Guest Post – Page 570 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

University study uncovers the secret lives of UK garden snail

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Environment, Natureangiostrongylus vasorum, dave hodgson, fatal lungworm parasite, fatal parasite, five vet practices, led lights, long grass, lungworm parasite, royal horticultural society, secret live, slugs, snails, time lapse photography, uk garden snail, university of exeter

Researchers track nocturnal snail activity for the first time, using LED lights and time-lapse photography. Snails were tracked over 72 hours, with researchers measuring their speed, distance travelled and exploration habits. Snail numbers have risen in recent years due to favourable breeding conditions. Slugs and snails can carry the lungworm parasite, Angiostrongylus vasorum, which is potentially fatal to dogs.

A ground-breaking study of UK snail behaviour using LED and UV light tracking has found that the nocturnal creatures can explore the length of an average British garden in just one night, reaching a top speed of one metre per hour. (more…)

Schwarzer Fluch lastet auf Virunga

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Environmentaegyptischen pyramiden, demokratischen republik kongo, dr kongo, nationalpark afrikas, oeko tourismus, oel konzern soco, petersdom in rom, ruanda, schwarzer fluch, soco international plc, uganda, virunga, virunga nationalparks, wwf afrika referent

WWF-Studie zeigt wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Afrikas ältestem Nationalparks und Risiken geplanter illegaler Ölerschließung

Der älteste Nationalpark Afrikas ist bis zu 1,1 Milliarden US-Dollar jährlich wert, wenn er nachhaltig bewirtschaftet würde – so das Ergebnis einer neuen WWF-Studie zum wirtschaftlichen Potenzial des Virunga Nationalparks. Stattdessen ist die Zukunft des UNESCO Weltnaturerbes durch Pläne zur Erkundung und Förderung von Ölvorkommen massiv bedroht. Der britische Öl-Konzern Soco müsse seine gefährlichen Planspiele daher unverzüglich beenden, so die WWF-Forderung.

Bis zu 45.000 sichere Arbeitsplätze in den Bereichen Wasserkraft, Fischerei, Öko-Tourismus, Medizin sowie Forschung und Bildung könnten in Virunga entwickelt werden, so die Studie. Virunga gilt als der Nationalpark mit der größten Artenvielfalt Afrikas und ist Heimat für 200 vom Aussterben bedrohten Berggorillas. Derzeit jedoch wird die ökonomische Gesamtwertschöpfung lediglich auf 48,9 Millionen US-Dollar jährlich veranschlagt. Grund dafür ist die Instabilität der Region durch andauernde Armee- und Rebellengefechte. (more…)

Toxic Nanoparticles Might be Entering Human Food Supply, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Environment, Healthazlin mustapha, bongkosh vardhanabhuti, cosmetics, digestion, human food supply, mengshi lin, mu study, nanomaterials, pesticides, toxic nanoparticles, toxicity, university of missouri, water treatment, zhong zang

Scientists develop new way to detect threatening nanoparticles in food

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Over the last few years, the use of nanomaterials for water treatment, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and other industries has increased. For example, farmers have used silver nanoparticles as a pesticide because of their capability to suppress the growth of harmful organisms. However, a growing concern is that these particles could pose a potential health risk to humans and the environment. In a new study, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a reliable method for detecting silver nanoparticles in fresh produce and other food products.

“More than 1,000 products on the market are nanotechnology-based products,” said Mengshi Lin, associate professor of food science in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “This is a concern because we do not know the toxicity of the nanoparticles. Our goal is to detect, identify and quantify these nanoparticles in food and food products and study their toxicity as soon as possible.” (more…)

New intervention reduces risky sex among bisexual African-American men

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2013Health, Sexafrican american legacy, african american men, african americans, biphobia, bisexual men, disenfranchisement, ethnic, ethnicity, financial hardship, historical discrimination, hiv infection, hiv prevention program, hiv stigma, homophobia, john k williams, journal aids, maales, men, nina harawa, race, racial group, sexual decision making, ucla

A culturally tailored HIV prevention program developed and tested by investigators at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has been shown to significantly reduce unprotected sex among bisexual black men.

