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Total number of posts: 23898
A serious plan to reduce global warming: Resurrecting the mammoth
After decades of research, a pair of Russian scientists has demonstrated that if the diverse species of herbivores that once populated the subpolar region of the Arctic are brought back, permafrost melting can be prevented. Some perspective on the scope and implication of this proposal: If it Read More...
This man’s blood saved 2.4 million babies in 60 years
As a 14-year old Australian boy James Harrison, after major surgery, was saved by blood transfusions. In his gratitude, he pledged that he would donate blood as soon as he had turned 18--the required age at that time. In the 1960s, many babies in Australia were dying each year as a result of a Read More...
Celebrating motherhood around the world (pictures)
In honor of Mother's Day National Geographic published this beautiful photo series of mothers around the world and through the Read More...
Broccoli is the only vegetable you actually need to eat, according to a doctor
The next time you go to make a green smoothie, you can put down the spinach and other vegetables and pick up something a little different instead. According to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, the author of "The Four Pillar Plan", there is only one vegetable people really need to eat — Read More...
How much space would it take to solar-power the United States?
How much space would it take to put the whole of the United States on solar power. Well, it depends a lot on the region where you install those solar panels. Las Vegas gets almost twice as much solar energy as some other places, with 26.8 kilowatt-hours per day in a five-kilowatt system, compared Read More...
Smart windows could combine solar panels and TVs too
Imagine standing in front of a wall of windows, surveying the view. You hear someone enter the room behind you. You turn. "Welcome," you say. "Here is the video I wanted to show you." At the press of a button, the view vanishes and the windows transform into a high-definition TV Read More...
Are cotton totes better for the Earth than plastic bags?
A year or so ago, I decided to start using less plastic. I bought an insulated water bottle for my morning coffee, as well as bee’s wax wraps to replace cellophane, and I largely stopped putting my groceries in plastic bags. Instead, I switched to cotton tote Read More...
Should we sleep and wake early to boost our health?
When a recent study looked at health differences between late and early risers, it appeared to make grim reading for night owls. Increased risk of early death, psychological disorders, and respiratory illness were the stark findings from the paper, which backed up other research suggesting Read More...
How excess wind and solar power can be used to produce hydrogen
The British National Grid has warned that at times this coming summer there will be more electricity being generated than needed; when demand is low, solar output is high and some inflexible power stations are hard to turn off. The answer could be to use the excess power to generate hydrogen. Read More...
Study: Beaver dams reduce river pollution
New research shows that beavers remove lots of pollutants from creeks when building their dams. In a new study, scientists found that a single family of beavers remove high levels of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus from water that flowed through a 2.5 hectare enclosure in the UK. The sediment Read More...