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Petition gegen Vogelmord in Ägypten

Stoppt den Fang und Abschuss von europäischen Zugvögeln in Ägypten!

Petition unterzeichnen
Petition ausdrucken und Unterschriften sammeln
English information

Auch in diesem Herbst sind Millionen von Vögeln, darunter seltene und gefährdete Arten, in Fangnetzen entlang der gesamten ägyptischen Mittelmeerküste verendet und auf dem Grill gelandet sind. Berichte und Bilder zeigen das erschreckende Ausmaß des Vogelmords. Der NABU hat im April dieses Jahres eine Kampagne gegen den maßlosen Fallenfang von Zugvögeln in Ägypten gestartet. (more…)

New material for quantum computing discovered out of the blue

Science

A common blue pigment used in the £5 note could have an important role to play in the development of a quantum computer, according to a paper published in the journal Nature. (more…)

UW work contributes to largest international study of Alzheimer’s genes

Health

Eleven regions of the human genome have been newly discovered to influence the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings stem from the largest international study ever conducted on this disorder, which causes gradual memory loss and other forms of cognitive decline in older people.

As of 2009, 10 genes were known to be related to Alzheimer’s, the result of about a quarter-century of research. Yet the reasons behind individual susceptibility or resistance to the disease continued to be poorly understood. In February of 2011, four international research groups studying Alzheimer’s disease genetics united to more quickly identify other genes related to the disorder. (more…)

The People’s Choice: Americans Would Pay to Help Monarch Butterflies

Nature

Americans place high value on butterfly royalty. A recent study suggests they are willing to support monarch butterfly conservation at high levels, up to about 6 ½ billion dollars if extrapolated to all U.S. households.

If even a small percentage of the population acted upon this reported willingness, the cumulative effort would likely translate into a large, untapped potential for conservation of the iconic butterfly. (more…)

Virgin America Safety Video

Entertainment, General

Have fun and learn good guys 🙂

Bodenlose Verluste

Environment, Nature

Erosion vernichtet jährlich 24 Milliarden Tonnen Boden. / WWF warnt vor massiven Verlust fruchtbarer Agrarflächen.

Fruchtbarer Boden ist die wortwörtliche Grundlage unserer Ernährung. Trotzdem gehen jährlich weltweit mehr als 24 Milliarden Tonnen durch Erosion verloren. Davor warnt die Umweltschutzorganisation WWF anlässlich einer Konferenz zum Schutz fruchtbarer Böden in Berlin. „Die Menschheit zieht sich selbst den Boden unter den Füßen weg“, sagt Birgit Wilhelm WWF-Landwirtschaftsreferentin. Dabei seien fruchtbare Anbauflächen Grundvoraussetzung für 90 Prozent aller Lebensmittel – und nicht unendlich vorhanden. Laut Schätzungen bestehen nur zwölf Prozent der Erdoberfläche aus landwirtschaftlich nutzbarem Boden. Ist die gerade einmal 2,5 cm dicke fruchtbare Oberschicht durch Erosion verloren, dauert es 500 Jahre, um sie zurück zu bringen. (more…)

What is it About Your Face?

Science

The human face is as unique as a fingerprint, no one else looks exactly like you. But what is it that makes facial morphology so distinct? Certainly genetics play a major role as evident in the similarities between parents and their children, but what is it in our DNA that fine-tunes the genetics so that siblings – especially identical twins – resemble one another but look different from unrelated individuals? (more…)

Watching Earth’s Winds, on a Shoestring

Science

Built with spare parts and without a moment to spare, the International Space Station (ISS)-RapidScat isn’t your average NASA Earth science mission. (more…)