loan for the Cape Wind project, a large chunk America’s 1st Offshore Wind Farm May Be Commissioned By 2016 was originally published on: CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, ...
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/03/americas-first-offshore-
WIND - Report: UK Wind Energy Capacity Grew By 38% In 2013
The wind energy sector in the UK is continuing to grow at a respectable pace, based on the most recent figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Wind power rose to provide about 7.7% of the UK’s electricity in 2013 — up from 5.5% in 2012, a 38% year-on-year increase. Other interesting Report: UK Wind Energy Capacity Grew By 38% In 2013 was originally published on: CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 30 ...
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/03/report-uk-wind-energy-ca
WIND - Wind Turbines Generate "Upside-Down" Lightning [Video]
The turning blades can actually help spark lightning strikes, potentially incapacitating wind turbines .. ...
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2014/03/03/
WIND - Wind turbines stand firm as gas prices take off during Crimea crisis
Despite this bad political weather, turbines remain safe to turn and provide more reassurance than oil giantsAs the price of gas jumps 10% on the spot market in reaction to the Russian military manoeuvres in Crimea, it is time to hug your local wind turbine.Windfarms get a regular bashing for apparently costing too much to operate, but no one puts a proper price on carbon pollution – or any price on national security.Until the Russian president, ...Enclosure: image/jpeg http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/20
WRITE - Can you tell the difference between poetry written by a human and poetry generated by a computer?
Can you tell the difference between poetry written by a human and poetry generated by a computer? Bot or Not is a Turing test for poetry; take the quiz to see if you can guess the provenance of each poem. It turns out that some of those bots aren't half-bad poets.Read more... .. ...
http://io9.com/can-you-tell-the-difference-between-poetry-wr
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