PREVENTING DEAD ZONES

Nitrogen pollution has become a crisis in many areas, causing algae blooms and decreased oxygen levels from their subsequent decomposition. Our farms sequester nitrogen and limit the potential for algae blooms. Excess fertilizer remnants come from farms that are near rivers and lakes. The materials are then caught in these rivers and lakes which flow into the larger bodies of waters and create the dead zones. Nitrogen and phosphorous enter the river through upstream runoff of fertilizers, soil erosion, animal wastes, and sewage.By controlling less usage of fertilizer, we can reduce the amount of runoff that is wasted into the sea.

REDISCOVERING YELLOWSTONE

Yellowstone National Park is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone, the first National Park in the U.S. and widely held to be the first national park in the world, is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the Rockies ecoregion.

FLOURISHING SPECIES

After the reintroduction of the gray wolf in 1995, researchers noticed drastic changes occurring. Elk, the primary prey of the gray wolf, became less abundant and changed their behavior, freeing riparian zones from constant grazing. The respite allowed willows and aspens to grow, creating habitat for beaver, moose, and scores of other species. In addition to the effects on prey species, the gray wolf’s presence also affected the park’s grizzly bear population. The bears, emerging from hibernation, chose to scavenge off wolf kills to gain needed energy and fatten up after fasting for months. Dozens of other species have been documented scavenging from wolf kills and are now flourishing.

REEMERGING VEGITATION

Since the reintroduction of the grey wolf the vegitation of Yellowstone has flourished. Its eco-region is predominantly coniferous forest, dominated by lodgepole pine. Other trees include Engelmann spruce, Rocky Mountain fir, subalpine fir and trembling aspen. Whitebark pine is an important species at the upper tree line krummholz zone. This eco-region also contains mountain meadows, foothills grasslands, riparian woodlands, and alpine tundra. In some areas, geothermal activity creates distinct, warm habitats with unique floral communities.

DISCOVERING NEW FOOD SOURCES

The ecosystem is the largest remaining continuous stretch of mostly undeveloped pristine land in the continental United States, considered the world’s largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone. With the successful wolf reintroduction program, which began in the 1990s, virtually all the original faunal species known to inhabit the region when white explorers first entered the area can still be found there. As a result, small animals, ground mice and rabbits also returned to the now growing meadows. The birds of prey such as the eagle returned to find a replenished source of food.

POSITIVE CHANGES TO RIVERS

A century ago, wolves were not charismatic attractions for visitors to the park. They were perceived as a threat to the park and over time slowly removed from the protected from human-caused mortalities. Since their introduction to Yellowstone the park has experienced significant changes. The grazing habits of the deer and elk changed and as a result, the course of the rivers changed, as well. In 1973, the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the northern Rocky Mountain wolf as an endangered species annually, from every corner of the globe and designated Greater Yellowstone as one of three recovery areas.

THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF REWILDING

Rewilding is large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and core wilderness areas such as Yellowstone, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species. Rewilding projects may require ecological restoration or wilderness engineering, particularly to restore connectivity between fragmented protected areas, and reintroduction of predators where extirpated.

WELL BEING ON PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The current population of the island of New Guinea is about eleven million. Human habitation on the island dates to as early as 50,000 BC and first settlement possibly dating back to 60,000 years ago. The island is presently populated by almost a thousand different tribal groups and a near equivalent number of separate languages, which makes New Guinea the most linguistically diverse area in the world. Ethnologue's 14th edition lists 826 languages of Papua New Guinea and 257 languages of Irian Jaya, total 1073 languages, with 12 languages over-lapping. For all of its diversity, the people are happy and there is a sense of well being.

PLANT SOURCE DISCOVERIES

The discovery and use of jungle plants as medicines pre-dates written human history. Ethnobotany, the study of traditional human uses of plants, is recognized as an effective way to discover future medicines. In 2015, researchers identified 122 compounds used in modern medicine which were derived from traditional plant sources; 80% of these have had a traditional use identical or related to the current use of the active elements of the plant. Some of the pharmaceuticals currently available to physicians are derived from these plants that have a long history of use as herbal-remedies including aspirin, digoxin, quinine and opium. The use of herbs to treat disease is widespread in non-industrialized societies. The annual global export value of pharmaceutical plants in 2012 was over US $2.2 billion.

NEW PRODUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research at the UCLA AIDS Institute focused on the function of cycloastragenol in the aging process of immune cells, and its effects on the cells’ response to viral infections. It appears to increase the production of telomerase, an enzyme that mediates the replacement of short bits of DNA known as telomeres, which play a key role in cell replication, including in cancer processes.