The innovative approach, called Men of African American Legacy Empowering Self, or MAALES, is described in an article in the peer-reviewed journal AIDS. (more…)

Google, Intel Founders Support Undersea Research by UMass Amherst Microbiologist

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2013Environmentaxial volcano, begum topcuoglu, black smoker, coast of oregon, Environment, environmental conservation, Eric Schmidt, founders, Google, hydrothermal fluids, hydrothermal vents, hyperthermophilic, intel, james holden, lucy stewart, methane producing, methanogenic, microbes, NASA, nsf, oceanographic research, pathogens, quantitative hydrogen requirements, research vessel falkor, schmidt ocean institute, simple organic wastes, soi, super heat loving, umass amherst microbiologist, undersea research, undersea volcanoes, university of massachusetts, university of washington, uw

AMHERST, Mass. – When microbiologist James Holden of the University of Massachusetts Amherst launches new studies next month of the microbes living deep in the cracks and thermal vents around an undersea volcano, for the first time in his 25-year career his deep-sea research will not be funded by a government source.

Instead, Holden will be funded by philanthropists committed to supporting oceanographic research: The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation started by the co-founder of Intel and his wife, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), started by Eric Schmidt of Google and his wife, Wendy. The Moores’ foundation is dedicated to advancing environmental conservation and scientific research, while the SOI supports oceanographic research projects that “help expand the understanding of the world’s oceans through technological advancements, intelligent observation and analysis, and open sharing of information.” (more…)

Newly unearthed ruins challenge views of early Romans

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2013Culture, Scienceancient stereotype, andrew johnston, archaeologists, architectural style, bce, classical art, coliseum, colosseum, digging in italy, early romans, east of rome, gabii, geometrically patterned floors, historians, lego construction, lego like fashion, marcello mogetta, museum of archaeology, nicola terrenato, roman empire, roman republican history, ruins, site known, university of michigan, yale university

ANN ARBOR — In a long-buried Italian city, archaeologists have found a massive monument that dates back 300 years before the Colosseum and 100 years before the invention of mortar, revealing that the Romans had grand architectural ambitions much earlier than previously thought.

The structure, unearthed at the site known as Gabii, just east of Rome, is built with giant stone blocks in a Lego-like fashion. It’s about half the size of a football field and dates back 350-250 years BCE. It’s possibly the earliest public building ever found, said Nicola Terrenato, a University of Michigan classics professor who leads the project—the largest American dig in Italy in the past 50 years. (more…)

Raising the IQ of Smart Windows

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2013Sciencecoating of nanocrystals, electrochromic effect, electrochromic material, energy savings, smart window technology, smart windows, window coating

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have designed a new material to make smart windows even smarter. The material is a thin coating of nanocrystals embedded in glass that can dynamically modify sunlight as it passes through a window. Unlike existing technologies, the coating provides selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared (NIR) light, so windows can maximize both energy savings and occupant comfort in a wide range of climates. (more…)

Risiken von “Fracking” ausschließen!

By Guest PostAugust 24, 2013Environmentanti fracking tag, bedrohung, bulgarien, deutschland, europaeischen parlamentes, fracking, frankreich, grossbritannien, keine stimme, mensch, natur, niedrigere energiepreise, polen, sru, umwelt kritisch, usa

NABU und UVP-Gesellschaft fordern EU-weite Umweltstandards

Am 31. August 2013 findet bundesweit der erste Anti-Fracking-Tag statt. Unter dem Motto „Keine Stimme für Fracking – No Vote for Fracking” werden in zahlreichen Regionen in Deutschland Bürgerinitiativen auf die Straße gehen, um sich gegen die Ausbeutung unkonventioneller Erdgasvorkommen mittels Fracking zur Wehr zu setzen.

Aus Sicht des NABU und der UVP-Gesellschaft (Gesellschaft für die Prüfung der Umweltverträglichkeit) stellt die Methode, Erdgasvorkommen mittels Tiefbohrungen und dem Einsatz von Chemikalien zu gewinnen, eine erhebliche Bedrohung für Mensch und Natur dar. „Fracking ist klima- und energiepolitisch verzichtbar, zu wirtschaftlichen Kosten nicht vertretbar und angesichts der Wissenslücken über die Auswirkungen der Technik für Mensch und Natur ein Roulettespiel“, sagt NABU-Präsident Olaf Tschimpke. Auch der Sachverständigenrat für Umweltfragen (SRU) und das Umweltbundesamt (UBA) sehen diese Methode wegen ungeklärter Risiken für die Umwelt kritisch. (more…)

Author Archives: Guest Post