SAVING THE CORAL ON EASTER ISLAND

The cycle of natural events inevitably catches up with the reality of the moment. In this case, after centuries of these magnificent Easter Island monoliths staring off into the distance, the rain is eroding away the island and as it washes into the ocean the surrounding coral reefs are being buried under the silt. Coral reefs that happen to contained enzymes which are the building blocks of medicines that hold the cure for Alzheimers disease. Through the innovative minds of the Cousteau Society, a potential disaster will be avoided. They’re planting 1.4 million trees on the island to arrest the erosion which, if left untouched, will fundamentally destroy all of the surrounding coral reefs and any potential for finding a cure.

NEW MEDICINES FROM ASTRAGALUS

It has been observed that some species of Astragalus – namely Astragalus membranaceus have associated medicinal usage in traditional Chinese medicine, ranging from broader use of protection against disease to prevention of cancer and diabetes. Antioxidants, as well as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities are also common amongst some Astragalus species.

DISCOVERING ASTRAGALUS

Astragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It’s the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names include milkvetch (most species), locoweed and goat’s-thorn. Some pale-flowered vetches are similar in appearance, but vetches are more vine-like.

SUSTAINABLY MOVING PEOPLE

When it comes to shaping future mobility, BMW considers the entire value chain, with the aim of making it as sustainable as possible. Protection of the environment is accorded just as much importance as social compatibility and commercial viability. The challenges of urban mobility in particular not only require different vehicle products, but also new kinds of mobility services. These intelligent services are not only seamlessly integrated into everyday life, but also create synergies between themselves.

RECYCLED PLASTIC HOMES

By 2050, global production of plastics will triple with estimates suggesting it will account for 15% of the world’s carbon budget. A failure to address the mountains of waste in the developing world could result in as much plastic in our oceans as fish. Oscar Andres Mendez cites “terrifying” statistics like these as his motivation to move the sustainable solutions industry forward.

THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

Green energy. Everyone wants it, but not in their backyard. An odd thing for a country known for its picturesque windmills dating from the 18th century. How can we once again give green energy the allure it deserves? ‘Windlicht’ (Windlight), is a dance of bright lines. Special software and tracking technology detect the windmill blades rotating at 280 kilometres per hour. Green lines of light are connecting the blades. This creates a dynamic play o flight and movement. Windlicht creates the missing link between the Dutch and the beauty of their landscape.

A STIRRING NEW VISION

In keeping with its commitment to trend setting technology, San Diego Metropolitan AirPark will generate more electricity from solar power than it consumes, thereby contributing to the City of San Diego’s Clean Air and Water initiatives. This dual-use solar power system will assure the AirPark’s stature as the greenest community aviation airport on the planet, while helping to protect sensitive habitats in the area.

GETTING WATER FROM NOTHING

An architect named Andreas Vogler started to collaborate with the Italian architect, Arturo Vittori, to design, and engage in the development of innovative solutions and technology transfer between diverse fields for aerospace and terrestrial applications working in architecture, design and art. They’ve created a means of collecting water in harsh, arid environments bringing water to people all over the world who might not otherwise have access.

MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE

Sperm whales have been shown to increase the levels of primary production and carbon export to the deep ocean by depositing iron rich feces into surface waters. The feces causes phytoplankton to grow and take up more carbon from the atmosphere. When the phytoplankton dies, it sinks to the deep ocean and takes the atmospheric carbon with it. The sperm whales result in removing 200,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year.

COSTNERS SOLUTION FOR OIL SPILLS

Ocean Therapy Solutions is a company owned by actor Kevin Costner. The company specializes in developing centrifugal oil-water separators. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, Costner wanted to find a new way to separate oil from water, so he acquired the company. Costner has found and developed one of the most important systems for this problem imaginable.

BUILDINGS AS TURBINES

The BWTC project establishes a technological precedent which is set to raise the awareness of environmental design and its importance in the built environment and pave the way for designers and clients to incorporate renewable and energy efficient measures into their future developments to reduce carbon emissions.

OCEAN CLEANUP

Ocean garbage patches are vast but dispersed. By acting like an artificial coastline, Ocean Cleanup’s array passively concentrates the plastic by orders of magnitude, 100% powered by natural ocean currents. Their floating barriers are designed to capture virtually any type of debris. Models show that by utilizing vast rotational ocean currents, a single 100km installation can catch almost half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 10 years.

SEEING COLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME

SEEING COLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME Color blindness, also known as color vision deficiency, is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. The most common cause of color blindness is a fault in the development of one or more of the … Read More

PRECISION FARMING

PRECISION FARMING INNOVATIONS Precision agriculture or satellite farming or site specific crop management is a farming management concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter and intra-field variability in crops. The goal of precision agriculture research is to define a decision support system for whole … Read More

SKIN GUN

THE SKIN GUN MIRACLE The skin cell gun, also known as the skin gun or SkinGun, is a medical device that sprays a patient‘s own self-donated (autologous) stem cells to treat burns and other wounds. The skin gun is used in conjunction with a technique that isolates adult stem cells from a postage stamp-sized sample of … Read More

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